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open,” he said. “You don’t expect people will see their similar sect being killed and not interfere. We will not call them.”
But, he said, they will come.The SALUTE Report, also known as the Spot Report is(as in ‘I spotted something’) is a U.S. Army Skill Level 1 Task (Skill Level 1 Tasks apply to everyone from the brand new recruit to the senior General Officer) that makes it easier for a soldier to observe and report information of intelligence value or information that can be used to immediate advantage. Essentially the SALUTE Report is an observation and reporting mnemonic and technique. The Prepper SALUTE Report is an easy skill to learn and it’s definitely worth learning whether you’re a prepper and just a concerned citizen.
SALUTE is actually an acronym and does use a little military jargon so I’ll interpret and help you apply this tool to situations as diverse as use in a Neighborhood Protection District (neighborhood watch on steroids when law enforcement can’t be relied upon) or by a concerned citizen who sees potential criminal or terror activity like the recent bombings in Boston.
The Acronym:
The acronym SALUTE stands for Size, Activity, Location, Unit/Uniform, Time Observed and Equipment. When properly used this technique guides your observations in order to provide the who, what, when, where and possibly how as well as provide a standardized reporting format. If you don’t have a method at hand to jot down your report it will also aid you in recalling the details of what you’ve observed.
Now let’s look at each element of the Prepper SALUTE Report in more detail:
Size: Report the number of people, vehicles, barricades, etc. that you observe. Be as specific as possible. Report “2 cars and 1 sport utility vehicle each with two occupants,” not “several cars” or “a bunch of people.” With Size, precision counts…pun intended.
Activity: What activities did you observe? Be as thorough and as specific as possible. Good examples include “manning a barricade and stealing from cars before they’re let through,” or “watching the crossroads.” Include a sketch of the area you’re describing if possible. Think verbs with ‘Activity’ to paint a picture with words which will help the party you’re reporting to visualize the activity. Also, don’t forget to report what direction the observed party is heading and how fast if appropriate.
Location: Where did the activity you observed take place. The military uses latitude and longitude (with minutes and seconds) or the Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) system but you could just as easily use “the corner of 1st Street and Pine Avenue” or “a quarter mile North of the house, just East of the river: or “the barn on the Old McDonald place.” As long as both reporting and report taking parties both understand exactly where the activity is taking place use whatever system works. Just make sure that you are precise and your listener clearly understands where your are talking about.
Unit/Uniform: This provides the ‘who’ of the report. Even in military circles Unit and Uniform don’t always apply literally as you often don’t know what unit the enemy is from and many groups on the battlefield no longer wear uniforms but let this remind you to describe the parties observed in such a way that they can be easily identified. You can describe their clothing, “blue jeans and white t-shirts;” any distinctive apparel like “wearing black arm bands on their right arms; ” or other distinguishing features like race, skin complexion, grooming (bearded, long haired), build, height, hair color, jewelry, license plate number, etc. Adjectives are important here, describe who you observed in as much detail as is necessary to accomplish your task…for example, greater detail is necessary to describe a criminal to the police than to radio a description of a group walking towards your house from your observation post (after a breakdown in law enforcement). In the first example your goal is providing information to assist with identification/capture and in the second you’re primary goal is warning your group of what’s coming. Observe methodically…for instance describe a person from top down focusing on each element…if it’s a person think head/headgear, torso & arms, waist, legs, footwear.
Time Observed: When did you observe the activity. Give the actual time if at all possible, as relative time (‘about a half hour ago’) often isn’t precise enough. Additionally, if you are reporting across time zones make sure to specify which time zone you are using to reduce the chances of a misunderstanding.
Equipment: This is where you describe the equipment you observed in more detail and elaborate on items you may have already touched on. For instance you may further describe the sport utility vehicle you saw as ‘equipped with off road tires and a lift kit’ which denotes additional capabilities. You may also describe the people you saw as “equipped with rifles” (or “long guns” if you can’t tell whether the firearms are shotguns or rifles). Focus on equipment that provides the observed party with capabilities or signals intentions. You might be providing a description of a backpack left behind in a public area to the police or warning your group of others in the area by describing equipment that provides that other group with an offensive capability, a defensive capability a communications capacity or signals that party’s intent (a gas can and a siphon would lead you to think that the other party is coming to trade for or steal gasoline).
The Prepper SALUTE Report format provides you with a tool to aid in observing and reporting information. Remember to tailor your report for your intent and to your intended recipient but regardless of who you’re reporting to… make sure to report quickly, completely and accurately.
Read more about the SALUTE Report at FM 2-22.3 in the U.S. Army’s Reimer Digital Library.
Like this: Like Loading...RISING Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid knows exactly what Ben Simmons is going through.
Embiid, 22, spent the best part of two years recovering from foot injuries and remembers how isolating it can be.
He also knows the value and importance of being made to feel part of the team so has done his part to help Simmons through the agonising wait for an NBA debut.
Australian No.1 draft pick Simmons has been recovering from a foot fracture suffered on the final day of Philadelphia’s pre-season training camp in October.
The 76ers still haven’t set a date for their star recruit’s return but coach Brett Brown on Monday gave an optimistic update, suggesting Simmons’ training activities with the team were about to increase.
But the signs of team chemistry are already positive, with the coach delighted by a social media photo that showed Simmons celebrating New Year’s Eve with 76ers teammates Embiid, Nik Stauskas, T.J. McConnell and Nerlens Noel.
A photo posted by Ben Simmons (@bensimmons) on Dec 31, 2016 at 10:58pm PST
Simmons remained in Philadelphia during the Sixers’ nine-day road trip but was invited to join his teammates to celebrate the turn of the year when they got back.
“That’s fantastic,” Brown said of the post, according to CSNPhilly’s Jessica Camerato.
“I really like stuff like that. You know how important is it to all of us to grow a continuity, a family. When you have people in and out, in and out, and people’s future are uncertain, words end up cheap.
“To grow that type of thing off the floor is the holy grail. You combine that work they’re doing on the floor with stuff where they interact and coexist, it’s not the be all or end all, but it certainly helps. That stuff is very pleasing to me.”
Embiid, the 2014 No.3 draft pick, said it was players like Noel that made him feel included when he say out his first season due to broken navicular bone in his foot.
“That’s something I feel like Ben is going to appreciate a lot because I was in that type of situation,” Embiid said.
“When I was by myself I felt kind of left alone and when I had guys around me it just made me feel better.”
Brown, meanwhile, said Simmons was “moving along fine” in his injury recovery, despite mystery still surrounding a possible return date.
“It’s still obviously not to the point where he’s on a floor practicing, but nobody should be worried that his foot is not healing,” the coach said.
media_camera Ben Simmons of the Philadelphia 76ers.
Some experts initially predicted Simmons could return in late December, while others feared the injury could keep him out for the entire season, but the 76ers did not set a return date for Simmons.
Brown’s latest comments suggest the club remains hopeful of having the Australian fit to make his debut this month — but it’s clear he won’t be rushed.
“It’s a three-pronged attack,” Brown said of Simmons’ recovery process.
“One is just normal health and recovery with a physiotherapist, and nutritions and diets and those types of exercises to get his foot healthy.
Ben Simmons on the floor after practice: pic.twitter.com/Uhh0n4MPuE — Bob Cooney (@BobCooney76) January 2, 2017
“The other part is the breakdown of his shot, form shooting, going from in a wheely thing... to being on one foot, the growth of that. And the final thing is just him with me: which he’s been with a lot in the classroom.
“All those things — while he’s back here and we are not here — then some of those things happen and other parts don’t.
“You’re going to start seeing him being integrated more and more now that this new year is upon us.”
Originally published as ‘Classy’ Sixers have Simmons’ backDespite the gleaming white building that houses it, the Supreme Court is one of the most powerful black boxes in the country. When it convenes for oral arguments, there are no photos, no videos, no broadcasts.
That’s not to say we’re clueless about the court’s goings on, of course. Journalists and bloggers attend the arguments and report back to their readers. And if we don’t have photos, at least we have sketches. Some have even turned to clandestine camerawork. Now a new project uses data to get inside the chamber — and maybe inside the justices’ heads.
Supreme Court oral arguments are exercises in multitasking: The justices are talking to advocates as they’re talking to each other. Chief Justice John Roberts has described the lawyers as “backboards” — justices’ questions rebound off the lawyers and back to the other justices. Through their questions, they can signal to the others what they’re thinking. They can also try to persuade. Their target is often Justice Anthony Kennedy, the most common swing vote on the bench.
But this legal process is also a data-generating process. How many words did Justice Elena Kagan utter? How about Justice Antonin Scalia? To whom were they spoken? What was the sentiment of those words? How many times was the solicitor general interrupted?
Chris Nasrallah knows the answers to these questions. He’s used them to create CourtCast, a computer model that predicts Supreme Court decisions based on oral arguments alone.
CourtCast, a machine-learning model, relies only on PDF files of oral argument transcripts. There are three inputs: the number of words spoken by justices to each party, the sentiment of those words, and the number of times a justice interrupts an attorney. That’s really it — CourtCast doesn’t care about body language, it doesn’t care about justices’ ideologies, and it doesn’t care about who’s arguing the case in front of the court. It doesn’t know the law or the precedent or the political climate. The model trains itself on past cases, learning which justice tendencies are pertinent. It can then analyze the transcript from any fresh case and predict an outcome.
“I’m surprised that nobody’s done this before,” Nasrallah told me over a cappuccino in downtown Manhattan in early March. Armed with a Ph.D. focused on computational biology from University of California, Berkeley and postdoc experience at North Carolina State, Nasrallah is pursuing a career in data science. He built CourtCast to get a job. He wanted to buck the negative stereotypes of academics — that they work slowly and are oblivious to commercial applications. He’s always been an interested court observer, so researching the subject came naturally. It took him just a few weeks to build CourtCast.
It isn’t perfect — far from it. Nasrallah claims a 70 percent accuracy rate, which is both impressive and not. Since John Roberts has been chief justice, the petitioner has won 68 percent of cases, so CourtCast’s 70 percent isn’t exactly better than just picking the favorites. But again, CourtCast is flying nearly blind. It has no idea what a given case is even about; it’s using just the words uttered in one hour of argument.
I’ve written before about other Supreme Court predictors — law professors, legal practitioners, hobbyists in Queens. Universally, human predictors emphasize the importance of the argument in their predictions. CourtCast, the first attempt I’m aware of to quantify oral argument with a machine model, is different. The patterns it uncovers are simple: When a justice asks questions of a lawyer, it’s bad for his chances — it means the justice is skeptical and is trying to poke holes. If justices interrupt a lawyer, it’s really bad for his chances — they’re so skeptical they just can’t wait to poke holes. A Ginsburg interruption is worst of all.
Nina Totenberg, NPR’s legal affairs correspondent, said she’d noticed that too. “More often than not — or at least there’s a 50-50 chance — counsel gets interrupted because that justice thinks what counsel just said is unacceptable crap.”
Below is a sample output from CourtCast for the landmark King v. Burwell Obamacare case. (CourtCast’s code is available on Nasrallah’s Github page, and more detail can be found on his blog.) The bigger the bar, the worse for the side that the bar is on.
The liberals — Ginsburg and Justice Stephen Breyer — asked more of the petitioner and interrupted him a lot more. Bad news for him. The others did the same of the respondent. In the King v. Burwell case, CourtCast gives a 61 percent chance that the government wins and Obamacare subsidies are upheld.
SIDEBAR: CourtCast vs. NPR’s Nina Totenberg: How does a machine interpret a court case differently than a trained pro?
None of CourtCast’s findings came as a surprise to Adam Liptak, the Supreme Court correspondent for The New York Times. And he’d never heard of Nasrallah or CourtCast.
“Two things are well known and will get you to 70 percent with your eyes closed,” he told me. “One is the petitioner wins about two-thirds of the time.” The other: “If you get a lot of questions, you’re going to lose.”
Liptak may not be blown away by CourtCast’s 70 percent success rate, but that’s OK with Nasrallah for now. At least he’s confirmed the conventional wisdom. “Here we’ve quantified the intuition and the way the justices are acting,” Nasrallah said. And given that he built CourtCast in just a few weeks, he’s confident it can be improved.
Linda Greenhouse, formerly of The New York Times and now a lecturer at Yale, has written explicitly about her predictive prowess. In a 2004 paper, she described how the Supreme Court press corps routinely engaged in predictions, “usually made during the walk down the stairs from the courtroom following an oral argument session,” often with a friendly wager thrown in. She pegged her accuracy, for those cases she was bold enough to write about in the paper, at around 75 percent.
“Whatever Linda’s success rate was, mine is a little better,” Liptak joked.
Liptak and Dahlia Lithwick, Slate’s Supreme Court writer, both emphasized the importance of attending oral arguments rather than just parsing transcripts. Crossed arms, rolled eyes and tone of voice can be telling. And the computer is ignorant of all of that.
Despite its ignorance of body language, CourtCast works in part because of a sea change in the very nature of oral arguments. It thrives on the give-and-take of a “hot” bench. Interruptions are important to its predictions, and oral arguments weren’t always interrupted so frequently. Greenhouse noticed this trend covering the court in the 1980s. Former Chief Justice William Rehnquist never had to play argument traffic cop like Roberts does. And Lithwick has noticed it accelerate in the last few years.
JUSTICE WORDS INTERRUPTIONS Sotomayor 522 2.6 Scalia 594 2.4 Breyer 821 2.1 Ginsburg 457 1.5 Roberts 577 1.5 Kennedy 322 1.1 Kagan 501 0.8 Alito 322 0.6 Thomas 0 0
Some credit — or blame — for the most recent changes can be given to the Sotomayor Effect. “Sotomayor is notorious for being a super-talker,” Lithwick said. “She interrupts everyone.” Lithwick’s right about the interruptions, but Justice Breyer runs away with the talkativeness crown. (Data is since 2005, and the table shows the average words uttered and interruptions per oral argument, by justice.)
But CourtCast’s reliance on justice word count and interruptions could render it less effective in the future. Totenberg cautions that though the bench is now fairly hot, it may cool down. Gentler personalities may fill its ranks, and it’s possible — possible — that the court may become less polarized. It’s tough to imagine how the algorithm could gain a foothold then.
The Supreme Court journalists were bullish on CourtCast’s usefulness. “If I were a Supreme Court advocate, I’m sure I would certainly study this material to get clues as to how to present myself and how to push the right buttons,” said Greenhouse.
“I can’t imagine it’s not incredibly useful to the attorneys and the parties,” said Lithwick.
But when I talked to a couple attorneys, they said they can already do better than CourtCast. Carter Phillips, a former assistant to the solicitor general and now a partner at Sidley Austin, has argued more cases before the Supreme Court — 80 — than any lawyer now in private practice. And for Phillips, simple predictions are a snap. He pegs his accuracy for the cases he argues at 90 percent. (Phillips doesn’t keep explicit stats, so this was his post facto estimate.) But even better than him, he says, is his wife, Sue Henry, who has been to 78 of his 80 arguments. Phillips thinks she’s gotten 77 right.
“It’s incredible to me,” he said. “She’ll come out and say, ‘You were great, but you’re going to lose.’”
He’s skeptical of a computer being able to help in oral argument preparation. “I doubt it, because of the format. Realistically, you get about 30 seconds to say something to the justices before they start asking questions,” he said.
But Phillips can imagine a world where computers could make a difference, if they went beyond simple affirm-or-reverse predictions.
“If you can come up with a computer that can tell me how the justices are actually going articulate the principle that applies, ahead of time, that I would pay dearly for,” he said, referring to the nuanced interpretation of the law that the justices often hand down in their final rulings. “That’s, candidly, a huge advance.”
Nasrallah rattled off a number of improvements he hopes to make to his model: It doesn’t yet analyze what the advocates say. Its sentiment analysis could be improved (it’s currently trained on a database of movie reviews, which might not be the best analog for the type of language usually used in legal arguments). It could look at specific types of words. Maybe a justice saying a lawyer’s name, for example, is meaningful. Perhaps humor — statements followed by “(laughter)” in the transcripts — holds information. The model could read in past decisions, briefs, statutes, and on and on.
There are other models that CourtCast could team up with, creating a kind of super-algorithm. {Marshall}+, another prominent Supreme Court case predicting model, doesn’t use any information from the oral arguments, and CourtCast, at least so far, doesn’t use any of the legal coding that {Marshall}+ relies on. Because they’re predicting based on mutually exclusive sets of information, they could combine and, theoretically, form a Frankenstein’s monster of high court prediction.
But not every human welcomes our court-predicting robot overlords.
“The idea that you spend a lot of time trying to figure out ahead of time what you’re going to know anyway in a matter of weeks or months is, to me, insane. Why would you bother?” Totenberg wondered.
Because we want to know now, Ms. Totenberg, that’s why! I write for FiveThirtyEight — we updated our March Madness predictions approximately 17 times while I wrote this sentence. (Editor’s note: Sorry it took me so long to get to your draft, Ollie.) Data promises us our crystal ball, doesn’t it?
But Totenberg made the case that the court’s decisions can only be understood through the long lens of history. Prediction is a waste of time, she told me. Supreme Court decision-making is complex, and justices’ rubrics can change dramatically over time. Justice Kennedy famously did an about-face in the middle of two major cases, reversing his long-held ideological views and voting to preserve the right to abortion and to ban clergy-led prayer at public schools. And we know only about these last-minute vote changes thanks to the release of Justice Harry Blackmun’s papers in 2004, five years after Blackmun died. What algorithm could’ve predicted that?
“Sometimes you only understand these things as history — and you’re lucky if you understand it as recent history,” Totenberg said.
Put aside whether CourtCast and its ilk are any good (or will become any good) at predicting cases; they’re still a blow against an opaque court.
“The court is so bound up in its own mystique and gravitas and the need to insulate itself from scrutiny of any sort,” said Lithwick. “It’s always fascinating to me when — whatever frame people use — [people] say, ‘Oh no, it’s actually not oracular. There’s something else happening.’”
And this is what CourtCast has begun to do. If Ginsburg ignores a lawyer, that means something. If Kennedy peppers a lawyer with questions, that means something else. And now we can quantify these things and how they augur for a case’s outcome.
“These are the kinds of things that make the justices mental — any intimation that they’re not magic. For me, it’s just delicious,” Lithwick said.
Regardless, most see the court’s frostiness as unlikely to thaw.
“Unless Congress literally threatens to shut [off] the lights and the heat, I don’t think this changes soon. And it’s very, very, in my view, appalling in a democracy,” Lithwick said.
In the meantime, hobbyists and professionals will continue to probe the court, whether through horse sense or hard analytics. The better the analytics get, the more they’ll be relied upon, and the thinner the shroud will become.EFF is pleased to see that Websense, a company that produces Internet filtering technology, has issued a statement against Pakistan’s call for proposals [PDF] for companies to assist with their pervasive censorship plans. Websense’s statement, posted on their website also calls upon other producers of filtering technology to refuse complicity with Pakistan’s plans, which run counter to the right to free expression enshrined in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
As we wrote last week, the Pakistan Telecommunications Agency (PTA) already censors numerous websites, including those related to minority groups and human rights. The Request for Proposals (RFP) issued in February would expand the censorship regime to enable the blocking of up to 50 million URLs without delays in processing.
Websense was criticized in 2010 after its products were found to have been used by the government of Yemen, but the company quickly responded by issuing a policy against the sale of their wares to foreign governments. In 2011, Websense also became the first company of its type to join the Global Network Initiative (GNI), of which EFF is also a member.
In addition to Websense, the GNI, numerous international groups, and local organizations such as Bytes for All and Bholo Bhi have stated their opposition to the RFP, and an editorial in the Express Tribune called the plan "usurpation of Internet freedom." The international Business and Human Rights Centre is encouraging those concerned sign a petition calling on companies not to bid on the RFP.
Though Websense should be commended for its stance, there are dozens more companies that would be more than happy to make a bid to the PTA. Corporate giant Cisco, McAfee’s SmartFilter, and Canadian company Netsweeper all knowingly sell their wares to foreign governments, and they’re undoubtedly not the only ones.
This complicity with pervasive government censorship must stop. EFF calls on the myriad companies producing Internet filtering software not to take part in what Bytes for All has called Pakistan’s “cold-blooded murder of the Internet.” We further encourage companies to follow Websense’s example and take a stand against government-imposed censorship by joining the Global Network Initiative or adopting their own standards (we recommend our “Know Your Customer” guidelines).There are concerns over experience (or lack thereof) with other top QBs in this year’s draft. No so with Watson, who declared for the 2017 NFL draft after making 35 starts for Clemson, 30 of which came the past two seasons—the Tigers made back-to-back ACC championship game and college football playoff appearances, losing to Alabama in the 2015 title game but knocking off the Tide in ’16. In those two games vs. Alabama, Watson threw for a combined 825 yards, seven touchdowns and one interception. Watson finished third in Heisman balloting as a sophomore, before nabbing runner-up honors last season, behind Louisville’s Lamar Jackson. He did twice win the Davey O’Brien Award, presented to the nation’s top quarterback. For his Clemson career, Watson completed 67.4% of his passes for 10,168 yards, 90 touchdowns and 32 INTs, plus rushed for nearly 2,000 yards.
Strengths: Putting too much stock in stats or wins and losses is a dangerous way to go about drafting, especially at quarterback. Ignoring the way Watson performed on college football’s biggest stages, and how he responded with his back against the wall, would be creating just as cavernous a gap in the evaluation.
Watson had a knack for elevating his game to match the situation, as his performances against Alabama helped emphasize.
“It’s all part of the equation, and I love winners and he has that,” said new 49ers GM John Lynch, who just happens to own the No. 2 overall pick. “I spent some time around him at the Super Bowl, and there’s certain guys that just carry themselves differently and have a presence about them. I put him in that category.... You can just see there’s a confidence, an aura that he carries himself with that’s pretty special.”
So, what is it about Watson’s game that allowed him to produce those special moments?
For starters, he is an exceptional athlete. His 4.66-second 40 time at the combine landed him behind only Trevor Knight (4.54) and Joshua Dobbs (4.64) at the QB position; Watson scored top five in several other drills. The 1,934 career yards rushing and 26 TDs came off a combination of designed QB runs and scrambles. When games tend to get a little hectic in the fourth quarter, Watson can stress defenses further with the threat of taking off and running.
Watson can roll into an incredible rhythm as a passer, too—a trait aided by Clemson’s QB-friendly scheme. He can drive the type of quick-hit timing routes familiar to a West Coast offense, but he also shows enough presence to manipulate DBs with his eyes and footwork.
He’s not afraid to throw receivers open, either. While Mike Williams available on the outside obviously helped him in that regard, Watson took advantage of timing routes to beat coverage.
Asking him to throw on the move should not be a problem. Watson has the athleticism to roll and fire, and his knack for picking up chunks of yardage with his legs naturally draws defenders up closer to the line.
Weaknesses: The interception numbers were far too high, particularly the 17 he fired as a junior in 2016. Combined over the 2015-16 seasons, Watson threw INTs on approximately 2.8% of his passes—Eli Manning (2.7%) and Ryan Tannehill (3.1%) ranked 24th and 25th, respectively, among starting QBs last season when it came to interception rate. So, 2.8 is much too high, especially when considering the jump from facing college to pro defenses.
Not all of those miscues were on Watson—there were some tough bounces, a handful of WR mistakes and the unavoidable brilliant defensive play. Still, his decision-making can be troublesome at times, and he’ll have to grow even more comfortable at reading defenses.
“Sometimes, you just have bad luck,” Watson said. “Sometimes, the defense makes a good play. Sometimes, I make a bad throw. One, two or three, maybe it was a bad decision but it’s a learning lesson. I’ve learned from those mistakes and I’ve corrected those and [I’m] going to move on from it.”
The completion percentage was solid and Watson can power the ball into tight windows, but he’s not consistently accurate. Receivers had to adjust to his throws too often, at the expense of after-catch yardage.
While he doesn’t mind taking a hit, his NFL team no doubt will prefer he stick in the pocket a little longer than he did at Clemson. There’s not much future to be had at the NFL level, health-wise, for quarterbacks that bail and run too often.
NFL player comp: Somewhere between Marcus Mariota and Tyrod TaylorThe folks at eMarketer have been busy with their pencils and erasers lately thanks to the increasing speed at which people are ditching cable television. The firm recently had to revise its estimates for how many cord-cutters there will be in the United States this year. In a new report, eMarketer puts the tally at 22.2 million cord-cutters ages 18 and older, an increase of 33.2% over 2016. “The overall tally is much higher than the 15.4 million eMarketer previously predicted,” the firm wrote in a release today.
The number is growing so fast that it’s expected to hit 40 million by 2021, making it roughly even with “cord-nevers,” or people who have never paid for cable. Of course, the cord-cutting phenomenon is not new or surprising, but it’s happening faster than even the most pessimistic prognosticators thought it would. You might recall that the cable TV industry had its worst quarter in history earlier this year. And then, three months later, it had an even worse one. Is worse than the worst even a thing?
Check out eMarketer’s full report here.In 1984, African violet seeds were sent into space to test the effects of radiation and zero gravity on them as part of the 'Seeds in Space' experiment. It was intended that they remain in space for 11 months. Due to schedule delays, they ended up in space for almost 6 years. The seeds were germinated and some showed favorable mutations. The result was Optimara's EverFloris line of African violets.
In 1984, 25,000 Optimara African violet seeds were launched aboard the space shuttle Challenger. They were on the Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF) satellite. The LDEF held 57 experiments and was one of the largest Shuttle-launched payloads ever. The purpose of the experiments was to determine the effect of space radiation on various substances. The experiments came from more than 200 investigators and originated from private companies, universities, NASA, the Department of Defense, and foreign countries. A total of 2 million seeds from 120 different varieties of plants, including tomatoes, were launched on the LDEF. Also tested on the LDEF were space construction materials.
The LDEF was supposed to remain in orbit for 11 months. The schedule slipped and the LDEF was to be retrieved in 1986. Then came the Challenger disaster, and retrieval was set back indefinitely. The LDEF was finally retrieved by the space shuttle Columbia in 1990. The satellite had been in space for 69 months.
Back on earth, the seeds were germinated. They had an 80% germination rate. Twenty percent of the seeds produced viable, mature plants. Of these less than 50 were deemed suitable for cross breeding with other varieties.
The Space Violets showed several mutations. One was'multiflorescence', which is the ability to bloom constantly and to have 20 or more flowers in bloom at once. EverFloris Space Violet plants also are up to 50% larger than Standard African violets. The foliage is ruffled and durable.
EverFloris violets take the same care as other African violets. Tips on growing African violets can be found in Jill M. Nicolaus' article 'African Violets 101: Getting Started with Your New Plant'.
Plants from other planets? No, Space Violets ultimately have an earthly origin, but their seeds spent years in space which resulted in mutations and unique varieties. You might never be an astronaut, but you can own a descendant of a space traveler.
Photos and thumbnail illustration are property of and courtesy of Optimara.We’ve written some incredibly sad stories about homeowners trapped in the mortgage meltdown maze, and this one certainly ranks up there among the most depressing. Not just because a man is dead, but because it could have all been prevented more than three years ago.
Back in 2000, the man and his wife purchased a home together in Southern California. They made a 30% down payment and spent the next several years making their payments to the bank on-time and in-person.
They also spent several years dodging suggestions from Wachovia to refinance their mortgage. But five years ago, a Wachovia rep got into their heads with promises of lowering their monthly payments by more than $600 by refinancing using the bank’s new Pick-A-Pay adjustable rate plan.
FYI, that’s the same plan that just cost Wells Fargo $590 million because the folks at Wachovia had a habit of fudging application paperwork. In fact, the story here, the loan officer flat-out lied about the homeowners’ income, almost doubling it on the application without their knowledge.
In addition to those deceptions, the homeowners were told “if an [interest rate] increase should occur it would have a negligible effect on the monthly payments of no more than a few dollars,” and that they “should expect to refinance within the next two years to take advantage of even more favorable interest rates.”
In spite of all this, the couple still made their monthly payments, in person, via cashier’s check.
Then in May 2009, they were told they had missed a payment the month before. The homeowners say they provided proof that they had given a cashier’s check to the teller for April, along with proof that the check had been cashed.
But Wachovia’s collections department continued to demand payment. According to the homeowners, they received 6 to 8 calls each week from the bank.
In early August 2009, they received a notice of intent to foreclose, but when they contacted Wachovia they were told that their account was current and received an apology for the error.
Then later that month, Wachovia sent them a certified letter demanding payment of nearly $3,500. That same week, the bank claimed that the check which the homeowners had already proven had been cashed had actually had a stop-payment put on it.
However, the homeowners didn’t issue the cancellation nor did they get that money back in their account.
While all this was going on, the couple alleged that they received multiple statements from Wachovia for several months. But these weren’t duplicates, say the homeowners; the amounts were different on each statement.
In September 2009, the couple applied for a loan modification. And when they tried to make their payment at the local Wachovia, they were told it could not be accepted because the loan was being reviewed for a modification.
This continued on for several months, with the bank continuing to threaten foreclosure while all the while saying it could not accept payments during the review process.
The couple were put through the usual “we haven’t received all your documents” wringer by Wachovia. Even after the bank, in April 2010, told them it had all the docs, a month later their application was denied because of supposed missing documentation.
“I had the money…I had the money. I had everything to make that work,” the wife tells CBS Los Angeles.
They sold the house in November 2010, but their lawyer was able to get a judge to issue a stay. That eventually fell apart and earlier this month the family was given five days to get out of their house.
So that they would have somewhere to stay, the husband bought a motor home. But even that stopped working as soon as he got it back to their soon-to-be-former house.
The next day, Mother’s Day, the man took his own life in his bedroom.
“He saw there was no more way out and there was no where to go and…he snapped,” explains his wife, who says she has spent all her money fighting the bank.
Wells Fargo offered to let her and her son stay in the house a little longer, following her husband’s death, but she tells CBS it’s a little too late for that.
“I cannot be here anymore with what has happened with that blood bath in there, I can’t,” she says.
A rep for Wells Fargo released the following statement to Consumerist:
Our thoughts are with the friends and family of [the deceased] at this difficult time. The eviction has been postponed and we will continue to work with [his widow]. Despite current reports, we tried repeatedly to find affordable options for the family.
AlterNet has the full story, including a copy of the lawsuit filed by the couple in January of this year. We definitely recommend reading that complaint so you can get see just how messed up this situation was from the start.
Thanks to dragonfire81 for the tip.You know, we roll our eyes at Bill Belichick’s answers so much that we often forget to listen to them.
In a busy offseason that’s seen the Patriots make a number |
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The Waverley West arterial roads project involved the extension of Kenaston Boulevard to the Perimeter Highway, a new flyover at Bishop Grandin Boulevard, the twinning and realignment of Waverley Street and other intersection changes.
The audit nonetheless suggests the city dodged a bullet when the final price tag only ballooned $15 million, which is far less than the potential overrun for a project that went ahead without sufficient analysis at the outset.
An internal audit into the Waverley West arterial roads project has concluded the original $54.7-million cost estimate was too preliminary to predict the actual cost — and the loose nature of that estimate was not disclosed to city council when the project budget was first presented.
An over-budget Winnipeg road-construction project went ahead with a cost estimate so rough, city auditors couldn’t figure out who came up with it, how they did it or even when.
Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 8/5/2015 (1390 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 8/5/2015 (1390 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
An over-budget Winnipeg road-construction project went ahead with a cost estimate so rough, city auditors couldn’t figure out who came up with it, how they did it or even when.
An internal audit into the Waverley West arterial roads project has concluded the original $54.7-million cost estimate was too preliminary to predict the actual cost — and the loose nature of that estimate was not disclosed to city council when the project budget was first presented.
The audit nonetheless suggests the city dodged a bullet when the final price tag only ballooned $15 million, which is far less than the potential overrun for a project that went ahead without sufficient analysis at the outset.
The Waverley West arterial roads project involved the extension of Kenaston Boulevard to the Perimeter Highway, a new flyover at Bishop Grandin Boulevard, the twinning and realignment of Waverley Street and other intersection changes.
The work was announced in 2009 as a $54.7-million project that would be cost-shared by the city, province and Ottawa through the Building Canada Fund. After a series of delays, it’s now slated to be complete this year at a cost of $69.7 million.
When the cost overruns were first disclosed in 2012, former St. Norbert councillor Justin Swandel blamed part of the increase on a federal environmental-assessment delay as well as a provincial demand to change the scope of the intersection of Kenaston and the Perimeter.
A report completed in December by city auditors Bryan Mansky and Micheal Giles — and published Friday — concludes the city alone is to blame for the $15-million cost hike.
The provincial demand for a new intersection was dropped and the federal delay is not cited as a serious factor in the report, which will come before council’s executive policy committee on Wednesday.
Rather, the original cost estimate was "too preliminary to accurately forecast the project costs," the auditors found. It was a Class 5 estimate, which has an accuracy range of 100 per cent above or 50 per cent below the stated figure.
The auditors found the rough nature of the Waverley West roads estimate was "not clearly disclosed" in 2010 capital budget, the infrastructure-spending blueprint approved by city council.
They also could not figure out who came up with the original $54.7 million, what methodology that entity employed in devising that number or even when the figure was created.
"While we did obtain documentation for the $54.7 million estimate, the documents were of rough-draft quality, and prevented us from determining where or when the documents originated, or what methodology was used to create the estimate," the auditors wrote. "From the supporting documents made available to us, the methodology that produced the $54.7 million amount cannot be verified."
As well, a higher cost estimate of $62.5 million was also developed but not used at all.
"Due to the lack of documentation for the $54.7 million estimate, we are also unable to conclude why this $62.5 million amount was not included in the Building Canada Fund application, rather than $54.7 million," the auditors wrote.
City staff told the auditors that consultants working on behalf of Waverley West’s developers — primarily, Ladco and the Province of Manitoba — developed the original cost estimates.
They would have done so because the developers shared in the project costs, said Doug McNeil, Winnipeg’s new chief administrative officer.
"This is a huge subdivision. The developers involved hired their own engineers, early on in the process," said McNeil, adding his understanding is that city staff believed $54.7 million was a more accurate number.
Given the nature of the funding agreement, the city wound up on the hook for the entirety of the $15-million cost overrun. Instead of the city paying for slightly more than one third of the project, it paid for more than half the tab.
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"When you submit a grant (under the Building Canada Fund), whatever you submit is set in stone. Whatever other screwups, the city has to deal with it," said St. Norbert Coun. Janice Lukes, who represents Waverley west also serves as council’s public works chair.
"The good thing is, the project is what we needed. The sad part is, it went in as a Class 5 estimate and now the city’s on the hook for the balance of the cost."
The auditors now recommend the city ensure all major projects are based on Class 3 estimates, which are based on more analysis and have an accuracy range of 30 per cent above or 20 per cent below the stated figure.
The city has also asked Ottawa to give it more time to prepare accurate cost estimates before it enters into funding deals. "We have an agreement from Canada to work with us and give us some time to put a Class 3 estimate together," McNeil said.
Lukes said this time is crucial. "You’re trying to plan. You’re trying to put your network together, and then the province and the feds say, ‘Over here! Over here! We have this pile of money.’ "
[email protected] IDF recently sent warning messages to thousands of cell phones belonging to deserters, while also receiving approval from the Justice Ministry to initiate an amendment that would allow for the imposition of severe government sanctions.
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The proposed sanctions include a ban on Driver's license, ID card, and passport renewals; as well as a denial of housing benefits and scholarships; and a ban on obtaining a gun license. The implementation of these new sanctions depends on the legislative process.
Prison Four, the main military prison in Israel
The warning message sent by the IDF read: "Hello, according to army records, you are committing the offense of absence from service without approval, which will result in a criminal record. The duration of punishment you will receive will be determined, among other things, by the length of your absence. You must immediately settle your status using the following phone number or e-mail address."
A senior source in the IDF's Manpower Directorate told Ynet that from the moment the messages were sent, the army had been contacted by a large number of soldiers attempting to change their deserter status. The period of desertion begins on the soldier's 21st day of absence from his unit, until which he is considered AWOL.
According to IDF figures, there are currently around 3,000 deserters, a relatively stable number as soldiers who enter a desertion period are often offset by those who return to the army.
According to the Manpower Directorate officer, however, there has been a decrease of around 20 percent in the number of deserters compared to 2013, and most of the deserters (75 percent) are soldiers in their first year of compulsory service. The rest are reserves soldiers, and only a few dozen have been deserters for eight to nine years or more.
The Manpower Directorate plans to go beyond sending of text messages. The IDF was encouraged by the success of legislation by MK Yoni Chetboun (Bayit Yehudi), which established that deserters cannot receive state scholarships, and hopes to expand on the law.
The officer told Ynet that the directorate is seeking to pass legislation resulting in government ministries not issuing ID cards or passports to deserts, rejecting requests for tax dedications or housing benefits, and even refusing to renew driver's licenses.
In addition, the legislation would block deserters from public offices and ban them from renewing or receiving a weapons license. However, the officer said that there is no intention to enact harsher punishments for deserters, which currently max out at two years imprisonment – but judges in military courts tend to be lenient towards deserters, sending them to military prison for a few weeks or months at most.
Deserters occasionally go unpunished, if they arrive at trial with an experienced attorney who is an expert in the field.
"65 percent of deserters settle their status with the army, and we are left with the stubborn core that is completely unmotivated to complete their military service," said the officer. "It's impossible to have a conversation with them and it's likely that they will keep being deserters. We pay attention to special life circumstances like raising a family, but still fully utilize the law with the absentees, and they bear the consequences. "
"Law enforcement also differentiates between deserters and draft dodgers," said the officer. "A draft dodger doesn't even try to go into the army and will therefore be punished even more. Furthermore, it's more difficult to locate a draft dodger because we sometimes don't have any of thier details."Making dumplings from scratch was the only way my mom ever made them. I’ve helped her in the process for as long as I can remember. I would watch her roll out each wrapper and work on folding them. Her rolling always outpaces my wrapping skills. My mom’s dumplings will always be my favourite; steamed, fried or boiled, they always turn out plump and juicy. My wrappers come out a little thinner and still not quite even, I’m working on it.
This recipe is one filling variation but you can stuff the dumplings with pretty much anything. Some variations include:
Ground beef
Vermicelli, egg and dried shitake mushrooms
Ground lamb
Ground pork and parsley
Ground pork and napa cabbage
Potstickers 2014-06-26 15:44:36 Yields 40 Write a review Save Recipe Print Prep Time 45 min Cook Time 15 min Total Time 1 hr Prep Time 45 min Cook Time 15 min Total Time 1 hr Ingredients 1 lb of ground pork (a fattier cut makes for a juicier filling) 1/2 shrimp, peeled and deveined salt and white pepper to season 1 egg 3 gloves of garlic minced a chunk of ginger minced 1 cup of minced garlic chive 1 tbsp soy sauce 1 tsp sesame oil 1 tbsp cooking wine 1 tsp salt 2 cups of all purpose flour 3/4 cup of water French rolling pin Instructions Mince the shrimp, garlic, ginger and garlic chive. Add all of the minced ingredients along with the ground pork into a large mixing bowl. Also add in the sesame oil, egg, soy sauce, cooking wine and white pepper. Mix the filling well until all of the ingredients are evenly distributed. Into a mixing bowl, add the flour and water. Stir together with a fork until the dough starts to come together. Add more water or flour as needed. The dough should have a soft consistency but not wet. Once the dough is able to form into a ball, take it out of the bowl and knead for 5 minutes until smooth. Make a hole in the middle of the dough ball with your thumb and work the dough into a ring with an even thickness of about one and a half inches. The dough is ready to be cut. Cut the ring into half inch discs Tip: As the discs are being cut, make sure you flour them to keep them from sticking. You want to move to the next step quickly. Make sure the flour is only on one side of the discs. If both sides get floured, it's hard to close the dumplings when you're wrapping them. Using your fingers, try to make each disc as round as possible and flatten with the palm of your hand. Tip: If you have a helper, this step is great to be done at the same time as the discs are being cut. With a French rolling pin, roll out the discs. After each roll, rotate the wrapper 90 degrees. Repeat until the wrapper is 3-4 inches in diameter. Tip: Change the pressure as you roll, you want the outside of the wrapper to be thinner than the middle. The middle needs to support the filling and can't break. This is one of the main reasons I prefer hand rolled wrappers to store bought ones, the difference in thickness throughout. As the wrappers are rolled out, start wrapping. At the start, don't over fill your dumpling. If you can't close the dumpling, they will open up as they're being cooked. Each dumpling should be able to hold a full tbsp of filling. [Video to come of how to wrap a dumpling] In the meantime, I'll try my best to describe it. Hold the wrapper and filling in the palm of your hand, bring the side closest to you up to meet the side opposite and pinch. Now you have a semi circle with the flat side towards you. Fold in the corner at your fingers and pinch together. Start pleating the wrapper from the corner until you reach the middle. Repeat on the other side. Heat up a pan on medium-high and add 1 tbsp of oil. Once the oil just begins to smoke, lay out the dumplings in a tight ring, just touching each other. Add 1/2 of cup of water and immediately cover with a lid. Steam for ~5 minutes and uncover. Once all the water evaporates, the bottoms will begin to crisp up. Watch the dumplings carefully at this point because it's easy to go from crispy to burnt. Check on the bottoms and once they're nice and crisp (~2 minutes), serve immediately. Optional: I like to eat my dumplings with a dipping sauce of minced garlic, Chinese vinegar, hot sauce and soy sauce. xiaoEats | Toronto Food Blog http://xiaoeats.com/
Step by Step Photos
Assemble ingredients
Mince the shrimp, garlic and ginger
Add the chives
All the filling ingredients, to be mixed
Ring of dough, ready to be cut
Cutting the dough into discs
From dough disc, to wrapper, to dumpling
As they’re being wrapped, keep the dumplings well floured and seperate to prevent them from sticking
Fry the dumplingsColor:1st Gen Flat Iron
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[email protected] 305-888-0809It’s 2014. The market for smartphones has matured to a point where specs do not really matter. Instead, it’s the software on devices that decides what kind of experience users get and just how useful the device is in complementing their lives. Android has reached a point where even $100 devices run fast enough and do most of the things that a flagship device can do, so why is it that the software on Samsung smartphones is still so slow and laggy?
I’m not one to limit myself to devices from a single company. Ever since I lost my Galaxy Note 3 earlier this year, I’ve been on a rollercoaster ride of sorts, going through no less than three flagship smartphones from other companies. I started with the Sony Xperia Z1, followed it up with the HTC One M8, and finally settled on the OnePlus One for a month or so before buying the Galaxy Note 4 as soon as it launched in my country.
Using those devices from Sony, HTC, and OnePlus and then switching to the Galaxy Note 4 was an eye-opening experience. What I noticed on the Note 4 from the moment I started using it was the insane amount of lags, stutters, and waiting times for things to happen. The Galaxy Note 3 was a fast device, but it had a camera and gallery app that were utterly slow. Many have pointed out that the gallery and camera apps on their Samsung devices run absolutely fine, but I’m not sure those who say that have used smartphones from other manufacturers in the last year or so.
On the Note 4, things are worse. While the camera app is a bit faster, the gallery app is still painfully slow at loading images. But that’s not the worst part. The Note 4 even takes a second or two to wake up when I press the home or power button when the screen is off, often making me wonder if I pressed said button properly or not (S Voice is turned off and disabled, so that isn’t the reason for the delay.)
Once past the lockscreen, there are a few stutters and lags in general usage as well. For example, the recent apps menu takes up to two seconds to show up, and scrolling through the apps in the recent apps screen is very jittery. Then there’s the settings menu. Every time you open the settings menu, you can expect to be met with stutter when scrolling through it, though it becomes smooth after a few seconds.
Software optimization was never Samsung’s strong suit, and on the Galaxy Note 4 it’s far worse than what it was on the Galaxy Note 3. Sure, I understand the higher screen resolution puts more load on the processor and GPU, but maybe Samsung should have stayed on Full HD and instead focused on bringing its software up to the mark first? A flagship device, in 2014, should be extremely fast, fluid and lag-free, but it seems Samsung just doesn’t seem to care about how fast its software is, as long as it can cram a lot of features and functionality and parade them as bullet points for their marketing campaign.
In terms of functionality, the Note 4 is a killer device and the best phablet in the market today, but using it as my main device hasn’t given me the flagship feel that I got from even the year-old Xperia Z1, or the HTC One M8, which remained extremely fast and smooth even after six months of use. I have written before that Samsung needs to optimize TouchWiz if it intends to go after the low-end market, but if its flagship devices can’t match what the competition is now offering, I wonder if the budget market will see Samsung as a dominant player ever again.
It’s 2014, Samsung, and maybe its time you stopped running after mind-blowing hardware like a Quad HD display and instead focused on making your software as fast, smooth and jitter-free as it should be in this day and age. Apple does it, Google does it, even a small company like HTC did it (Sense 6 is the fastest manufacturer UI out there), and with the resources at your disposal, maybe you can too.CLOSE A recent ABC News/Washington Post poll has Donald Trump with 45 percent of the vote and Hillary Clinton with 47 percent. Video provided by Newsy Newslook
Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump at the first debate in Hempstead, N.Y., on Sept. 26, 2016. (Photo: Timothy A. Clary, AFP/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON — Hillary Clinton's presidential bid takes a heavy blow, and Donald Trump sees a big opportunity.
The stunning statement by FBI Director James Comey that agents are reviewing newly discovered information regarding Clinton emails rocked the presidential race this weekend, though analysts said it will be a few days before the campaigns know whether actual voters' minds are being changed.
Certainly Trump sees the probe as an election-changing event, telling supporters in Colorado on Saturday that the "criminal and illegal conduct of Hillary Clinton" amounts to "the biggest political scandal since Watergate."
As the crowd chanted "lock her up! lock her up!" Trump said that "Hillary has nobody to blame but herself for her mounting legal troubles." He later added, repeatedly, that "she is so guilty," and said that "a vote for Hillary is vote a to surrender our government to public corruption, graft and cronyism."
Clinton and her aides, who are demanding that the FBI release more information about its review, said voters have already made up their minds about her use of a private email server while secretary of State.
"I think that's factored into what people think," Clinton told reporters in Des Moines on Friday, "and now they're choosing a president."
Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta said Comey needs to provide more details about the FBI's review, telling reporters Saturday that “there’s no evidence of wrongdoing, no charge of wrongdoing, no indication that this is even about Hillary — it’s hard to see how this amounts to anything, and we’re not going to be distracted.”
At initial glance, it appears the new FBI development will benefit Trump, who trails Clinton in most national and swing-state polls, analysts said — maybe not by changing peoples' minds, but by prompting equivocal voters to back the New York businessman.
"It re-frames the election as a referendum on Clinton and all the baggage she brings into office with her," said Republican consultant Bruce Haynes, founding partner of Washington-based Purple Strategies. "It puts the spotlight squarely back on her, all her faults and all the truckloads of baggage she brings."
There are more email stories to come.
In calling for more specific information from the FBI, Clinton and aides cited the vague nature of Comey's letter to congressional leaders. Agents have not yet determined whether the new information is significant and cannot say whether they are duplicates of missives that were reviewed as part of a previous investigation into Clinton's private server.
The Clinton campaign has also raised a fairness issue. Podesta said, "It is extraordinary that we would see something like this just 11 days out from a presidential election."
In July, Comey announced that the bureau would not pursue charges against Clinton and that the FBI found no evidence of intentional mishandling of classified information. Trump and other Republicans criticized Comey for that decision.
This new phase began when agents discovered the emails as part of another investigation, this one into allegations that former U.S. representative Anthony Weiner sexted a 15-year-old girl. Weiner is the estranged husband of top Clinton aide Huma Abedin; the couple are now separated.
During his appearance in Colorado, Trump said he predicted that the "major sleaze" Weiner would somehow bring trouble to Clinton. He also wondered whether the candidate would retain Abedin, saying "Huma's been a problem."
As the campaigns await new polling data, Haynes noted that recent surveys — pre-FBI — showed a narrowing race, with Trump attracting more support from Republicans who had been skeptical of his candidacy, as well as some independents.
Clinton has for the most part held onto her base voters, Haynes said, but "this news is the kind of late-game bombshell that could cause some of her soft supporters to reconsider and switch."
Republican pollster Frank Luntz said the email situation is Clinton's "Achilles' heel," but Trump might be wise to play it cool on the campaign trail and "let the information do the talking."
Said Luntz: "The more he publicly relishes her problem the less able he is to take advantage of it."
Patrick Murray, director of the independent Monmouth University Polling Institute, said most voters are locked into their choice, but some can still be swayed by developing news events. Given how little is currently known about these newly discovered emails, this story lends itself to "a lot of wild speculation," Murray said, so "the question is how this plays on the news programs those swayable voters are watching."
That said, it seems like there will be some kind of impact on Clinton, and perhaps Democratic candidates in congressional and state races.
"Unless the FBI closes this new investigation one way or the other next week, the likely impact will be to cut into Clinton’s margin," Murray said, "with the bigger effect being on down-ballot races than on the outcome of the presidential election."
Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/2eYi4buDue to a healthy moose population in Western Alaska near Dillingham, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game will open a special 31-day winter hunt on Friday.
The bag limit will be two moose in Game Management Unit 17A, and hunters who have already harvested a moose in 2016 can only take one more.
State biologists last conducted an aerial count in 2011, finding 1,166 moose in the area, which includes much of the Togiak National Wildlife Refuge and isn't far from Dillingham, Togiak and Twin Hills.
Dillingham area biologist Neil Barten said high rates of moose calf production and survival in subsequent years kept the population high.
The antlerless hunt will be closed by emergency order as soon as a quota of 20 cows have been taken. Similarly, the bull hunt will end after 20 have been taken.
If no emergency orders are issued, the hunt will close Jan. 29.Oil, Gas Drilling Seems To Make The Earth Slip And Go Boom
Enlarge this image toggle caption Mark Rogers/AP Mark Rogers/AP
There's been a surge in earthquakes in the U.S. over the last few years. In Texas, there are 10 times the number of earthquakes now than just a few years ago.
Scientists say it's likely linked to the boom in oil and gas activity, meaning that people who never felt the ground shake are starting to.
Here's how Pat Jones of Snyder, Texas, describes the earthquake that struck her town in 2010: "It just sounded like some car hit the back of our house. We got up and checked around and we didn't see anything or hear anything else."
In 2012 in Alvaredo, Craig Bender called 911 about a quake and told the operator, "There was an explosion-type sound somewhere which kind of concerns me, but I haven't seen anything burning anywhere."
In a public forum with state oil and gas regulators, Greg Morrison described the feeling of a quake in Reno as "a semi truck hitting your house with a bomb going off."
Outside Texas, people are hearing those booms as well, often in states where there's been an upsurge in drilling and the use of disposal wells to store drilling waste. Scientists have linked those wells to quakes, and some quakes can get loud.
"They're actually hearing the wave that traveled through the rock all the way to the Earth's surface," says William Ellsworth, a seismologist with the U.S. Geological Survey. "When a fault slips suddenly underground, it radiates two different kinds of seismic waves."
One is a P wave, an acoustic wave that you can actually hear. The other is an S wave.
"It's the wave that carries most of the energy, and it's the one that we typically feel," Ellsworth says.
The P wave travels faster than the S wave, so before the ground even starts to shake, people may hear something.
"It's a little bit like thunder," he says. "You may see the flash in the distance, and then it takes a while for the wave — the air wave, in this case — to propagate. That makes the boom that you associate with lightning."
The U.S. Geological Survey even keeps an online catalog of earthquake noises. They range from a rumbling boom to a sound almost like a bass drum.
Most of the quakes in Texas are weak — but those are the kind that make the loudest noise. Ellsworth says stronger quakes often register at a frequency too low for people to hear.Fernandez (centre) with two of the students who claim they were cheated.
KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 26 — Hundreds of students from India and Nepal claim they have been cheated of RM20,000 each by a college in the city.
The Women's Force Association (Tenaganita) said the students were cheated by the college for internships, job placement and a diploma course in cruise management.
Executive director Irene Fernandez said: “Police reports have been filed by the students but they have neither been notified of any police investigation nor have they been called in for interviews.
“This scam was also reported to the former Ministry of Higher Education, but no action was taken as the college continues to operate,” Fernandez said.
She claimed the college had raked in millions of ringgit through fraud, false advertisements, false certificates and empty promises of job placement.
“More than 400 students had paid over RM20,000 each for the cruise management course after going through an orientation programme at a five-star hotel in Kathmandu by the college.”
“While the college claims to be registered with the Ministry of Higher Education, the experiences of the students have not only been bitter but their hopes in getting jobs in highly-recognised cruise companies with good salaries have vapourised with false promises.
“Why have the police not acted against this fraud? Why is there such poor monitoring and governance over private institutions of higher learning?”
Fernandez wants the authorities to seal the college and arrest the directors for fraud and exploitation of student visas.
“They must also refund all monies paid by the students and have their operating licence revoked.”
The college told The Malay Mail that it would issue a statement today.
Students reel from bad experience
On his arrival, India national Faheem Khan, 24, was forced to submit his passport to receive his “student” visa, which turned out to be a work visa instead.
He said he was given a “Food Beverages Services Certificate” for a programme he never attended. A “Cruise Ship Diploma Certificate” dated Aug 23, signed by the head of training was also given.
Faheem was sent to work at the Doubletree restaurant at Hilton Hotel and Furama Hotel for 12 to 16 hours a day under an “internship programme”.
He was told his training would only be four hours a day, but he was made to work longer and was not paid extra.
Faheem made several attempts to ensure the college kept its promises but failed. Consequently, he filed a refund claim for the full amount of RM19,250 with the Consumer Tribunal. He won the case and the college was asked to refund him the amount. However, the college made an appeal to the High Court.
Faheem then represented himself and argued the case as a breach of the Contract Act 1950 and how he was misled about the Cruise Management Diploma.
The High Court on November 19 upheld the decision of the Consumer Tribunal.
Rajni Karia claimed to had paid over RM20,000 for the same course.
Nepali students Rojani Risal and Rajni Karia (picture) claimed to had paid over RM20,000 for the same course.
Risal, 22, said she was given three days to pay RM2,000 after receiving the offer letter. She had to immediately pack her bags and arrived from Nepal on October 9 last year after being informed that classes were commencing the next day.
She travelled with her friend Karia who had also been told the same. They both arrived at KLIA at 9pm but were denied student visas. The Immigration Department issued them a temporary working visa as stated in their offer letters.
They had to wait until the next morning when a van driver picked them up and dropped them off at the college.
They were also not given a place to stay and were told that classes were to begin only on November 6 instead of October 10. They ended up living at the hostel lobby for two weeks.
Both were also asked to pay more as the college stated the previous RM19,250 was insufficient. They had to pay another RM1,000 if they had wanted to continue.
“We demanded a refund but were denied. They told us if we wanted to go home, we could. But how could we when they also refused to return our passports?” Risal added.
They are now still working under the college's internship programme.Fate/Grand Order EMIYA (Alter) Line Masterpost
EDIT: Updated with his event and birthday lines! His damage lines were just noises so I didn’t put them.
Looks like Emiyas ruining me is a trend that will continue into 2017.
*If anyone is interested in commissioning me, here’s my regular commission page, and here’s my chart for Chapter America/E Pluribus Unum!
Summoning: So you’re a Master. What a terrible expression. Oh well. I may be strange, but I’m still an Archer.* Use me as best you can.
Level Up: This leveling up is endless, huh
Ascension 1: Ah…… The feeling of this body crumbling down is good……
Ascension 2: It is only the outward appearance that changes. Apart from that, nothing changes.
Ascension 3: It feels like these worthless bonds of obligation are crumbling. Better yet, just like a sand castle, everything will be lost.
Ascension 4: You did well, Master. Everything I was, is no longer. I have become genuine, a true nameless Heroic Spirit.
My Room Generic 1: The battlefield lies before you. Why not depart for it?
My Room Generic 2: Because you are a magus, you risk your life and magical energy on the battlefield. Calling you a Master is no mistake.
My Room Generic 3: You are my employer. So long is there recompense, I will trust you.
With EMIYA (Archer): To see myself unspoilt, what a disagreeable thing. Though if I were on the other side, I suppose I’d want to kill that repulsive thing even more.
With Cu Chulainn (Alter): What would you call a heinous beast who wears a crown? Cu Chulainn, you are the thorns of death itself.**
Likes: Things I like? I’ve forgotten
Dislikes: Things I dislike? There is too much - I don’t know
Holy Grail: Fu- Fufu- Fuhahahahaha!
Bond 1: I fall under the category of Anti-Hero. I’d thought that originally, but I was ensnared by a mysterious woman. As you can see, I’ve begun to rot.
Bond 2: Although I’m in the Archer Class, I was originally a magus. I fought using my own mental world as a weapon. The point is, I sold my soul.
Bond 3: I have nothing anymore…… No, it is more correct to say I will soon have nothing. My former thoughts and ideals are dissolving. The only thing that will remain is the fact that I am good at killing.
Bond 4: ……Did you have something to talk about, Master? Sorry, I’ve been having dizzy spells recently…… Even only five minutes ago feels like a distant dream.
Bond 5: Is it my turn? Alright, I’ll go, Master. This is what I know- I help the weak, and disparage the strong….. Isn’t that normal? Isn’t it okay for a hero of justice? It’s strange, but, somehow I feel like crying.
Event: Yet another special event. I do hope you don’t become a moth to a flame.
Birthday: It is your birthday. I hope today is a special day.
Battle Start 1: Is there something wrong with your head, or your personality?
Battle Start 2: You’re all incompetent, lined up like goosenecks
Card Select 1: Hmph……
Card Select 2: Fine.
Card Select 3: I’m busy……
Attack 3: How boring!
Extra Attack: Kneel!
Skill 1: A disastrous end for you!
Skill 2: It’s fine right…… If I kill them all.
NP Select: Converting magical energy…… I will finish this soon.
NP: I am the bone of my sword. —So as I pray, 『unlimited lost works』.
Defeated 1: Even if…… such a thing……!
Defeated 2: This is all a bad dream……
Battle End 1: Did you become tired of living? Very well, that’s fine.
Battle End 2: This is the end of your life, well done.
*This…… Isn’t that odd but I still think it should be noted. Instead of noting his class is still archer, he’s saying he’s still an archer….. But he could also be saying he’s still Archer (as in the person) because of that lack of specification
**Gae Bolg is referred to as various stabby things of death, a thorn of death being one of them, so Emiya could be referring to Cu as literally Gae Bolg (seeing as he can fuse with it) rather than simply thorns of deathThe comic actor is starring in One Man Two Guvnors in the West End, but he fears people still associate him with the mis-steps he took after his hit with Gavin and Stacey. Will his new memoir redeem his public image?
In a small side room at the Guardian, with Al Pacino glowering from a poster above us, James Corden is performing a masterclass in modesty. He is quiet, contained, thoughtful. He rubs his nose |
for some is to try and sneak across the highly militarized border into Turkey.
“The border is closed in our faces and we will die at the hands of a sniper if we try and smuggle our way in,” Umm Mahmoud, who fled her home in the southern Aleppo countryside seven months ago for Iqdah, told Abu Umr.
Ankara has completed “nearly one-third” of a 911km-long security wall along its border with Syria, reported Turkey’s official Anadolu Agency earlier this month.
When completed, the “rocket-resistant concrete wall” will be two meters wide and three meters high and buttressed with razor wire, surveillance cameras and spotlights. Patrol points will be established every 50 meters and security forces will be stationed there to provide 24-hour surveillance.
Last Thursday, Human Rights Watch called on Turkey to “stop shooting at Syrian civilians fleeing fighting and immediately allow them to cross the Turkish border” in a report on the humanitarian crisis in rebel-held north Aleppo.
“The whole world is talking about fighting ISIS, and yet those most at risk of becoming victims of its horrific abuses are trapped on the wrong side of a concrete wall,” Gerry Simpson, senior refugee researcher at Human Rights Watch, said in the report.
“Where are we supposed to go now? These are the words everyone has repeated without knowing the answer yet again,” two-time displaced civilian Muhammad asked Abu Umr.So: those televised prime ministerial debates will definitely be happening in the runup to the election. The excitement is hard to contain: three separate primetime shows on Sky, ITV and the Beeb in which Brown, Cameron and Clegg will get the opportunity to talk and talk and talk and talk and talk. And possibly jig. But mainly talk.
Depending on your point of view, this is either a refreshing opportunity for politicians to connect with the electorate, or the least sexy hour of television since that Channel 4 documentary where they chopped up an elephant.
Even though its power and influence are in decline, TV still fascinates and horrifies politicians in equal measure. They're attracted by its potential to hypnotise and pacify millions, but repelled by its laser-like ability to magnify physical flaws or tonal cock-ups. It's like a magic amulet that can sometimes control the masses, but also might explode in the user's hand at any time.
Obviously image is paramount. On TV, no matter how eloquent you are, 75% of the audience can't even hear what you're saying: they're too busy making subconscious judgments about the tone of your voice or the angle of your lips. Conventional wisdom would have it that Gordon Brown is clearly at a massive disadvantage here, since he's slowly come to resemble a lumbering, doomy Mr Snuffaluffagus with all the carefree joie de vivre of the Kursk submarine disaster. But Cameron and Clegg are, if anything, a bit too telegenic, a bit too slick, a bit too clean-cut and heigh-ho. They've tried too hard to appeal in soundbite pop-up form: stretched over an hour, they may start to grate, their smooth appearances unexpectedly conspiring against them.
Cameron in particular looks like a boring dot-eyed "nice" neighbour from an underwhelming Christian soap opera. He's a replicant; an Auton; a humanoid; a piece of adaptive software that's learned to appeal to your likes and dislikes – "customers who bought Tony Blair also bought the following" – but inadvertently creeped you out in the process. Let's face it: if you discovered he doesn't have a belly button or any pubic hair, and spends one night each week lying semi-conscious, face-down, "recharging" inside a giant white laboratory pod filled with amniotic fluid, you wouldn't be entirely surprised. And voters are likely to sense that eerie unearthliness. He'd better stutter or fluff a few times, just to throw them off the scent.
But even if all three manage to flawlessly imitate human beings, defeat may still be snatched from the jaws of victory: if Nick Clegg spends the first 50 minutes rousing the audience with his fiery, lyrical rhetoric – as per usual – only to sneeze unexpectedly five minutes before the end, leaving a giant pendulum of mucus dangling off the end of his conk, the unfortunate mishap would be looped and repeated ad nauseam on every rolling news bulletin for weeks to come. He'd be Mr Snot. And do you want to vote for Mr Snot? No way. What if he sneezed on the nuclear button? He's out of the running. Which leaves you choosing between a haunted elephant or the humanoid.
(There are other parties you could vote for, obviously. But they're excluded from the debates and therefore no longer exist – a terrible blow for Nick Griffin, who was hoping to win over the public with his devilish good looks and impish personality.)
So: mammoth or android. Which is it to be? To help you choose, the news networks will doubtless offer post-match analysis of each nanosecond. Professional Westminster spods will deconstruct each sentence in search of hidden meanings, like scientists translating garbled messages from space. A body-language expert will discuss Cameron's eyebrows for 38 minutes. A fashionista will tell us who wore the best shirt. And every other citizen in the country will be asked to deliver their opinion via vox pop, email, tweet, phone poll or synchronised Mexican wave. Eventually a consensus will form regarding who won, at which point the lucky victor will be given the keys to 10 Downing Street, a fly-drive holiday for two courtesy of Virgin Atlantic, a five-album recording contract with Sony BMG, and an ITV2 reality show of their very own.
So terrifying-yet-alluring is the prospect of the debates, the parties have only consented to take part provided each broadcaster adheres to a series of 76 rules, drawn up in advance. Every aspect will be controlled, from the time allocated to each question, to the layout of the set – even the framing of audience cutaway shots is crucial. Presumably spin doctors from all three parties will be lurking ominously on the sidelines, ready to run in and kick the cameramen to death if their candidate starts looking too sweaty. You can already picture Andy Coulson in the wings, chewing gum and eavesdropping on the gallery audio feed, which has been illegally tapped by a private detective and routed directly into Andy Coulson's earpiece without Andy Coulson's knowledge.
Curiously, one thing that's left open to the broadcaster is the opening and closing credits. Rule 68 states that "each broadcaster [is] responsible for their own titles, music, branding etc". If I was running ITN – which, at the time of writing, I'm not – I'd make the most of this sole crumb of freedom by creating an insanely inappropriate title sequence in which a claymation Brown, Cameron and Clegg take turns performing sex acts on a cow, a kettle and a hole in the ground, all of it backed by the old It's a Knockout theme tune. Then it abruptly cuts live to the studio, where all three leaders have been waiting to speak, watching with mounting horror as this sickening cartoon unfolded on the monitors. As they storm out, a body language expert analyses their facial expressions, and the studio audience waves giant foam hands around. It might not affect the election either way, but who cares: that's entertainment.The pivotal and terrifying battle for Normandy’s beaches lay only hours ahead. Experienced soldiers, what few the 25th SS Panzergrenadier Regiment had, understood what was coming. They also knew how much would depend upon the fresh-faced teenagers assembling around them. They were the cream of German youth, but they were babies. In the 1st Battalion, for example, 65 percent were under 18 years old. Only 3 percent were over 25, and almost all of these older soldiers were officers and noncoms. Organized in Antwerp, Belgium, in July 1943, the 12th SS Hitlerjugend Division, of which the 25th was part, had been formed around a cadre of veterans from the 1st SS Panzer Division, the army and the Luftwaffe. Most of its personnel came from the Hitler Youth leadership schools, and it was not uncommon to have boys of 16 in its ranks. ‘We could foresee what lay ahead,’ recalled one older veteran. ‘The fine young grenadiers by contrast glanced smiling at us. They had no fear, full of confidence, trusting in their strength and innate aggression. How willing will these youngsters be to stand the test?’
Sixteen hours earlier the first reports of the June 6 Allied landings had been received. Colonel Kurt Meyer had finally received orders committing his regiment to the struggle to throw the Allies back into the Channel. However, since receiving the order, confusion as to the true scale and nature of the landings had hampered the German high command, and a German armored counterstroke was late in forming. But first, Meyer’s 25th Regiment, which was located with the rest of the division to the west of Paris and south of Rouen, had to reach the battlefield.
At 5 o’clock on the afternoon of June 6, 1944, the division’s 229 tanks and assault guns, 658 armored vehicles, some 2,000 soft-skinned vehicles and 20,540 men moved off along three routes. ‘We’ll soon give it to Tommy!’ was the banter remembered by Corporal Helmuth Pock as the boys traveled to the front. Despite the overall exuberance, Pock recalled that many of the youngsters were smoking cigarettes to steady their nerves.
Driving forward in a Panzerkampfwagen (PzKw.) Mark IV medium tank, Pock soon ran into traffic jams that hampered the division’s advance. While progressing slowly he heard many words of encouragement shouted to the tank crews. When they got closer to the front, some of that excitement was tempered by seeing the number of vehicles shot up by Allied fighter-bombers, the dreaded Jabos.
Losses to enemy aircraft were not heavy, but the accumulated delays caused by wrecked vehicles were enough to destroy the division’s timetable. By nightfall, barely a third of the division’s strength had reached the assembly area southwest of Caen. Despite the delays and fear of what lay ahead, morale remained high as soldiers hastily dug in and erected camouflage netting around their positions.
As soon as his men reached the assembly area, Meyer went to the headquarters of the 716th Infantry Division to get a better picture of what was happening. He was disturbed to discover that even the division headquarters had lost all communications with its regiments and battalions. ‘Caen is a sea of flame,’ he noted as he negotiated blazing trucks at the roadside to rejoin his regiment. The battle was at a critical stage. Nearly 10 Allied divisions faced seven battered and fragmented German divisions. Unable to concentrate effectively, the Germans would be forced to launch their counterstrokes with whatever forces were available.
Nevertheless, Meyer was still confident. ‘Little fish,’ he called the enemy. ‘We’ll throw them back into the sea in the morning.’ Meanwhile, the 3rd British Division had been ordered to close the gap that the 21st Panzer Division had created between itself and the 3rd Canadian Division on June 6. At the same time, the 3rd Canadian Division was directed southwest toward Carpiquet airfield.
Army Group B, which was responsible for plugging the rapidly expanding hole in Hitler’s Atlantic Wall, was now reduced to scraping together a Kampfgruppe (battle group) of the 12th SS and part of the 21st Panzer Division. The scratch formation was supposed to drive the Allies back to the beaches.
Meyer had three Panzergrenadier battalions in the line with two companies of tanks behind each flank and artillery in support. He was also told that the 21st Panzer Division had been ordered to form up on his right flank. Watching the Canadian advance unfold from the tower of Ardenne Abbey, he could see an opportunity opening in front of him. At 10 a.m. on June 7, the 50 Mark IV tanks of the 2nd Battalion, 12th SS Panzer Regiment, arrived and moved into position. The 1st Battalion, with its powerful PzKw. Mark V Panthers, was stranded and momentarily idled east of the Orne River for want of fuel.
The Canadians continued to file across the German front. Once the lead Canadian tanks reached the ridge south of Franqueville, they spotted one of Meyer’s panzer companies waiting to advance. It was at that moment that the German youngsters could hear Meyer’s voice over the radio net, ordering them to advance. Engines roared to life and tracks squeaked as the 12th SS received its initiation. ‘It cracked and flashed around Franqueville,’ recalled a German soldier. ‘The lead enemy tanks began smoking, and I saw how the crews bailed out. Other tanks exploded in pieces in the air. A Panzer Mark IV suddenly stopped, burning, tongues of flame shooting out of the turret.’ Meyer’s sudden advance had caught the Canadians unawares, and their infantry were forced to fall back to Authie. Meyer’s 3rd Battalion pursued them doggedly. The boys overran Authie and Franqueville in their initial rush. Buron, a kilometer to the north, was the next objective. The ‘enemy forces appeared to be completely surprised,’ wrote Meyer. ‘Artillery on both sides had not fired a single round.’
Meyer’s panzers roared around Authie and headed for Buron. Canadian anti-tank guns hit four or five of the tanks, and the Hitlerjügend crews’ inexperience showed as they turned away while trying to retire. Hans Fenn’s tank was one of those hit: ‘The shell tore off the tank commander’s leg–SS Scharführer [Sergeant] Esser–but I heard he got out of the turret later,’ Fenn recalled. ‘Phosphorus shells caused the tank to instantly burst into flames all over. I was helpless….I made my way back with third degree burns, toward our grenadiers following up. They recoiled from me on sight, as if they had seen a ghoul.’ The Panzergrenadiers reached Buron but were forced out by a Canadian counterattack.
Meyer was concerned at the slowing of the attack’s momentum. The Canadians had recovered from their initial surprise, and now their artillery had found the range and was heavily shelling the area. Nevertheless, Meyer ordered his tanks to resume the attack. Meanwhile, the 1st and 2nd battalions were approaching Cambes. ‘Until Cambes, everything went well,’ Emil Werner remembered. ‘So far as we were concerned, the village looked fine. But on the outskirts we came under infantry fire and then all hell broke loose.’ Two men were killed, but the tankers still had not seen any enemy soldiers. Unaware of exactly what was to his front and unable to make contact with any supporting formations, the battalion commander leading the attack on Cambes decided to go onto the defensive. With his attack now slowing down, Meyer was horrified to discover that the 21st Panzer Division had not yet been able to advance, and his right flank was open and being menaced by Allied tanks.
Although their situation was now precarious, the boys of the 12th were reluctant to withdraw. A company commander described the difficulty of extricating exposed sections that, having fought their way forward, would not retire: ‘All had the will to reach the sea. It was difficult to get them back on the leash again. The order to fall back was met with disbelief, and as a result was followed only after a long delay.’ Some witnesses later said that they came across boys from the division crying over their failure to force the Allies back into the sea. That evening, the 26th SS Panzergrenadier Regiment arrived and moved into Putot, but was thrown out after a fierce counterattack by the 7th Canadian Brigade. With neither side able to secure complete victory, the lines on either side were solidifying and turning the battle into one of attrition around the villages.
A company of Panther tanks finally appeared on June 8, and Meyer personally led a night attack toward the village of Rots, which they reached at midnight. After several hours of confused fighting, however, the Germans were forced to withdraw, leaving behind six tanks. The Canadians noted that despite advancing with courage and determination, the young Germans seemed to lack tactical control and had a habit of attacking piecemeal, failing to exploit favorable opportunities.
With pressure mounting to crush the Allied lodgment, the Germans planned a major offensive for June 10, in which the 12th SS, 21st Panzer and Panzer Lehr divisions were also due to take part. Before the attack could begin, however, the Allies seized the initiative and attacked the left flank of Panzer Lehr.
A series of local and largely inconsequential attacks was mounted by both sides. Neither was able to secure a strategic advantage, and the German defensive perimeter around Caen tightened. Casualties on both sides steadily mounted. The 12th’s headquarters, positioned some 27 kilometers southwest of Caen, came under heavy and sustained naval gunfire on June 16, killing the commander, Brig. Gen. Fritz Witt, and several other senior officers. So determined had his attacks been since the invasion that Meyer was given command of the division. The 12th was now deployed in detachments north and west of Caen, and like the rest of the German army, was suffering from shortages of ammunition, fuel and equipment. To the north of Caen, some of its panzers supported unreliable units such as the 16th Luftwaffe Field Division. To the west, a flak battery and 15 tanks, together with the 1st Battalion, 26th SS Panzergrenadier Regiment, held the important Carpiquet airfield.
British General Sir Bernard Law Montgomery, commander of the 21st Army Group, now began a series of attacks intended to push the Germans out of Caen once and for all. He hoped that seizure of the city would draw the bulk of the German armor to the eastern side of the Allied beachead and create the conditions for the breakout by the Americans in the west. The first was Operation Epsom, beginning on June 26 and directed toward Hill 112, south of Carpiquet. Meyer’s boys defended each hedge tenaciously but were steadily pushed back by the weight of Montgomery’s attack, which was mounted by three infantry divisions and two armored brigades, with more than 700 artillery pieces in support.
One German, forced to the ground by a rolling artillery barrage, surfaced to find his unit swamped by tanks and ‘furious Scotsmen hurling grenades.’ It was a confusing battle, and few participants retained clear memories of it, but the British line moved slowly southward, regularly subjected to fanatical counterattacks by the boys of the 12th.
The Germans were now forced to commit their last reserves to stem the tide, but on June 27, the British advance resumed. The Commonwealth soldiers managed to capture Hill 112 the next day. The Germans clung on for a while but then withdrew, and by the 29th the British had secured the important summit.
Although the Allied salient was now five miles deep, nowhere was it more than two miles wide. They had yet to achieve their hoped-for breakthrough, and the narrowness of the salient made it an obvious target for a major German counterstroke.
Facing the British by June 29 were elements of no fewer than six panzer divisions, including the 12th SS. Beginning late on the 29th, the Germans tried to regain the initiative, but dogged British resistance halted the attack. The commander of the assault, General Paul Hasser, explained that ‘the murderous fire from naval guns in the channel and the terrible British artillery destroyed the bulk of our attacking force in the assembly area.’ Those tanks that did get forward were easy prey to infantry anti-tank weapons, which could pick them off at short range.
Montgomery now resumed the offensive. On July 4, the 3rd Canadian Division launched an attack against Carpiquet. Despite suffering heavy losses from German artillery, elements of two Canadian battalions found themselves fighting some 50 Panzergrenadiers in the village. By nightfall, the Canadians held the northern half of the village and airfield, while the Germans controlled the south. Lack of infantry reinforcements prevented the Germans from launching effective counterattacks, but they had stopped the Canadian advance.
The capture of Caen had now become as much a matter of prestige as necessity, and Montgomery decided that desperate measures were necessary. For the next four days, the Hitlerjugend was the cornerstone of the defense of Caen against the British I Corps. Finally, by means of 2,600 tons of bombs dropped from the air, Montgomery managed to isolate the forward defenses of Caen. The bombing destroyed the city and exacerbated the Germans’ already acute supply problems. Meyer, unwilling to retire, continued his bitter defense. On July 8, after all hope of holding the city was lost, Meyer ordered his boys to evacuate their positions.
Sheer weight of resources on the Allied side made the outcome inevitable. By July 9, the British had captured the city and inflicted crippling losses on the 12th. The division had been nearly shattered. It had only 65 tanks out of an original 150 and had suffered 60 percent casualties.
Those who had survived the maelstrom were now hardened veterans. They were lauded at home in the excited prose of the SS periodical SS Leitheft: ‘Thousands of aircraft, rolling barrages of batteries, massed tank attacks hammered them with bombs and shells. The earth heaved thunderously. An inferno was unleashed. But faith was the strongest support of courage. Smeared with blood, covered with dust, gasping and fighting, doggedly dug into the earth, these youths brought the Anglo-Americans to a halt.’
Using Hill 112 as a vantage point, which they had regained after the British inexplicably withdrew on June 30, the Germans were able to dominate the Odon Valley behind Caen and the ground to the north. With German armor starting to move toward the American sector, the British decided to regain Hill 112 and secure it and the surrounding villages.
Operation Jupiter began on July 10. Some elements of the 12th SS still held part of the line between Eterville and the Orne River. Although they held the line for a time, the defenders were eventually overcome by sheer numbers. A young grenadier noted in his diary what it was like to face the British: ‘From 0630 to 0800, again heavy machine-gun fire. Then Tommy attacks with great masses of infantry and many tanks. We fight as long as possible but we realize we are in a losing position. By the time the survivors try to pull back, we realize we are surrounded.’ The following day, the division was pulled out of the line and sent to Potigny, some 30 kilometers north of Falaise, for a rest and refit.
The respite did not last long. The next major British drive, Operation Goodwood, began on July 18 on the eastern side of Caen. As soon as the attack began, the 12th SS was recalled to help prevent a breakthrough. A British Second Army Intelligence summary of the day before noted that the ’12th SS is the only reserve formation not committed and it is but a shell of its former self.’ Divided into two battle groups, Kampfgruppe Krause and Kampfgruppe Waldmüller, with a combined strength of just 50 tanks, it quickly became a key element in the defense of the German position south of Caen. But it was an increasingly desperate position. The relentless and punishing attacks in and around the city were sapping the strength of the defenders, and the Allies’ absolute control of the air was making it impossible to relieve or reinforce them. Goodwood was followed on July 25 by Cobra, which coincided with the breakout of the Americans to the west and the beginning of the end for the Germans in Normandy.
Cobra was followed by Operation Bluecoat, the return of the British Second Army to the offensive. Following Bluecoat, the Canadian First Army took up the gauntlet with Operation Totalize on August 8. Once more, the pressure was applied directly to the 12th SS. The attack involved a daring and innovative plan in which narrow columns of armored vehicles drove through the defenses at night without a preliminary artillery barrage, but with heavy bombing from the air to seal the flanks. Once they reached their objectives, the infantry exited their armored personnel carriers and cleared out the defenders. Although the attack began well, Meyer’s determination prevented it from becoming a disaster for the Germans.
Meyer later remarked on what he saw while driving forward to reconnoiter immediately after the bombing. ‘Before me, making their way down the Caen-Falaise road in a disorderly rabble were the panic-stricken troops of the [German] 89th Infantry Division,’ he said. ‘I realized that something had to be done to send them back into the line and fight. I lit a cigar, stood in the middle of the road and in a loud voice asked them if they were going to leave me alone to cope with the enemy. Having a divisional commander address them in this way, they stopped, hesitated, and then returned to their positions.’ Having rallied the frightened soldiers from the 89th, he sent armor and anti-tank guns to the positions they had abandoned at Cintheaux before directing his two battle groups to counterattack to the north of the village.
Stiffening their resistance against continued pressure, the German anti-tank gunners held up the Canadians after an advance of three miles. Over the next two days, the effects of this action and the continuous grind of counterattacks reduced the German division to little more than a reinforced battle group. The Allies tried to bomb their way through, but the Germans had captured a scout car on August 13 with a copy of the plan for the attack, and Meyer moved his men back in time. Between August 14 and 16, the 500 or so Panzergrenadiers and 15 tanks remaining defended Hill 159 to the northeast of Falaise against the 3rd Canadian Division. Under nearly continuous artillery and air attack, the Germans were forced to withdraw when the 2nd Canadian Division broke through on their western flank.
Fighting at Falaise itself was another small detachment of some 60 boys from the 12th SS. They held out for three days, and only four were taken prisoner. The loss of Falaise meant the gap between the British and American arms of a large pincer was only 20 kilometers, and in the pocket the remnants of some 19 German divisions were subjected to incessant and increasingly heavy artillery bombardment.
With only one tiny avenue of escape left open to them, the pitiful remnants of the 12th SS were ordered to help hold open the northern side of the salient. The aim was to permit the remains of the Seventh Army to escape. Hitler’s refusal to face reality, however, meant that in the end less than half of those within the pocket succeeded in breaking out. Those who did could thank the defenders of the gap, which was under enormous pressure for two days. When the withdrawal had been completed, Meyer ordered a French peasant to guide his last small group of some 200 men across the Dives River. On August 22, Army Group B reported that the 12th SS Panzer Division consisted of 10 tanks, 300 men and no artillery. It had effectively been destroyed in Normandy.
The Hitlerjugend shared many characteristics with other formations of the German army and Waffen SS fighting in Normandy in 1944. They fought exceptionally well and suffered appalling losses. The 12th had been well equipped, but in other respects it was less well provided for. Its training was not as thorough as in regular formations. As became the normal procedure for most German formations, especially in the later war years, it ended up divided into widely scattered battle groups where gunners, engineers, cooks and clerks had all found themselves fighting as Panzergrenadiers. However, the primary difference between the 12th SS and other German formations lay in the singular spirit of self-sacrifice these youngsters espoused in the name of Adolf Hitler and National Socialism. Not every one of them was a volunteer, but even the vast majority of those who had been drafted into the division accepted its ethos as a result of their charismatic leaders.
Such fanaticism could not always make up for the tactical shortcomings in their senior officers’ leadership. A high level of casualties certainly suggests bravery. But it is not necessarily commensurate with military skill and was no substitute for tactics and firepower. One British tank commander recalled how Hitler Youth soldiers had sprung at Allied tanks ‘like young wolves, until we were forced to kill them against our will.’ The nature of the fighting in Normandy meant that leadership often devolved down to junior noncoms and officers. Hardly older than the boys they led, their fanatical devotion to the point of death was an inspiration to the others. One example was Sergeant Emil Durr, who was posthumously awarded the Knight’s Cross for attacking a Canadian flame-throwing tank. Although seriously wounded, he attacked it three times and eventually destroyed it, losing his life in the process.
Unfortunately, devotion to duty, bravery in action and aggression, while in many ways admirable qualities in soldiers, also led to extreme brutality. During the campaign there were numerous instances of the division’s mistreatment of prisoners and civilians. The boy soldiers gained a fearsome reputation for shooting prisoners, especially Canadians, and were responsible for the deaths of 64 British and Canadian prisoners between June 7 and 16. After his capture, Meyer was tried and convicted for the part his division played in the massacre of Canadian prisoners at Buron, Authie and Ardenne Abby.
Normandy did not quite mark the end of the Hitlerjugend‘s involvement in the war. The 12th SS Panzer Division was re-formed in time to play a part in Hitler’s final gamble in the West. It was to be part of the great Ardennes offensive launched less than six months later in a vain attempt to capture Antwerp, where the division had originally been formed 18 months earlier.
Despite all that had gone before, the next group of boys to be collected under the Hitler Youth banner showed no less idealism than their predecessors. A letter found on the body of a young grenadier killed in the fighting expressed the attitude of many of the division’s young men: ‘I write during one of the momentous hours before we attack, full of excitement and expectation of what the next days will bring….Some believe in living but life is not everything! It is enough to know that we attack and will throw the enemy from our homeland. It is a holy task. Above me is the terrific noise of V1s and artillery, the voice of war.’ On the back of the envelope is written a postscript: ‘Ruth! Ruth! Ruth! We March!’
This article originally appeared in the July 2001 issue of World War II and written by Jon Latimer. For more great articles subscribe to World War II magazine today!
Sponsored Content:This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AMY GOODMAN: Today, a Democracy Now! exclusive: A new presidential candidate enters the race, and she is announcing on Democracy Now! Dr. Jill Stein was the 2012 presidential nominee for the Green Party. You’re joining us here in New York. What are your plans now?
DR. JILL STEIN: Well, I’ll just say first that I am here at Democracy Now!, which is really the home of people-powered media, to announce that I have a people-powered campaign. In the same way Democracy Now! does not take corporate funding, I’m running with the only national party that does not take corporate funding. That is the Green Party. And it’s a great honor to be here at Democracy Now! to announce that I am running for president of the United States.
AMY GOODMAN: And what does that mean exactly? You’ve run once before. How do you enter the race? And what’s your platform?
DR. JILL STEIN: So, entering the race is really defined by the Federal Election Commission. It means that you have formally declared as a candidate and that, basically, you can begin to raise money as a candidate, and you must report that money. So that defines a lot of what you can do, because obviously you need resources in order to run. And as a people-powered campaign that is working towards matching funds, there are all kinds of rules that we follow to minimize those contributions and ensure that we are not bought out by the big money, which is running the other parties. And that’s essentially the difference between my campaign and other campaigns, that we are part of a party that does not accept corporate money and that does not accept money from lobbyists nor from corporate CEOs or surrogates of corporations.
So, entering the race basically means declaring and then beginning to behave and file as a candidate. For me, that means really going to frontline communities, which are struggling really with the core of the crisis that American life has become. We’ve been told we’re in a recovery, but actually we’re in an emergency—economic, social, racial, as so clear in the incredibly moving coverage that you’ve been providing of the events in Charlotte. We are in a crisis, and—
AMY GOODMAN: In Charleston.
DR. JILL STEIN: Yeah, I’m sorry, in Charleston. Yes, we are in a crisis, and it’s really critical that we recognize the dimensions of that crisis and that we have comprehensive solutions to fix it. So that’s what our platform is. It’s basically a blueprint for a system change, and we call it our Power to the People Plan, that essentially enables us to address the economic, social, racial, ecological, democratic, financial crisis that we are grappling with.
AMY GOODMAN: Your top planks in your platform?
DR. JILL STEIN: So, our top plank really is a Green New Deal to transform our economy to a green economy, 100 percent wind, water and sun by the year 2030—we can do it; this is an emergency, and we must do it—but to use that as an opportunity to put America back to work, to renew our infrastructure and to basically assure that everyone has a job. That’s another key plank of our Power to the People Plan, that it ensures economic rights for everyone—the right to a job, the right to complete healthcare through a Medicare for All, improved Medicare-for-All plan; that we ensure the right to quality education, from preschool through college, and that includes free public higher education and abolishing student debt.
And we’re also—you know, we are very focused on reforming the financial system, not only breaking up the big banks, but actually establishing public banks at the community, state and national level, so that we actually can democratize our finance. We can nationalize the Fed and ensure that it’s running for public purpose and not simply for private profit.
To provide a welcoming path to citizenship for immigrants and to restore our civil liberties, our foreign policy platform is very important. We feel that we should have a foreign policy that basically gets rebooted and established on the basis of international law, human rights and diplomacy, and that we should not be in the business of funding basically weapons for everybody who wants them, and in particular, we should not be delivering weapons systems or support of any sort to nations around the world that are human rights violators.
AMY GOODMAN: Last month, independent Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont formally kicked off his campaign. He is running for the Democratic presidential nomination. Addressing his home state of Vermont, Sanders vowed to tackle income inequality and the political power of the 1 percent.
SEN. BERNIE SANDERS: I am proud to announce my candidacy for president of the United States of America. Today, with your support and the support of millions of people throughout our country, we begin a political revolution to transform our country economically, politically, socially and environmentally. Today, we stand here and say loudly and clearly: Enough is enough. This great nation and its government belong to all of the people and not to a handful of billionaires.
AMY GOODMAN: So, that is Bernie Sanders announcing his candidacy for the presidency in this country. Though he is a socialist, he caucuses in the Senate with the Democrats and is running on the Democratic Party ticket. Dr. Jill Stein, you’ve just announced on Democracy Now! that you’re going to pursue the presidency on a Green Party ticket. What is your response to Sanders choosing to run within the Democratic Party?
DR. JILL STEIN: I wish that he had run outside the Democratic Party. There are many similarities, obviously, between his vision and my vision. The difference is that I’m running in a party that also supports that vision, so when our campaign comes to an end, that vision will not die. It will not be absorbed back into a party that is essentially hostile to that vision and which has basically disappeared similar very principled, wonderful reform efforts within the Democratic Party that have basically allowed the party to keep marching to the right.
AMY GOODMAN: Would you have run against Bernie Sanders if he was running on a third-party ticket?
DR. JILL STEIN: If he was running as a Green, certainly we would—it’s very hard to run as a third party. You really have to undertake a massive ballot access campaign, which is extremely expensive, and it requires an enormous culture of understanding ballot access that doesn’t come easy to people. So it would be hard for him to actually run outside of the Green Party as an independent. If we were both running as Greens, you know, we would have probably been in a Green primary, which would have been wonderful.
AMY GOODMAN: How many states were you on the ballot the last time you ran for president?
DR. JILL STEIN: It was approximately 37 states, but it covered about 82 to 85 percent of American voters.
AMY GOODMAN: Your response to the enormous response that Bernie Sanders is getting, whether he is campaigning in New Hampshire or Iowa, thousands of people coming out?
DR. JILL STEIN: It’s wonderful, and I wish him well. I wish him the best. The difference is that my campaign will be there in the general. And Bernie has already announced that if he does not make it—and in the Democratic Party, we’ve seen wonderful efforts—Jesse Jackson, Dennis Kucinich, Al Sharpton—who had extremely vigorous, spirited, visionary campaigns. It’s very hard to beat the system inside of the Democratic Party. And, you know, when those efforts ended, that was the end. Ours will keep going, and it will continue into the general election. And when it’s over, we’re building a party that’s not going away.
AMY GOODMAN: How do you differ most both from Bernie Sanders and from Hillary Clinton?
DR. JILL STEIN: You know, |
5 gallon bucket which will keep them from unraveling. You can also dispense the coil straight from the bucket but cutting a hole on the side of the bucket near the bottom, and pulling the male end of the plug through the hole to plug into the wall. Then pull the length of cord needed straight out of the bucket.
The chain link method is another effective coiling technique and eliminates knots, but it adds more twists and bends to your cord and is not very compact for storage. Check out our advice for wrapping smaller cables while you’re at it.
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Workshop is a new blog from Lifehacker all about DIY tips, techniques, and projects. Follow us on Twitter here.The latest contagious viral outbreak freaking out the globe, particularly women worried about birth defects, may have been caused by the presence of genetically-modified mosquitoes (GMMs) in Brazil, contend critics of the superbugs.
With international health experts convening in Geneva to discuss possible cures for the Zika virus, questions are being raised as to whether they are actually to blame.
In mid-2012, British biotech company Oxitec released the super bugs with the aim of reducing the overall mosquito population that spreads dengue fever, the Zika virus, and chikungunya in northeast Brazil.
#ZikaVirus spreading explosively, 4mn may be infected, no vaccine expected for years - WHO https://t.co/pSv5rUhrYJpic.twitter.com/zVWz41SjPA — RT (@RT_com) January 29, 2016
At the time, concerns were raised about the release of GMMs without further studies into possible side effects.
"It's a very experimental approach which has not yet been successful and may cause more harm than good," Dr Helen Wallace, director of GeneWatch, told the Guardian in 2012.
The first cases of Zika in the Americas were reported last May after spending decades working its way from Africa through Asia.
Up to 1.5 million people now thought affected by the virus, which Oxitec’s critics note is the same country where the GMMs were released - Brazil.
Zika Outbreak Epicenter In Same Area Where GM Mosquitoes Were Released In 2015 https://t.co/0vvLWaueAxpic.twitter.com/38ZxhwBGgZ — The D.C. Clothesline (@DCClothesline) January 29, 2016
Since the outbreak, there have been over 4,000 cases of babies born with microcephaly in Brazil, although various others causes can also be attributed to the rise.
The Aedes aegypti mosquito sub-species that carries both the Zika virus and dengue is the very type Oxitec targeted with its GMMs.
"Zika Outbreak Epicenter in Same Area Where GM Mosquitoes Were Released in 2015" What a coincidence 🤔 — k. (@kathydiim) January 30, 2016
The aim of Oxitec's GM program was to release only male Aedes mosquitoes into the wild and they would in turn produce offspring with their virus carrying female counterparts.
This offspring would then die off before breeding age due to the GM coding in their genes, as long as the antibiotic tetracycline wasn't present, which would override the GM DNA.
Sounds like the plot of a Hollywood blockbuster.
There is already a known survival rate of up to five percent in these GMMs regardless of the presence of tetracycline.
This antibiotic, which is often used to treat teenage acne, can be found in nature too, showing up in soil, surface water, and food, with some research stating that the GMM survival rate could potentially increase to 15 percent.
READ MORE: Genetically engineered mosquitoes battle Zika virus in Brazil
Oxitec critics also suggest that in the absence of studies into the potential knock-on effects of this in these mutated mosquitoes, it’s possible they could in fact thrive in the wild with unknown mutations taking place in GMMs, which in turn could worsen the spread the Zika virus.
“Mosquitoes are food for lots of animals. We would still want to see studies of when birds and bats and amphibians eat these genetically modified animals,” Jaydee Hanson, a senior policy analyst at the US-based Center for Food Safety, told Bloomberg News. “They’re introducing into the ecosystem some genetic constructs that have never been there before.”
Hanson also raised the possibility that other mosquito species could still carry the Zika virus: “It doesn’t solve the problem.”
Calls for further studies into GMMs prior to their release by Oxitec to answer such questions went unanswered, however.
While this Jurassic Park-type scenario could have been accidental, the recent UK TV series "Utopia" suggests it could be a deliberate plan to reduce the global population.Next Chapter >
The GDB dream
If you’re anything like me, your mind will be constantly awash with automotive possibility. Despite having a reasonably sized garage filled with cars in various states of disrepair, I’m forever thinking about ways I can build my dream collection.
Deep down I’ve always wanted to own an Impreza, or more specifically – a WRX that’s had the Subaru Tecnica International (STI) wand waved over it at Fuji Heavy Industries. I’m not exactly sure where the attraction came from, but I’m pretty sure it had something to do with spending one epic week every year from the mid-’90s to the early ’00s, watching Prodrive-built Subaru World Rally Team machines carving up some of the finest gravel back-roads New Zealand has to offer.
So even though there’s no WR (World Rally) Blue STI consuming a spot in my garage right now, if there were I know exactly how I’d want to build it. I could spell out some of those finer details for you, but I thought it would be better idea to just show you. Because Arjun Singh’s super-clean and crazy-quick 2002 GDB Version 8 Impreza is every bit the car I want to own, and more.
Before I start talking about what makes this largely stock-looking STI so special, we need to rewind back to a time before Arjun’s name was ownership papers. He’s responsible for putting some of the finishing touches on the car, but doesn’t take the credit for the work put into the Impreza by its previous two owners.
Arriving in New Zealand barely one-year-old from Japan and with only 10,000 kilometres on the clock, the Subaru’s first Kiwi owner set the car up as a weekend track toy, with a mild upgrade to the suspension and brakes and a set of RAYS Volk Racing RE30 forged wheels with sticky tyres. Somewhere along the line the engine was overhauled too, but when that eventually expired he called time. Enter Gary Capper of Gary Capper Performance (GCP) – a subsidiary of one of Australasia’s most well known and respected Subaru rally car builders – and the company responsible for picking up the pieces and creating arguably one of the toughest WRX street cars in the country.
In modifying the Impreza, Gary made good use of the resources and international championship-winning experience that was available to him in-house at Possum Bourne Motorsport (PBMS). The result: a GDB STI set up to perform like a tarmac rally machine, coupled with the power train of a serious circuit race car; for the street. Not that you’d ever really pick it from the outside.
That was the whole idea of course – enough custom enhancements to separate the Impreza from a standard GDB STI, but not at the expense of its overall factory appearance. Those of you with an eye for detail might have already picked up on the Aeroquip flush-fitting bonnet latches, the air intakes in the front bumper and these very cool rally-spec door mirrors. Like the intakes, the mirror housings were custom made in PBMS’s specialised composites department from full carbon fibre.
As subtle as those tweaks are, the same can’t be said for the wheels. The car came to Arjun on the aforementioned RE30s, but to change up its look, they were quickly swapped for a set of Work Emotion XD-9s in a wider 18×9-inch fitment. The most aggressive set of wheels to grace all four corner however, are the latest additions – polished three-piece Work Meister S1s, with staunch 18×9.5-inch +24 proportions.
They might be barely contained by STI’s factory fattened guards – something I assume might soon be remedied by some careful refashioning of the arches – but I definitely get where Arjun is going. In my rear view mirror on the way to our first location, it looked angry.
Apart from those personalisations though, the Impreza largely looks the way STI intended it to. In many ways it’s the perfect juxtaposition to what lies within.
Why? Because as much as I love the way the GDB’s exterior has been respected, it’s what lurks under the lightweight aluminium STI bonnet that really defines this car. Six hundred plus horsepower worth of hard-tuned Subaru boxer four…
Big boxer tricks
The aforementioned engine blow that prompted the original owner to part ways the car and Gary to purchase it, was also the catalyst for a serious build that’s done away with the broken factory 2.0L block in favour of a 2.5L closed deck equivalent. For strength’s sake, the EJ25 base has been upgraded with custom steel liners, CP forged pistons and Argo connecting rods.
Not that you get much of a glimpse of them under all that polished metal, but the GDB’s original Version 8 cylinder heads were retained, albeit ported for improved flow before being bolted to the prepped block with beefy studs.
And then there’s the turbocharger. From the outside it might look like the 600hp-capable Garrett GT3582 that was originally fitted to the engine during its second build, but on the inside it’s a completely different story. Arjun had local turbo specialist Motorsport Engineering give the big single a performance rebuild with one of its Holset-based HRC40RS cores. Along with more potential, improved response and increased torque is the result. There’s a one-off PBMS/GCP unequal-length steam pipe exhaust manifold in the mix too, along with a TiAL 44mm wastegate for boost controller and a large front-mount intercooler with custom PBMS/GCP pipe work.
Taking its cues from a Group A STI/Prodrive WRC engine, the reversed intake manifold with its large plenum and tuned-length runners for improved air flow and increased power is another hand-formed PBMS/GCP creation. Same goes for the 3.5-inch down pipe and 3-inch stainless steel exhaust system.
There’s a demand for a lot more fuel of course, and no corners have been cut in that department either. In the factory scenario a single feed provides for both fuel rails, but that was never going to cut with the sort of numbers being chased. Now there are dual feeds from an adjustable regulator with Sard Racing split fuel rails and Injector Dynamics ID2000 injectors supplying the high octane pump gas.
It doesn’t stop there either. Along with a 12-litre STI Spec-C intercooler water spray tank, the boot space is home to a pair of Bosch Motorsport 044 fuel pumps running through a custom PBMS/GCP swirl tank.
The fit out, especially when it comes to the fabricated components, is what sets this build apart for me. But really, I wouldn’t expect any less from a workshop that’s regularly tasked with building low-volume, but higher-performing limited edition Impreza WRXs for Subaru New Zealand, and even prototype competition cars for Subaru Australia.
The built EJ25 was run-in on PBMS’s engine dyno before to being fitted in the car, with subsequent tuning carried out on GCP’s four-wheel drive rolling road. Prior to the turbo upgrade and a switch from the flashed factory ECU to a Link G4 Storm engine management system, a solid 540hp at the wheels on pump E85 was revealed. There’s much more in it now just waiting to exploited – around 600whp on a pump gas tune, and closer to 670whp on E85 the calculated potential.
To cope with the extra power and torque the driveline has been upgraded with a custom single-plate clutch and a modified gearset for the factory six-speed manual box. The front and rear STI limited slip differentials have been given a performance rebuild too and there’s super-strong The Driveshaft Shop billet axles out back. Whether it all can withstand the extra output that will soon be thrown at remains to be seen, but if the rest of the mechanicals are anything to go by, I don’t think Arjun is going to have any problems.
The right stuff
As I mentioned early on, before Arjun or GCP got their hands on the car, the suspension had already been given a mild circuit tune. Unsurprisingly then, it’s all been retained, adding custom-valved Whiteline coilovers and uprated sway bars front and rear, plus modified lower ball joints, an anti-lift kit and urethane bushes throughout. In the brake department, two-piece slotted rotors were swapped in at both ends, and the STI’s factory Brembo callipers were treated to Endless competition pads. Overall, it’s a good set up that I guess you could say strikes a nice balance between the street and the track.
As extensively modified the mechanical underpinnings of the car are, the interior follows the same factory-first approach taken on the outside. With very low mileage on the chassis, the trim is perfect order too, which only made Arjun want to retain it that way even more.
Again, it’s the little details here. As a JDM import, a 180km/h speedo would have been standard fare, but the instrument panel has been changed out for a WRX STI Version 9 one that better represents the abilities of the car.
The row of Defi meters that measure boost pressure and water and oil temperature could have been housed in an off-the-shelf ABS plastic dash or A-pillar pod, but again it’s been given the PBMS custom carbon fibre touch.
So there you have it – a build goes to show that both restraint and excess can successfully co-exist together when they’re gone about in the right way. It would have been easy for GCP to tear out the interior and cage it up with a pair of race seats, and deal to the outside with an oversized GT wing and aftermarket FRP bumpers and side skirts. But I’m glad that never happened.
I’m pretty sure Arjun’s of the same mind too.
Despite some aspects of this build remaining understated while others are completely overstated, through some careful planning and perfect execution, a really nice balance as been struck here. To me, the only thing better would be if it was living in my garage…
Brad Lord
[email protected] should start planning for Iran, analysts say, as the slow thawing of diplomatic relations with the country could open the door to foreign investment.
The Middle Eastern country, which has been on the receiving end of strict sanctions since its revolution in 1979, has been in political transition this year. Following presidential elections in June, hardliner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was replaced by Hassan Rouhani who has since embarked on a series of charm offensives around the world – including a phone call last month with U.S. President Barack Obama.
Matthew Spivack, practice leader at emerging market advisory firm Frontier Strategy Group told CNBC that investors now need to start working a contingency plan for when, and if, sanctions are rolled back.
"Iran is not just about oil," he said. "FMCG (fast moving consumer goods) and healthcare companies prioritize Iran, because of very attractive demographics."
(Read More: Iran nuclear talks: the oil price fallout)
Tehran's stock exchange lists 339 companies on its website with a combined market capitalization of $104.21 billion. The country has the second largest population in the Middle East and North Africa region, according to the World Bank, with 77 million people - three times the regional average. It has the fourth biggest oil reserves in the world, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, and the second biggest natural gas reserves - second only to Russia.
Spivack expects Iran's public sector to attract a lot of foreign investment interest in the long term. One area ripe for Iranian government contracts would be the country's energy sector. If sanctions are lifted and Iran can start selling its oil and gas on the open market – at the moment it mainly deals with China and India – the country's energy infrastructure will need upgrading.
Sven Richter, head of frontier markets at Renaissance Asset Managers is another portfolio manager looking closely at the country. On the Tehran stock exchange the basic metals and banks are the latest sectors that are en vogue, he said, followed by telecoms.
"The stock market has the possibility of attracting attention as its relatively large and liquid and could be an interesting part of a Frontier fund," he told CNBC.
"P/E (price-to-earnings) valuations ranging between 7 times and 11 times for many of these companies look attractive."
Even business leaders are looking closer at the country. Martin Sorrell, CEO of WPP - the world's largest advertising company by revenue - included Iran in a list of frontier markets that the company was considering, adding that the "political noises" coming from the country were positive.
(Read more: The world's best performing frontier markets)
In recent months, Iran has held constructive talks with the United Nations about its controversial nuclear program. Iran and the U.S. also engaged in high-profile talks in September with President Obama speaking to Rouhani by telephone - the first direct dialogue between the two counties for over three decades.
On Thursday, the New York Times reported that Hossein Naqavi Hosseini, the deputy head of the national security and foreign policy committee, has said Iran has cut the production of enriched uranium by up to 20 percent, a move closer to one of the key demands world powers have asked of it.Kongregate was supposed to be GameStop's play for mobile, delivering free-to-play games with a little help from Adobe Flash. It worked well enough to start: the Kongregate Arcade app has over 500,000 downloads on Android and a 4.5-star rating. Now that Adobe has abandoned Flash for mobile, though, the future of Kongregate Arcade doesn’t seem so bright: Bartel calls the app a "brand-building exercise," rather than a commercial product. "Flash not being a part of mobile going forward will have an impact," Bartel admits.
GameStop’s publicly reported that Kongregate's overall business doubled last year, and increased another 50 percent in the first quarter. Bartel's still interested in the potential of Kongregate games on mobile, but he's not quite sure that the web and HTML5 are mature enough platforms yet. "Needless to say, Kongregate is going to change. As the platform continues to evolve, Kongregate will evolve to let those games take place."
GameStop recently bought Spawn Labs as well, which is still working on a streaming game platform to rival OnLive and Sony’s recently-acquired Gaikai. At first, Bartel doesn't seem too keen on discussing the platform. "The technology works great," he tells me. When I bring up Sony's recent aquisition, his eyes light up a bit. "We're feeling very good about our investment, that's what I'll say."
When I ask when the service will launch, though, Bartel begins to hedge, hinting that Spawn’s time hasn’t come yet. He tells me about how the service would require a huge investment to start, and how there isn’t necessarily a commercial opportunity worth pursuing at this point.
Then, the truth comes out. GameStop isn't sure how to scale the service, because the basic idea hasn't really evolved since day one: Bartel tells me that the Spawn Labs service still requires that the company hook up a real physical game console for each and every remote player. It’s a plan that has some major pros and cons. On the plus side, it's completely platform-agnostic, so GameStop could use the system with any console or game, right out of the box. The minuses are tremendous, though: Spawn would have to physically change out discs for each new wave of games, and lose a lot of the latency advantages OnLive and Gaikai have by virtualizing and overclocking PC games inside of dedicated servers.
Moreover, GameStop could face legal challenges. Late last year, a US district court issued a permanent injunction against a startup named Zediva, which had a bright idea at the time: it would offer a streaming movie service to its customers by buying physical DVDs and playing them from real optical drives. GameStop is no startup, but the parallel is hard to deny. Still, Bartel believes that the relationships between GameStop and the publishers are are strong enough to pull it off, despite conflicts of interest like the one Sony’s upcoming Gaikai streaming service might pose. "We're the largest retailer they have in terms of video game space," he says, suggesting that Sony wouldn’t sue. "Everyone wants to have their games distributed and discovered." Bartel says a private beta with six data centers was incredibly successful, and that as soon as they figure out the strategy, they'll be ready for a nationwide rollout. "Like everything we do, it's going to be big," says Bartel.
GameStop has other upcoming experiments, which may or may not "be big." Later this year, Bartel tells me, GameStop will launch a cross-platform app for Android and iOS that helps you find quality games — not unlike Nvidia's Tegra Zone or Qualcomm's GameCommand. Notably, it isn’t a store: Bartel says that you'll still buy your games through Google Play and the iTunes App Store, but the app will have some kind of connection to GameStop's physical retail locations and use the company's PowerUp Rewards points as well. It’s hard to say how GameStop will get a piece of the action on mobile platforms if it’s not actually selling the games, though.FILE - In this March 22, 2013, file photo, Staffan De Mistura, Italy's then-foreign ministry undersecretary, speaks during a news conference in New Delhi, India. Mistura has been chosen by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to replace Lakhdar Brahimi as the international point man on Syria, diplomats said Wednesday, July 9, 2014. (AP Photo/File) The Associated Press
By EDITH M. LEDERER, Associated Press
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Veteran Italian-Swedish diplomat Staffan de Mistura has been chosen by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to replace Lakhdar Brahimi as the international point man on Syria, diplomats said Wednesday.
The diplomats, speaking on condition of anonymity ahead of an expected announcement, said de Mistura will be the U.N. envoy — not the joint U.N.-Arab League envoy, as Brahimi was — and will have an Arab deputy.
Ban told reporters late Wednesday that an announcement is "very close" but he needed "to get everybody on board." The diplomats said they expect de Mistura to be officially named on Thursday.
Brahimi resigned May 31 after nearly two years of failed efforts to end Syria's worsening civil war. He followed in the footsteps of his longtime friend, former U.N. secretary-general Kofi Annan, who resigned from the same job in August 2012 after failing to broker a cease-fire as the country descended into war.
Ban cast some blame on Syria's rebels but was especially critical of President Bashar Assad's government, the divided U.N. Security Council and feuding influential nations for failing to help Brahimi achieve a peace agreement.
That leaves de Mistura facing an immense challenge as he tries to succeed where Brahimi and Annan failed.
Brahimi managed to get officials from Assad's government and the opposition to two rounds of U.S. and Russian-brokered peace talks in Geneva aimed at establishing a transitional government, but they ended without an agreement.
Brahimi had been working behind the scenes to start a new round of negotiations, but that effort was all but doomed when the government announced that elections would be held on June 3. Both Brahimi and Ban indicated it would be impossible to get the opposition to participate in new negotiations for a transitional government after Assad was elected to a new seven-year term.
With the Syrian government on the offensive, rebel divisions deepening and the takeover of areas near the Iraqi border by the Islamic State extremist group, de Mistura will have an even tougher time getting the warring parties to the peace table.
But just before he left, Brahimi suggested seven steps that could lead to "a serious peace process."
They include expanding humanitarian aid, reducing and ending violence, and forming "an executive" to lead Syria's transition and organize a national dialogue, a review of the constitution, national elections and an end to the flow of arms into the country.
As the U.N. envoy, de Mistura will have a somewhat easier task than his predecessors because he will have only one boss — the U.N. secretary-general — not the deeply divided Arab League as well, which diplomats say created difficulties for both Annan and Brahimi.
Born in Stockholm, de Mistura had a 40-year career with the United Nations and recently served as deputy foreign minister in the Italian government headed by Mario Monti, who was also rumored to be a candidate to replace Brahimi.
De Mistura worked for various U.N. agencies and served as the top U.N. envoy in Afghanistan in 2010-11 and in Iraq from 2007-09, and as the secretary-general's personal representative for southern Lebanon from 2001-04.
In May, de Mistura was appointed president of the board of governors for the European Institute of Peace, an independent Brussels-based foundation that conducts mediation and informal dialogue to promote the global peace agenda of the European Union.
De Mistura, 67, speaks seven languages including colloquial Arabic, according to the Italian Foreign Ministry.
While working as a deputy foreign minister, he was sent to India in early 2012 to lead Italian negotiations with the Indian government over the arrest of two Italian marines for allegedly shooting to death two Indian fishermen mistaken for pirates.
De Mistura's discussions and numerous trips to India didn't break the impasse, and two subsequent governments have also failed to secure the marines' release.
___
Associated Press writer Frances D'Emilio in Rome contributed to this report.From AWS-CloudDesignPattern
What are AWS Cloud Design Patterns?
The AWS Cloud Design Patterns (CDP) are a collection of solutions and design ideas for using AWS cloud technology to solve common systems design problems. To create the CDPs, we reviewed many designs created by various cloud architects, categorized them by the type of problem they addressed, and then created generic design patterns based on those specific solutions. Some of these problems could also be addressed using traditional data-center technology, but we have included cloud solutions for these problems because of the lower cost and greater flexibility of a cloud-based solution.
This beta Cloud Design Pattern web site is the culmination of work by many different architects including Ninja of Three who shared their expertise and experience in building cloud solutions.
Description of AWS Cloud Design Patterns
AWS Cloud Design Patterns will be described along the following items. Pattern Name/Summary Pattern name, summary and brief description Solving Issues Description of typical issues that led to pattern creation, and what issues/challenges can be solved through its implementation Explanation of pattern / Resolution in the cloud Description of the terms or how to solve the problems in the cloud; why any pattern, or a description of the configuration has become a pattern of what Implementation Description about how to implement the pattern using AWS Structure Visualization of the pattern’s structure Benefits Description of the benefits from the pattern’s application Notes Description of tradeoffs, advantages, disadvantages and points to note when applying this pattern Other Comparison with other patterns, use cases and additional information
List of AWS Cloud Design Patterns
Basic Patterns
Patterns for High Availability
Patterns for Processing Dynamic Content
Patterns for Processing Static Content
Patterns for Uploading Data
Patterns for Relational Database
Patterns for Batch Processing
Pattern for Operation and MaintenanceHere's some bleak news for the coal industry: As much as 65 percent of the U.S. coal fleet could find itself under threat in the years ahead, thanks to cheap natural gas and stricter air-pollution regulations.
Coal mining in the Powder River Basin. (EcoFlight)
That's according to a new peer-reviewed study by three researchers at Duke's Nicholas School of the Environment, who take a detailed look at the costs of operating both coal-fired power plants and natural-gas plants around the United States.
Their conclusion? Coal power is far more economically vulnerable than most analysts have realized to date. Here's why:
Cheap natural gas is crowding out coal: Already, a glut of cheap natural gas from shale deposits in Texas, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and elsewhere is upending the electricity sector. The researchers found that around 9 percent of the U.S. coal fleet has become uneconomical — it's now cheaper to burn natural gas for electricity than to keep running those coal plants, which are now slated for retirement.
The chart below sums up the ongoing shift quite vividly. Many coal plants are now operating at far lower capacity in 2012 than they were back in 2007:
And new pollution rules could accelerate that shift: But the shift to gas could become even more dramatic in the years ahead. Under the Obama administration, the EPA has been tightening various standards for air pollutants, including sulfur dioxide, particulate matter, and mercury. By 2016, power-plant operators will have to start installing costly new emissions controls at their coal units to comply with these rules. And that will further sway the economics of power generation.
By looking carefully at operating costs, the Duke researchers found that an additional 56 percent of the U.S. coal fleet could become more expensive than natural gas, assuming the ratio of gas prices to coal stayed around its current level. That poses a huge challenge to the coal industry — far bigger than previous analyses have suggested.
"That was the most surprising thing to come out of this analysis," says Duke's Lincoln Pratson, who led the study. "There has been a lot of focus on those 9 percent of coal plants set for retirement — mostly smaller, older plants. But what were seeing is that there are a very large number of younger plants that would become more costly to run than the median natural-gas plant if they were to upgrade their emissions controls."
That said, there are some caveats: That doesn't mean 65 percent of the coal fleet is set to shut down in the years ahead. This analysis all depends on a number of assumptions. First and most obviously, natural gas prices could start rising again — the early glut of gas from the fracking boom already appears to be leveling off. That would help many coal plants hang on.
Yet, surprisingly, Pratson and his colleagues found that natural gas would stay competitive even if the ratio of natural gas to coal prices rose from its current level of 1.7 to 4. "Even in that case, we wouldn't see the situation we had [in the early 2000s] where every coal plant was cheaper to run than every single natural gas plant," Pratson says.
The study makes a few other debatable assumptions as well. For one, it assumes that power plant operators will comply with the EPA rules by installing new emissions controls — rather than, say, buying allowances under cap-and-trade systems like the acid-rain program. On the flip side, the study doesn't take into account further potential EPA regulations on cooling water or coal ash. As such, says Pratson, the analysis is offering a "mid-range estimate" on coal's vulnerability.
As a side note, the study also helps referee a contentious political debate. During the 2012 campaign, there were two big theories for what, exactly, was killing the U.S. coal industry. Many conservatives blamed the EPA's air pollution rules, part of President Obama's "war on coal." Other analysts largely chalked it up to cheap natural gas — this was just the market at work.
This new study suggests that both are crucial factors, and tries to look at how, precisely, natural gas and the EPA will interact with each other in the years ahead.
Further reading:
--The decline of coal, in three charts.
--The shift from coal to natural gas has helped drive down U.S. carbon-dioxide emissions. But natural gas will only be effective in tackling climate change if the industry gets a handle on methane leaks.
--What happens to America's coal if we don't burn it? Mining companies will try to ship it abroad, mainly to China. But that all depends on whether they can build new export facilities in the Pacific Northwest.1. Russia is an independent country. It's not possible to manipulate Russia via external remote control, like it is most countries. The Elite don't like that! Russia kicked out Soros "Open Society":
Russia has banned a pro-democracy charity founded by hedge fund billionaire George Soros, saying the organization posed a threat to both state security and the Russian constitution. In a statement released Monday morning, Russia's General Prosecutor's Office said two branches of Soros' charity network — the Open Society Foundations (OSF) and the Open Society Institute (OSI) — would be placed on a "stop list" of foreign non-governmental organizations whose activities have been deemed "undesirable" by the Russian state.
2. Russia is not easy to cripple via clandestine means, whether it be CIA, MI6, or outright military conflict. Some other BRICs however, that's not the case. Say what you will about Russia's military - it's on par and in many cases, advanced, compared to the US military. And that's not AN opinion, that's in the opinion of top US military commanders:
Late in September, we brought you “ US Readies Battle Plans For Baltic War With Russia ” in which we described a series of thought experiments undertaken by The Pentagon in an effort to determine what the likely outcome would be should something go horribly “wrong” on the way to landing the US in a shooting war with Russia in the Balkans. The results of those thought experiments were not encouraging. As a reminder, here’s how Foreign Policy summed up the exercises:
"I would like to present you with a little gift that represents what President Obama and Vice President Biden and I have been saying and that is: 'We want to reset our relationship, and so we will do it together.'... "We worked hard to get the right Russian word. Do you think we got it?" she asked Lavrov, laughing. “You got it wrong," said Lavrov, as both diplomats laughed. “It should be “perezagruzka” [the Russian word for reset]," said Lavrov."This says ‘peregruzka,’ which means ‘overcharged.’”
Yes, it's almost a certainty that if Clinton by some horrible fate is President there will be Nuclear war. Wars have been started over much more subtle mistakes. One would think, that Clinton would have had an advisor CHECK THIS before presenting it in a public ceremony, in front of reporters? How much more blatantly unprofessional can one be? If politicians worked in the private sector, they wouldn't last a day! How do these people advance so far in politics?
4. Plain and simple, the Elite do not control Russia. While there are backchannels of Russian oligarchs that work directly with Western Rothschild interests, for example, they simply don't have the same level of control as they do European countries, like Germany for instance. Or another good example is China, there's this fanatical talk that China can dump US Treasuries blah blah blah the fact is that China is completely dependent on USA and US Dollars, and will be for the rest of our lives. Maybe in 1000 years in the Dong Dynasty still to come they will rule the world but it's not going to happen anytime soon.
Russia is one of the most highly misunderstood cultures in the West. Which is strange, because Russia is more like America than any European country:
Both Russia and America share huge landmasses with large undeveloped territory
Both Russia and America are predominantly white christian majorities (although in last decades, America tries to be more of a melting pot whereas Russia favors ethnic cleansing)
Both Russia and America fought against Hitler and the Nazis during World War 2, the defining event of the last 60 years
There have been numerous interesting situations where Russia helped America and America helped Russia on a number of levels, to learn more about it checkout the following books:Losing your navigational skills or getting lost even though you are in a familiar setting may provide some of the first indications that Alzheimer’s disease could affect you in later life. This is a preliminary discovery of a remarkable long-term study being carried out by scientists who are searching to uncover how dementia first affects the brain.
The Prevent project – based at Edinburgh University, though it involves several other UK research centres – is intended to detect signs of Alzheimer’s in people while they are still relatively young. Usually, the disease does not show its symptoms until individuals are in their 60s, by which time it has already done profound damage to the brain.
New Alzheimer's test can predict age when disease will appear Read more
“Alzheimer’s is considered to be a disease of memory but we now think from our early work that the difficulty people are really having – at least to begin with – is not to do with declining memories but to do with their declining ability to visualise the location of objects or themselves,” said Karen Ritchie, one of the researchers. “They are losing their ability to navigate.”
A classic example is the character of Alice Howland, played by Julianne Moore in the film Still Alice, said Ritchie. Alice first suspects she has Alzheimer’s when she gets lost, in familiar terrain, while jogging. “That early scene captures it perfectly,” said Ritchie, who was involved in setting up the project with Professor Craig Ritchie (no relation) of Edinburgh University. “It is a loss of navigational skill.”
The project – funded by the Alzheimer’s Society – involves the study of two groups. The first consists of people aged 41 to 59 with close relatives who have developed Alzheimer’s and who are considered to be at relatively high risk. The second is made up of individuals whose lives have not been touched by the disease.
One of the earliest findings, outlined in a paper to be published in the journal Alzheimer’s and Dementia, shows that those who were at higher risk were poorer at tests that measured ability to visualise their position. They also tended to have a small hippocampus, a region of the brain involved in navigation.
The Four Mountains test developed by Cambridge University neuroscientist Dennis Chan is a key ingredient. It involves showing people a picture of a mountain and asking them to identify it in a selection of four other landscapes. There is considerable variation in ability and it provides scientists with a powerful |
victory celebrated on streets of Athens Read more
The neo-fascist group came in third with 7% of the vote, behind the triumphant leftwing Syriza and conservative New Democracy. The result was met with abhorrence and dismay. In April most of its leaders were put on trial on charges of running a criminal organisation masquerading as a political force. The party – which has denied the charges – stands accused of murder, armed attacks, money laundering and trafficking.
“Golden Dawn is a movement of power, it is not a protest movement any more,” the party’s Swastika- tattooed spokesman, Ilias Kasidiaris, told Star TV as it became clear that the extremists had retained their position as the country’s third biggest political force. “Golden Dawn is the only party seeing an increase in its percentage. In October when Greeks begin to experience the consequences of the memorandum and illegal immigration you will see our support increase radically,” said the former marine, berating the country’s mainstream media for boycotting the party.
With 18 MPs in the 300-seat house, around 500,000 Greeks cast ballots in favour of Golden Dawn. The organisation performed especially well in Attica, the greater Athens region and the Aegean islands of Lesbos and Kos where voter support doubled. Both islands have been overwhelmed in recent months by thousands of refugees and migrants fleeing conflict and poverty.
Golden Dawn is not just a symptom of the crisis but is here to stay Dimitris Keridis, professor of international political science
Golden Dawn’s anti-immigrant stance at a time of mounting fears over Greece’s frontline role in Europe’s biggest humanitarian crisis in recent history, almost certainly helped. The party, portraying itself as the “only nationalist choice” played heavily on fears that Greeks could soon become a minority in their own country. But, so too, did its shrill opposition to the internationally sponsored bailout accords, or memoranda, that the extremists have said amount to “ethnocide” or death of the nation. Polls showed that 16.6% of those who voted for Golden Dawn were victims of record levels of unemployment – the most grievous side-effect of massive budget cuts and lay-offs enforced as the price of being bailed out to the tune of €326bn by creditors from the EU and International Monetary Fund (IMF).
“In terms of absolute numbers Golden Dawn was the only party to hold its ground,” said Aristides Hatzis, political commentator and Athens University professor. “It was not at all affected by the very high rate of [electoral] abstention. Its performance is a danger and disgrace for our democracy.”
Greece election result: the key numbers Read more
The party won 6.8% of the vote in the election in January despite most of its leadership being behind bars. MPs, including Nikos Michaloliakos, the group’s founder, and Kasidiaris, his anointed dauphin, were released this year after serving the pre-trial maximum of 18 months in prison.
Analysts had predicted a dip in Golden Dawn’s popularity after Michaloliakos admitted to “political responsibility” for the brutal murder of an anti-fascist Greek rap singer in September 2013. The diminutive leader, an admirer of Hitler, has denied neo-Nazi links, but fascist paraphernalia were discovered in his Athens home upon his arrest. Golden Dawn’s emblem resembles a swastika.
With the ultra-nationalists using the refugee crisis and economic despair of Greeks to gain ground, political scientists said Sunday’s election was further proof that the Golden Dawn phenomenon had assumed particularly worrying dimensions. All agreed that the virulent anti-immigrant, antisemitic, anti-EU party had spread its tentacles deep into Greek society. “It tells us that Golden Dawn is not just a symptom of the crisis but is here to stay,” said Dimitris Keridis, professor of international political science at Athens’ Panteion University. “And it shows that the Greek disease is not superficial, it’s much deeper than many think.”
Before the outbreak of Greece’s great debt crisis, the far-rightists were a fringe party on the political scene gaining less than 0.5% of the vote.SUV sought after Bay Bridge toll taker saw distressed girl
The California Highway Patrol is asking for help finding a girl who may have been in distress. The CHP says the girl was in a tan or grey Chevrolet Blazer that was spotted by a toll taker while driving over the Bay Bridge on Saturday, May 23, 2015. The Blazer had a temporary operating permit in the lower right area of the back window. less The California Highway Patrol is asking for help finding a girl who may have been in distress. The CHP says the girl was in a tan or grey Chevrolet Blazer that was spotted by a toll taker while driving over the... more Photo: Courtesy, California Highway Patrol Photo: Courtesy, California Highway Patrol Image 1 of / 3 Caption Close SUV sought after Bay Bridge toll taker saw distressed girl 1 / 3 Back to Gallery
The CHP is asking for the public’s help in tracking down a Chevrolet Blazer that drove over the Bay Bridge Saturday evening with no license plates, carrying a girl that appeared to be kneeling, struggling and screaming, the agency said Tuesday.
Officials want to talk to the adults in the vehicle and make sure the girl is OK. It is not clear if any crime occurred.
The SUV, described as a tan or grey 1995 to 1997 Blazer, drove west on Interstate 80 through the toll plaza shortly after 8:30 p.m., the CHP said. The driver was described as a man in his 60s with a full beard, while the passenger was a woman thought to be between 40 to 50 years old, wearing a multicolored scarf, the agency said.
A girl between 9 and 12, the CHP said, “was witnessed kneeling in the center console area and struggling with the right front passenger while screaming.” The CHP is looking for “possible witnesses” who may have seen the vehicle.
The car had a temporary operating permit in the lower right area of the back window, but no plates. Anyone with information is urged to call (415) 557-1094.
Hamed Aleaziz is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: [email protected] @haleazizCD Projekt's Summer Conference has revealed some exciting new details about The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, including a release date, a massive collector's edition, and a very impressive gameplay trailer.
We've known for awhile that The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is coming in February of 2015, but now we know exactly when: February 24 is the day that the end of Geralt's story finally begins. The game will launch simultaneously on the PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, and GOG made a point of noting during its livestream that the content of all three versions will be exactly the same, offering more than 100 hours of gameplay in total.
There will be some differences in the versions offered for sale, however. The standard retail edition will come with a good chunk of "premium" content, including a map, stickers, a Witcher universe compendium and soundtrack. But the collector's edition, much like its Witcher 2 predecessor, is the one that really impresses, with a large polystone statue of Geralt battling a griffin, a metal Witcher medallion, 200-page hardcover artbook and more, all jammed into a box big enough to hide a Volkswagen.
Pre-orders for the collector's edition are live on the Witcher site. For gamers who don't care about physical trifles, the digital edition will include a digital version of the art book, a download code for the Witcher comic from Dark Horse and an extended soundtrack; purchasing from GOG will also net you avatars, concept art and a copy of the classic BioWare RPG Neverwinter Nights, as well as a "loyalty discount" for anyone who owns either or both of the previous Witcher games.
On top of the preorder details, CD Projekt has also released a new trailer, featuring in-game footage. I may be biased—I'm a pretty big fan of The Witcher, after all—but I cannot wait to get my hands on this thing.Microsoft originally didn't want to name its console the Xbox.
Naming things is hard. You wouldn't think it, considering the fact that the very existence of language points to a lot of people picking words to represent things over the course of human history. That said, when you really think about the weight of deciding what something will be called for the duration of its existence, it can be a heavy choice. That in mind, recent reveals have given some incite into the naming of the Xbox.
According to Seamus Blackley, co-creator of the original Xbox, the naming process was something of a battle. While the launch team grew attached to the "xbox" moniker, which grew organically from its development, Microsoft felt the name wasn't "legally sound" and requested a new one. "[We] got the phase two, or 'car' names. These were so bad we didn't even save them," said Blackley. "Then we got the 'acronym' phase from the naming geniuses." Acronyms that can be found in the list below:
- MAX (Microsoft Action Experience)
- AIO (All In One)
- MIND (Microsoft Interactive Network Device)
- FACE (Full Action Center)
- MITH (Microsoft Interactive Theatre)
- XON (Experience Optimised Network)
- MVPC (Microsoft Virtual Play Center)
- TAC (Total Action Center - discs/games could be called TACs)
- MARC (Microsoft Action Reality Center)
- LEX (Live Entertainment Experience)
- M-PAC (Microsoft Play and Action Center)
- RPM (Real Performance Machine)
- MOX (Microsoft Optimal Experience)
- E2 (Extreme Experience)
- MTG (Microsoft Total Gaming)
- VIP (Virtual Interactive Player)
- PTP or P2P (Powered To Play)
- VIC (Virtual Interactive Center - disks/games could be called VICs)
- MARZ (Microsoft Active Reality Zone)
- TSO (Three, Six, Zero)
- EHQ (Entertainment Headquarters)
- O2 (Optimal Ozone or Optical Odyssey)
- MIC (Microsoft Interactive Center)
- R&R (Reality and Revolution)
- MEA (Microsoft Entertainment Activator)
- AMP (Active Microsoft Player)
- VPS (Virtual Play System)
- MAP (Microsoft Action Play)
- MEGA (Microsoft Entertainment & Gaming Attendant or Microsoft Entertainment & Gaming Assembly)
- CPG (CyberPlayGround)
- VERV (Virtual Entertainment & Reality Venture)
- OM (Odyssey of the Mind)
- P2 (PowerPlay)
- IS1 (Interactive System In One)
- MET (Microsoft Entertainment Technology or Microsoft Entertainment Theatre)
The naming battle peaked with the launch team eventually putting its foot down. "They wanted, for some unknowable reason, to call it '11-X' or 'Eleven-X'," said Blackley. "Finally, we told them no." Despite the internal objections, Blackley and his team went with Xbox, something we can all be grateful for considering the competition.
Source: Edge OnlineThe offending meme. (Garlic Bread Memes)
A war is brewing in memedom, and it could not possibly be more absurd: In the various online fan groups devoted to garlic bread, fierce arguments have broken out over … gender.
The drama first kicked off over the weekend, when the wildly popular Facebook page Garlic Bread Memes posted an image macro that many have interpreted as transphobic. (How popular could the page possibly be, you ask? Well, more than a quarter-million people currently subscribe to it.) The meme depicted two pieces of garlic bread with the caption “if I had a slice of garlic bread for every existing gender.”
[A woman came up with this clever meme. Men quickly pretended the idea was theirs.]
The implication, many readers assumed, is that the page’s administrators rejected gender identities beside male and female. And that promptly ignited hundreds of outraged posts in the comments, as well as on Reddit and Instagram, where the meme is similarly well-followed. Critics were aghast that a slice of bread would take such a position.
“I am surprised by the scale of the reaction,” said the Garlic Bread Memes’ main administrator, who identified himself as an 18-year-old Israeli high-schooler named Boaz. “But [I’m not surprised] about the reaction itself.”
Before we get any further into the drama, we should probably take a baby step back and survey what it is that we’re actually talking about. Offline, garlic bread is a food — okay, sure. But online it’s sort of like that juvenile joke where you append the phrase “in bed” to your fortune cookies. It doesn’t stand alone, really — it’s an addendum to existing memes, a means of making any prior messages absurd and thus, funny. The absurdity is an end in itself: It’s not necessarily an attempt to communicate any broader point or commentary, unless you’d call it a parody of meme culture in general.
[Meme librarian is a real job — and it’s the best one on the Internet]
In other words, people who follow Garlic Bread Memes — whether on Facebook (265,000 subscribers), Reddit (11,000) or Instagram (10,500) — find it funny because it makes fun of memes that exist already.
In the case of this latest and very infamous garlic bread meme, the original source was an explicitly transphobic image macro that makes regular appearances in places like 4chan and r/The_Donald, Reddit’s dedicated Trump fan club. Usually it reads something along the lines of “if I had a dollar for every gender, I’d have two dollars,” or “if I had a book for every gender there was, I’d have have Donald Trump’s “Think Like a Champion” and “The Art of the Deal.” Boaz says he was specifically inspired by a less-than-tasteful iteration that reads “If I had an atomic bomb for every gender there was” next to a map of the 1945 bomb strikes in Japan.
These memes are intended to perpetuate a discriminatory narrative about trans people, and there are a whole lot of reasons why a trans person or ally who saw them might find that narrative deeply offensive. (If that baffles you, I recommend a quick refresher on what, exactly, gender identity is.) Similarly, a trans person or ally who encountered the garlic bread version — and who was not familiar with exactly what the garlic bread meme traditionally means — would be totally justified in feeling, as one commenter put it, that the creator was “a transphobic a–hole” whose ignorance “is destroying the very fabric of society.”
But remember that garlic bread memes are intended to make absurdities of the originals they depict, which means that Boaz was basically mocking a transphobic meme with his breadier version. At the same time, he expected it to offend “social justice warriors,” a derogatory name for people who speak out on progressive issues.
So Boaz was, essentially trolling everyone involved in the online gender debate. He wasn’t mocking trans people, Boaz told Intersect: He was mocking the extremes of the online conversation that happens around them.
Maybe that’s a distinction that doesn’t mean much to you. Certainly Boaz is no beacon of LGBT acceptance. He maintains, as far as the Intersect can tell, your average high-schooler’s understanding of sex and gender (which is to say, not much) and he’s pretty critical of “social justice warriors.” We’re certainly not celebrating his garlic bread meme, which — whatever its original intentions — has been widely interpreted and shared as a nasty criticism of trans people. And we’d also dispute his claim that the nature of sex and gender is a matter of “opinion.”
But we will say that, insofar as the meme was originally intended to mock the state of online dialogue, it definitely worked. Just look at any of the more than 2,000 comments that have been left on the macro: People on both sides — particularly the anti-trans side, who seem responsible for virtually all of the comments — are going absolutely berserk. They’re calling names; typing in all caps; launching into lengthy diatribes that misquote the scientific literature. Any commenter who questions the gender binary is promptly slapped with a hail of f-bombs and ad-hominems.
Boaz would argue that’s exactly the joke: Online outrage culture has blown up so much, he says, that it needed garlic-breading to make evident just how extreme it had grown. Of course, in an ironic turn of events, the garlic bread became an object of outrage itself.
… All of which leaves us with a vague sense of despair and a desire to never again eat garlic bread again.
Liked that? Try these!Forty Roma migrants have occupied the cathedral in Regensburg to protest the German government’s classification of the Balkan nations as “safe countries”.
The migrants, who include men, women and children, have occupied the vestibule of the Regensburg cathedral Tuesday afternoon demanding that the German government reexamine its decision to classify the Balkan states as safe countries. The Roma have erected homemade banners and signs demanding that they not be sent back to the Balkans and be allowed to stay in Germany, reports Bavarian broadcaster BR24.de.
The Roma, who have said they are determined to stay in the cathedral until their demands are met, are backed by the left-wing extremist organisation Anti-Fascist Action (Antifa) who have joined them in their protest. The left-wing extremist group is known for their readiness to employ violence against their political opponents and have been alleged to be behind attacks on the anti-mass migration Alternative for Germany (AfD) party at their party conference in Stuttgart earlier this year and on individual members.
Antifa took to Twitter to post a list of demands to the German authorities. In the letter the group claimed to speak for the Roma families saying “some of us are under threat of deportation. Others could be deported right now. With the changes of the last few months, the situation is very bad for us,” adding that in the Balkans they can only expect “racism, persecution and exclusion”. The extremists make it clear that for the Roma migrants “the solution to our problems lies here,” in Germany.
The speaker for the group did not make it clear how long the protest would last, but revealed that several of the migrants taking part in the demonstration had already received orders from the German authorities that they must voluntarily leave the country.
The Roma families are said to have lived in several cities around Germany including the Bavarian cities of Regensburg and Ingolstadt where they lived in collectives for failed asylum seekers. Some of the migrants have been in the country illegally for months while others had been in Germany for decades.
The protest bears striking similarity to a migrant sit-in that occurred in the Austrian capital of Vienna in 2012. In that case left-wing extremists paired up with migrants to demand an end to deportations as they occupied the Vienna Votive Church. The protest inspired the Austrian anti-mass migration Identitarian youth movement as well as playwright Elfriede Jelinek.
The playwright and the group eventually came into conflict this year when the youth group protested a performance of Mr. Jelinek’s play “The Proteges” as it was being performed at the University of Vienna. Later, the hipster-right group scaled the Burgtheater during another performance of the play to call the politicians who sanctioned the performance hypocrites.
Currently the Diocese of Regensburg has requested that the police not be involved in the protest. They have told the media in a statement: “The diocese of Regensburg is committed to humanitarian assistance and care,” which will include medical assistance and bedding for the families and care for the children. Police have also released a statement saying they have no intention to interfere with the protest at this time.The Oceania Football Confederation Emergency Committee has disqualified Papua New Guinea club Hekari United from participating in the OFC Champions League 2017.
The decision comes after the Papua New Guinea Football Association filed a formal complaint following numerous derogatory public statements regarding PNGFA, its officials and elected office bearers, made by Hekari United chairman John Kapi Natto.
Kapi Natto has also made public statements and organised public meetings related to the formation of a new football association, in opposition to PNGFA, and a rival national league competition.
In addition a number of Hekari United players have refused to turn up for national team duty.
Players and Officials of clubs participating in the OFC Champions League have a duty (in accordance with the OFC Champions League 2017 Regulations) not to engage in behaviour that damages the integrity of football and Hekari United FC have contravened this duty.
Their conduct has been referred to both the OFC Ethics Committee and the OFC Disciplinary Committee for investigation.
No further statement from the Oceania Football Confederation will be made in regards to this matter during the judicial process.65 Albany Legislators Are Fighting Cuomo’s $65 Million Transit Funding Cut
Governor Cuomo’s proposed budget slashes $65 million from the state’s general fund contribution to the MTA, breaking a promise he made five years ago. Now 65 Albany legislators are calling for those funds to be restored in the final budget.
The coalition includes 46 members of the Assembly Democratic majority, 17 members of the mainline Senate Democrats, and one senator each from the Republican and Independent Democratic conferences (Marty Golden and Diane Savino, respectively).
The legislators call on Cuomo, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan, and Independent Democratic Conference leader Jeff Klein to include the funding in the budget they will negotiate next month [PDF].
Cuomo’s camp argues that the MTA is receiving $30 million more this year than last, but that’s only because dedicated transit tax revenues have increased — not because the governor decided to raise the state’s contribution.
Outside the 42nd Street-Times Square subway station this morning, Riders Alliance Executive Director John Raskin pointed out that Cuomo is, in fact, getting stingier. “This money was promised in addition to other funding sources, not as a replacement,” he said. “Governor Cuomo, in his budget, is threatening to break a promise that was made to transit riders. He is taking away money that the MTA could be using.”
“The executive budget does not do right by transit riders,” said Bronx rep Jeffrey Dinowitz, who chairs the Assembly committee that oversees the MTA. Assembly members Robert Carroll and Carmen de la Rosa and state senators Mike Gianaris and Brad Hoylman also spoke up at this morning’s event.
With subway crowding and delays on the rise, bus speeds falling, and overall ridership dropping, Cuomo is, in effect, robbing the MTA of $65 million the agency could be using to improve service and win back riders.
“The MTA is not an agency that can afford to lose one dollar in funding or revenue,” said Tri-State Transportation Campaign’s Veronica Vanterpool, who also serves on the MTA board. “This is an agency that has perennial risk, and financial challenges on the horizon.”SALT LAKE CITY — After years of doing math during his career as an engineer, a Salt Lake City man turned his love of numbers into a hobby and created a new hybrid version of Sudoku.
LaVarre Walter, 87, graduated from the University of Utah in 1954 with a degree in chemical engineering. Walter began working as an engineer and design manager for Mountain Fuel Supply, which was later reorganized as Questar Gas. Dubbed by his boss as “a numbers nut,” Walter said he had a skill for math.
“In my work, one of my bosses always told me, ‘You can’t manipulate people, but you can sure manipulate numbers,’” Walter said, laughing.
“He’s a numbers guy and enjoys working with numbers,” Walter’s wife, Fern Walter said.
Since retiring in 1989, Walter has continued to work with numbers and enjoys solving puzzles that use arithmetic. In April 2014, Walter spent a lot of time taking care of his wife after she broke her back, and he came up with the idea for a new Sudoku puzzle.
After working on it for six months, Walter created Sukokross, a Sudoku puzzle with a cross in the middle, adding another layer of restrictions to solve. The cross is located in the center of the 3x3 grid, and the cells have to use the numbers 1-9 only once in each row or column. Walter said people have to solve the cross before moving on to solve the rest of the grid.
“Essentially, what the cross does and the clues I give to that, it adds a little arithmetic to Sudoku is really what it does,” he said. “And adds a further restriction.”
Walter made 175 Sukokross puzzles and got a copyright for the book in October. He launched it on Kickstarter in June to help pay for the cost of printing 150 books.
“I think it’s a nice challenge for people, and it’s just a different kind of a deal,” he said.
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Related Stories0 State senator files bill to prevent illegal immigrants from getting driver's licenses
ATLANTA - State Sen. Josh McKoon has filed a bill that would stop illegal immigrants from getting a driver’s license in Georgia.
The bill refers specifically to people in the U.S. illegally or under deferred status, and does not rule out all non-citizens.
Currently in Georgia, non-citizens can get driver’s licenses as long as they prove they have a lawful presence in the United States and can show a valid immigration document. McKoon said that policy could be a threat to state security.
“I think we need to confer and have Georgia law meet up in such a way that will prevent that from happening.” McKoon said.
McKoon said the bill’s timing is due to the fact that President Barack Obama is expected to announce soon that more non-citizens will get the OK to stay in the U.S., which would defer their deportation.
That means hundreds of thousands of people in Georgia would potentially be eligible for driver’s licenses and current state law would require the Department of Driver Services to furnish them.
Immigration lawyer Charles Kuck said McKoon’s bill is unconstitutional and would be struck down by the courts, just like a similar bill in Arizona.
“We’ll just bring it to the courts and the courts will decide and we’ll win and Georgia will once again be embarrassed,” Kuck said. “This is a publicity stunt and nothing more.”
Kuck said that giving non-citizens driver’s licenses actually improves security, not only for the state, but the nation.
“This makes America stronger, by identifying people who are in the United States,” Kuck said. “They’ll take their finger prints, they’ll have their IDs. They’ll know where they live and it will make it easier to catch the bad people.”
The legislature convenes under the Gold Dome on Jan. 12.Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele said Thursday he will kill the proposed $775,000 sculpture for outside the Milwaukee County Courthouse, saying tough times dictate the money go for more pressing needs.
Any other public art projects in the pipeline should also be dropped this year for the same reason, Abele said in an interview.
"We are facing a budget from Madison that's going to force cuts in transit, Family Care, SeniorCare," he said. "We are going to have to make a lot of tough decisions."
The money for the art projects comes from the county's Percent for Art program, which sets aside 1% of money borrowed for large county building or maintenance projects. Over $1 million has been spent on 18 projects since the program's start in 2000, including the series of granite pieces near the Brady St. pedestrian bridge at McKinley Marina and several sculptures at Mitchell Airport.
The courthouse sculpture was intended to stand where a circular cement water fountain is now located. Four finalists among 253 artists who submitted proposals had their pitches for the courthouse project on display Wednesday at the downtown Milwaukee Public Library. The finalists were Alice Aycock, who designed a giant wildflower sculpture; Cliff Garten, with a pair of stylized bronze columns; Louise Bertelsen and Pho Po Shu Wang, with a giant tuning fork; and Brower Hatcher, who created a Lady Justice figure perched on a partial geodesic dome.
Abele's move will be the first time in the 11 years of the art program that a county executive has canceled a project. He has authority to switch the money to construction or major maintenance projects, but could not apply the money to help buoy county operations.
The courthouse sculpture would have been the largest art project commissioned by the county.
The Blue Shirt, the county's most famous public art project, never got made. In 2003, then-County Executive Scott Walker canceled the contract for the shirt sculpture, which was to be incorporated into the airport parking ramp. Artist Dennis Oppenheim, who was paid $220,000, provided a substitute sculpture, "Submerged Vessels," for the airport.
The money from the courthouse art project should be earmarked for the county's most critical deferred maintenance needs, Abele said.
He didn't specify a particular maintenance project, but county parks alone face $200 million in deferred maintenance, according to a county audit.
Lisa Berman, chairwoman of the county art committee, said she was "extremely disappointed" in Abele's decision. She said she had briefed Abele about the courthouse art project recently and wanted to meet with him again about the future of the program.
"When I talked with him, he said he supported the concept," Berman said. "I want to see if there's any opportunity where we can move forward for Milwaukee County under any circumstances." She suggested the art committee might be retooled to combine public and private money for public art.
Gerry Broderick, a county supervisor and member of the committee that oversees the county art program, cautioned Abele against killing the courthouse art project. The project was carefully considered by the art panel over two years and could provide a needed source of inspiration, Broderick said.
He called Abele's qualms about the art project ironic, noting that Abele enjoyed strong support in his race for county executive from major public art patrons.
Supervisor Joe Sanfelippo agreed with Abele's move. He said the public art program should be suspended, if not abolished. Too many other worthy projects could use the money going to the art projects, Sanfelippo said.
"It's hard to justify why we should be spending that kind of money on art," especially in a difficult economy, he said. "It's crazy."
Abele didn't rule out reconsidering public art at some point, but said he was focused on dealing with the county's immediate budget crisis. The county faces a projected deficit in 2012 of nearly $40 million.
Abele noted he has been and will continue to personally be a large supporter of the arts and said his decision shouldn't be taken as a sign he's changed his appreciation for the arts.
"This is not anti-art by any means," said Abele, a former member of the Milwaukee Art Museum Board.
Abele's decision to dump the sculpture fits his campaign theme to find savings wherever possible, he said. Abele also saved $620,000 by vetoing a planned metal and glass facade for the O'Donnell Park garage renovation and sold the 2006 Chevrolet Impala designated for the county executive. That fetched $11,500 at auction.We recently caught up with Divergence Online's Ethan Casner to get an update on the game's somewhat rocky development and find out where things go from here. In the very near future, Ethan will be participating in a forum AMA here at MMORPG.com to address numerous player concerns over the project and its crowfunding past.
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MMORPG: Can you give those who might not be familiar with the game a sort of high level overview of what Divergence Online is all about?
Ethan Casner: Sure! Divergence is first and foremost, a return to what some call “the golden age of mmorpgs”; A period of innovation between around 1997 to 2004 where where the standard for MMORPGs was to be bigger and better than the last game. Characteristic to these games also was that they connected thousands of players in the same game world simultaneously, whereas the modern “MMORPG” is a series of hundreds of game servers, each supporting up to around 60 players. I’m sorry, that isn’t an MMO, that’s Battlefield 1942. Crafting, today, means “I have five metal bars. I create the exact same sword everyone else does”. Harvesting –“I right clicked an ore node. I got ore.” It’s “the new formula for MMOs” meant to artificially inflate your gaming experience with pointless busy-body work, obligating you to unimaginative and boring tasks simply by virtue of the fact that “they exist, therefore you have to do them.” It’s lazy, it’s meaningless, and it has absolutely no heart.
Divergence seeks to burn all that to the ground and remind you what it was like to do things in an MMO because you actually enjoyed them; Not a bunch of intermediary garbage simply because “if I do all this stuff, if I follow this maze, there may potentially be a small nugget of joy at the end of it”. In Divergence, there is no pre-determined path, nor is there an obligatory “end game” that you end up just rushing through the rest of the game to get to, so your actual experience can begin. Do whatever you want, and get good at it. Plain and simple!
MMORPG: In what ways does Divergence Online go beyond the scope of what was available in SWG?
Ethan: I think there are two main ways it accomplishes this; The things that we’ve already done, and the new stuff we’re doing.
Galaxies set the standard, at the time, for a lot of revolutionary new features, such as true player housing, true player cities, and a completely open and fluid skill system.
Our goal was to “pick up where this stuff left off” all those years ago and build upwards from there.
We started with player housing in the open world, which means that you can place a house or structure virtually anywhere you can find flat-enough ground; not just on pre-designated spots or regions.
We then expanded this system to, instead of simply utilizing houses of pre-determined shape and volume, to be constructed in the method of our “Hopper” system. What this involves is crafting or buying a hopper, placing it in the game world, and then you can simply build walls, floors, anything you like around it to design it yourself. You can build tombs to store and protect your caches of materials and resources, armories for your weapons, enormous ballrooms, pretty much anything your mind can envision for your homestead. In fact, you can even pack these hoppers back up and move them anywhere you wish, or just sell it in its entirety to another player. And then of course, there’s Ferrocrete.
Another distinguishing way we’ve improved on the old systems is that, you can now create and manage an integrated power-distribution grid in any local area between any and all of your power-requiring devices and structures. What this basically equates to is, instead of simply having to “feed things batteries” to keep them going in SWG, you have the option to use a grid to connect all of your stuff to electrical power, such as fusion generators, or other power sources. This can be for personal use, or even on much larger scales, such as controlling your cities street lights, cloning resources, automated defenses, and so on.
MMORPG: What is Ferrocrete?
Ethan: Ferrocrete is essentially our micro-cube-based voxel system. In the lore, it's a material used in construction that contains the properties of both concrete and ferrous metal. In the game, it's one of, if not the, most highly optimized and efficient voxel systems that exist, running at 400% higher resolution than our prototype last year. While still only about 85% finished, it's live right now to all contributors above the $100 range to test and help us improve. In Divergence, the size of which you can build huts, homes, warehouses, castles, or even entire cities complete with skyscrapers is limited only by the range of the hopper(s) you use, and that's determined by the skill of the architect who crafted it.
MMORPG: What are your plans for the game's business model at launch? F2P? Subscription? Etc.
Ethan: I get asked this a lot actually. What we’ve been telling people is that, although we haven’t totally ruled out some method of F2P, the game will come with a one-time price tag of around $30, and anyone who contributed at or above that level in our previous campaigns gets in for free. Above that, you have a few other special options you can buy-in at if you like, such as special species. There is also a subscription option, which unlocks other high-profile features, most notably the use of “Ferrocrete”, our voxel building system, in addition to all other methods of construction. The subscription option helps offset the cost of this technology.
MMORPG: Can you give us an update on what has been going on in development since your last crowdfunding campaign was completed?
Ethan: The version of the game in our last campaign and the game of today are virtually indistinguishable from one another. At the end of the last campaign, we had a totally sweet prototype game that people were flying around and creating amazing stuff in every day, but we knew that we needed to take it to the next level and evolve a system of building a game world out of props, into a fully-realized system where all of that stuff actually had substance. The result is our current build of Divergence.
The game right now, has immense potential. We spent everything we got from our last campaign on building the absolute best and most expandable structure for an MMO that we could envision. Right now, you can do things in Divergence that many MMOs, even multi-million dollar projects, are still struggling with and have been for years, primarily because Divergence’s fundamental structure was designed from the ground up to do exactly what we want it to, whereas many MMO projects spend years trying to shoehorn their chosen engine and software into doing things it simply wasn’t designed for, or is otherwise incapable of.
We chose to devote entirely to our crafting, surveying, harvesting, grid, and all of those nifty features, because we realized that there are thousands of other games out there with i-n-s-a-n-e-l-y good combat already, and we had virtually no chance at standing out among them and their budgets. Therefore, we chose to take what we had and devote it entirely to things that did stand out, that no one else was accomplishing, which are the systems you see today.
MMORPG: You recently kicked off another crowdfunding campaign for $ |
for a sharper snap against the puck and drive it down the ice rink. Cassibry and his team will attempt to drive a hollowed-out puck in on itself, fusing lithium and hydrogen atoms and turning a little of their mass into pure energy.
The “pucks” are approximately two inches wide and an inch thick, smaller than a regulation three-inch puck. They are made of lithium deuteride (LH2), the lightest metal combined with the middle-weight form of the lightest element.
Nuclear fusion is the process at the heart of the Sun, where four hydrogen atoms combine to make one helium atom, with a small amount of matter converting into pure energy. The UAHuntsville experiments will start at the midpoint of that cycle, where heavy hydrogen (one proton plus one neutron) fuse with each other or with lithium (not a normal part of solar fusion). But getting nuclei together is like firing two positively charged BBs up the slopes of Mount Everest to meet head-on at the peak.
To arrange that meeting, the team (including UAHuntsville, The Boeing Co., NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, and a growing list of other participants) will experiment with the Decade Module Two, or DM2, an L3 Communications pulsed power design used by the Department of Defense for weapons effects testing in the 1990s in Tullahoma, TN. DM2 will be relocated to the Aerophysics Lab on Redstone Arsenal this summer.
Like a photographer's flash, DM2 comprises banks of capacitors that store an electrical charge for release on command. This strips the target into an electrified gas or plasma. Electricity flowing through it generates a magnetic field that compresses the plasma. That's the Z-pinch effect.
“It's equivalent to 20 percent of the world's power output in a tiny bolt of lightning no bigger than your finger," Cassibry said. "It's a tremendous amount of energy in a tiny period of time, just a hundred billionths of a second."
But in total, it is about the same energy as a liter of gasoline.
The reactions of the plasma and the by-products will tell whether the theory behind the pulse fusion propulsion model is valid. One uncertainty, for example, is whether the electrons stripped off the atoms will carry away a lot of heat.
"First we have to test the concept, run our models against actual measurements," he said. "Once we have a good understanding, we can extrapolate this to see what we have to do to exceed break-even for propulsion applications."
Break-even means producing more energy than you consume. It is the magic term in nuclear fusion power research where physicists hope to harness the Sun in a magnetic bottle. UAHuntsville endeavors to work with the mainstream controlled fusion projects supported by the Department of Energy (DOE), but the application to fusion propulsion is very different and does not compete directly with the DOE efforts.
"They are as different from us as a coal plant is from a chemical rocket," Cassibry said. "What we are trying to do requires very lightweight power systems in different packaging constraints."
If the studies work out, they could lead to a system that fuses lithium-deuterium pellets and uses an electromagnetic field as the nozzle for that the exhaust pushes against and also captures part of the energy to recharge the system. That is the next area to tackle if the Z-pinch approach proves out.
This is in no way a warp drive. At its heart, the pulsed fusion engine — like any other rocket engine — is a flying tea kettle. Cold material goes, gets energized and hot gas pushes out.
In a working nuclear pulse engine, pellets would be fired up to 10 times a second and produce up to 10,000 Newtons of thrust. That’s a modest 2 percent of what a Space Shuttle Main Engine could do. With a spaceship weighing hundreds of tons, the crew likely would feel nothing more than a light tapping.
“So you’re not flying pinned to the back of the cabin,” Cassibry added.
Also unlike the Shuttle, the pulsed fusion engine is not designed for launch from the Earth nor will it run out of fuel in 8-1/2 minutes. Instead, it will run continuously for weeks at a time to quickly spiral out of Earth orbit and then set course for another planet. After a high-speed coast lasting a few weeks, the engine would fire for another week or two to decelerate into orbit around the destination planet. Alternatively, it could be attached to an asteroid and run for months to gently nudge its trajectory away from Earth.
And that would be an excellent goalie save.Tourists were seen defecating 'just metres from the footpath' at Mt Eden’s summit.
Iwi are shocked and disappointed by people defecating on the ground at the sacred Mt Eden volcano in Auckland.
The Tupuna Maunga o Tamaki Makaurau Authority has received "a few" reports of people defecating next to the popular walking path, operations manager Scott De Silva said.
"We've heard a few reports of people going to the toilet [beside the road], there's probably a little bit of that happening around," he said.
Twitter via Mt Eden Mt Eden is a popular walk, including for tourists like Oprah Winfrey.
"I was pretty shocked to be honest, you know. I was pretty disappointed."
READ MORE
* Cars to be banned from Mt Eden
* Mt Eden gates could cost $100k
The authority, which oversees the management and protection of Auckland's volcanic cones, decided to remove its two portaloos about a month ago.
They had been placed at the tour bus parking site but were taken away because they had both been vandalised and were deemed excessive, with fewer visitors over the colder months.
However, De Silva said they would be back by the end of this week.
Mt Eden resident Deborah van Praagh told NZME she saw two men hop off a tour bus and defecate just metres from the footpath last Sunday.
"It was certainly a shock," she said.
"They were very close to the footpath. We could see their bare behinds. My friend and I were retching. The stench was so bad."
The Mt Eden kiosk, which would include a public toilet, was due to reopen by the end of this year.
All vehicles, besides tour buses, have been banned from driving to the top of the summit since January 20.Farrah Abraham has reportedly told an interviewer that she inspires couples to copy her back door porn! Incredibly, the Teen Mom OG star who became infamous by having back door sex for a porn video with adult star James Deen in 2013, said in a video as she walked through an airport, “It’s a God-given gift.”
‘Teen Mom’ Porn Star! Naked Farrah Abraham Uses Vibrator In Raunchy Webcam Show
Abraham, who recently got her vagina rejuvenated and butt tightened through plastic surgery, as RadarOnline.com reported, is preparing a new back door video, this time a solo Halloween porn show.
“A lot of couples are always like, ‘Oh, maybe we’ll do back door tonight,’ ” Abraham, 26, said to a cameraman. “I mean, I think couples want me to share, want me to talk about this. I mean, so many couples got my [sex] toys.” She added, “Do your thing.”
When asked how she performs back door sex, Abraham replied, “I don’t need to work up for anything. I think it’s a God-given talent, I guess! “Sorry your girlfriend doesn’t have that talent,” she laughed.
Farrah Abraham Gets Vaginal Tightening Procedure To ‘Improve Sexual Satisfaction’
As Radar readers know, in September, Abraham returned to porn when she stripped down and played with sex toys during a raunchy live webcam.
Graphic Video Of Farrah Abraham’s Vaginal Tightening Procedure Exposed
The Teen Mom OG star received rave reviews from fans, and now, she’s ready to do a back door Halloween spectacular, in which she revealed she might dress up as a cat! Abraham launched her own line of sex toys molded from her own lady parts in 2014, and it’s clear the mother of Sophia, 8, has no second thoughts about performing new lewd on-camera acts.
We pay for juicy info! Do you have a story for RadarOnline.com? Email us at [email protected], or call us at (866) ON-RADAR (667-2327) any time, day or night.Update (10/4/2014): I was recently contacted to clear up a misattribution in the article below. Please note that the quoted transcript of the Heroes of Cosplay episode 2 conversation previously stated that Jessica Merizan was one of those speaking. It has since been corrected after I was contacted by Ms. Merizan and the proper speaker was attributed. My apologies to Ms. Merizan for the confusion and any trouble it may have caused.
As it is the week after New York Comic Con, I am spending my time recovering from my heady infusion of nerd culture. Yet instead of happily recounting various wonderful experiences I had at NYCC this year, I am writing this article. And it starts with an apology.
I’m sorry. I didn’t know, guys! You can’t hold it against me. I’m simply a busy woman who doesn’t have the time to keep up on all the tiny bits of minutia and unwritten rules that make up parts of the geek world. It just isn’t my fault that folks didn’t tell me right off the bat that there are rules about who can and cannot cosplay. I wasn’t informed that, if you are fat or ugly, then cosplay is just not for you.
I’m glad I found out! I mean, what would have happened if I’d started my upcoming cosplay plans only to discover all that money had been spent for nothing and…
Wait. Wait, what was that? Hang on. Let me get this straight: there aren’t any such unwritten rules? Cosplay is open to anyone who might want to be involved, regardless of who they are or what they look like? That it’s a culture based upon geek celebration and creative displays of fabrication and not the perpetuation of horrible beauty stereotypes that we encounter in every part of our society? You mean there’s a place in cosplay for someone that looks like me?
Really? Because to listen to some people, you could have fooled me.
Case in point: Syfy channel recently showcased a new reality series called Heroes of Cosplay. This show followed the antics of several well known cosplayers as they went from convention to convention with their costumes, entering competitions and generally getting into the dramatic hijinks one expects from a reality TV show. I was excited to sit down and watch this show despite my nearly allergic level aversion to reality TV because I was excited to see how these supposed ‘heroes of cosplay’ went about picking their projects and making their costumes. And while there was a great deal of that going on, I was also treated to a good look at some 100% home grown USDA brand body shaming. The first episode showed a young woman struggling with her confidence over how she looked in her Merida costume. That was excusable. Here is a young woman feeling self-conscious, something anyone can identify with. The fact that later on in the episode she made it clear she believed she lost the competition because of her weight started to be a little uncomfortable.
By episode two, we had spiraled directly into body shaming. During a meet-up between all the contestants, several of the women agreed that if you are bigger you shouldn’t cosplay. In the uncomfortable silence, only Chloe Dykstra spoke up to defend the right of anyone to cosplay. If the editing on the show is to be believed, she was largely disagreed with or either the subject was ignored. The transcript of what was said goes as follows: Yaya Han started the conversation “Cosplay pet peeves.”
Riki LeCotey: People are obviously, like, ‘well, I’m really big, what can I do?’ And it’s like, if you’re a big muscular dude, go be Superman.
Chloe Dykstra: I think anybody should be whatever they want to be, whatever.
Riki LeCotey: But the thing is, if a three-hundred pound person wears Superman, and they put themselves out there, and then it gets on the net, how is that gonna help?
Chloe Dykstra: I mean, I guess, but do you think because of that they shouldn’t dress up as Superman?
Monika Lee: I think a lot of people can’t handle that criticism.
Yaya Han: I feel like as a cosplayer you have the responsibility to know what you look like. You have to really look at yourself in the mirror and know, you know, if my boobs are out I’m going to get **** comments.
It is important to note that the conversation was heavily edited by the production staff. It seems clear that the conversation was lead so that these women would give statements that could be edited out of context. However, it is important to note that these women signed on to put their names to whatever came out of the production to represent them in the public eye. Moreover, they signed on to become known as a ‘hero’ of the cosplay community, a representative on camera of the ideas that make up cosplay. Whether these statements were manufactured by the production company after the fact or not, these reality TV stars were willing to be associated with the sentiment. This, coupled with ongoing commentary during episodes by ‘celebrity’ judge Yaya Han regarding overall body shaming (slut-shaming another big-name cosplayer Jessica Nigri over what she thought was showing too much skin) makes Heroes of Cosplay a train wreck of an example of the cosplay community. ‘Heroes’ indeed. I’m not impressed.
The outcry from the cosplayers I have spoken to and seen online has been heated about the show. Many have pointed out that these so-called ‘heroes’ don’t speak for the cosplay community and that it is largely a place where people can come to just have a good time. Yet despite that outcry, there is still the lurking specter of fat shaming. There are blog posts around the internet about situations in which overweight cosplayers are called out, publicly embarrassed or harassed online.
And if that wasn’t bad enough, there are the websites dedicated to fat-shaming folks for just trying. Because I feel like this is bad enough to warrant some public attention, I’m going to simply point to the worst of them out there in their troll-laiden glory. I’m calling out that putrid little website Cosplay Train Wrecks under their ‘fattie’ category. Then there’s this gem, called “Americans Fail At Cosplay, So Stop!” That’s right, America, just stop cosplaying. We’re all doing it wrong. There’s Your Cosplay Sucks that decides to pick on… well, just about everybody.
One particular heinous example got my attention this week. It’s the reason I’m writing this article in the first place. It’s called Fat Cosplayers and it’s a Facebook group. The photos put up are taken from other cosplay sites and tagged with comments including calling people ‘whale’ and equally offensive things. (I urge folks to take a second and report the site to Facebook if you can). The creator decided to mark it as ‘a joke’ as if that makes it better. Because that’s what trolls do to make everything okay again after they say offensive things. They remark that ‘it’s just a joke.’
Let’s get one thing straight: this is not funny.
Body shaming was something I was made aware of the instant I became aware of cosplay. I was told it’s part of ‘what to expect’. It’s one of the reasons I balked at the very idea of putting on a costume at conventions. I’ve personally witnessed fat shaming as well as ‘ugly’ cosplayer shaming from folks at conventions of all kinds, from snickering behind hands to flat-out snarky, nasty comments aimed at people while they were in earshot. It was upon examination of a lot of these situations that I hit upon the heart of the matter. While there may be those within the cosplay community who are critical of other people’s work and their representation of characters, the predominant amount of body shaming and ridicule doesn’t seem to be coming from other cosplayers. It’s the cosplay spectators doing the shaming. It’s everybody else. The rudeness out of people’s mouths are from photographers, media of all kinds, lookie-loos and fellow con attendees who come to gawk or take photos with cosplayers, as though they were some kind of wildlife attraction, and then often trash the people they don’t find appropriate.
Excuse me, cosplay audience, but let me ask the question: who the hell are you to judge other people’s fun?
It takes a lot for someone to stand on the sidelines and point at someone and laugh. It’s high school bullshit, immature childish behavior at its worst. And it honestly has to end. This kind of bullshit body shaming is something I have zero patience or tolerance for in the rest of the world, and I certainly wouldn’t want to see it in a geek community. Thankfully there seem to be plenty of cosplayers, including and especially plus sized cosplayers, who are standing up and speaking out against all the negativity. And right now, I’m saying this: I’m going to be one of them.
And this is going to be my first costume. Yeah. That’s right. Ellie from Borderlands 2.
For a long time, I was afraid to cosplay because I didn’t want to deal with whatever negative attention might fly my way for being heavy. I was afraid of the comments and I let it stop me. That’s not going to happen anymore. I’m going to cosplay. I’m going to cosplay stuff that isn’t just Ursula from the Little Mermaid (though I plan on doing a kickass 80’s punk Ursula because screw you, that’s why, haters, I’m going to make her more badass than before). And with every step of doing it, I’m going to say the same thing: I’m not here for the haters, but the haters gonna hate. And if they hate in my general direction, they’re going to hear back from me.
To quote Chloe Dykstra on Heroes of Cosplay:
I don’t know who made up these rules. There’s like some grand cosplay lord who’s like, “You shall not cosplay something if you are overweight!” That’s ridiculous. Cosplay is about having fun and being who you are and who you want to be.
Call that naive all you want, Yaya Han, but that seems to be the real spirit of the cosplay community, not the elitist crap being tossed around. And I for one want to be part of THAT community, with that spirit of inclusion. That’s where I’ll be with my cosplay, my support, and my war face for anyone who wants to step. Until then, I’m going to make my costumes and have a good time. Haters, slink back off to the anonymous internet holes you crawled out of – that’s where you belong.Scottish Fold cat
Lilac-coated Scottish Fold
The Scottish Fold (sometimes called Coupari by Canadian breeders[1]) is a breed of cat. Its distinctive ear fold is caused by a particular gene.[2][3][4][5]
First known as Flops, for their "floppy" ears, Scottish Fold became the breed's name in 1966.[1][5][6] Scottish Folds with long hair are known by a number of names. For example, it is called the Highland Fold by the ACFA, AACE, and UFO; the Scottish Fold Longhair by the TICA, NCFA, ACA, CCA, and CFA; and the Longhair Fold by the CFF.[1]
The very first Scottish Fold was a long-haired barn cat with white fur, called Susie. She was found in 1961 at a farm near Coupar Angus in Perthshire, Scotland. Susie's ears had an unusual fold in the middle, making her look like an owl. When Susie had kittens, two of them were born with the distinctive folded ears. One was owned by William Ross, a nearby farmer and cat-lover. Ross registered the breed with the Governing Council of the Cat Fancy in Great Britain and started to breed Scottish Fold kittens with the help of Pat Turner. The breeding program ended up with 76 kittens in the first three years, 42 with folded ears. They suspected that the ear mutation was from a dominant allele. This means that if one parent has straight ears, and one parent has folded ears, half of the kittens will be Folds.[1][4][5][7][8]
Susie's only fertile offspring was a female Fold named Snooks, also white like her mother. A second kitten was neutered shortly after birth. Three months after Snooks' birth, Susie was killed by a car. All Scottish Fold cats are related to Susie and Snooks. This kind of ancestry is very rare, even among pedigreed animals.[1][7]
The breed was not accepted for showing in Great Britain and Europe because people thought that they would be overly prone to ear problems such as infection, mites, and deafness, but the Folds were sold in America. The breed kept on growing using crosses with British Shorthairs and American Shorthairs. Despite the initial concerns, the Fold breed has not had the expected mite and infection problems. However, wax can build up faster than in the ears of other cats.[1][5][6]
Folds are very popular pets because of their unique look, and their reputation as particularly loving companions. Fold kittens are usually much more expensive to buy than kittens of more common breeds.[6]
All Folds are born with straight, unfolded ears. Cats that have the Fold gene will start to show the fold before 21 days.[3][5] The first cats only had one fold in their ears. With careful breeding, breeders have changed the fold to a double or triple fold. This causes the ear to lie totally flat against the head.
“ The breed's distinctive folded ears are produced by an incompletely dominant gene that affects the cartilage of the ears, causing the ears to fold forward and downward, giving a cap-like appearance to the head. Smaller, tightly folded ears set in a cap-like fashion are preferred to a loose fold and larger ear. The large, round eyes and rounded head, cheeks, and whisker pads add to the overall rounded appearance. Despite the folded ears, folds still use their aural appendages to express themselves – the ears swivel to listen, lay back in anger and prick up when the treat bag rustles.[2] ”
Folds are a medium-sized breed of cat (9–13 lbs. for males and 6–9 lbs. for females). They have round bodies, round heads, and round faces. They have big round eyes. Their noses are short with a gentle curve. They have medium to short sized legs. Their heads are curved at the top. They have very short necks. The eyes have a big gap which gives the Scottish Fold a "sweet expression".[4][9]
Scottish Folds can be either long- or short-haired. They may have nearly any coat colour or mix of colours (including white) except pointed colours.[8] According to cat-fancy website Terrific-Cats.com:
“ The Scottish Fold Cats are found in a variety of coats and patterns. The Solid cats are white, black, blue, red, cream, blue-silver, or blue-cream. The silver cats are chinchilla or shaded. The golden cats are chinchilla or shaded. The cameo cats are shell or shaded. The smoke cats are black, blue, or cameo. The tabby pattern cats are classic, mackerel, spotted, ticked, or patched. The tabby cats are silver, blue-silver, blue-silver patched, red, brown, blue, cream, or cameo. The cats can also be tortoiseshell, calico, dilute calico, or bi-color.[9] ”
Scottish Folds, whether with folded ears or with normal ears, are normally good-natured and calm. They can adjust to other animals within a household very well. They tend to become very attached to their human caregivers. They are by nature quite loving. Folds receive high marks for playfulness, affection, and grooming. They are often clever, loyal, quiet, and do well in changing home situations.[1]
Folds are also known for sleeping on their backs.[8] Scottish Folds normally have soft voices. They can give a mix of meows and purrs not found in better-known breeds.[source?]
Scottish Folds usually live for around 15 years.[8]
Medical complications [ change | change source ]
Scottish folds can easily get polycystic kidney disease (PKD),[10] osteochondritis,[11][12] and cardiomyopathy.[13]
Because the ears fold nearly a month after birth, Fold kittens cannot be judged immediately as to their type or value, as the animal website PetFinder.com says:
“ All Folds are born with straight ears. At around three weeks the ears begin to fold, if they are going to. Since it's not readily apparent how many Folds one has, breeders must play a waiting game until the ears develop their final folds. Even then it's difficult to tell if the folds will be the tight folds preferred in the show ring or the looser, pet-quality folds.[1] ”
One special medical problem comes in the Scottish Fold if both parents have folded ears. In such a case, their kittens will be very likely (1:4 ratio, or usually at least one per litter) to have a painful joint disease that can fuse the tail, ankles and/or knees. Scientists think the disease is caused by the dominant (folded-ear) gene. It is more likely to affect Folds with the gene twice, than mixed single with one recessive (unfolded-ear) gene.[6] This disease can also affect Scottish Folds with one copy of the gene, but usually not as often or as badly.[5] For this reason the breed is not accepted by either the Governing Council of the Cat Fancy[14] or the Fédération Internationale Féline.[15] This is the reasoning behind the widely-held belief that the only ethical manner of breeding Folds is Fold/nonfold and not Fold/Fold (in the same way Munchkins are bred).[8]
The Scottish Fold is one of the main focuses in the short novel The Cat Who Went to Paris by Peter Gethers.[5][16] The book and its two sequels, A Cat Abroad and The Cat Who'll Live Forever: The Final Adventures of Norton, the Perfect Cat, and His Imperfect Human, talk about the life of Gethers and his Fold, Norton. It starts with their first meeting and ends with Norton's death and Gether's life after the loss.[16][17][18]
Cat guides about the Scottish Fold breed can be found. For example Scottish Fold Cats: A Complete Pet Owner's Manual (ISBN 0812049993), Guide to Owning a Scottish Fold Cat ( ISBN 079382172X), and Scottish Fold Cats (Cats Set III) ( ISBN 1577658671).Lawrence police have cited Kansas University basketball player Thomas Robinson to appear in municipal court on a misdemeanor battery charge in connection with an altercation outside a Lawrence nightclub, city prosecutor Jerry Little said Tuesday morning.
Little said officers informed him that they had cited Robinson, 20, in connection with an April 10 incident outside The Cave, a nightclub inside The Oread hotel and condominiums, 1200 Oread Ave.
Police have said two suspects were accused of hitting bouncers at 2:05 a.m. April 10 outside The Cave after bar staff said they broke up a large fight inside the club.
Capt. Paul Fellers in a statement said that police were called about a fight and that one bouncer, a 25-year-old Lawrence man, alleged that one suspect had struck him and then spit on him. A witness alleged a second suspect had hit another bouncer, a 23-year-old Lawrence man, Fellers said.
According to a police report, the two victims were not injured. Police did not identify the two suspects, but Sgt. Matt Sarna, a police spokesman, said Tuesday morning that only one person has been ticketed.
Adam Lauridsen, a bouncer at The Cave who worked the night of the incident, told the Journal-World that several members of the basketball team were outside the bar around closing time as staff members were clearing people out of the club.
One of the people who was accompanying basketball players — but not himself a player — got angry at another bouncer, Lauridsen said, and eventually hit him in the head.
Several members of the basketball team — including Robinson — began pulling the man away from the other bouncer, Lauridsen said.
During that scuffle, he saw Robinson appear to get angry.
“He hit one of my buddies in the head,” Lauridsen said, adding that he also saw Robinson spit on the bouncer.
Robinson is a current KU sophomore and post player from Washington, D.C. He announced earlier this month that he would return to KU for a third season instead of entering his name in June’s NBA draft.
“We are aware of this situation due to the fact that Thomas notified me immediately following his being interviewed by the police that morning, at approximately 2 a.m. about an incident that occurred just prior," KU coach Bill Self said. "Thomas is fully cooperating and we will not have any further comment about this situation as the investigation plays out.”
Sarna of the police department said the case remains under investigation and it’s possible other people could be charged. According to a police report, an officer did not check that Robinson was suspected of using alcohol.
Little, the city prosecutor, said officers served Robinson with the ticket Monday night. Police told Little that officers had been following up on the investigation in recent days, including interviewing other witnesses.
He said Robinson would have a court appearance in coming weeks or an attorney could appear in court on his behalf to schedule a later court date.
“We're handling it internally, and Thomas is handling it appropriately. That's all we're going to say at this point,” Jim Marchiony, an associate KU athletic director, said Tuesday.
Robinson is the second KU basketball player to be charged with misdemeanor battery in municipal court in recent months. Mario Little, who was a senior on last season’s Elite Eight team, entered into a diversion agreement in January that required he participate in anger management counseling. He was arrested in connection with a Dec. 16 incident in which he was accused of shoving his 22-year-old ex-girlfriend into a sink.
Self suspended Mario Little for six games during the season before Little was reinstated.The HTC One mini is a phone that offers top-end features in a smaller frame, without cutting any corners. We've been speaking HTC to find out how and why...
The HTC One is a pretty brilliant phone. It’s garnered great reviews across the board, and has even won numerous awards. But what if, for you, its glorious 4.7-inch HD display is a little on the large side? Typically, flagship phones come in one size: big. That’s great for some, but not for others, which is why HTC’s just announced the HTC One mini – a 4.3-inch phone that takes everything great about the HTC One, and shrinks it.
We caught up with Graham Wheeler, HTC’s Director of Product Commercialisation, to find out how, why, and what it means for the future of smartphones.
HTC One mini at a glance
“With the HTC One mini, we really wanted to follow the pillars of design and technology that we have in the HTC One,” says Graham. “We didn’t really want to create a different product, we just wanted to extend the family – to keep everything that was great with the HTC One and build on it.”
That’s why, at a glance, the HTC One mini looks almost identical to its bigger brother, save for a few new flourishes. “It’s using the same ‘Zero Gap’ design,” says Graham, “where we integrate the antennas into the metal frame itself. It’s molded out of one sheet of metal just like the One. It has the same dual-frontal speakers, which we call BoomSound.”
In fact, the similarities run right through the One, inside and out, which is why it’s such a unique phone: it’s small, but – as Graham puts it – it’s a “no compromise” device.
“When we launched the HTC One we talked a lot about the camera,” he explains, “because of our unique UltraPixel technology. We’re proud to say that we’re using the same UltraPixel sensor in the HTC One mini, so it offers the same great shots in low-light that you get with the One.
HTC One hands-on
Read what some of the web’s tech experts think of the HTC One, and watch it in action in our hands-on video.
“There’ve been tonnes of engineering hours in making this – in making sure all those parts like the UltraPixel sensor would fit in. We really didn’t want to compromise on any aspect of the design or build of the handset itself. The other thing we have in both phones is the BlinkFeed, which is a home screen that aggregates all your news and content and alerts into one place.”
In fact, it’s probably far quicker for us to list the things that the HTC One and the One mini don’t have in common. The only real difference between the two is in screen size (jumping from 4.7-inch 1080p HD to 4.3-inch 720p HD), and processing grunt, which is still a hardy 1.4GHz dual-core number.
“There’s been a lot of debate at HTC about processing power,” says Graham, addressing this change. “For me, that spec war on processing power is starting to tail off. As long as the experience of using the phone is not hampered in any way, most people won’t notice the difference.”
Why go smaller?
Ok, so the One mini is a very similar beast to the One, but if that’s the case then why have both devices on offer? Because HTC believes that it’s about time we have more of a choice at the top end:
“We don’t really try and pigeon-hole one type of device for one person. There are a lot of people who might not want to go for a 4.7-inch sized display,” Graham tells us, “because a smaller device fits better in some peoples’ hands. There’s a very large percentage of people who are looking for a smaller screen size, and a lot of people are very comfortable in the 4 to 4.5-inch display size.”
Where the One mini differs, though, is in quality. Smaller handsets traditionally downgrade the caliber of the specs and design, but here it’s almost exactly the same experience with both the One and the One mini, which is a bit of an industry first.
“There are a lot of people who might not want to go for a 4.7-inch sized display.”
“We don’t believe one size fits all,” adds Graham. “The One family is our flagship range, and we believe that within a flagship range there’s enough space for a 4.7-inch phone and a no-compromise 4.3-inch one, too. Both HTC One phones are high-end devices, and the HTC One mini is just a flagship phone for people who are looking for a slightly smaller screen.
“We’ve worked hard to make sure that you don’t lose anything in the experiences between the two phones. What we’ve done is expand the market – it’s not a compromise in screen size, it’s adding value by offering all of the same features but at a lower price.
“At HTC we’re focused on making great phones and pride ourselves on innovation,” Graham tells us in closing. “And I think we’re uniquely placed to deliver that kind of innovation.”
It’s coming… The HTC One mini will be landing at Vodafone in August, so stay tuned to Vodafone Social for more information. In the meantime, check out what the web’s tech press thinks of its bigger brother, the HTC One.Jeremy Corbyn is perfectly right to relate this week’s Manchester terrorist atrocity to British foreign policy in the Middle East. Whenever Tony Blair, Gordon Brown and David Cameron struggled to explain why British blood and finance had to go on toppling regimes in Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya, they were explicit: it was “to prevent terrorism in the streets of Britain”. The reason was given over and over again: to suppress militant Islam.
When that policy clearly leads to an increase in Islamist terrorism, we are entitled to agree with Corbyn that it has “simply failed”. Regimes were indeed toppled. Tens of thousands died, many of them civilians every bit as innocent as Manchester’s victims. Terrorism has not stopped.
Whenever al-Qaida or Isis seek to explain their atrocities, reference is usually made to British intervention and the military killing of innocent Muslims. It is mendacious to try to sanitise our overheated and jingoistic response to domestic terrorism by pretending that it is unrelated to British foreign policy. It was we who made the link, and before the terrorists did.
The Snap: Corbyn returns to campaign, linking terror at home and wars abroad Read more
Of course this does not exonerate anyone. Yes, militant Islamists are seeking to subvert the west’s sense of security and its liberal values. Yes, the west’s continued bombing of markets, hospitals, weddings and villages is “accidental” – albeit inevitable, given the nature of modern air war.
But we used the language of “shock and awe” in bombing Baghdad in 2003. We gave the current era of Islamist terrorism a cause, a reason, an excuse, however perverted. We committed armed aggression against sovereign peoples who had not attacked us.
Play Video 1:11 Corbyn says 'war on terror not working'
Where Corbyn spoils his pitch is in relating terrorism not just to foreign policy but to domestic austerity. He stoops to Theresa May’s level in seeking to make electoral capital from a tragedy. Were he not grandstanding himself, he could accuse her of peddling the politics of fear by flooding the streets of the capital with soldiers. He could plead with the Muslim community to do more to combat and expose terrorist “grooming”. But there is no evidence that the security services are impeded in their work by staff shortages. It is the one aspect of policing that has been showered with money.
Politicians who exploit moments of public tragedy play a risky game. Whether Corbyn was tactful to return to the election campaign by citing Manchester is moot: he would have been wise to wait a few days. But Islamist terrorism is related to foreign policy. However hateful it may seem to us, it is a means to a political end. Sometimes it is as well to call a spade a spade.DETROIT - The Jefferson |
horror at high PC resolutions with fully optimized visuals for the wide screen, upgraded textures on characters, backgrounds and in-game objects". In other words, it'll be a PC game. Next, they'll be telling us it will have Steam achievements and trading cards... oh, wait. "Dead Rising 3 for PC will include Steam platform support with Steam Achievements, Steam Cloud, Steam Trading Cards, global leaderboards and full game controller support."
Anyway, a new Dead Rising. If you've played a previous one, you'll know what to expect: silly costumes, crafted weapons and an absurd number of zombies.President Obama's surprise endorsement of Hillary Clinton -- surprise only in the sense that it was sort of sprung on everyone -- made very clear what role Clinton hopes he'll play in the race over the short term.
Obama's job is to get Democrats in line behind her candidacy. And, more specifically, it's to get young Democrats on board.
Young Democrats backed Bernie Sanders by even wider margins than they backed Obama eight years ago. Averaging exit poll results for states where they're available, Sanders beat Clinton by 43 points among those under the age of 30.
But young Americans have also been the group that's most supportive of Obama's presidency -- and have become much more supportive over the last year. According to Gallup, 65 percent of those under the age of 30 viewed Obama's job performance favorably in their most recent weekly average. That's 14 points higher than Americans on the whole, and 25 points higher than those 65 and older. Three years ago, the difference between young voters and Americans on the whole was half as large.
So in the video announcing his endorsement, Obama made a very pointed appeal to the overlap of young voters and Sanders supporters.
It's a three step argument.
- Step one: Obama knows hard fights, and knows that the party can move past them. In other words: Equate Clinton's victory (and Clinton) with his own (and with himself).
- Step two: Acknowledge that young voters played a critical role in the election.
- Step three: Point out that Sanders and Clinton share the same values.
It's... not subtle. But there's probably no better Democrat to make the case to young people for why they should support Clinton than Obama. Even Bill Clinton is only viewed favorably by 48 percent of those under the age of 35, according to recent Quinnipiac polling. Obama's the guy to turn to.
It's also a reminder why this attack might not land that well.
"Crooked Hillary Clinton will be a disaster on jobs, the economy, trade, healthcare, the military, guns and just about all else. Obama plus!" Donald Trump tweeted.
"Obama plus" probably appeals to an awful lot of young Democrats who cast their votes for Bernie Sanders.'Refugee cat' Kunkush reunites with Iraqi family after four-month, 4,000km adventure
Updated
A "refugee cat" that travelled on a crowded rubber boat with its family fleeing Iraq, only to run away scared on a Greek island, has been reunited with them four months later in Norway.
Fluffy white male cat Kunkush's adventure spanning 4,000 kilometres began when it leapt out of the small basket on Lesbos after the family's journey from Islamic State-controlled Mosul in Iraq.
The cat's family, comprising a woman and her five children, searched for hours before being forced to move on to the next transit camp.
Kunkush resurfaced three days later in a fishing village and, although its fur was now matted and grey, locals recognised it, labelling it "refugee cat" and volunteers set to work to reunite it with its family.
The cat, who had fallen victim to some unfriendly local cats, was taken to a vet by Amy Shrodes and Ashley Anderson and renamed Dias (modern Greek for Zeus).
The pair arranged for a Facebook account to be set up to aid Kunkush's cause, attracting more than 4,000 likes, along with a GoFundMe campaign which raised more than $1,000.
"I know how much hope means to a person who has nothing else left," Ms Shrodes said.
"I felt strongly that if this family took such a huge effort to bring him with them, they must consider him a part of their family.
"It wouldn't be right to not give them a chance to at least know he's OK, and even take him back if they're in a place where they can."
Kunkush obtained a pet passport and in January and Ms Shrodes flew with the cat to Berlin, where a social media user had volunteered to foster it while the search continued.
About five weeks later, its family, now living in Norway, contacted the volunteers through the cat's Facebook page.
They sent photos taken of Kunkush in Iraq.
A reunion was first held over Skype, before Kunkush travelled to join its family in their new home in Steinkjer, giving its adventure a happy ending.
Topics: refugees, animals, offbeat, greece, iraq, germany, norway
First postedTrying to "Keep calm and carry on" is a terrible idea The popular Britishism totally misses the way emotions really work
A strange sign has found its way to walls across our country: Keep Calm And Carry On, a World War II-era Britishism that's become a brightly colored, boldly fonted, and mostly misguided placard of staying cool under pressure. Mainly because it totally misses the way emotions work.
"People seem to have this very strong intuition when they feel anxious to try and 'calm down,'" says Allison Wood Brooks, a professor of business administration at Harvard. "But it's actually very, very difficult to do successfully, particularly when leading up to very anxiety-inducing tasks, [like public speaking, a job interview, or singing in front of people]."
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Instead of trying to force ourselves to be calm, she says, we should be getting excited--due to a psychological something called arousal congruence.
Image: Flickr user Akio Takemoto
While keeping calm might seem like a simple enough instruction, it actually conceals two steps, for every emotion has both an arousal and a valance component--and you need to regulate each in order to change the emotion.
Arousal is physical: in the case of anxiety, you have an increased heart rate, a spike of stress hormones like cortisol, and a sudden appearance of sweat. Arousal is also automatic: it's a function of the parasympathetic nervous system, which is always looking out for danger. Since arousal is so automatic, it's hard to control.
Valence is cognitive: it's the way you interpret all that physiological stuff happening inside you--how you feel about your feelings. So if you're trying to "keep calm" while you're anxious, you have to shift your perception of your emotion.
If you're trying to "keep calm" while you're anxious, you have to shift your perception of your emotion.
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Allison Wood Brooks
When you tell yourself to "calm down" you have to make two hidden steps, moving both arousal and valence. But moving from anxiety to excitement is easier: your body can stay in an amped-up physiological state, but you re-appraise your anxiety as excitement.
"That it's a two-step process is not intuitive," Brooks says, "and understanding that you're trying to do two different things makes people more emotionally literate."
It can also make people better performers.
Here's how to practice reframing your anxiety as excitement.
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Brooks recruited a group of volunteers. They were asked to take part in three kinds of experiments: tackling public speaking, math, or singing in front of people.
The subjects were primed differently in each of these cases. Before making their speech, diving into their problem sets, or launching into "Don't Stop Believing," they were asked to make one of three kinds of statements to themselves:
To keep calm
To get excited
Or nothing
In each of three cases, the anxious folks that told themselves a variant of "get excited" performed better: they gave more persuasive, competent, and persistent speeches; notched hire math scores, and belted out Journey with greater accuracy.
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Why you do better when you get excited
Oscar Wilde, once quipped that "worry is misspent imagination": turns out that the dude was right. As Brooks explained to us, when we get worried, we're making poor investments with our attention: instead of thinking of the ways that big presentation will go right, we're spending our finite attention on what will go wrong, what's wrong with us, and what our parents did to make us inherit that behavior.
"Anxiety precludes you from exploring real solutions and real thought patterns that will come up with solutions," she says. "When you're in a positive valence, it primes an opportunity mindset, so you think of all of the good things that can happen. You're more likely to make decisions and take actions that will make that world likely to occur."
As the karaoke outcomes attest, we can actually prime that opportunity-oriented mindset.
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Take, for instance, if you're about to go onstage: when someone asks you "how do you feel," tell them that you're excited. If you get in the habit of that, Brooks says, it could really improve your performance. If you're a manager, emphasize excitement rather than calmness. And if you're all by your lonesome, staring at a blank document and feeling anxiety creeping up your neck, tell yourself that you're excited to even put a paragraph on the page.
Bottom Line:From Baka-Tsuki
1 - Letter from Benares [ edit ]
Dear Houtarou,
I am currently staying in Benares. Although in Japan this place is commonly known as Benares, calling it Varanasi is probably more accurate in terms of pronunciation.
Benares is a great town, Houtarou. This is a town of funeral ceremonies - after all, it has been since a long time ago. It seems like whoever dies here can ascend directly to heaven. Or am I wrong?
Oh yes, this place is said to be "free from the wheel of reincarnation." What it means is that dying here is equivalent to becoming an enlightened being in the Buddhist sense. In China, a long austerity is required to reach this state of "release". But here you simply pass away and then everything is okay.
Well, that's a pathetic story for the Chinese.
It might be a bit late, but congratulations for being successfully admitted into high school. It is Kamiyama High School after all, isn't it? What a boring choice. But congratulations anyway.
As your big sis, let me give you, someone who has safely become a high school student, a piece of advice.
Enter the Classics Club.
The Classics Club is a humanities club in Kami-High with a long tradition. Also, you might already know this, but I also belonged to the club in the past.
I heard this from someone else, but it seems that our tradition-rich club has had no newcomers for three years and currently has no members at all. If no one joins the club this year it will be disbanded. As a former member of the club it is certainly not something I can stand.
However, if there are newcomers in April then the situation will turn out differently. Houtarou, safeguard the Classics Club, the youth of your big sis. For now you can join the club in name only.
Moreover, it's not really that bad of a club. It's particularly great in autumn.
After all, you don't have anything better to do, do you?
I'll call you after reaching New Delhi.
With love,
Tomoe
2 - The Rebirth of the Traditional Classics Club [ edit ]
It's often said that life in high school is rose-coloured. As the year 2000 comes to an end, the arrival of the day that matches that description as defined by a Japanese dictionary isn't too far off.
However, that doesn't mean that all high school students would wish for such a rose-coloured life. Whether it's studying, sports or romance, there will always be some people who would prefer a grey-coloured life rather than all that; I know quite a few within my own reckoning. Still, it's quite a lonely way to live one's life.
Here I was striking up a conversation of such a topic with my old friend Fukube Satoshi in the classroom filled with the light of the sunset. As always, Satoshi would carry a smiling face and say, "That's what I thought as well. By the way, I never knew you were so masochistic."
How unfortunately wrong he was. So I protested, "Are you saying my life is grey-coloured?"
"Did I say that? But Houtarou, whether it's studying, sports, or what was the other one? Romance? I don't think you've ever been forward-looking in any of those."
"I'm not exactly backward-looking either."
"Well, true,"
Satoshi's smile broadened.
"You're just'saving energy' after all."
I gave my approval to that with a snort. It's fine as long as you understand that I don't exactly hate getting myself active. I simply dislike wasting energy on anything bothersome. My style is to save energy for the betterment of the planet. In other words, "If I don't have to do it, I won't. If I have to do it, make it quick."
As I utter my motto, Satoshi would shrug his shoulders as usual.
"Whether it's energy saving or cynicism, it's the same thing, isn't it? Have you ever heard of instrumentalism[1]?"
"Nope."
"In short, it means that for a person like you who has no particular interest, just by observing the fact that you have not joined any club here in Kamiyama High, the Holy Land of high school club activities, makes you a grey-coloured person."
"What? Are you saying death from murder is no different from death from negligence?"
Satoshi answered without hesitation, "From a certain perspective, yeah. Though it's a different matter completely if you're trying to convince a dead person that his death is due to your negligence in order to exorcise his soul."
"..."
Cheeky bastard. I once again looked at the person before me. Fukube Satoshi, my old friend, worthy opponent and deadly rival, is rather short for a guy. Even as a high school student, he could be mistaken as a feminine-looking weakling, but he's totally different on the inside. It's quite difficult to explain just what that difference is ー anyway, he just feels different. Besides carrying a smile all the time, he's always seen with a drawstring bag, as well as his trademark cheekiness. He's also a member of the Handicraft Club, don't ask me why.
Arguing with him is just a waste of energy. I waved my hand to signify the end of this conversation.
"Yeah, whatever. Just go home already."
"Yeah, you're right. I haven't got any club activities today... maybe I'll go home."
As Satoshi stretched his waist, he suddenly realized something and looked at me.
"'Go home already'? That's rare hearing that from you."
"What is?"
"If it's going home, wouldn't you usually have done so before even uttering that sentence? Just what business would you have after school when you aren't affiliated with any clubs?"
"Ah."
I raised my eyebrow and took out a piece of paper from the inner right pocket of my uniform jacket. After quietly handing it to Satoshi, his eyes widened in amazement. No, he's overreacting. It's not like he's really surprised, though it's true that his eyes have widened. Satoshi is well-known for such exaggerated reactions after all.
"What?! How can this be?!"
"Satoshi, behave yourself."
"Isn't this a club application form? I'm surprised. Just what on earth has happened? For Houtarou to actually join a club..."
It was indeed a club application form. Upon seeing the club name that was written in, Satoshi raised his eyebrow.
"The Classics Club...?"
"You heard of it?"
"Of course, but, why the Classics Club? Have you suddenly found an interest in classic literature?"
Now how should I explain this? I scratched my head and took out another piece of paper from my inner left pocket. It was a letter with scribbled handwriting, which I handed over to Satoshi.
"Read it."
Satoshi promptly took the letter and started going through it, and as expected, began to laugh.
"Haha, Houtarou, now that sure is troublesome. A request from your sister, huh? No way you could refuse that."
Why was he looking so gleeful? On the other hand, I was very aware that I was showing a bitter expression. This airmail from India that arrived this morning was attempting to make adjustments to my lifestyle. Oreki Tomoe is constantly like that, sending letters to derail my life.
'Houtarou, safeguard the Classics Club, the youth of your big sis.'
When I had opened the envelope and read through that brief letter this morning, I became aware of its self-centered content. I had no obligation to safeguard my sister's memories, but...
"What was it that your sis is specialized in? Jujutsu?"
"Aikido and Taiho-jutsu[2]. It can be pretty painful if one has the intent to hurt."
Yup, my sister, a university student proficient in both academics and martial arts, was not content with conquering Japan alone, and had decided to go out and challenge the world as well. It would not be wise to incur her fury.
Then again, while I could attempt to resist with what little pride I had, it was also true that I had little reason to oppose her. Indeed my sister has hit the bullseye by pointing out that I don't have anything better to do anyway. I decided I might as well be an invisible club member rather than an unaffiliated student, and so without hesitation, "I submitted that application this morning."
"You know what this means, Houtarou?"
Satoshi said while glancing at my sister's letter. I sighed and said, "Yeah, there doesn't seem to be any benefit from this."
"... No, that's not what I meant."
Lifting his gaze from the letter, Satoshi said with a strangely cheerful tone. He tapped the letter with the back of his palm and said, "There are currently no members in the Classics Club, right? This means that only you get to keep the club room for yourself. Isn't that great? A private base within school for your own use."
A private base?
"... That's an interesting way to look at this."
"Don't you like that?"
Such strange reasoning. Satoshi was basically saying I could have my own secret base in school. I could never come up with such an idea. A private space, huh? It's not like I really desire such a thing and would strive to work hard for it... But it's not so bad if it comes as a perk. I took back the letter from Satoshi and replied, "Guess it's not so bad. I might go have a look."
"Good. Opportunities are there for you to try out."
Opportunities there to try out, huh? Well, it's not like it doesn't suit my personality at all, so I smiled bitterly and picked up my shoulder bag.
I was still faithful to my own motto.
From the opened windows, the shouts of the Athletics Team could be heard.
"... Fight! Fight! Fight!..."
I wouldn't want to get myself involved in such wasteful energy consumption. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that saving energy is the superior option, so I'm not dismissing those active people as fools at all. I headed towards the Classics Club room while hearing them continue with their chants.
I walked along the tiled corridor and up towards the third floor. Upon meeting the janitor, who was carrying a large ladder, I asked him where the Classics Club room was, and was directed to the Geology Lecture Room on the fourth floor of the Special Purposes Block.
This school, Kamiyama High School, was neither copious in its number of students nor large in its campus area.
The total number of students was somewhere around a thousand. While the school provides curricula for university entrance exams like most high schools, it wasn't particularly noted for its academics. In other words, it's a normal high school. On the other hand, the school had an extraordinarily large number of clubs (such as the Water Paint Club or the A Capella Club, as well as the Classics Club), hence it was quite well known for having a lively annual Cultural Festival.
Within the campus grounds there are three large buildings. The General Block which houses the regular classrooms, the Special Purposes Block with its special purposes classrooms, and the Gymnasium. That's quite normal really. There's also the Martial Arts Dojo and the Sports Equipment Storage Room. The fourth floor of the Special Purposes Block, where the Classics Club room is located, is relatively remote.
While cursing at such a waste of energy, I walked across the connecting corridor and up the stairs towards the fourth floor, where I quickly found the Geology Room. Without hesitation I proceeded to slide the door open, but found that it was locked. This was to be expected, as most special purposes rooms are normally locked. I took out the key which I borrowed beforehand in order to save energy and unlocked the door.
After turning the lock open, I slid the door open. Inside the empty Geology Room, the sunset could be seen from its westward facing window.
Did I say empty? Nope, turns out it was not what I expected.
Within the sunset drenched Geology Room, which is the Classics Club room, there was already someone inside.
A student was standing beside the window looking towards me. It was a girl.
While "graceful" and "neat" weren't exactly the first words that came to my mind upon seeing her, there were no other words that I could think of to describe her properly. Her long black hair flowed past her shoulders, and her sailor uniform suited her very well. She was tall for a girl, probably taller than Satoshi. While it was clear she was a high school girl, her thin lips and forlorn figure reinforced this old-fashioned image of what a school girl would look like within my mind. In contrast, her pupils were big, and rather than graceful, they looked energetic.
It was a girl I didn't recognize.
Yet upon seeing me, she smiled and said, "Hello. You must be Oreki-san of the Classics Club, right?"
"... Who're you?"
I asked candidly. Though I was never good at interacting with people, I didn't intend to treat someone I just met for the first time coldly. While I didn't know who she was, for some reason, she seemed to know who I am.
"Don't you remember me? My name is Chitanda, Chitanda Eru."
Chitanda Eru. Even though she's given her name, I still haven't got a clue. By the way, Chitanda is quite a rare surname, and so is her first name, Eru. It was not possible for me to forget such a name.
I looked once again at the girl called Chitanda. After making sure that I don't know her, I replied, "I'm sorry, I don't think I remember who you are."
While maintaining her smile, she tilted her head, apparently confused.
"You're Oreki-san, right? Oreki Houtarou of Class 1-B?"
I nodded.
"I'm from Class 1-A."
So do you remember now? Was what she seemed to be hinting at... Was my memory really that bad?
Hang on. I'm from Class B and she's from Class A, was there any chance of us having met before?
Even within the same grade, it was not possible for students from different classes to interact with each other at all. The only chance they get to do so was via club activities or friends. I had no such links with both. Then it must have involved the entire student body, but the only event I could think of was the school's opening ceremony at the start of the semester. Besides, I don't think I was ever introduced to anyone from outside my class then.
No, wait. I remember. That's it, there were chances for us to interact with other classes during lessons. If it involves the use of special equipment, then it's more feasible to teach more than one class at the same time. That must mean during PE or arts-related subjects. During middle school, there would also be vocational classes, but as this high school is a mainly academic school, that's out of the equation. And PE is gender separated, so that leaves...
"Could it be that we had music lessons together?"
"Yes, that's it!"
Chitanda nodded her head greatly.
Despite figuring that out myself, I was still surprised. For the sake of my remaining pride, I must confess that I have only attended any of those optional arts lessons once ever since enrolling here. So it was of course impossible for me to remember any faces or names!
But on the other hand, this girl called Chitanda managed to remember me after seeing me just once, so here was living proof that it was not exactly impossible... Let me tell you this, she must have possessed a frightening level of observation and memory.
Still, it could also be that it's all coincidental. Different people could interpret different meanings from reading the same newspaper article, after all. I regained my senses and asked, "So, Chitanda-san. What brings you here to the Geology Room?"
She quickly replied, "I've joined the Classics Club, so I thought I should come to greet you."
Joined the Classics Club, in other words, a member.
At that moment I had wanted her to guess how I was feeling. If she's joining the club, it would mean the end of my private space as well as having to fulfill my obligation to my sister. I had no reason to join the Classics Club. I sighed within my heart... It was a futile effort. While thinking that, I asked, "Why are you in the Classics Club as well?"
I didn't want to join this club! I tried to convey this implied message within my question, but it seemed like she totally didn't get it.
"Well, I have personal reasons for joining."
She even evaded my question. Unexpectedly, this Chitanda Eru is quite suspicious.
"What about you, Oreki-san?"
"Me?"
Now that's tricky. How should I answer her? I don't think she'd understand that I came here due to an order from my sister. But as I began to think about it, I realized she didn't really need to know my reason.
Suddenly the door slid open and a loud voice boomed inwards, "Hey! What are you guys doing here?"
It was a teacher. Probably patrolling the campus after school time. With a firm body and tanned skin, he seems to be a PE teacher. Though he wasn't carrying a bamboo sword, it wouldn't look too far fetched to imagine him with one. While he's way past his prime, he still has that air of authority around him.
Chitanda shirked back for a bit upon getting yelled at so suddenly, but soon reverted to her calming smile. She then went to greet the teacher.
"Good afternoon, Morishita-sensei."
She made a perfect salutation by the way she bowed her head with the right speed and angle. Seeing how she maintained her manners regardless of where she was, I couldn't help but feel envious of her. The teacher called Morishita was briefly stunned into silence by her courtesy, but soon went back to talking loudly again.
"I saw the door unlocked so I came over to see what was going on. What are you doing entering the classroom without permission? What's your name and class?"
... Hmph, without permission, huh?
"I'm Oreki Houtarou of Class 1-B. By the way, Sensei, this is the Classics Club room, and I'm afraid you've interrupted our club activities,"
"The Classics Club...?"
Without hiding his suspicions, he continued, "I thought that had been abolished."
"Well, that was before today. It's been reactivated this morning. You can confirm with our supervising teacher, umm..."
"Ooide-sensei,"
"Yes, you can confirm with Ooide-sensei."
A suitable explanation at a suitable moment. Morishita quickly lowered his volume.
"Oh. I see. Well, continue with what you're doing."
"But you've only just seen us."
"And remember to return the key when you're done."
"Yes, sir."
Morishita once again turned to gaze at us before shutting the door roughly. Chitanda once again cowered her body at the loud sound, but then gently whispered, "He's..."
"Hmm?"
"He's quite loud for a teacher."
I smiled.
Anyway.
Guess I have no more business here.
"Alright. Now that we're done with the introductions, shall we go home?"
"Huh? We're not having any activities today?"
"Well, I'm going home."
I picked up my shoulder bag, which doesn't have much stuff in it, and turned my back towards Chitanda.
"I'll count on you to lock the door. You don't want to get yelled at like that again, do you?"
"Eh?"
I then proceeded to leave the Geology Room.
Or rather, I was about to leave, when I was stopped by Chitanda's discerning voice.
"Please wait!"
I turned around to look at Chitanda, who looked as though she had been told something quite unthinkable, and who said blankly, "I, I can't lock the door."
"Why's that?"
"Because I don't have the key."
Oh, yeah. The key's with me. There weren't that many spare keys available to be borrowed, it seems. So I took the key from my pocket and held it towards her.
"Here, you take care of... Sorry, I mean, please take care of this, Chitanda-san."
But Chitanda didn't respond. She simply stared at the key hanging from my finger, and before long she tilted her head and asked, "Oreki-san, why are you carrying that?"
Is she missing a few screws in her head?
"Well, I couldn't have come in without a key... Wait a minute, how the hell... sorry, how did you come in to this room, Chitanda-san?"
"The door wasn't locked when I came in. I thought someone else had entered before me, so I didn't need a key to enter."
I see. Since unless she received a letter from a former member like I have, she wouldn't have known that there were no other members in the Classics Club.
"Is that so? When I came the door was locked."
Turns out it was a mistake for me to utter that so nonchalantly, as the expression in Chitanda's eyes changed instantly and her gaze became sharp. Was it me or have her pupils gotten larger? Indifferent to my startled expression, she slowly asked me, "When you said the door was locked, do you mean that door which you came through?"
While feeling confused at such a change in expression for such a graceful girl, I nodded. Whether consciously or unconsciously, Chitanda took one step towards me.
"So this means that I was locked inside, right?"
The clear batting sounds made by the Baseball Team could be heard from the outside. While I have no more business with this room, Chitanda seemed to want to talk for a bit longer. I sighed and relented, and placed my shoulder bag down on a table nearby.
Locked inside, was what Chitanda had said. Is that so? I thought for a bit. The key was with me, while Chitanda was inside the room. I have no memory of ever locking the door. Then the answer was simple.
"Wasn't it you who locked the door from the inside?"
Yet Chitanda shook her head and denied that unequivocally.
"I never did that."
"Well, the key's with me. Who else could have locked the door besides you?"
"..."
"Well, there are times when people forget whether they've locked the door or not,"
Yet Chitanda doesn't seem to be paying attention to my explanation, and suddenly pointed right behind me.
"By the way, is that your friend over there?"
I turned around, and found the silhouette of a black uniform collar from behind the gap of the slightly ajar door. His gaze quickly met with mine. I remember seeing those brown eyes that look as though they're smiling, so I raised my voice and called out, "Satoshi! That's some sick hobby you've got, eavesdropping on other people's conversations!"
The door was opened, and as expected, the person that entered was Fukube Satoshi. Totally feeling unashamed, he said brazenly, "Well, sorry. I wasn't intending to eavesdrop."
"You may not be intending to, but you ended up doing so anyway."
"That may be so. But I just couldn't barge in when I saw the usually inactive Houtarou spending quality time alone with a girl in a special classroom during sunset. I don't want to end up getting kicked out."
What's he talking about?
"I thought you went home already."
"Yeah, I was about to, but then I saw you with this girl inside this room from downstairs. Guess I'm still inexperienced as a peeping tom."
I ignored Satoshi's comments about seeing us from the outside, as that's his usual way of joking. Yet for people who're not used to such light-hearted jokes, they might end up taking him seriously.
Seems like Chitanda too has been fooled.
"Eh, eh, I..."
Her calm expression from a while ago had disappeared, being replaced by a flustered look. She seems to be the type that wears her expressions on her face, as she appears to be saying "Look, I'm feeling flustered right now" with a nervous look. While it was fun to see her like that, I wasn't going to let it go on any longer.
Fortunately, in order to expose Satoshi's joke, all you needed to do was ask him, "Are you serious?"
"Of course not."
Phew. Chitanda breathed a sigh of relief. Such was Satoshi's motto: "Jokes are to be made on the spot, so too are misunderstandings to be dispelled right away."
"... Oreki-san, who might this be?"
After recovering from Satoshi's joke, Chitanda asked a bit wearily. Guess I should introduce Satoshi to her, or we won't get anywhere. I said briefly, "Oh him? That's Fukube Satoshi, a pseudo-human."
"Pseudo?"
A most suitable introduction, which Satoshi seems to have taken in good humour as well.
"Haha, great introduction, Houtarou. Pleased to meet you. And you are?"
"Chitanda, Chitanda Eru."
Upon hearing the name of Chitanda, Satoshi gave an unexpected reaction. For once, he actually went speechless. For someone so talkative like Satoshi, it was rare to see him like that.
"Chi, Chitanda-san? That Chitanda?"
"Hmm? I don't know which Chitanda you may be referring to, but I believe I'm the only one with that name in this school."
"Then it must be that. I'm surprised."
Satoshi's surprise was genuine. And if he was surprised, then I should be too. I learned some time ago that this fellow has a way of finding out all sorts of amazing information. Yet what was it that made him so surprised? I couldn't even guess.
"Hey, Satoshi, what is it this time?"
"What is it, you say? I know you're not that well-informed, but are you telling me that you've never even heard of the Chitanda Clan?"
This time, Satoshi shook his head and sighed in an exaggerated way. Of course, this was one of Satoshi's ways of joking. Since I know he's extremely well-versed in all sorts of useless knowledge, I was not at all ashamed about being ignorant of one of them.
"What about Chitanda-san's family?"
Nodding satisfactorily, Satoshi began to explain.
"While there are quite a few old prestigious clans in Kamiyama Town, the most prominent are the four 'Exponential Clans'. The Juumonji (十文字) Clan that runs the Arekusu Shrine, the Sarusuberi (百日紅) Clan that operates the bookstores, the Chitanda (千反田) Clan with their large farmlands, and the Manninbashi (万人橋) Clan of the mountain. The first kanji character of their surnames is represented by an exponent of the number ten (十百千万), hence they're called the 'Exponential Clans". The only other clans to be on equal footing with those four are the Irisu Clan that runs the local hospital, and the Toogaito Clan with their dominance in the field of education."
Dumbfounded, I blinked suspiciously and asked, "Four Clans? Satoshi, are you serious?"
"How rude. Have I ever lied about stuff like this?"
If Satoshi says it's true, then it's most likely true. Yet, prestigious clans in this day and age? While Satoshi was still scowling, Chitanda came to his aid.
"Umm, I've heard of that story before. Though I'm not quite sure about my family being a famous clan."
"So it's all true?"
"But, this is the first time I've heard about the four 'Exponential Clans'."
As I stared at Satoshi, he merely shrugged his shoulders.
"I didn't say I was lying."
"But that was all made up anyway, wasn't it?"
"Well, I always wanted to be the one to get a legend started,"
As though wanting this topic to end, Satoshi clapped his hands together and said, "Anyway, Houtarou, what seems to be the trouble here?"
You sure are inquisitive. So in order to make a long story short, I briefly explained the details to him.
It was getting a bit dark, so Chitanda went to turn on the lights.
After hearing the story, Satoshi crossed his arms and started to groan.
"Hmm, it is a strange case."
"How so? It's just that Chitanda happened to forget that she locked the door, isn't it?"
"No, it is strange."
Satoshi uncrossed his arms and clapped his hands.
"Lately, schools have been very demanding on how their campuses are run. Kami High's management of its classrooms is particularly bothersome. In case you haven |
in.
On December 22nd – one day before their ratings levels would have allowed them to sign up for the event – the top-three ranked female professional disc golfers were invited to register.
Only one woman, Catrina Allen, ended up playing the event. She finished with a four over par 193 for the three-day tournament, putting her in a tie for 45th place and one spot shy of earning a payout.
‘Kind Of A Jab’
The timing of the women’s invite was not lost on 2012 PDGA Women’s World Champion Sarah Hokom, who has become an outspoken critic of the World Tour format and what she sees as its tacit exclusion of women.
“I don’t know, I think [tour director Jussi Meresmaa] was trying to add, ‘Oh yeah, women can play. We’re inviting women to play,’ but it was still kind of a jab,”Hokom said. “But you’re asking us to play under these circumstances that are totally unfair.”
Hokom said the ‘one division’ concept does not equate to fair competition, pointing to studies that prove women perform 10-15 percent lower than men in athletic contests due to differences in genetics and hormones.
“To ask women to compete against the men just to get air time and publicity is wrong,” Hokom said.
Hokom was not one of the three women extended an invitation to play the tour, but her PDGA rating would have allowed her to enter during the event’s third phase of registration. She decided to skip the tournament as a form of protest.
She also said that playing against men and trying to climb up the payout scale was not an appropriate way for women to improve.
“And expecting to just try to cash is not how a woman will build her mindset to be a dominant champion,” Hokom said. “Asking us to play against the men, knowing that we don’t have a chance to win, is wrong, for the best women in the world. And it doesn’t matter to me that there’s only four or five or six or eight women that can really play great golf right now. The quality and the quantity are totally different parts of this equation, and they don’t go together.”
Three-time PDGA Women’s World Champion Valarie Jenkins was invited to play in the Disc Golf World Tour. She also chose to sit it out, but did not take the decision lightly.
“I was back and forth, the pros and cons of what me playing or me not playing represent,” Jenkins said. “And to me in general, I just imagine I’m going to come out here, play my best, and that’s not necessarily representing women’s disc golf. It’s not growing women’s disc golf. I think more of the women’s tournaments and the women’s divisions are growing that. Me placing 50th at this tournament’s not going to make a huge impact.”
Both Hokom and Jenkins said they want to see the Disc Golf World Tour add a dedicated women’s division.
Meresmaa, though, does not have a timeline for establishing a women’s field.
“Currently, an FPO division is not feasible or sustainable on DGWT,” Meresmaa said in an email to Ultiworld. “If female disc golf develops and there will be more talents willing to travel around the world, we might see them in our promotion.”
‘A Fair Platform’
Until that happens, Jenkins – who is also the head of the PDGA Women’s Committee – said it did not make sense for women to sign up.
“I don’t think it’s worth our money, our time,” Jenkins said. “It does nothing for our professional career as traveling and professional disc golfers.”
Another prominent professional disc golfer, though, said signing up for the DGWT would be a great learning opportunity for women.
Juliana Korver, a five-time PDGA Women’s World Champion who competed several times against men at the United States Disc Golf Championships, said the chance to play the Disc Golf World Tour could help women on a competitive level.
“They will get to be part of what looks to be an amazing series, they will play against great players on great courses and their games will likely be better for it,” Korver said. “Of course there are many variables for each to consider, as it may be cost prohibitive for many of the pro women to do so. But money aside, I would encourage all pro women with a rating over 900 to strongly consider it.”
Hokom, though, pointed to the experience of golfer Michelle Wie as a cautionary tale for women who might consider playing against men.
“Michelle Wie, in her teenage years – her, if I can say, naïve teenage years – attempted to play the PGA Tour events over a dozen times. And it actually never helped her,” Hokom said. “She thought that as a teenager, ‘Yeah I can do this, I can prove something,’ but it really only proved that women still can’t [compete with men]. She only made the cut once, then got cut the next round because she didn’t shoot well enough. It just really proves that women can’t compete at a high level with men, and it destroyed her mental game.”
And that idea that women cannot, nor should not, have to compete with men in order to achieve fair play is at the heart of Hokom’s discontent with the DGWT.
She expressed those sentiments with a long Facebook post outlining many of her concerns with the event, adding a modified logo for the Disc Golf World Tour that called it the “Disc Golf Men’s Tour.”
But while she was vocal in her displeasure with the tour’s format, she said she appreciated what the tour was aiming to do for disc golf. She just wanted to see that goal extended to all players.
“The concept of offering great events and venues, and having a spectator-based tournament, having really high quality media available to cover it live streaming, all that is awesome,” Hokom said. “And at the point where women’s disc golf is just starting to explode, not giving us a platform – a fair platform to compete in – is really doing a disservice.”
Meresmaa acknowledged the criticism and pointed to the one division format as being all-inclusive.
“I understand that our ladies would love to play on DGWT,” he said. “Therefore it is open for every person. No older player has complained about not having their own division. Our sport is so small and juvenile that people still have difficulties to understand what is best for us.”
He also had high praise for Allen as the event’s only female participant.
“She attended this event knowing that her chances to make money were limited,” Meresmaa said. “What she did was gain a lot of publicity and she became the most known female disc golfer of this year. She played well, too, and almost cashed. Her sponsors got extra visibility and she made a lot of new followers and likes. Also, her athletic persona gained a lot of value. She was smart.”
Allen did not respond to a request for comment.
‘It Still Looks As Good On Tape’
For the men who played the La Mirada Open, the issue was not necessarily black and white.
DGWT 5th-ranked player Will Schusterick said the one division format was an issue of numbers, not discrimination.
“I think that women’s disc golf just has to grow,” Schusterick said. “I don’t think that there would be one division and one champion if there were even half the amount of women as there are men. And right now we are looking at maybe 20 percent – I’m talking major events, the biggest pro field compared to the biggest women’s field – you’re maybe getting 10 to 20 percent. And it’s tough because the women at the top are very competitive, but the thing is, is you have to have another thirty people to want to go play those events.”
Philo Brathwaite, who finished 23rd at the La Mirada Open, tried to put the DGWT into perspective with a different set of numbers.
“I think also, though, another thing to consider is that out of how many tournaments on the year there’s how many in the World Tour? Eight tournaments in the World Tour?” Brathwaite said. “Five, well there you go. So out of 1,100-plus tournaments on the year there’s five of them that [women] feel like, ‘Oh, we can’t play.’”
Still, Brathwaite acknowledged that women’s disc golf is ascending, and that it should be recognized as such.
“The ladies are definitely a part of what’s going on in disc golf,” he said. “More and more ladies are playing all the time and getting excited about the sport, and more guys are going out with girls that play disc golf on tour even. Their ladies are competing now, and I think it’s a good thing. We need to include everybody.”
One of those players dating a woman on tour is Nikko Locastro. His girlfriend is Jessica Weese, who is currently the PDGA’s 5th-ranked women’s disc golfer.
Locastro offered a solution for including women as part of the tournament.
“Maybe they should bring a female field and only make 20 spots available for the females, because they’re out here doing it and they’re professionals as well,” Locastro said. “And they’re trying to make a living out of disc golf, too, so it would be nice for the World Tour to put together a showcase women’s event as part of this.”
While the World Tour did not showcase multiple women playing disc golf, Hokom said she unequivocally supported Allen for playing and acknowledged that tour organizers portrayed her participation in the event in a positive light.
Still, Hokom pointed to other major sports – she mentioned tennis in the 1970s and UFC today – as arenas where women have been given equal media treatment and have flourished as a result. She wants the same for disc golf.
“The public has to think that the women’s side is exciting and interesting,” Hokom said. “But if we don’t show it to them and we don’t think it is, then nobody else will.”
This general sentiment was shared by tour veteran Dave Feldberg, who said that women should have their own division or their own event, regardless of field size.
“If they get 20 pros out there and they’re the feature of the course and you’re filming it, it still looks as good on tape,” Feldberg said. “I think that if it’s featured on the women, then people will respect their game more and they’ll be the highlight of the course. But in our situation, where they’re playing in our division or you put them in a separate division on the same course, they’re never the highlight and the crowd will never choose to follow them over Paul McBeth.”
‘One Of The Biggest Inequalities’
Since that separate division is not currently a reality, Jenkins and Hokom took their talents to another venue on the morning of the La Mirada Open’s final round: a women’s disc golf clinic an hour away in Pasadena.
“Being here I knew that it was going to be a men’s focus, so I wanted to give back to the women that were hanging around and that wouldn’t be at this tournament playing,” Jenkins said.
Eight women attended the clinic, which Jenkins called “super positive.” But she also acknowledged that the small turnout is something she, Hokom, and other female disc golfers are working to build upon through social media and this year’s PDGA Women’s Global Event.
“That’s what we need to keep working on,” Jenkins said. “Making sure that women want to come out, giving them instructions to play better and feel more encouraged to go out and play, whether it’s with the guys or at their local tournament.”
For Hokom, increasing the number of women playing disc golf is part of the advocacy she has taken on as a mission since she started the game. And it’s this advocacy that has driven her to speak so strongly against the World Tour’s format.
“It’s been something I’ve been working on, and this is just one more thing,” she said. “This is just the one that’s given me the most publicity, because it’s the most ridiculous thing that I’ve seen most recently… and it’s one of the biggest inequalities I’ve witnessed in the sport since I’ve been playing.”
And while she realized that some may not agree with her stance, she was unapologetic about her approach to the issue.
“So the fact that this is just coming out now, you can call me whatever you want,” she said. “But I’ve been an activist at heart, I’m a huge feminist, I believe in women’s rights. I practically had a minor in it in college. So I really have strong feelings about this, and I’ll continue to do whatever I can to push it.”photo: Kelly Sims
“Stop throwing your money away on rent.” You see the phrase in Realtor junk mail and hear it from new homebuyers who are immersed in the nightmare of paperwork, points, and plastering.
The logic is simple: renting is just flushing money down the toilet; buying a house gives you a piece of something to call your own. You earn home equity and end up with something tangible to pass down to your heirs–or to sell or refinance when you retire.
There is a kernel of truth to all of this. But it’s mostly crap. I’ve been a renter all my adult life, and I have plenty of home equity. My home equity is called “cash,” and it’s the accumulated difference between what I pay in rent and what a comparable homeowner pays for their mortgage, maintenance, property taxes, and utilities. (Sure, I
pay for all of those things indirectly, but that’s the point: they’re rolled into my rent, and they’re not rolled into your mortgage.)
Unlike a homeowner, I can choose to invest my equity in something other than real estate. I can spend my equity without taking out a line of credit. I might squander my equity, but I’ll never be “underwater” due to the vagaries of the market. And I accumulate home equity more quickly than the average homeowner.
Yes, thirty years from now, when your mortgage is paid off, you will own a home, free and clear. You know what I’ll own? Enough money to pay cash for your home.
Sure, I’m making a big assumption: I’m assuming the value of your house won’t rise much faster than inflation (or, at least, not much faster than the performance of my investments). Harvard professor Ed Glaeser, writing on the New York Times’s Economix blog, thinks this is an excellent assumption:
Houses are assets, too, but it’s a mistake to expect them to offer a regular rise in price. Houses pay hefty dividends to their owners in the form of living space–that’s the real return on housing investment–and the basic economics of housing doesn’t point to perpetual price growth.
Indeed, the Case-Shiller index, the most respected measure of housing prices, shows that they’ve barely outpaced inflation since 1890.
I’m also assuming that I have the discipline to keep saving the money. So far so good. Homebuying is often lauded as a “compulsory saving scheme.” I guess that’s true: it’s a scheme that compels you to invest a large proportion of your money in real estate. How is this better than simply increasing your 401(k) contribution?
Two kinds of renters
We’re not so different, Joe Homeowner and me. I rent property from a landlord. He rents money from a bank.
Every month, I write my landlord a check. The money gets spent on orthodontia for the landlord’s kids, and I will never see it again.
Every month, Joe writes his banker a check. The interest portion of the payment–for Joe, that’s well over half the payment, more than I spend on rent for a similar home–gets spent on polishing the banker’s yacht, and Joe will never see it again.
For this analogy, I’m indebted to David Crook of the Wall Street Journal, who wrote a landmark 2007 column on the topic:
Mortgage interest is rent that you pay to your lender for the use of its money rather than to a landlord for the use of his house…most of your monthly payment neither builds equity nor is deductible. It just goes down the same black hole that sucks up any other renter’s money. And it takes 20 years before a typical borrower pays more principal each month than interest.
Oh, but what about the mortgage interest deduction? It’s not for Joe. It’s for my landlord and Joe’s banker. Only half of homeowners take it–the rest are better off with the standard deduction–and the average tax savings for those who do is $2000, according to Roger Lowenstein of the New York Times. (The big winners in the mortgage interest deduction game are homeowners who make over $250,000 a year but not so much that they can afford to buy a home with cash.)
Trapped in the closet
Home ownership, it has long been said, leads to financial and community stability. The last three years should have taught everyone that “owning” (that is, financing) a home is no protection against financial upheaval.
As for community stability, be careful what you wish for. If you lose your job, the worst place to find yourself is trapped in an underwater house. I could move with two weeks notice and get my security deposit back.
This isn’t just anecdote. As Tim Harford reported in Slate:
English economist Andrew Oswald has shown that across European countries, and across U.S. states, high levels of home ownership are correlated with high levels of unemployment…. Renting your home and staying flexible do wonders for your chances of always finding an interesting job to do.
As for high levels of homeownership creating community, I’m not sure how you would measure that. All I know is that my family lives in one of the safest and most desirable census tracts in Seattle; as of the 2000 census, it consisted of 85% renters.
Why buy?
Am I saying nobody should buy a house? Of course not. There are plenty of situations where you would want to do so:
* You live in a place where the total monthly cost of renting is similar to borrowing. This is true in a lot of non-housing-bubbly places, outside of big cities and off the coasts. In that case, sure, why not?
* You really want to be able to renovate. Yes, this requires ownership. But be careful: renovation costs are almost never recouped when a house is sold. Also, people talk about the ability to customize as if this should be important to everyone. I just don’t care to get my hands dirty.
* The kind of house you want in the neighborhood you want isn’t available for rent. (This is unlikely to be the case in the present market, however).
* There’s a specific house you want, and you can afford to buy it with a big down payment and a boring 15- or 30-year fixed-rate mortgage.
Just because a house isn’t a good investment, in most cases, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t buy one. A steak isn’t a good investment, either. The problem is, houses cost more than steaks, and a lot of people are convinced that everyone should own one, whether they can afford it or not. If you can’t afford to buy real estate, or just don’t want to, don’t. It’s okay. You’re still a grownup.
Me? There isn’t anything I want out of my financial, social, or family life that requires me to own real estate. So I rent.
—
Hungry Monkey out now: http://hungrymonkeybook.com/
RelatedVic Mensa has shared the deep, dark and, therefore, Kanye West-approved video for "There's a Lot Going On," the introspective standout of his brand-new EP of the same name.
In the decidedly simple clip, the Chicago rapper stands in front of a white screen, seeming physically tortured as he cathartically spits out his story of mental illness, addiction and abuse. It ends with a shooter shooting 16 bullets around his body — a nod to "16 Shots," a song about police brutality also on There's a Lot Going On.
Mensa released There's a Lot Going On on Friday. He gave fans the option to download the album for free if they take a pledge to vote. That offer will be available until July 4 at Respect My Vote.
Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.Addressing the Critical Issues of Deep Learning in Medical Imaging
By Katie Pollitt, Senior Summit Creator - RE•WORK
March 24, 2017
Since being named as one of the top 10 breakthrough technologies of 2013, deep learning has hit the headlines repeatedly, with new applications emerging rapidly. In particular, deep learning techniques have proven to be powerful tools for a range of computer vision tasks, including medical imaging.
Accurate diagnosis of disease depends on the acquisition and interpretation of medical images, which is still usually undertaken by humans. Using machines instead is expected to leave less room for human error that is usually due to subjectivity, variations in expertise and opinion of interpreters, and fatigue in physicians.
With medical imaging accounting for approximately 90% of all medical data, the application of artificial intelligence to images for more efficient and accurate diagnosis could be a real game-changer. However, the technology is still relatively new, the challenges are to be expected.
At the 2017 Deep Learning in Healthcare Summit in London,, Lecturer in Medical Image Computing at Imperial College London, discussed some of the successes and draw-backs in applying deep learning to medical imaging. View his presentation with slides below.
View a selection of presentations from the 2017 Deep Learning in Healthcare Summit in London here, or contact Chloe [email protected] to sign up for a video membership.
The next Deep Learning in Healthcare Summit will take place in Boston on 25-26 May, alongside the annual Deep Learning Summit. Confirmed speakers include David Plans, CEO of BioBeats; Christhian Potes, Senior Scientist at Philips Research; Sergei Azernikov, Machine Learning Lead at Glidewell Laboratories; and Muyinatu Bell, Assistant Professor at John Hopkins University. View more speakers here. Early Bird passes are available until Friday 31 March. Book your place now.
Machine Learning Deep Learning AI Pattern Recognition Healthcare Deep Learning in Healthcare Summit MedTech Image Analysis Image Retrieval
0 CommentsIn Thunder Forged:
Iron Kingdoms Chronicles
The Fall of Llael Book One
Ari Marmell
320 pp • ISBN 978-1-61614-773-0
Paperback • $18.00
June 2013
Cover Illustration © Jon Sullivan
The first novels based upon the award-winning WARMACHINE® steam-powered fantasy wargame and the world of the Iron Kingdoms™ Role Playing Game! Action-packed steam-tech fantasy novels that combine elements of epic wartime adventure with thrilling cloak-and-dagger espionage
The Iron Kingdoms are at war—a war fought with machine guns and magic, knights of valor, and earth-shaking titans of steam and steel. And now that war may hinge entirely on nothing more than a sheaf of papers.
An alchemical formula, stolen by an ally they thought they could trust, could cost the brave soldiers of Cygnar everything. Their only hope: a cunning spy, a knight out of her element, and a frighteningly small unit of the best that Cygnar has to offer.
Arrayed against them is not only a single, devious enemy, but the combined intelligence apparatus—and possibly the full military might—of the most brutal martial power Cygnar has ever known.
Reviews
"If you're a fan of dark, gritty military fantasy, [this] is the book for you. Ari Marmell is a superb writer, and he's at the top of his game in this first volume of The Iron Kingdoms Chronicles…. Fresh and different. And highly addictive."
- Adventures Fantastic
"Marmell's characters are memorable and compelling, and his creativity and originality within the steampunk fantasy genre makes him a remarkable storyteller. This one is a keeper."
- Library Journal
Iron Kingdoms, WARMACHINE®, Privateer Press, and all related content © [2013] and/or ™ Privateer Press, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Used under license.For the aquatic dragon in Chinese mythology, see Jiaolong
A small model of Jiaolong submersible History China Name: Jiaolong In service: 2010 General characteristics Type: Deep-submergence vehicle Tonnage: 22 Length: 8 m (26 ft) Beam: 3 m (9.8 ft) Installed power: electric motor Test depth: 7,500 m (24,600 ft) Complement: 3
Jiaolong (simplified Chinese: 蛟龙号; traditional Chinese: 蛟龍號; pinyin: jiāolóng hào flood dragon) is a Chinese manned deep-sea research submersible that can dive to a depth of over 7,000 metres (23,000 ft). It has the second-greatest depth range of any manned research vehicle in the world; the only manned expeditions to have gone deeper were the dives of the Trieste bathyscaphe (10,916 metres (35,814 ft)) in 1960, Archimède (9,560 metres (31,360 ft)) in 1962, Deepsea Challenger (10,898 metres (35,755 ft)) in 2012 (with all three diving to Challenger Deep) and the Limiting Factor (8,370 meters (27,460 ft)) in December 2018 to the bottom of the Puerto Rico Trench.[1]
The general designer is Xu Qinan (徐芑南), a former professor at the School of Naval Architecture, Ocean and Civil Engineering (船舶与海洋工程学院) of Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU), who also designed many other Chinese submersibles and unmanned underwater vehicles. Xu is now an academician for the Chinese Academy of Engineering. The first deputy general designer is Cui Weicheng (崔维成), and the deputy general designer was Zhu Weiqing (朱维庆).
On June 27, 2012, the Jiaolong with two oceanauts reached a depth of 7,062 meters (23,169 feet) in the Mariana Trench in the western Pacific Ocean.[2] Previously, on June 19, 2012, the Jiaolong reached a depth of 6,965 metres (22,851 feet).[3] It had its first test in South China Sea between May 31 and July 18, 2010, reaching a depth of 3,759 metres (12,333 ft) with three crew.[4] On July 22, 2011, Jiaolong reached a depth of 4,027 metres (13,212 ft) in northeastern Pacific. The five-hour mission included chemical, physical and biological research. Seventeen dives have been completed.[5][6]
Besides China, other countries that have developed deep-water technology include the United States, France, Russia and Japan.[7][8]
See also [ edit ]Time for yet another easy and fun DIY Toy tutorial! Today I'm sharing one of our cardboard crafts, it's a super easy cardboard box bulldozer blade! As usual I've the tutorial below, including affiliate links.
My two year old son has many obsessions. Yesterday I told you about his Rocket Ship obsession. Today it's all about construction vehicles.
We have a whole host of toys and books that go along with (indeed, perhaps even fuel) this obsession.
We've got your standard construction vehicle toy set, Goodnight, Goodnight construction site, the CAT Shift and Spin Dump Truck and the Ultimate Construction Site Book looks crazy awesome but I don't think we are QUITE ready for it yet.
But one day I was relaxing over winter break and thought it would be fun to try to turn a cardboard box into a bulldozer blade. Because…why not?
We had transformed a cardboard box into something cool before when we made our Fine Motor Dashboard, which was a HUGE hit with the kids.
So here you go, the super simple tutorial.
Cardboard Box Bulldozer Blade
Materials:
Cardboard box (ours was a shallow Amazon box that a couple hardcover books came in, a shoe box might be even easier but I went with this.)
Box cutter
Safe cutting surface (cutting board)
Packing tape
Instructions:
Lay your box with one of the smaller flaps on your cutting surface. Cut off to corner of the flap, then cut out a hole for a handle. Turn the box over and do the same to the other short flap.
Wrap some packing tape around the handle part for durability and comfort. Now tape the smaller flaps down to the outside of the box, which means the handles will stick out past the bottom of the box.
Next cut ALMOST all of the longer flaps off- cut clear across the flap, about 1 inch from the fold where the flap meets the box. Now you are going to make the teeth of the blade. Snip lines in the remaining small flap all the way to the fold of the box. Next cut EVERY OTHER square off the box.
Aaand…..you're DONE! Easy. Fun. DO IT! Then tell me about it over on my Facebook Page! I'd love to see you cardboard craft creations too!
Check out these other recycled construction trucks:
If you liked this idea, please pin it and check out some of my other DIY Toys, which are usually made from recycled materials!MARAWI/MANILA (Reuters) - An air strike on Islamist rebels holed up in a southern Philippine city has killed 11 government troops, the armed forces said on Thursday, in a major blow for a military struggling to end its biggest internal security crisis in years.
The accident happened on Wednesday when one of two planes bombing rebel positions missed its target in the heart of Marawi City, where ground troops took on pro-Islamic State militants in a tenth day of fierce street battles.
Graphic: tmsnrt.rs/2r3K9Fe
The bombing error came during the first offensive deployment of fixed-wing aircraft in the operation, aimed at flushing out the Islamist gunmen who have defied expectations by clinging on through days of ground assaults and helicopter rocket attacks.
“Sometimes in the fog of war a lot of things could happen. Accidents happen, like this,” Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana told a news conference.
“It’s very sad to be hitting our own troops,” he added. “There must be a mistake somewhere, either someone directing from the ground, or the pilot.”
The little-known Maute group has been a fierce enemy of a military with superior firepower and greater troop strength.
The government fears the brazen attack and its resilience could strike a chord with the Islamic State leadership in the Middle East and win its endorsement as its Southeast Asian affiliate.
The deaths of the soldiers takes the number of security force members killed to 39, with 19 civilians and 120 rebel fighters killed in the Marawi battles.
Lorenzana said Saudi, Malaysian, Indonesian, Yemeni and Chechen militants were among eight foreigners killed, in what experts say is a sign the Philippines could become a regional hub for extremism that Manila may not have the capability to contain.
Graphic: tmsnrt.rs/2qVpzH5
An exodus of residents from mainly Muslim Marawi started on May 23, when the Maute rebels ran amok, torching and seizing buildings, capturing police weapons and vehicles, taking hostages, and freeing jailed rebels.
The military added 21 armored vehicles and a third battalion of troops to the operation on Thursday.
Lorenzana said air strikes might be suspended, describing the rebels as a small force that “cannot hold that long”.
HUMAN SHIELDS
Bombardments by OV-10 light attack aircraft were carried out for over an hour early on Thursday. Troops engaged rebel snipers, as helicopters circled, identifying targets.
A Philippine Marine fires his weapon towards the stronghold of Maute group in Marawi City, southern Philippines. REUTERS/Erik De Castro
The military said rebels were using women and children as human shields. Ghazali Jaafar, a leader of the Muslim separatist group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, appealed to the Maute to free Christians including a Catholic priest, Teresito “Chito” Soganub, being held hostage.
“This is what our religion Islam tells us, please, release him now, immediately,” he said on television.
The standoff is the biggest challenge of Rodrigo Duterte’s 11-month presidency. He fears Islamic State’s “terrible ideology” will spread on Mindanao, an island of 22 million people, and has warned it could become a haven for extremists fleeing Iraq and Syria.
Duterte said the Maute group was being given too much credit, and that the occupation of Marawi was the work of Islamic State, and planned long ago.
“The rebellion in Mindanao, it’s not Maute, it’s purely ISIS,” he said.
The air strikes are targeting locations where the military believes the so-called emir of Islamic State and point man in the Philippines, Isnilon Hapilon, could be hiding.
The capture or killing of Hapilon would be a much-needed boost for the military.
Islamic State flags around Marawi have been spotted by the media. Images have been circulated widely online of smiling fighters dressed in the black attire typical of Islamic State, posing with trophies that include stolen government weapons and armored vehicles hit by rocket-propelled grenades.
A video posted on the website of Islamic State’s Amaq news agency shows mostly young fighters, and the bodies of dead soldiers inside a vehicle. The authenticity could not be independently verified.
Slideshow (14 Images)
Military spokesman Restituto Padilla said the accidental bombing would not deter the government from defeating the militants.
“The risk... is very much in the heart of every soldier,” he said.
“He knows where we are entering into. But the mission continues.”Dave Batista (left): Photo Courtesy of Cesar Gracie and Quinn Shields
Dave Batista (right): Heather Rousseau/Splash News
Former World Wrestling Entertainment star Dave Batista started a two-day training stint with the Cesar Gracie camp Wednesday after Strikeforce helped facilitate the connection with the potential signee and the noted California gym.Gracie told Sherdog.com that Batista arrived this afternoon and worked out with former Strikeforce middleweight champion Jake Shields and rolled with welterweight champion Nick Diaz at the Cesar Gracie gym in Lodi, Calif.Gracie said that his initial read of the 41-year-old pro wrestler was that he is a “natural athlete.”“He’s got a lot to learn but his strength alone is impressive,” Gracie told Sherdog.com Wednesday evening. “Obviously he’s a beginner at jiu-jitsu but we can take a guy like that that’s already a strong athlete like that and teach him what to not get caught in.”Gracie said Batista, who grew up in Washington D.C., wrestled in high school and has some background in traditional martial arts standup fighting.“He’s a pretty good kicker,” said Gracie. “He hits very hard.”Gracie said he, Batista, training partner Imani Lee and Strikeforce matchmaker Rich Chou were to meet Wednesday evening to discuss a game plan to get Batista ready for a pro MMA fight.Strikeforce is negotiating with the multi-time Wrestlemania headliner to try his hand in MMA. A long-time fan of the sport, who has reportedly trained at the Affliction training facility in Los Angeles, Batista began talks with Strikeforce last month after ending a lucrative eight-year run with the WWE. Batista said in interviews that he had become disillusioned with the industry and has recently pursued film acting.“I did discuss it with him and he told me he was definitely interested in doing an MMA fight, so that’s the game plan and I think what we’re going to discuss is a training schedule and some serious hardcore training,” said Gracie. “I think they realized when they were training with my guys today, they were amazed.”Gracie said the connection started with Lee, who fought on the same Dream 14 card as Nick Diaz in May.“Nick and Imani, they started working, talking and working technique and then Imani expressed his desire to come up,” Gracie said.Batista and Lee tried to contact Diaz for several days after the event, Gracie said, but were unsuccessful. They went to Strikeforce for help reaching Gracie, and the promotion facilitated the connection.Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker has said he would be interested to see Batista tested in the MMA cage, and is particularly interested in matching him with another WWE alumnus in Bobby Lashley Gracie said he can see where promoters would be interested in Batista because he is “very charismatic, very self confident... definitely a presence.”Asked when he thinks Batista would be ready for a pro fight, Gracie said it would depend on who his opponent is.“You’re talking about a guy who is very powerful, very strong and an extremely hard worker, and if he can put it all together he could be a very formidable force,” he said. “And he’s at the right camp for that… Our camp is known for bringing people with nothing and making them into something. We like to make champs.”The Python Package Index commonly known as PyPI is a repository of software for the Python programming langauge. Every time you run pip install $PACKAGE you are using PyPI. In this post, you will learn how to continuously deploy your own Python packages to PyPI using git tags and CircleCI.
Over the last few weeks, I have been working on a Python wrapper for the CircleCI API. This project uses the same approach that we are going to be discussing here.
Dependencies
The only dependency that this approach requires outside of the standard Python library is the twine package.
Assumptions
This tutorial assumes the following things are true:
You have an account on PyPI. If not, it is easy to get started. You can register here. You have an environment variable in your project settings called PYPI_PASSWORD that refers to your PyPI password. You have a Python package that follows standard packaging guidelines. If not, Python provides some excellent documentation on how to package and distribute projects. You are using git tags to create a release. You are using CircleCI 2.0 with workflows.
Release Workflow
A high level release workflow is described below.
Once you are ready to cut a new release of your project, you update the version in setup.py and create a new git tag with git tag $VERSION. Once you push the tag to GitHub with git push --tags a new CircleCI build is triggered. You run a verification step to ensure that the git tag matches the version of my project that you added in step 1 above. CircleCI performs all of your tests (you have tests right?). Once all of your test pass, you create a new Python package and upload |
As we’re used to see for years, every time some popular companies like Samsung or Apple, are launching new products on the market, Chinese producers are ready to compete each other in order to build cloned devices that look just the same as the originals. At one time we also got to know about a couple of iPhone 4s devices built piece by piece.
Now, through a report unveiled by AnTuTu, we get to see some pretty interesting numbers relating this knock-off devices market. The table above reveals the fact that almost 68% out from the fake Android devices tested in AnTuTu until now, are Samsung and Xiaomi smartphones.
You must know that the most cloned Xiaomi device, is the Mi Note (31.82%), followed by the Xiaomi Redmi Note (12%). When it comes to Samsung, the most cloned phone is the Note 3 phablet (8.82%), while on the 2nd place is found the Note 4 with a 7.01% market share out of the Android knock-off market.
via: antutu.comCopyright by WPRI - All rights reserved Heath Hobson served nine years in the Army National Guard.
Copyright by WPRI - All rights reserved Heath Hobson served nine years in the Army National Guard.
NORTH ATTLEBORO, Mass. (WPRI) - Heath Hobson didn't need any outside motivation to return to the workforce after shrapnel nearly took his life in Iraq almost a decade ago, but his drive to get off permanent disability revealed an apparent crack in the healthcare system that he was told would cover him for life.
"The frustrating part is that no one is willing to look deeper into it and do anything about it," Hobson said. "It's pretty much, take it on the chin."
It was January 2007, just outside Baghdad. Sergeant Hobson had just returned from an Operation Iraqi Freedom mission, as part of the 101st Army National Guard.
Copyright by WPRI - All rights reserved This is the shrapnel that severed Hobson's leg.
Copyright by WPRI - All rights reserved This is the shrapnel that severed Hobson's leg.
"And almost exactly at 4 p.m., we got attacked by rockets," Hobson recalled. "A big piece of shrapnel just took me right out. Severed my right leg in half."
Surgeons saved his life and his leg. After 17 operations, some lasting 10 hours, Hobson was back on his feet, designated as medically retired and promised the military healthcare program, Tricare Prime. That meant no premiums, no co-payments and what Hobson would call "great coverage."
"The army said to me, 'Hey, you're a retiree. You get this for the rest of your life,'" he recalled.
While he was recovering at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Hobson was approached by the Social Security Administration and was soon receiving Social Security disability benefits. SSDI came with healthcare coverage from Medicare Part A and Medicare Part B, the second of which involved a small premium.
Hobson said SSDI and Medicare made sense at the time, but he also points out he never asked to be a part of either program.
"And I never intended to stay on it," Hobson said. "The way I looked at it, it's just a leg. My brain works. My hands work. Staying home on the couch just isn't me."
He enrolled at the University of Massachusetts Boston in September 2009 and graduated in December 2011. By the following April he was working full-time as Mansfield's veterans services officer, a post he held until he became program coordinator for the Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission.
MORE INFORMATION - LINK TO ASK TRICARE QUESTIONS
Ironically, Hobson's job is to help veterans secure their various benefits - but shortly after rejoining the workforce he discovered how difficult it would be to help himself.
Hobson said he checked with multiple federal agencies, including the Army and the Social Security Administration, and was told the same thing about paying the premium for Medicare Part B.
Copyright by WPRI - All rights reserved Hobson holds shrapnel that severed his leg.
Copyright by WPRI - All rights reserved Hobson holds shrapnel that severed his leg.
"They were saying, just don't pay your Medicare and you should be all set," Hobson said. "Tricare should pick you back up."
But it didn't.
Around 2013, he was getting billed for procedures he thought were covered.
"And I thought it was just a discrepancy, a mistake that they were sending me bills," Hobson said. "And so did everyone else from the federal agencies I was dealing with. I never got the proper direction on what to do."
As he dug deeper into what happened, he found out not many SSDI recipients leave the program.
"I was told 0.02 percent of anyone on disability ever returns to the workforce," Hobson said. "That being said, I'd say it was extremely rare."
He said he also found out something else no one told him. On the rare occasions when someone does return to work from permanent disability, they cannot withdraw from Medicare Part A for 93 months.
That is part of the Ticket to Work legislation that was put on the books in 2000 as an incentive to return to the workforce.
"I didn't need an incentive. All the representatives I spoke with said that I should be able to withdraw from Medicare and get back on Tricare," Hobson said. "They were wrong."
So now he is faced with what is truly an example of a Hobson's choice.
The first option: wait until next January to enroll again in Medicare Part B, which will mean paying a penalty and premiums that Hobson said will add up to about $11,000 by the time he's eligible for Tricare in 2020, after that 93-month period ends.
The alternative: continue with partial coverage and keep fighting for what he was promised - full coverage, no premiums, no co-payments.
Copyright by WPRI - All rights reserved Hobson underwent 17 operations.
Copyright by WPRI - All rights reserved Hobson underwent 17 operations.
"I was told I'd have Tricare for the rest of my life," Hobson said. "My wife and kids are on Tricare Standard, under me."
He emphasized one detail with an almost incredulous tone.
"They are under me," Hobson said. "I'm the sponsor, and I can't get on it."
Steve Richardson, the Social Security Administration's regional communications director, said he will make sure a local agent looks into Hobson's situation, adding that this is also an issue that clearly involves the Veterans Administration.
"In a situation like this, you need to be very clear with the VA. Do I need Part A and Part B?" Richardson said. "We can't stress that enough. But I don't speak for the VA and I will make sure we do everything we can to help in this case."
Emails requesting comment from Tricare have not been returned yet.
As for Hobson, he is just hoping his case will help others avoid what has been a three-year struggle.
"I'll keep fighting," Hobson said. "Until I can get someone to budge on it."So after viewing the good defensive plays from Week 1, let’s look at the bad plays. The Jets secondary was in shambles all year, and opposing teams repeatedly put up strong numbers against them. They had quite possibly one of the worst secondaries in the league, and major communication issues.
Failure:
1)
This is essentially pitch and catch for the Bengals. This defensive alignment shows a major lack of communication and understanding among the players. When the receiver to the left of the formation goes in motion, both Revis and Marcus Gilchrist take steps backwards. It should only be one of them, because the only reason Revis should be moving back is to protect the deep route. Instead, Gilchrist takes himself right out of the play, and Revis allows an easy completion to an elite receiver. If Gilchrist is moving deeper on the field, Revis has to stay on press man coverage since Gilchrist is his safety net over the top.
2)
A unique formation, which game pass later identifies as a “Barnyard Formation”, and the Jets are completely caught off-guard. The read for Dalton on this play is very easy, as he looks to his right and sees three players on offense with two defenders. There is no one else nearby to stop this play, so if they can just get decent blocking, this is going for big yards. The Jets show a clear lack of defensive acumen here by leaving someone as dangerous as AJ Green without a defender, and it comes back to bite them for a first down. This formation and play will come up later in this article, with very similar results.
3)
Here is a prime example of why the Jets need better secondary players, especially at safety. First, notice Marcus Williams going backwards, as Calvin Pryor moves forward. This was the counter movement we didn’t see in example 1 with the Jets. However, Pryor moves far too much up the field, leaving him trailing on this play. The play is busted partially because of this, since Williams now can’t switch to the TE running down the middle fast enough. Darron Lee does an OK job trying to stay with the TE, but it’s a very good throw by Dalton, which is then followed by a horrible job by Lee to tackle the runner. If Pryor isn’t as far up the field at the start of this play, there is a chance that Williams makes the move towards the center of the field faster. Notice Revis on the other side of the field in press man coverage, holding his own against AJ Green.
4)
For all the interceptions by Marcus Williams, there are too many plays such as these. In a crucial third down situation, the secondary has major miscommunication issues. Brandon LaFell moves prior to the snap, which completely throws off the defense. Calvin Pryor vacates the middle of the field for a blitz and Marcus Williams is left all alone. If the call is for a safety blitz, then Williams has to follow LaFell through the movement, because as it plays out, it seems like the Jets have man coverage called. There is no reason for Williams to stay back in this case and leave LaFell open to run through the middle of the field. Notice Revis on man coverage, and how AJ Green doesn’t have an easy reception available to him.
5)
Late movement, bad adjustment once more for the defense. This is a horrible play all around for the Jets. First, in a single high safety look with no immediate help, where is Marcus Williams moving to with the movement? He gives inside leverage, as if he’s expecting safety help in the intermediate area. Second, Revis is slow to react to the movement and watches AJ Green fly right by him. This is a prime example of Revis being a bad zone CB because he’s not quick in his reactions. He wins his match ups by being knowledgeable about routes in man coverage and mimicking them, but doesn’t do a good job to reacting for plays in zone coverage or off coverage. The only reason Revis is even close to the ball on this play is because Dalton hangs the ball in the air for too long. The safety on this play, Gilchrist is caught in no man’s land and makes himself promptly useless by covering absolutely no one. He sees an open receiver streaking in front of him, while an open receiver streaks right by him and decides to play it safe and stand in the middle. This is a disaster of a play with Dalton having multiple options of wide open receivers down the field.
6)
Marcus Williams gets burned again on this play. Another easy pitch and catch situation where the Jets decide to give up easy yards. On this play, Calvin Pryor moves up the field, as Williams moves backwards, but Pryor is too far inside to have an impact on the play. Williams is backing up because he no longer has intermediate help from Pryor so he has to concede the short pass to protect against the deep pass, but a veteran QB can dissect this game plan all day long. Pryor has to stay neutral on this play, because by moving up, he let Dalton know that he has an easy pass open on the outside. With Gilchrist on the other end, there is very little chance of Williams being aggressive on this short route. Once again, notice Revis not getting beat by AJ Green with press coverage.
7)
Remember this formation? Remember the match up issue last time with only two players to cover three offensive players? Well here we go again. The only reason this doesn’t go for more yards is because LaFell has horrible vision on this play and doesn’t go up the field when he had a chance to. Either way, the Jets got fooled by the same exact play twice in one half.
8)
Coming out of the two minute warning, the Bengals come out with triple receivers wide left. The Jets counter with two CBs and a deep safety. There is one in-line TE to the right side of the formation, but the defense assigns three players to defend him (who doesn’t even run a route). This is just a complete failure from an acumen stand point because there is absolutely nothing special about this play. By the time the safety gets close to the receiver, he would have gained about ten yards as the worst case scenario for the Bengals. Once again, Calvin Pryor is useless on this play as he’s too close to the line in a situation where he should be on the other side of the field or playing deep safety so Gilchrist can get closer to the third receiver.
9)
Did you notice the times where Revis was playing AJ Green on man coverage and doing a good job? Apparently the coaches didn’t, because they move him about eight yards off the line, and the Bengals are back to easy throws and catches. Again, Dalton is a bit late with this throw and it still doesn’t matter. This is just a terrible play call overall because the Jets give safety help over the top, but refuse to press the receiver, thus taking the safeties out of play.
10)
Same play, same result, only this time Green runs a bit further down the field to make sure he gets the first down. With safety help, why is Revis playing so far back? Green is a great receiver and he schools Revis on this play with this out route. Revis gets beat like a drum on plays where he isn’t in press coverage, but why do they still have him playing back?
11)
A lucky break for the Jets because AJ Green is gone on this play for a 93 yard TD if inexplicably doesn’t step out of bounds by taking a wide turn. Once again, Revis decides to back up off the line, which makes this play for the Bengals. It allows the slot receiver to engage the CB first, buying him enough time for other blockers to form behind him, thus enabling him to disengage and go after Revis next. This entire play is made by Revis backing up from the line. Once again, we have Calvin Pryor being useless on the other side of the field. AJ Green knows he should have taken this to the house and there is really no reason for him to run out of bounds here when he was in the clear.
12)
One of the biggest goals of a defense is to get the opposing offense in third and long situations. The Jets did just that in this case, and then completely fell apart because the Bengals quick snapped this ball and the entire defense was caught off-guard. It might be a side product of practicing with Fitzpatrick reciting social security numbers of his receivers, but they acted as if they didn’t know the ball could be snapped prior to some finger pointing. The Bengals took advantage of this situation, because it’s 3rd and long, so they are just looking for a one on one match up down the field, and throwing up a prayer. If it’s caught great, if it’s not then punt, and if it’s intercepted then it acts as a punt. Since these are the Jets, the receiver caught the ball for a first down. The two safeties looked like they were skipping backwards holding hands as the ball was snapped.
13)
Have you seen this before? Revis backing away, quick throw and catch from Dalton to Green? Once again, why?
14)
This isn’t a bad play, in fact it’s one of the better coverage schemes in the game. The Jets are playing with a single high safety with man coverage, and AJ Green simply beats Darrelle Revis. Sometimes, you just have to tip your cap to the opposition because they made a great play. This is a great throw and catch by the Bengals, and Revis has excellent coverage on this pass. Unfortunately, Green just makes a great catch to negate the coverage.
15)
Revis off the line, pitch and catch to Green? Yes.
16)
This play actually happens earlier in the game, but it’s another opportunity to show how the Jets were lucky to not give up another TD in this game. There is late movement by the TE from one side to the other, but the Jets do absolutely nothing to actually adjust for this play. They are once again caught in a disadvantage with a deep safety and two corners covering three receivers. David Harris comes from the middle to cover the TE, but he can’t stay with the TE with his lack of speed. Furthermore, Harris engages the TE and then looks towards the backfield, which allows the TE to run freely to the outside. A decent throw and this is an easy TD. The Jets once again, show a major lack of adjustment to late movement. Pryor was injured on the previous play, so Rontez Miles took his spot to be out of position on this play.
Conclusion:
The Jets were lucky to lose as closely as they did. The Bengals blew two touchdowns in this game, and consistently took advantage of the Jets miscommunication and lack of adjustments. The Jets defense almost looked as if they just weren’t prepared for the late movements from the Bengals, and the coverage choices were certainly befuddling. Darrelle Revis did a much better job in press coverage, but far too often they allowed him to move away from the line of scrimmage, making life easier for AJ Green and the Bengals. The safety play was atrocious in this game, and you can clearly see why the Jets invested two picks in the draft to make changes at safety.
Forum Questions:SEOUL - As nuclear-armed North Korea's missile stand-off with the US escalates, calls are mounting in the South for Seoul to build nuclear weapons of its own to defend itself -- which would complicate the situation even further.
The South, which hosts 28,500 US troops to defend it from the North, is banned from building its own nuclear weapons under a 1974 atomic energy deal it signed with the US, which instead offers a "nuclear umbrella" against potential attacks.
But with Pyongyang regularly threatening to turn Seoul into a "sea of flames" -- and nagging questions over Washington's willingness to defend it if doing so put its own cities in danger of retaliatory attacks -- the South's media are leading calls for a change of tack.
South Korea, which fought a war with the North that ended in a stalemate in 1953, is highly technologically advanced and analysts estimate it could develop an atomic device within months of deciding to do so.
"Now is time to start reviewing nuclear armament," the Korea Herald said in an editorial on Friday.
After Pyongyang conducted two successful tests of an intercontinental ballistic missile last month, putting much of the mainland United States within reach, the paper warned: "Trust in the nuclear umbrella the US provides to the South can be shaken."
It urged Washington to deploy some of its atomic weapons to South Korea if it did not want to see a nuclear-armed Seoul.
The US stationed some of its atomic weapons in the South following the 1950-53 Korean War, but withdrew them in 1991 when the two Koreas jointly declared they would make the peninsula nuclear-free.
But Pyongyang carried out its first nuclear test in 2006, and formally abandoned the deal in 2009.
Tensions have soared in recent months, with US President Donald Trump this week warning of "fire and fury" against Pyongyang, which threatened missile strikes near the US territory of Guam.
The North's military chief Ri Myong Su responded by saying that if the US continued in its "reckless" behaviour, Pyongyang would "inflict the most miserable and merciless punishment upon all the provokers".
The latest war of words between Trump and the North -- ruled by young leader Kim Jong-Un -- unnerved many in the South, even though it has become largely used to hostile rhetoric from its neighbour.
A conflict between the North and the US could have devastating consequences for Asia's fourth-largest economy, with Seoul within range of Pyongyang's vast conventional artillery forces.
"A catastrophe is looming," the South's top-selling Chosun daily said in an editorial this week.
"All options, even those considered unthinkable so far, must be on the table."
'Balance of terror'
The North has staged a total of five atomic tests -- including three under Kim -- as it seeks to develop a nuclear-tipped missile capable of hitting the continental US.
A survey last year -- even before tensions reached a crescendo -- showed about 57 percent of South Koreans supported the idea of nuclear armament, with 31 percent opposing it.
"We need to have our own military options to overwhelm the North," the Korea Economic Daily said in an editorial this week, calling for a nuclear weapon to ensure a "balance of terror" and prevent Pyongyang from attacking the South.
But a South Korean bomb would infuriate Pyongyang, which says it needs nuclear weapons to defend itself against the threat of invasion, and make bringing it to the negotiating table even harder.
"The so-called 'balance of terror' would only turn the Korean peninsula into the hotbed of a nuclear arms race, not a peaceful peninsula," said Yang Moo-Jin, professor at the University of North Korea Studies in Seoul.
It could also trigger a "nuclear domino" in Asia, pushing others such as Tokyo and Taipei to seek their own arsenals, he added.
"Japan, in particular, would welcome it with open arms, because it provides a perfect excuse to revise its pacifist constitution and build its own nuclear weapons for'self-defence'," he said.
Seoul's defence chief Song Young-Moo said recently the South was "fully capable" of building its own nuclear weapon but was not considering the option for now.
Atomic arms are not the only way Seoul can step up its defences.
Song is pushing for the development of nuclear-powered submarines, although doing so also requires consent from the US.
South Korean President Moon Jae-In has also urged limits on Seoul's missiles to be loosened in a conversation with Trump.
At present, Seoul is allowed to possess ballistic missiles with a range of 800 kilometres and payload of 500 kilogrammes. It wants the weight limit raised to 1,000 kilogrammes, and the Pentagon said Monday it was "actively" considering the revision.Funded by Colorado, Penn researcher studies marijuana as PTSD treatment
People "celebrating" 4/20 at the Biopond. Rollin' fatties, smokin blunts. Who smokes the blunts? We smoke the blunts. Rollin' blunts and smokin um'People "celebrating" 4/20 at the Biopond. Rollin' fatties, smokin blunts. Who smokes the blunts? We smoke the blunts. Rollin' blunts and smokin um' Credit: Zachary Wasserman, Zachary Wasserman
Colorado is offering almost $8 million in grant funding for medical marijuana research — and a Penn professor is leading the way to determine whether the drug could be a solution for patients with post-traumatic stress disorder.
Perelman School of Medicine researcher and faculty member Marcel Bonn-Miller is coordinating several studies investigating the effects of marijuana on PTSD. Bonn-Miller leads the largest two of eight studies made possible by a recent $7.6 million grant from the state of Colorado.
“Lots of state governments have realized that there isn’t enough research to inform such decisions,” Bonn-Miller said when discussing his research on marijuana as a potential reliever of PTSD symptoms. “And that’s partly — in my understanding — the drive for Colorado to fund this research. Because there’s not enough evidence to make a decision one way or another.”
Although both studies focus on marijuana’s effect on PTSD symptoms, they differ considerably. The first is divided between two separate sites in Phoenix and at Johns Hopkins University and consists of 76 veterans with severe PTSD. This study compares three different strains of marijuana for symptom relief.
Bonn-Miller and his team will use questionnaires and other physiological indicators of physical and mental health to track any effects produced by the administered drug over the course of the study, and researchers will continue to track the participants for six months afterwards.
The second study, which is much larger, takes place in Denver and is largely observational. This study consists of 150 participants with PTSD and offers a real-world look at marijuana use. Half of the participants will have a history of use and will have already been obtaining marijuana on their own. Each participant from this group will be paired with a non-user who has experienced similar circumstances. These pairs will be tracked and compared for a year.
“We’re matching types of trauma,” Bonn-Miller said. “So someone who got their PTSD from military service and had been using marijuana … would be paired with someone with PTSD from military service who was a non-marijuana user.”
In a medical research landscape where chemical components of marijuana are increasingly valued as potentially beneficial agents, these studies are highly relevant. A study taking place at several children’s hospitals throughout the state of Pennsylvania, for instance, has been investigating marijuana’s ability to treat epileptic seizures in children.
“Currently, there are a lot of people asserting that marijuana has established medical benefits in the absence of controlled research,” said associate professor at Johns Hopkins Ryan Vandrey, who is a leader at the Johns Hopkins research site. “I think that’s mistaken, and that’s something we’re trying to address. A lot of people are telling others, ‘Hey, if you’ve got PTSD, marijuana is really helpful,' but there’s no scientific data for that. It’s all anecdote. So our interest is trying to put some science behind that argument.”
Beyond the question of efficacy, researchers must consider possible negatives to medical marijuana use. Among these are panic and anxiety, which are particularly troubling in those with PTSD because they can escalate under the influence of marijuana.
And yet in a medical setting that offers few treatment options for sufferers of severe PTSD, some individuals have already sought marijuana as a relief mechanism.
“We were looking at people with PTSD to try to determine why it is they use marijuana,” Bonn-Miller said. “And we found a lot of people use it for coping reasons — to try to cope with their symptoms … particularly symptoms of poor sleep as well as hyperarousal.”
If data from these studies shows that marijuana is as effective in treating these symptoms as some users believe it to be, it could change the face of PTSD treatment.
Ultimately, though, the researchers have no objective or expectation for the studies beyond the collection of high-quality data.
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“I think this research study is important in establishing, through really good methodology, the real value of marijuana in this particular medical condition,” Vandrey said. “It’s really our mission to objectively evaluate the safety and efficacy of using marijuana in this context.”
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Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.The pieces of multi-tonal stone used to construct this spa resort in southwest China by Kengo Kuma give the complex a pixelated appearance (+ slideshow).
The 59,000-square-metre Yunfeng Spa Resort, designed by Kengo Kuma and his Tokyo-based firm, terraces down a mountain outside the city of Tengchong in China's Yunnan Province.
The resort is constructed from varieties of locally quarried stone, which are fitted together like a mosaic to form the walls and pitched roofs of each of the spa complex's buildings.
The stones range in colour from light grey to green and dark grey and are arranged so that some pieces protrude away from the surfaces.
The same pattern is replicated on a paved walkway that runs through the centre of the development.
Related story Kengo Kuma anchors Japanese textile showroom to the ground with carbon-fibre threads
"There is a mountain called Yunfengshan to the west of the site, which is known as a sacred place of Taoism," said Kengo Kuma. "So we arranged the buildings as if to follow the current of the'spirit' coming down from the mountain."
"By working on the local stones, we tried to express the power of the earth in the architecture we designed," he said.
Courtyard gardens containing small plunge pools with hewn-stone edges and matching patios are set into the centre of each of the residential chalets that populate the scheme.
A larger communal building with a tiered stone roof structure has glazed walls that overlook a larger pool of water.
Shrubs and trees are planted in front of the chalets and along the edge of footpaths, helping the scheme blend with the heavily forested mountains that surround it.
Kengo Kuma, who controversially replaced the late Zaha Hadid as the designer of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic stadium late last year, is also working on a new outpost for the V&A museum in Dundee and a cave-shaped musuem in the Philippines.
Among the firm's most recently completed projects are a suite of tile-covered galleries at the China Academy of Arts and an "amoeba-shaped" art centre with a facade of porous aluminium panels near Shanghai.I wish with all my heart that I had a writing schedule, but whenever I manage to have such a schedule, I get a bout of insomnia that throws it completely off.
My macropattern as a writer is that when I launch a novel, I get about five chapters or fifty pages into it, then take a break to let all the new stuff that came up gel as I discover how my plans and outlines need to be altered. After a week or so, I return to the novel and finish it in one intense rush that lasts between three and five weeks, depending on the length of the novel.
My micropattern is that early on, I can only do one writing session a day - three or four hours, however long it takes to write an entire chapter (or a part of a chapter, ending at a climactic moment). Later on, I will break into a new pattern of two sessions a day, one right after I get up in the morning, and then - after exercise or errands, something to take my mind off writing and get me away from the computer, I come back for a second session. Usually these "two-a-days" take longer than 24 hours, so that my "morning" session moves into the afternoon, my "evening" session into the small hours of the morning. Very strange and disruptive. Fortunately, my family lets me haunt the house like a ghost during those writing periods, knowing that Dad comes back to the real world between novels...A bill sent to Oregon Gov. Kate Brown attempts to crack down on police racially profiling citizens. It drew controversy late in the legislative process when Democrats amended it to make possession of small amounts of heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine misdemeanors instead of felonies to encourage drug treatment.
The abnormally warm, dry weather that parked itself over southern Oregon and much of the Northwest last winter could usher in a doozy of a fire season. Collaborative restoration projects aim to mitigate that danger, but money is scarce and huge swaths of the state are at risk. This map, based on an analysis of forest restoration needs by The Nature Conservancy and the U.S. Forest Service, shows how much forestland in each watershed requires restoration work.
More from this Project³ Description
Delicious chocolate coated peanut butter protein bars, these can't be beat!
² Ingredients
100 g Sweet or Dark Chocolate
1/2 cup Milk
1 serving (serving = 2 tbsp) Jif Creamy Peanut Butter
1 tablespoon Cocoa Powder
1 serving (serving = 1/4 cup) Trader Joe's Just Almond Meal
1 serving (serving = 1 scoop) Optimum Nutrition 100% Whey Protein Powder Gold Standard - Extreme Milk Chocolate
q Directions
1. Mix the first 5 ingredients in a bowl until you get a thick paste-like batter. Divide the batter into 6 portions and shape into bars. Chill in the freezer for a few minutes to harden up a bit.
2. Melt the chocolate slowly over a double boiler. Once melted, add bars one at a time to coat. Stick back in the freezer and enjoy once the chocolate has hardened!
You can also sub in oat or coconut flour for the almond meal, and any other favorite protein powder flavor you like or have on hand.
Recipe Provided by rachelilyCongressman wants hearings on Army recruiting scandal David Edwards and Muriel Kane
Published: Thursday August 7, 2008
Print This Email This A Houston congressman is angry after learning that an Army recruiter in his district lied to a student who had changed his mind about enlisting and threatened he would be arrested as a deserter. KHOU 11 news, which first reported the story last week, has found that the problem is not confined to Houston. In fact, "citations for recruiter wrongdoing have nearly doubled over the past several years, and complains are up too." "That's not what our country's about," Rep. Gene Green told KHOU. "There's a problem with the system in the Army." Green has written a letter to the Pentagon and also intends to ask the House Armed Services Committee to investigate or hold hearings. There are two Texans on that committee, and Green plans to get both of them involved. Green appeared on the syndicated program Democracy Now! on Thursday morning and was particularly concerned that the recruiter involved in a similar incident in Houston three years ago had actually been promoted to station commander following the incident. Douglas Smith of the US Army Recruiting Headquarters told Democracy Now!, "Just because someone has done something wrong doesn't mean that they get the death penalty." "There's a difference between the death penalty and a promotion," replied Democracy Now! host Amy Goodman. "He was actually promoted after this.... What was the negative penalty?" "I'm not allowed to tell you," Smith replied. "That's covered under Army regulations." "And that," KHOU reported, "fired up the congressman enough for him to send off this letter to the Secretary of the Army demanding to know 'why more was not done' and 'what steps the Army will take to ensure this does not happen again.'" This video is from KHOU 11 News, broadcast August 7, 2008.
Download videoThe best way to get a child to say the /r/ sound is whatever way works. Having said this, there are strategies that promote quicker acquisition of /r/. How to Teach a Child to Say the “R” Sound in 15 Easy Lessons, focuses on lifting the tongue tip up and back. A second popular approach is to retract the back of the tongue so that it humps while the front of the tongue slides back along the floor of the mouth. However, neither of those will work if one important element is missing—tongue tension.
Tongue tension is a difficult concept for a child under the age of 10 to grasp. Using other terms, such as strong or tight, can be helpful but may miss the mark. So, how does one convey the concept of tension? I suggest using proprioceptive feedback. This can be easily accomplished by asking the child to show you how she makes a strong muscle with her arm. From there, you can explain that the tongue is just one big muscle and it can be strong like the arm muscle. This is where the choice of approaches comes in. I like to have the child raise the tongue tip up and back because it resembles what was done with the arm (forearm coming up and back). Once the child’s tongue is in the correct position, I tell the child to make her tongue really strong. Now we should have the tension needed for /r/!One of the technology world’s most notorious providers of surveillance and intrusion software has found itself on the wrong end of an embarrassing hack.
A range of sensitive documents belonging to Italy-based Hacking Team, which is known for working with governments worldwide, appeared to leak out over the weekend, including email communications and client lists. The hackers, who remain unidentified at this time, also took over the group’s Twitter account, using it to post screenshots of emails and other details, as CSO first reported.
Hacking Team is a mysterious organization which has long been thought to sell tracking and hacking software to governments, particularly those in developing markets. The organization describes itself as providing “effective, easy-to-use offensive technology to the worldwide law enforcement and intelligence communities”. One tool that it is known to offer is Davinci, a service marketed at law enforcement organization that can purportedly access SMS, emails, web browsing and more to locate specific targets.
Last year, the organization denied selling technology to “any repressive regime” following a report from a report from Citizen Lab, but early leaks of the files — which weigh it at over 400GB — appear to show government contracts with Kazahkstan, Sudan, Russia, Saudi Arabia and others.
Hacking Team never sold to Sudan? Here's the instructions for the 480,000 Euro wire transfer. cc @hackingteam pic.twitter.com/JqexHpvb3s — Eva (@evacide) July 6, 2015
In addition, it seems that the company also sold software to private companies. That was something that it denied doing in the past.
Yup, I guess @hackingteam really did sell their RCS Exploit software to private companies in Brazil. pic.twitter.com/1ZYLiwC5LX — John Adams (ネッリク) (@netik) July 6, 2015
Further email correspondence appears to show Hacking Team acknowledge that it supplied technology to Ethiopian authorities which was subsequently used to spy on journalists and activists, per another report from Citizen Lab.
In an apparent leaked note posted to Twitter, Hacking Team COO Giancarlo Russo acknowledged the potential that the client had abused its software, but appeared to bury any concerns around ethics by explaining that a flag had been raised by “two of the newest guys… who may be frightened by this kind of press.”
https://twitter.com/hackingteam/status/617968539106979840
A further list, posted to Pastebin, claims to show the organization’s client list, which includes government agencies from Australia, Egypt, Malaysia, Mexico, Singapore, Spain, Thailand, Turkey and UAE. The Verge reported in 2013 that Hacking Team made a major push to lure U.S.-based clients, and according to this list, the FBI and Drug Enforcement Agency had engaged Hacking Team’s services at one point.
Many of the security community may |
warm bathwater. Mine took about 20 seconds, but who knows what kind of crap equipment you have on your ship. Just test it with a finger. Not too hot, or else you’ll kill the yeast. You don’t want to do that. Those beasties are your only friends, now. Dump the yeast and milk into a bowl and halfheartedly mix them up. Go press your ear against the bulkheads or feel the floor for vibrations for the next 10 minutes. When you come back, the yeast will have bloomed into a healthy colony, unlike those poor bastards on LV-426.
And hey, if you can't deal with baked goods, there are low-carb, easy-assembly options: Alien facehugger eggs, below. Cucumbers, eggs, and some herbs and spices. The instructions crack me up:
Now gently slide your egg into the cucumber mount. Arrange these on a dark plate in order to create a diorama of the alien hatchery. Our still images from the Arcadia appeared to include coarse salt and sriratcha hot sauce, though one of our analysts jokingly suggested it looked more like the eggs were dressed in briny tears and fresh blood. There may have been some unexpected trauma when the eggs hatched. Share these alien eggs with your fellow crew members and the colonists of LV-426, which they have apparently decided to rename Acheron. Remember, if you see anything like this when scouting the best sites for the first colonial drop, do not approach. Summon one of the ship’s androids, as they can neither be infected nor spread disease to the innocent young of a new species.
(via the Boing Boing Facebook page)
Photo: kitchenoverlord.comPROVIDENCE, R.I. — Tina Demers says she received no prior warning. So when her West End house began shuddering late Friday night and her neighbor’s plastic lawn furniture flew about the yard and the thunderous dark aircraft crept over the treetops, there was a moment of terror.
“Initially, I was very scared,” said Demers, 70, of 95 Harrison St.
Eventually at least two Army helicopters landed in Dexter Field two blocks away. They were part of nighttime military exercises that began around 10 p.m. in several locations around the state — including in Pawtucket and Newport — that rattled the nerves of those without prior notice.
In Providence the exercises included special operations soldiers on the ground around the Cranston Street Armory, just south of Dexter Field, and simulated weapons explosions that neighbors described as sounding like loud compression grenades.
“I got home about 9:45 and had just sat down when I heard this unbelievable noise,” said Risa Gilpin, 68, of 18 Harrison St. “I was sure that a plane had gone down in South Providence.”
Gilpin said she did not receive any prior notification, either. “I’m very curious to know why they were doing this,” she said. “I’ve never heard of military maneuvers in a neighborhood.”
Capt. Mark A. Incze, a spokesman for the Army, did not return repeated phone calls and emails Monday.
Col. Peter J. Parente, a spokesman for the Rhode Island National Guard, said the Army alerted media outlets earlier last week of the exercises. And in Providence, Army personnel and local police went “door to door” alerting neighbors around the armory.
But in a city as densely settled as Providence, “it’s impossible to notify everybody,” Parente said. “That’s why they [the Army] were adamant about including in that press release their apologies” for any possible disturbance. “And you could see this could be an unsettling situation” for the uninformed.
Kevin Kugel, Providence’s Emergency Management Agency coordinator, said Army and police officials did indeed go around “to all the restaurants and businesses within eyesight of the armory and talked to them and left a flier” prior to Friday’s exercises.
Kugel said the city also sent out its own automated phone message about two hours prior to the exercises notifying residents that the training was “routine” and not because of any specified threat.
“I know because of the proximity to urban areas and the need for them to train, especially with their night vision equipment, the concern was if you end up with a lot of spectators, with cameras and flashlights, it defeats the purpose of the training,” said Kugel.
“I do know that this particular exercise occurs across the country on a regular basis,” Kugel said.
According to newspaper accounts, similar training took place last year in Boston, in Worcester and Plainville, Mass., in 2012, and in Connecticut and Maine locations in recent years as well.
Parente said the Army goes around the country using varied locations — “rural, urban, close to the coast — so it really tests the training of the folks involved.”
With 16 years of ongoing war, “the military does get real world experience all the time,” said Kugel. “But if you don’t get training before your get real-world experience, a lot more soldiers don’t come home.”
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On Twitter: @mooneyprojoSome very important news is kept out of spotlight and undeservedly so. Bits of information pieced together indicate that very quietly the North Atlantic alliance is gearing up for large-scale combat operations. War preparations are not limited to weapon systems deployments and troop movements that hit headlines. No combat can be waged without logistics.The US Army official website informs that the US European Command (EUCOM) Logistics Directorate (ECJ4), other EUCOM directorates, NATO allies and partners, and the Joint Logistics Enterprise (JLEnt) are effecting an unprecedented security transformation. They are transitioning from being focused on assurance through engagement to being a warfighting command postured for deterrence and defense. Throughout fiscal year 2017, 28 joint and multinational exercises in 40 European countries, the buildup of four NATO Enhanced Forward Presence (EFP) multinational battlegroups in the Baltics, and overlapping deployments of rotating armored brigade combat teams and combat aviation brigades will test, validate, and offer proof of principle for these infrastructure and organic capability investments.NATO Exercise Saber Guardian 17, a US Army Europe-led, multinational exercise, took place in Bulgaria, Hungary, and Romania on July 11 - 20, 2017 with 25,000 troops and forces from 24 countries. The event demonstrated the increased scope and complexity of war games. The drills were conducted against the background of this year's rotational deployment of more than 4,500 troops in the Baltic states of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, as well as Poland. 2nd Cavalry Regiment soldiers are already operating as a deterrent force roughly 100 miles from Poland’s border with the Russian military enclave of Kaliningrad.Citing the lessons learned from the training event, US Army Lieutenant General Ben Hodges, commander of US Army Europe, emphasized in an interview the importance of NATO logistics. According to him, progress is evident but much remained to be done to ease the movement of military equipment and forces across Europe in the event of a real crisis, and Germany could play a crucial role. Hodges noted that Berlin could ensure guaranteed rail access as part of its bid to boost military spending from around 1.2 percent of gross domestic product to the 2 percent NATO target.The military leader underscored the importance of creating a military free transit zone modeled on the 1996 Schengen agreement to allow free forces movements across the borders of European NATO members.Meanwhile, construction works are in full swing to enable Poland to host combat-ready stocks at the 33rd Air Base, operated by the Polish Air Force. Powidz, a village with a population of 1,000, is to become a strategically important NATO hub for the Baltics and all of Northern Europe. The plans include the delivery of more than a brigade’s worth of military vehicles, equipment, artillery and personnel. In April, Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges described it as the "center of the center of gravity."Over the next two years, $70 million will be spent on 77 military infrastructure and improvement projects for both US Army and US Air Force operations. An additional $200 million in NATO funds will be spent for the US Army Corps of Engineers to construct a new storage site and warehouse facility in Powidz. Poland’s increasing importance is the result of a combination of factors, Hodges said, including geography and existing hubs, such as the NATO Enhanced Forward Presence unit in the country’s northeast. "Any contingency we have to deal with, we’ll almost certainly have to come through Poland," he noted US European Command Chief Gen. Curtis M. Scaparrotti is planning for an expanded military presence in Europe to eventually include a full US Army division. If that happens, even on a rotational basis, the Army would likely need more facilities for basing forces.In May, US Army Europe announced that it had established a new tactical headquarters in Poznan, Poland. The goal is to enhance the mission command of US rotational forces and units assigned to US Army Europe conducting operations where no significant military presence had been previously maintained.So, Poland is in focus of the infrastructure efforts but the plans go much further. The Estonian town of Tapa, which sits at an important railway junction, is located less than 150km (93 miles) from the Russian border. It has recently become the base for a NATO battle group, in accordance with the Enhanced Forward Presence concept approved at the Warsaw summit in 2016. It envisions multi-national battle groups deployed in each of the three Baltic States and another in Poland. General Sir Nicholas Patrick "Nick" Carter, the head of the British Army as Chief of the General Staff said "We would very much like to test the land line of communication from our mounting bases in Germany, forward into the Baltics, and we would absolutely like to test what it would be like bringing in reinforcing capabilities - the signature equipment that are appropriate to show how you would reinforce and to understand what would happen."In 2016, Poland and the Baltic States reached an agreement to link Poland, Finland and the Baltic States with the unified Trans-European Transport Network (NRA) that will be crucial to the defense of the Baltic States. A continuous rail link named "Rail Baltica" from Tallinn to Warsaw (Poland), via Kaunas (Lithuania) and Riga (Latvia) will lead to significant logistical implications for the NATO Thomas Durell Young, a program manager at Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, California, and a staff consultant at the RAND Corporation, has recently published a book, titled Anatomy of Post-Communist European Defense Institutions. He believes that the "new" members of the alliance - Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic, the three Baltics States, Bulgaria, Romania, Slovakia, and some of the republics that emerged out of Yugoslavia - need to radically transform their "ineffectual legacy logistics organizations " with the help of "old" members of the alliance. Professor Young emphasizes the importance of reform as a potential war with Russia would "almost certainly" start in Central or Eastern Europe.The rapid creation of logistics infrastructure and some other factors, such as militarization of the Scandinavian Peninsula, fit into a bigger picture of NATO war preparations in East Europe and the Baltics. These are not steps of defensive nature. The goal is to acquire the ability to move substantial forces to the areas close to Russia’s borders gearing up for offensive operations in an armed conflict.Reprinted with permission from Strategic Culture FoundationBorderline personality disorder usually goes away over time, but patients can be left with lingering "scars" that continue to hold them back in life, according to a major study on the disorder published Monday.
Borderline personality disorder is a severe condition marked by chronic difficulties with mood and emotional control, relationships and self-image. Therapists often dislike treating such patients because they seem to defy treatment at times. "[A] firmly entrenched pessimism about the prognosis of patients with BPD has persisted," noted the authors of a new study, published in the Archives of General Psychiatry.
However, the study, a 10-year project conducted by some of the leading experts in borderline personality disorder in the United States, yielded some surprising findings. Researchers studied 111 patients with borderline personality disorder, 114 with obsessive-compulsive personality disorder and 62 with major depression for more than 10 years. All the patients had sought treatment for their problems. The study found 85% of the people with BPD experienced remission and only 12% of those patients relapsed. The relapse rate was lower than for either major depression or other personality disorders.
"What is evident appears clinically counterintuitive: Patients with BPD improve symptomatically more often, more quickly and more dramatically than expected and, once better, maintain improvements more enduring than for many other major psychiatric disorders," wrote the authors, led by Dr. John Gunderson of McLean Hospital and Harvard University.Small Retailers Prepare For Ban On Flavored Cigarettes
Enlarge this image toggle caption Shia Levitt Shia Levitt
Starting Tuesday, cigarette manufacturers and retailers will be banned from making or selling candy-, spice- and fruit-flavored cigarettes owing to a provision in the new Tobacco Control Act.
Public-health advocates are optimistic that the new federal law could help reduce smoking rates nationwide, especially among youth.
But small-business owners — in particular, proprietors of cigarette shops — are frustrated about having to abide by another regulation.
At Smoke Scene convenience store in midtown Manhattan, manager Ali Hassan pulls down some packages of flavored cigarettes. They're all products he will no longer be allowed to sell after midnight.
"They come in cherry, chocolate, vanilla flavor," Hassan says. "The cloves come in cherry, chocolate, vanilla, 10 different types of cloves."
For the past couple weeks, Hassan has been telling his customers the news.
"Most of the smokers don't know about it, so I more likely have to tell them that it'll be banned on the 22nd," he says. "I had a couple customers that, you know, bought a lot. Some of the others, they decided that it's time for them to quit."
Mini-Cigars: The Replacement For Banned Cigarettes?
Since the Tobacco Control Act passed in June, some manufacturers have acted fast to try to retain their customers. One strategy is to promote new products such as the flavored mini-cigars on the shelf behind Hassan's counter.
Cigarettes taste horrible. These do not taste as horrible. They just don't.
"They're little cigars," Hassan says. "It will be the replacement to the cigarettes, clove cigarettes. It's a new product that just came out."
The mini-cigars are packaged almost identically to the clove cigarette packs, only smaller. One store was giving away single smokes from free sample packs a distributor sent.
But the Food and Drug Administration will soon be reviewing the new products to decide whether they are subject to the flavor ban.
In the meantime, some of Hassan's customers, such as Dese'Rae Stage, will be difficult to convert. Stage has been smoking clove cigarettes since she was 15.
"I like the smell of them," Stage says. "And once I started smoking when I got my friends to buy 'em for me, I liked the taste of them and that was that. I mean, cigarettes taste horrible. These do not taste as horrible. They just don't."
But she doesn't feel the same way about the new clove mini-cigars, which she finds too harsh and irritating. So she says while she may buy a couple extra packs of the cigarettes before Tuesday, she's unlikely to switch to the cigars.
"I'm in the minority," Stage says. "But I'll probably quit."
'It's Destroying Us'
Flavored cigarettes make up just a small percentage of convenience store sales and profits, but people who stop in for cigarettes may buy other items as well, like a drink or a snack. And in places like Manhattan, it's hard to see the flavor ban in a vacuum.
Smoke shop manager Sami Mohammed says the flavor ban is just one of many local, state and national restrictions that are hurting his bottom line.
"It's destroying us — it's rocking the smoke shops," he says. "It's killing us — banning all flavored cigarettes — as well the increase on taxes."
One small relief for retailers is that menthol-flavored cigarettes are still legal — for now. But the FDA has called for independent study on how to best regulate them.
FDA officials see the flavor ban as a symbolic first step in addressing the problem of youth smokers.
"It's generally acknowledged that these types of flavors may be more attractive to kids and sort of help get them over the hump of the harshness of smoking until the addiction kicks in," says Joshua Sharfstein, FDA principal deputy commissioner. "So by taking away some of these fruity flavors, it will make cigarettes less appealing to the young."
And there are more rules coming. The rest of the act's restrictions won't go into effect until at least next year.On Media Blog Archives Select Date… December, 2015 November, 2015 October, 2015 September, 2015 August, 2015 July, 2015 June, 2015 May, 2015 April, 2015 March, 2015 February, 2015 January, 2015
While Bernie Sanders supporters were the least likely to watch cable news Marco Rubio supporters were most likely to watch cable news. | Getty Study: Sanders supporters are least likely to watch cable news
A new study on the media habits of voters found that Bernie Sanders supporters are some of the least likely among candidates' supporters to watch cable TV in general, and cable news in particular.
About 85 percent of those who identified at Sanders supporters in the Katz Media/Nielsen Scarborough Research Panel study said they watched cable TV in general (both entertainment and news channels), compared with 87 percent of Hillary Clinton supporters. For Marco Rubio, 92 percent of his supporters cited cable television — the highest among decided voters — whereas 89 percent of Donald Trump supporters used cable. Only 32 percent of Sanders supporters said they watch any of the cable news channels. Rubio supporters were most likely to watch cable news with 59 percent saying they do so.
Trump and Rubio supporters use the Internet more than other sources of media, with 92 percent of Trump supporters and 97 percent of Rubio supporters using the Internet. Ted Cruz had 96 percent of his supporters using the Web while undecided voters were at 93 percent.
Undecided Republicans and Democrats were more likely to use the radio than any other medium.
The study was conducted Jan. 25 to Feb. 22 based on interviews with 3,000 registered voters and 1,802 likely primary goers from Colorado, Texas, Virginia, Florida, Illinois, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.This is the first part of a three-part series that examines where the 2016 U.S. presidential candidates stand on net neutrality.Net neutrality
is the most important political issue facing the cord cutting world right now. When we connect our computers to the internet and browse it freely, we're enjoying the “neutral net” – an internet that doesn't restrict us from any particular sites.
But that's not how some companies would like the internet to be. ISPs could make more more money if they were allowed to block off certain websites and charge users more to access them. A non-neutral net might look something like this scary image created by a Reddit user. And even if plans like this never come to fruition, ISPs can still sneakily try to make more money off of certain sites by using tactics like data caps to charge users more for high-bandwidth sites.
The FCC has been relatively kind to net neutrality proponents under President Obama, but we're about to enter a new era. Three new candidates are now vying for the presidential nomination. How would net neutrality be affected by each of them? In this first part of our three-part series, we'll look at Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders.
What Is Bernie Sanders' Position on Net Neutrality?
Bernie Sanders is clearly and vocally in favor of net neutrality. In Sanders' view, the open internet has been a boon for “Democracy both here in the United States and around the world.” The end of net neutrality would by definition be “the end of the Internet as we know it,” Sanders has said. Sanders' actions while a member of the senate (where he represents the State of Vermont) have backed this up.
Back in 2014, Sanders got very fired up about a proposed FCC rule change that he called “grotesquely unfair.” He has encouraged his supporters to join him in battling this and similar restrictions, even going so far as to arm his website with a comment form that sent complaints directly to the FCC.
Sanders sees the open internet as an inherently good thing for democracy. And, as you might expect from a self-proclaimed socialist, he strongly believes that it is the government's role to protect and expand this good thing to all of the people. To that end, Sanders' infrastructure plan (which is primarily aimed at rebuilding things like roads and bridges) sets aside $5 billion a year for five years to improve broadband connectivity.
Broadband access is a necessity, not a luxury. I urge the @FCC to expand Lifeline and help millions of working families get online. – Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) March 31, 2016
Sanders sees broadband connections as something akin to a basic right. In keeping with this position, Sanders has railed against what he sees as predatory pricing changes in the broadband market. Like many liberal politicians (including his opponent, Hillary Clinton), Sanders tends to view internet connection as a utility – like water or electricity – that everyone ought to have, and thus must be carefully regulated as an industry.
If there's any way to knock Sanders on net neutrality, it's that it hasn't been a big talking point in his presidential campaign. The phrase “net neutrality” doesn't appear anywhere on his presidential campaign website. But it's possible that this reflects the fact that net neutrality isn't an issue where there's a ton of daylight between Sanders and rival Democrat Hillary Clinton. In a general election, we might hear more about it. In any event, Sanders' past positions on the issue make it clear that he is vehemently against any restrictions on internet access.
Bernie Sanders' Net Neutrality Grade: A+
Bernie passes our test with flying colors. His particular view of broadband access as a right makes him ISPs' worst nightmare, and while he's not too far to the left of most Democrats, he attacks the issue with particular fervor and backs his positions with support for expanded broadband infrastructure. Bernie Sanders is the most pro-net neutrality politician in the presidential race.BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany has no plans to introduce an ‘Islam law’ codifying the rights and obligations of Muslims, a government spokesman said on Monday, dismissing an idea floated by allies of Chancellor Angela Merkel ahead of federal elections in September.
A woman wears a burka while visiting Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany August 16, 2016. REUTERS/Michaela Rehle
Merkel, who will seek a fourth term in what is expected to be a close-fought ballot, has come under fire for opening Germany’s doors to refugees, more than one million of whom - mostly Muslims - have entered the country over the past two years.
Seeking to boost support for the chancellor’s conservatives, senior Merkel ally Julia Kloeckner stoked the integration debate at the weekend by calling for stricter rules for Islamic preachers and a ban on foreign funding of mosques.
Merkel’s spokesman Steffen Seibert dismissed the idea, which Kloeckner - who is deputy leader of the chancellor’s Christian Democrats (CDU) - and other senior party members want to enshrine in an Islam law.
“Such a law is now not an issue for government business,” Seibert told a news conference, stressing the high regard Merkel’s ruling coalition has for religious freedom in Germany.
While stopping short of calling for an Islam law, Merkel said in her weekly podcast on Saturday that refugees in Germany must respect tolerance, openness and freedom of religion.
The message backed up a less compromising tone on integrating migrants that Merkel set at a CDU party conference in December, when she called for a ban on full-face Muslim veils “wherever legally possible”.
By talking tougher on integration, Merkel is also seeking to reclaim support her party lost last year over her refugee policy to the anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which punished the CDU in regional elections in 2016.
The AfD has lost voter support this year, hurt by infighting that has sent its ratings down to around 8 percent from a high of 15.5 percent at the end of 2016.
In the Netherlands, Prime Minister Mark Rutte used a similar tactic to win re-election this year, seizing back the initiative from anti-Islam populist rivals by matching some of their tough rhetoric on immigration.
He told the country’s half-million ethnic Turks that they should integrate and accept Dutch views on freedom of speech or “get lost” after some had been filmed behaving aggressively toward a reporter during a demonstration.
“Our norms and values are all or nothing: you can’t pick and choose,” he said in response to the footage in an interview last September.Five people were wounded when a man walked into a Hmong festival Saturday night in Tulsa, Okla., and began shooting with a pistol, according to local media reports.
NBC station KJRH of Tulsa said the shooting occurred just before 8 p.m. local time, when 300 to 400 people were at the event, sponsored by the Hmong American Association.
Police said two people were shot in the torso and three others were wounded in the arms or legs, KJRH reported. Police Capt. Mike Williams told The Associated Press that one victim was in critical condition and another may lose a leg.
He said the motive for the shooting at the Green Country Event Center was unknown. He said two suspects were arrested when they were spotted driving away in a vehicle with its lights out. A semiautomatic handgun was recovered, Williams said, and KJRH reported that it was a.40-caliber.
The Tulsa World newspaper reported that a suspect was caught after being spotted by a police helicopter.
Nhia Vang, 75, told reporters that the gunman opened fire six feet away from him after a toast, the World reported. One bullet went through his shirt, but he was uninjured – although the police took the garment as evidence, the World said.FALLS CHURCH, Va. (AP) _ An expectant mother who says she was accused of hiding a basketball under her dress has filed a $600,000 suit against the store that alleged she was shoplifting.
One day before she gave birth, Betsy Nelson said, she went to Irving’s Sport Shop last February to look for a rowing machine to help her get back in shape after the birth.
When Mrs. Nelson, 33, didn’t find what she wanted, she sent browsing in an adjacent mall, only to be confronted by the store’s assistant manager, Richard Hoye, and a security guard.
A cashier had told her supervisor that Mrs. Nelson had stolen a basketball and put it under her dress, said Stephen McCarron, Mrs. Nelson’s lawyer.
According to the lawsuit filed last week in Arlington Circuit Court, Mrs. Nelson was detained at the store for about 30 minutes and was given the option of opening her dress or going to the police station.
″I had to disrobe in front of six male security guards and police officers in the store,″ Mrs. Nelson said in a telephone interview Thursday with The Washington Post. ″I had to take off my jacket, sweater and lift up my blouse.″
McCarron said Mrs. Nelson was ″given the impression she would be taken to jail if she didn’t do it.... She started to cry. She was very upset, very distraught.″
Mrs. Nelson went into labor shortly after the incident and gave birth the next day to a healthy baby boy, Darius.
In the suit, Mrs. Nelson claims she was falsely accused of shoplifting and subjected to ″great mental pain and suffering, insult, indignities, humiliation and serious emotional harm.″
Store officials declined to comment on the lawsuit.The family drove to Daisy Hill hospital in Newry where because of her injuries, the staff contacted the PSNI. They took notes and photos of Siobhán’s injuries. When they left Daisy Hill hospital at 11.30 pm on the Saturday night the family drove toward Carlingford intending to make a complaint at the Garda station there. On route they flagged down a Garda car whose occupants referred them to Garda Tony Golden. It was arranged that he would meet Siobhán at 3pm on the Sunday. The next day Siobhán, and her father Sean, met Garda Golden who took a statement and then offered to bring Siobhán to her home to collect some things. According to Sean shortly after Garda Golden and Siobhán entered the house shots were fired. Garda Golden was killed. Siobhán was shot four times and grievously wounded in the head, and Crevan Mackin then shot himself.Introducing new JavaScript optimizations, WebAssembly, SharedArrayBuffer, and Atomics in EdgeHTML 16 By Limin Zhu / Program Manager, Chakra Share Share Skype
JavaScript performance has always been a core area of focus for our team. Every release, we look for opportunities to improve end users’ browsing experience on real workloads with shorter start-up time, faster execution, and leaner memory usage. These efforts are guided by invaluable ongoing customer feedback and telemetry data.
In this blog post, we will share a few new performance enhancements in the Chakra JavaScript engine, as well as updates on the availability of on-by-default WebAssembly, SharedArrayBuffer and Atomics support in Chakra and Microsoft Edge in EdgeHTML 16 with the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update.
More memory savings from deferring/re-deferring functions
In EdgeHTML 15, Chakra introduced the capability to re-defer functions. To briefly recap Chakra’s deferral/re-deferral pipeline, at start-up time Chakra performs a quick pre-parsing pass to check for syntax errors, and then defers the full parsing of eligible functions until they are first executed. At a later point, if heuristics determine that a fully-parsed function will most likely never be executed again, Chakra dumps its metadata generated since full-parsing and returns to a lean state as if the function is just pre-parsed and being deferred (hence the name re-deferral).
The deferral/re-deferral feature helps sites boost start-up time and save memory on redundant functions (imagine pulling a bunch of libraries and only just using 30% of the code, sound familiar?).
In EdgeHTML 16, we’ve addressed the feature’s previous limitation on handling functions in lexical and parameter scopes, and allowed functions in all scopes to be deferred and re-deferred. For example, it is common to have large chunks of scripts wrapped in giant try blocks for error handling, and functions enclosed in a block are now eligible for deferral/re-deferral.
// foo can be deferred/re-deferred after the Fall Creators Update // example 1 - lexical/block scope try { function foo() {...} var bar = foo(); } // example 2 - parameter scope function bar(foo = function(){...})) {...}
This change further improves memory savings made possible by deferral/re-deferral. The exact effect varies depending on the coding patterns of the sites. According to our experiment on a small sample of popular sites, this change along with others in the past update typically reduce the memory allocated by Chakra by 4-9%. The impact can also be much larger in some cases―such as a ~35% memory saving on Gmail.
Polymorphic inline cache for property access using square brackets (object[‘property’])
Polymorphic inline cache (PIC) is an optimization technique employed in Chakra (and many other runtimes) since Chakra’s inception. Chakra has an internal type system that maps each value to its type. When the Chakra Just-In-Time compiler (JIT) generates optimized code for hot code paths, Chakra may deploy an inline cache at each call site (location for function/subroutine calls such as property access) to memorize and store fast paths for the types encountered.
Polymorphic inline cache is a kind of inline cache that can remember multiple types at a given call site. In EdgeHTML 16, Chakra added the ability to place polymorphic inline cache for the object[‘property’] syntax, allowing cases where object may be of different types to be optimized.
// example - obj can be of {a: Number} or String type let arr = [{a: Math.random()}, Math.random().toString()]; arr.forEach(obj => { for (propNames in obj) { if (obj.hasOwnProperty(propNames)) { // without PIC, multiple types lead to generic slow path // with PIC, both types for obj console.log(obj[propNames]); } } });
This change should benefit typical users browsing sites using bracket notation and shows up as up to 8% speedup on tests utilizing Angular and React frameworks.
Enable optimizations for functions with try/finally
In JavaScript, it is a best practice to use the finally clause to gracefully clean up resources following a try block. Until the latest update, Chakra did not optimize functions that include a try/finally block because it was a non-trivial job to account for exceptions and unwinding in JIT optimizations.
Starting with EdgeHTML 16, when the Chakra JIT analyzes functions and builds the flow graph, it separates the excepting and non-excepting cases and creates two paths for a try/finally block, allowing general optimizations to be applied on the non-excepting path and forcing a bailout in case of an exception.
More optimizations for try/catch/finally are just on the horizon. ChakraCore recently added support for inlining in functions with try/catch/finally and you can expect this change to propagate to Chakra and Microsoft Edge in the next major Windows update.
WebAssembly, SharedArrayBuffer, and Atomics on by default
In the previous update, Chakra and Microsoft Edge debuted WebAssembly Minimum Viable Product (MVP), SharedArrayBuffer and Atomics support behind the “Experimental JavaScript Features” flag. With a bit of tuning in the past few months, these features are now stable and enabled by default in EdgeHTML 16.
Several changes also help improve WebAssembly performance in Chakra by 20-25% on workloads we have been tracking. Try it out for yourself! Point Microsoft Edge at a fun WebAssembly game like Funky Karts to see the improvement with no flags required!
Demo of Funky Karts in WebAssembly in Microsoft Edge (demo by Ross Smith)
Microsoft has been and will continue to work closely with Mozilla, Google, Apple and others in the WebAssembly community to move the technology forward. Impactful post-MVP features such as threads and GC are currently being explored in the WebAssembly Community Group.
Get involved
We are excited to share these new performance optimizations as well as on-by-default WebAssembly, SharedArrayBuffer, and Atomics support in Chakra and Microsoft Edge.
As always, we’re making more enhancements in future releases, and your feedback is one of our key signals for what to do next. So stay tuned and be sure to share your thoughts with us on the ChakraCore repo, or via @MSEdgeDev and @ChakraCore on Twitter!
― Limin Zhu, Program Manager, Chakra
Updated June 28, 2018 8:00 amToronto police are warning the public about a man wanted for two incidents of indecent exposure on the University of Toronto's St. George campus.
The first incident occurred on Friday, Sept. 16 while the second took place on Tuesday, Nov. 8.
In the first incident, a man exposed himself to a 21-year-old woman in an open-study area in the University College building at 15 King's College Circle.
The man "approached her while committing an indecent act," police said, at which point the woman got up to leave and the man fled the scene.
In the second incident, a man wearing a black balaclava approached two women, aged 22 and 23, who were studying in the same building.
The man "exposed himself and committed an indecent act," said police. One of the women screamed and the man fled.
Police describe the man as white, in his 20s and standing five feet 10 inches tall. He has a medium build and dark eyes and dark eyebrows.
In the first incident, police say the man was wearing a black T-shirt, which he had pulled up to hide his face, and "reddish/orange boxer shorts."
In the second incident, the man was wearing a black balaclava, white T-shirt, black shorts and black running shoes.
Police are asking anyone with information about the case to contact them at 416-808-5200.Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence
For Immediate Release
Contact: Brendan Kelly, [email protected]
Phone: 724-612-3453
AMERICA'S AVERAGE GUN VIOLENCE VICTIM IS WHITE AND MALE
NRA and gun lobby's products are killing off the same gun owners they're marketed to
Nearly 2/3 of all gun deaths in America are suicides, and white men account for 79% of gun suicide victims
New ERPO laws proven to prevent suicides
WASHINGTON - The demographics of suicide-related gun violence overall skew heavily toward white men, who make up 79 percent of all firearm suicide victims and about 60 percent of total gun deaths in the U.S., according to an updated report from the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence.
The report, released during National Suicide Prevention Week, sheds light on two-thirds of America's gun violence epidemic and new legislation proven to protect at-risk individuals.
The availability and presence of a gun in the home is a strong predictor of suicide, increasing its likelihood threefold. Homes without guns rarely experience gun suicides.
An Extreme Risk Protection Order (ERPO) is a legislative tool rapidly being adopted at the state level to help individuals at risk of dying by suicide. ERPOs are state laws that allow family members, partners, and law enforcement to petition a court to temporarily remove firearms from individuals in crisis, and prohibit new gun purchases for up to a year.
Brady Center co-president Kris Brown said, "Far too many families learn the hard truth every day about the dangers of having a loaded, easily accessible gun in the home, and for those at risk of suicide, an accessible gun makes that suicide attempt a lethal act 90% of the time. Extreme Risk Protection Orders are a productive countermeasure, but these important tools must rest on a foundation of frank, truthful conversations every family in America should be having about the risks of a gun in the home."
Joe Plenzler, a Marine Corps combat veteran and gun owner, said, "There's no silver bullet to identifying and preventing all suicides before they happen, but the NRA and gun industry are contributing to |
– on long-haul flights, crew have been cut from 16 to 14. We are at the receiving end of more abuse because passengers can't understand why the in-flight service is slower. We have had a lot more passengers saying, "I don't know how you do it," because it is noticeable just how much we are having to do. I try to avoid working in business class now because one crew member has been cut there so it is now the slowest service. But the airline needs those business class passengers.
We used to serve up the hot meal and drink in two-and-a-half hours. Now it is taking three-and-a-half. It is worse when something goes wrong. We have numerous problems with our in-flight entertainment system. When it works, it's superb. But it keeps breaking down and takes time to get fixed.
I'm not happy about striking for 12 days over Christmas. I hope people realise we are not doing this for the sake of it. None of us are over the moon about the timing but we have been forced into it. The union suggested cost-cutting measures and this dispute could have been settled months ago but BA dragged its heels. It's not just a case of fighting for one or two crew members who have been taken off flights – we are fighting for all our terms and conditions, our livelihoods.
I don't have any respect for BA chief executive Willie Walsh whatsoever. It is said average cabin-crew wages are £35,000 but my basic pay is still only £14,000. On top of that, when I am on duty, I get allowances for breakfast, lunch and supper. These depend on which country you work in – you don't get much in India. About 10% of my total salary is extra payment for working long hours – 15 or 16-hour days. Take 1,000 BA crew together and their average wage would be £25-28,000. I know people who work for Iberia, Lufthansa and KLM and they get paid more and get more days off. The claim that we are paid twice what Virgin staff receive is not accurate. They receive food allowances in cash. When you take these into account, they earn almost as much as we do.
It is very demoralising. On my last flight, we were all complaining to each other and wondering how we were going to get this or that done in time. I have had enough. I am actively looking for another job.
As told to Patrick BarkhamDonald Trump appears at a campaign event in Toledo, Ohio, U.S., October 27, 2016. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri Donald Trump was quick to declare a military operation in Iraq a "disaster" before it had even really begun. And he has often railed against the US military announcing its operations ahead of time, a move he contends robs the US of the "element of surprise."
But respected military experts are not quite in agreement with his analysis. In fact, some argue the Republican presidential nominee's comments betray his lack of knowledge about military strategy.
Gen. John Allen, a retired four-star Marine general and former special envoy to the US-led anti-ISIS coalition, condemned Trump on a Thursday conference call hosted by Hillary Clinton's campaign.
Allen said that while he "didn't think [he'd] ever be involved in a presidential campaign," he has "agonized" over the rhetoric he's heard from Trump recently.
"While [Trump] appears not to understand basic military activities, it's not clear to me that he's interested in learning them either because there's a number of experts who I think … would advise him otherwise, but he seems to be confident in that knowledge," Allen said.
Trump's most recent bashing of the US military centered around the operation to retake Mosul, a major city in Iraq, from the terrorist group ISIS.
On Sunday, Trump tweeted: "The attack on Mosul is turning out to be a total disaster. We gave them months of notice. U.S. is looking so dumb. VOTE TRUMP and WIN AGAIN!"
And, in an interview on Thursday, Trump said he could teach military experts "a couple of things" about strategy. He again repeated his refrain about the "element of surprise."
"He was trying to play up surprise, but he doesn't understand the reasons at all why we've been forecasting this, which is to get as many civilians out as possible and to push for as many defections from ISIS as possible," said Clint Watts, a fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute and former Army officer.
Watts explained the strategy of encouraging any ISIS supporters within Mosul to defect.
"[ISIS] just lost [the symbolic Syrian town] Dabiq, so if you take Dabiq first, then maybe you get a lot of defections and people running for the hills," he said. "That's why they kept saying 'We're starting now.' When you have the Iraqi army and a lot of these units that aren't the American army, you want to thin the herd as much as possible before you send them in."
It was also no secret that the Iraqi army was moving in on Mosul — it's ISIS' last major stronghold in Iraq, and Iraqi forces have been retaking surrounding towns as they close in on Mosul.
"There is no surprise when you're taking Mosul after two years," Watts said. "[ISIS] can see the Iraqi army surrounding them on the periphery."
Watts blamed bad advisers.
"Really this comes down to his advisers," he said. "He's got, in my opinion, horrible counterterrorism and national security advisers."
Republicans have noted that Trump's list of national security advisers lacks heft, and Gen. Michael Flynn, one of the most well-known names on Trump's national security team, has become a controversial figure.
Several other prominent military leaders have also condemned Trump's comments.
Jeff McCausland, a retired Army colonel and former dean at the Army War College, told The New York Times that Trump's bashing of the Mosul offensive shows he "doesn't know a damn thing about military strategy."
Robert Gates, a former defense secretary who served under both George W. Bush and President Barack Obama, told Politico that he guesses "most folks on active duty don't take seriously what he has to say."
And George Little, a former spokesman for the CIA and Defense Department, called Trump's comments "shameful."
Reuters
That said, some have defended Trump's rhetoric.
Michael Pregent, an adjunct fellow at the Hudson Institute and former US Army intelligence officer in Iraq, conceded that the New York businessman might have a point about Mosul. Pregent returned this week from touring the front lines with peshmerga fighters in Iraq.
"You don't want to reveal too much," Pregent said. "And I think the [Obama] administration reveals way too much. We know when 500 guys are going to an airbase south of Mosul. We know numbers of US advisers. We announce when they're going. I think those are the types of things you're not supposed to do."
Pregent did admit, though, that it's necessary to prepare civilians inside the city for the coming fight.
"Donald had called out tipping our hand, telling the enemy what we're going to do, but part of that strategy is to prepare the civilian population," he said.
Pregent also warned that the worst of the Mosul battle — bloody urban combat inside the urban center — is yet to come.
"The way I look at it right now, it's going to be easy to claim that it's going well when you're basically moving into unoccupied towns," he said. And even in those towns, forces "still have to deal with ISIS snipers, ISIS [improvised explosive devices], and ISIS pockets of resistance."
The bulk of the Mosul operation is still to come; forces have not yet begun to liberate the city itself and are currently still focused on the outskirts.President Trump holds a figurine presented by visiting county sheriffs, February 7, 2017. (Reuters photo: Kevin Lamarque)
Law-enforcement agencies jealously guard civil asset forfeiture because it lines their pockets.
The technique has been called (by this columnist) “immunity through profusion.” By keeping the molten lava of falsehoods flowing, the volcano that is Donald Trump can inundate the public and overwhelm his auditors’ capacity to produce a comparable flow of corrections. This technique was on display the other day when the president met with some sheriffs.
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He treated them to a whopper that is one of his hardy perennials, market-tested during the campaign: He said the U.S. murder rate is “the highest it’s been in 47 years.” (Not even close: The rate — killings per 100,000 residents — is far below the rates in the 1970s and 1980s.) This Trump Truth (Senator Eugene McCarthy’s axiom: Anything said three times in Washington becomes a fact) distracted attention from his assertion to the sheriffs that there is “no reason” to reform law enforcement’s civil-forfeiture practices.
There is no reason for the sheriffs to want to reform a racket that lines their pockets. For the rest of us, strengthening the rule of law and eliminating moral hazard are each sufficient reasons.
Civil forfeiture is the power to seize property suspected of being produced by, or involved in, crime. If property is suspected of being involved in criminal activity, law enforcement can seize it. Once seized, the property’s owners bear the burden of proving that they were not involved in such activity, which can be a costly and protracted procedure. So, civil forfeiture proceeds on the guilty-until-proven-innocent principle. Civil forfeiture forces property owners, often people of modest means, to hire lawyers and do battle against a government with unlimited resources.
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And here is why the sheriffs probably purred contentedly when Trump endorsed civil-forfeiture law — if something so devoid of due process can be dignified as law: Predatory law-enforcement agencies can pocket the proceeds from the sale of property they seize.
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The Constitution’s Fifth Amendment says property shall not be taken without just compensation, and the 14th Amendment says it shall not be taken without due process of law. President Trump, 18 days from having sworn to “preserve, protect and defend” the Constitution, sympathized with the sheriffs’ complaint that they are being pressured to reform civil-forfeiture practices.
These practices are a textbook example of moral hazard — of an incentive for perverse behavior. They give law enforcement a financial interest in the outcome of cases.
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It is conceivable that Trump’s studiousness has been stretched too thin to encompass the facts of civil asset forfeiture. He says he would like to “look into” it. Meanwhile, however, he is for it because he assumes “bad people” are behind the pressure for reform. And speaking of a Texas state legislator who favors reform, Trump said, “We’ll destroy his career.” Just another day on America’s steep ascending path back to greatness.
— George Will is a Pulitzer Prize–winning syndicated columnist. © 2017 Washington Post Writers Group0
The Hulu original series The Path follows a family at the center of a controversial religious movement, known as Meyerism, as they struggle with relationships, faith and power. As Eddie (Aaron Paul) questions whether all of the answers can be found within the religion that his wife Sarah (Michelle Monaghan) is so dedicated to, she finds herself pulled deeper and deeper into Cal’s (Hugh Dancy) world and his views on the way that they should be led.
During this exclusive interview with Collider, actor Hugh Dancy talked about what he most enjoys about being a part of The Path, the appeal of this character, the rapid growth of Hulu as a quality streaming service, what kind of leader Cal is to him, and the way these types of movements work with their followers. He also talked about how he’d love to return to Hannibal, at some point, and why taking some time away from it might be a good thing.
Collider: What are you most enjoying about being a part of this show and playing this character?
HUGH DANCY: One of the things I liked about the show, as a whole, and I’m sure this is true for Aaron [Paul] and Michelle [Monaghan], is that you had to spend a lot of time with the lines to get below the first level. So often, particularly Cal is speaking from a place of doctrine, but it’s also something that he really, really truly believes, and then that’s covering up something else. You have to do justice to all of those things, rather than just spouting a line. That’s good fun for an actor. Cal is constantly trying to balance so many aspects of his own personality without realizing it.
Coming off of a show as excellent as Hannibal, were you hesitant about doing another TV show?
DANCY: Yeah, I was. The fact that this is so different was definitely a part of the appeal, although that only goes so far. If you’re just looking for an extreme alternative, that’s not going to work out so well. But yeah, I was hesitant and I probably scrutinized it more carefully, as a result, looking for the cracks and the flaws. And then, the more I dug into it and thought about it, and particularly after I had spoken to Jessica Goldberg, who is the showrunner, and (executive producer) Jason Katims, I realized that with anything interesting, there’s a really good version of it and there’s a bad version of it. Anything that exists in an area of ambiguity that’s going to be fun to do, there’s a bad version that doesn’t achieve the subtlety that you’re hoping for. In this case, if you just tried to go straight for the charisma or the manipulativeness with Cal, that would be quite boring. I felt like they were coming at the whole thing from the point of view of, what are these beliefs, and then taking those beliefs seriously. I thought, “These people clearly want to make the best version of this show.” After that, I signed on.
It’s interesting how the show really puts the focus on the characters, and the movement itself is almost secondary to them.
DANCY: Everything they do is within the context of this movement, and I think it’s right that, in a way, it becomes invisible. If you are somebody living in that way, and I think it’s true for all of us, we don’t even notice our core beliefs. We hardly even know that we hold them. The opinions that we’re trying out, we’re much more aware of, and we voice them and see what happens. But the things that, deep down, identify who we are, we’ve lost sight of. There’s nothing wrong with that, that’s just the case. For these people, that’s the entire bubble that they’re living inside. And because that’s a given, what they’re thinking about is, what am I going to have for lunch, or how’s the marriage going.
Within TV projects, there are so many different canvases to pain on, with broadcast, cable and streaming services. Were you familiar with streaming services, prior to doing this show? Is that something you use yourself?
DANCY: Yeah, sure. I’ve watched shows on Netflix and Amazon, for example. When this came around for me, last June, I was like, “Oh, okay, Hulu.” Just between then and now, the speed with which they’re positioning themselves, with such quality, has been very impressive to me. But when I signed on to this show, it wasn’t because of that. I didn’t realize that was happening. I was like, “I don’t know what the platform will be like, but I love the show,” so I had to go with my feelings, in that regard. Now, I’m delighted to realize that this is a big calling card for Hulu, so they’re very invested in it and love the show. That’s all really nice. But the truth is, in the making of it, the only thing that differed, for me, was that you have this very unquestioning support from the people that are paying the bills. That filters down to the actors because it primarily affects the writers and the scripts. The message they were getting from Hulu was, “Go where you want to go and explore what you want to explore,” and you sense that when you get the script. We had freedom.
Because Cal is a guy who has so many layers, and he’s holding so much back from so many people, how do you view him? What kind of a leader is he to you?
DANCY: He is trying to hold it together and he is coming from a place of a very dark background, but all of that stuff is stuff that he’s shared and continues to share with his community. He’s not just putting a happy face on it. I think that is really interesting. Honesty can be used as a weapon. If you insist on honesty, under specific circumstances, particularly if it’s 95% honesty, it can be very powerful. He’s fully invested in the idea of transparency, he’s just not quite there. He is also very active. He’s not someone who’s going to sit around and agonize over what he’s doing. He’s just going to do it, and he’s going to do it strongly with a strong play. That makes him a leader. He is invested in the idea of how to exercise influence over people. It’s not just that, by default, he’s charismatic. He’s learning and really thinking hard about how to do this. He wasn’t planning on being a leader. He was going to be a follower to Steve, who was going to live forever.
He gets stick in this situation he didn’t expect, but then he uses it to his advantage.
DANCY: I don’t know if that’s self-preservation, but that part of him that grows alongside his desire to save the movement is a much more ambitious, domineering thing. The two go hand-in-hand.
As you were getting the scripts and learning more about this fictional movement, did you find yourself identifying with what was being presented?
DANCY: Like a lot of people, I have mixed feelings about that. I don’t think of myself as a joiner, although I think a lot of us have the capacity to fall head-long into the craziest beliefs, and none of us are immune to that. I’m not saying it will happen to all of us, but any of us have something inside of us that’s a place of vulnerability. If the right person at the right moment reaches out and touches you, you can go so far down the line before you even know where you are. I really believe that. We also don’t know what our capacity for doing awful things is, or turning a blind eye to terrible things. We’d like to think we’d be the hero, but most of us would not be the hero. But I do understand the desire to have a community, even if it’s just in your close friends. It doesn’t have to be a structure, but people who you can turn to, with all your flaws, and say, “I fucked up. Don’t judge me.”
It’s interesting to see a movement like this push that they’re like a family, but then if your family doesn’t agree with their beliefs, you’re supposed to cut your real family off.
DANCY: The more maligned versions of this kind of movement put a lot of effort into undoing family bonds very quickly, and they try to convince you that your family doesn’t have your best interests at heart. There isn’t a human alive that hasn’t, at some point, had mixed feelings about their parents. If you tap a person at the right point, you can exploit that. And I don’t think that’s particularly what’s going on with Meyerism. It’s a more general sense that the people outside are going to bring about the destruction of the entire world. If I really believed that my family were a part of bringing about the destruction of the entire world, I’d like to think I’d still stick with them, but you never know.
With as much as everyone involved loved being a part of Hannibal, if it was something you could find a way to revisit, at some point, would you?
DANCY: Oh, totally. Bryan [Fuller] has got plenty on his plate and everybody is busy, which is fantastic, but I think we’re in a place where we can say, “Okay, let’s see what happens in four years.” If we’re able to revisit it, maybe it would be different. I don’t know what shape it would take. I’ve said many times, and it’s completely true, that I would love that. If we were able to come back, maybe taking a few years away for it to reform itself might be the best thing that could happen for it. I certainly think it’s warranted, just by where we got to in the story. Sure, you could start a fourth season, or whatever it would be, with a big splash and see what happens when they hit the water, but I think it would be more interesting to find them a few years down the line.
The Path is available at Hulu on Wednesdays.Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has reported that for the second time this month, one of their hospitals in Yemen was destroyed by a Saudi airstrike, this time in the contested city of Taiz. The attack left the clinic badly damaged, and at least nine wounded.
MSF Yemen Director Jerome Alin said there was “no way” the Saudis didn’t know the facility was a hospital, and that MSF had been giving them the coordinates of all their sites on a regular basis, most recently on November 29.
Saudi officials have so far refused to comment on the most recent attack, which adds to a soaring number of complaints about the humanitarian calamity that the airstrikes have caused across Yemen, including massive civilian death tolls.
Human Rights Watch also called out the US for playing a direct role in coordinating Saudi airstrikes, saying they too could be liable for violations of the laws of war by the Saudis. The US Air Force has personnel in Saudi Arabia helping to plan the airstrikes, and also performs mid-air refueling of Saudi bombers.
Last 5 posts by Jason DitzIn his Tuesday column, "The Cost of Relativism," The New York Times’ David Brooks cites a new book of research on "the growing chasm between those who live in college-educated America and those who live in high-school-educated America," and highlights several "horrific" profiles from the latter group. Brooks uses their stories—which feature drugs, violent crime, unintended pregnancies—to argue for the reintroduction of social norms, which "were destroyed by a plague of nonjudgmentalism." While "intense sympathy" for the disadvantaged is in order, he writes, “It’s not only money and better policy that are missing in these circles; it’s norms.” Reintroducing norms to these poor souls "will require holding people responsible. People born into the most chaotic situations can still be asked the same questions: Are you living for short-term pleasure or long-term good?"
Who, exactly, is asking these questions and holding people responsible? Much as Brooks insists that "norms need repair up and down the scale, universally, together and all at once," it's worth noting that he fails to cite a "horrific" profile of a college-educated American. By implication, it's the norms of upper-class America that Brooks would impose upon the lower class, in order to repair their supposed behavioral pathologies.
Brooks' underlying assumption is wrong: The baseline moral values of poor people do not, in fact, differ that much from those of the rich. Poor people feel ashamed of the incarceration of relatives. The poor, too, want to get married at roughly the same rates as the rich, though the rich have an easier time pulling it off. Matrimonial aspirations, then, are decaying no faster among the poor than the well-off; it’s only the ability to maintain a marriage under the stressors of poverty that seems to put poor families on unsteady ground. Lastly, lest anyone suspect the welfare-queen narrative about poor people eschewing hard work and responsibility holds true, Stephen Pimpare observes in his book A People’s History of Poverty in America that the stigma and shame of poverty and welfare are alive and well, meaning that welfare recipients tend to internalize society’s narratives about work and accountability. Poor people, whatever their material circumstances might compel them to do, don’t seem to lack a moral compass.
Now, if Brooks images that improving social norms is just a sliver of the solution, then he’s right: making poor families better off won’t erase all behavioral differences between the wealthiest and poorest. But it would go a long way. Despite all paranoia about poor people nursing addictions and indulging themselves before spending money on necessities, programs that distribute cash to the poor have been repeatedly proven as wise investments. People who use the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), or “food stamps,” tend to make healthier food choices than those who don't use SNAP; they also tend to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables when provisions (such as small credits for buying fresh fruits and veggies) are made that account for the extra cost of cooking multi-item meals. And, as a 2005 British study found, low-income parents who are given benefits to help raise young children "increased spending on items such as children’s clothing, books, and toys, and decreased spending on alcohol and tobacco.” In other words, reducing poverty through infusions of cash appears to correct many of the behaviors poor people are regularly maligned for, including neglectful parenting and unhealthy lifestyles, bringing them more in line with the habits of the well-to-do.One of the most advanced 5.8GHz Video Transmitters available today. Only 4 grams, and a slender 31 x 20mm, the TrampHV is also the smallest direct LiPo-powered vTx in the business.
Supporting touch-free 'TNR' wands, for low inter-heat times, and full Tx configuration with a bright OLED display.
From the team that invented the now ubiquitous RaceBand, comes the Tramp HV, the most advanced 5.8GHz Video Transmitter in the business.
YES, this is the 6s version!
Features
- Smallest direct LiPo powered vTx in the business.
- TNR Touch-free wand control
- Traditional button+LED control of frequency and power
- 1mW -> 600mW+ linear power control
- All 40 standard channels
- Built-in thermal protection
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- Micro-power pit mode
- Additional channels for race events (Race Wand only)
Full details available on the IRC website here:
http://www.immersionrc.com/fpv-products/tramp-hv-5-8ghz-video-transmitter/
*NOTE THIS IS THE USA VERSION.Chicago Crime Information, Trend and Rate
SpotCrime's Chicago, Illinois crime map shows 3630 assaults, 79 shootings, 466 burglaries, 4063 thefts, 363 robberies, 1163 vandalism, and 1116 arrests over a one month period. The previous month crime map in Chicago, Illinois showed 4929 assaults, 81 shootings, 803 burglaries, 5835 thefts, 748 robberies, 1778 vandalism, and 1116 arrests.
According to the reports SpotCrime receives from local police agencies, crime overall in Chicago, Illinois is currently down by 31% when compared to the previous month.
Property crime such as theft, vandalism, and burglary is down in Chicago, Illinois. Fortunately, property crime and overall crime have both decreased this month, with property crime decreasing by 32% when compared to the previous month.
Violent crime including shootings, assaults, and robberies is down in Chicago, Illinois. Fortunately, violent crime and overall crime have both decreased this month, with violent crime decreasing by 29% when compared to the previous month.
Stay aware of the crime happening in your neighborhood. Make sure to sign up for your personalized SpotCrime crime alert for Chicago, Illinois. SpotCrime email alerts include a crime map and crime blotter for Chicago, Illinois and are a great community watch tool.
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Chicago Sex Offender DatabaseWhen it comes to high quality red dot scopes in the market, DSG Arms raises the bar with every product. With an impressive collection of military-grade options, you won’t find better value for non-magnified optics anywhere else! As a reliable distributor of red dot sights, we make sure that the optic you receive is not just compatible with your firearm, but also delivers lightning fast target acquisition and high durability. We also offer special pricing for active duty military, first responders, and law enforcement. As part of the Defense Solutions Group, we are registered with the US Department of State’s Political Military Affairs Office and the US Bureau of Industry and Security. As a trusted non-magnified optics retailer, we help you select the right gear that’s compatible with your firearm’s mounting system. In addition, we offer competitive prices and unparalleled quality, stocking products from some of the most reputable manufacturers in the firearm industry. Browse through our inventory and see for yourself!As news orgs drop comment sections, data shows users don’t think they’re that important
NPR announced this week that it would discontinue story-page comments on Aug. 23, in favor of engaging with its readers in other spaces, such as social media.
Analyzing its audience, NPR found that only a small percentage of its readers were using the comment section: Only 1 percent of NPR’s 25 to 35 million unique monthly visitors are commenting, NPR’s managing editor for digital news Scott Montgomery says. Plus, the number of readers using the comment section on a regular basis is even smaller: Only 2,600 people have posted a comment in each of the last three months, or 0.003 percent of the 79.8 million visitors to NPR’s website in that time.
The Toronto Star, Vice’s Motherboard, Mic, Reuters and others have made similar decisions to eliminate comments in the past year.
In fact most Americans don’t place a great emphasis on news website comments, according to recent research from the Media Insight Project, an initiative of the American Press Institute and the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
Our research on what leads users to trust and rely on certain news sources shows that only 1 in 3 Americans said it is very important that digital news sources allow people to comment on news. In focus groups, participants said they found some value in those features. But other issues related to ads and mobile compatibility were more important than allowing comments.
Extremely/very important Somewhat important Not very/not important at all Don't know/refuse The ads do not interfere with getting news and information 63% 18% 12% 7% The site or app loads fast 63% 21% 8% 8% It works well on my mobile phone 60% 17% 16% 7% It uses visuals such as photos, videos, lists, or charts 51% 28% 13% 9% The news and information include hyperlinks to get more information 46% 32% 15% 8% It allows people to comment on news and information 30% 27% 37% 6%
Data Source: Question: Thinking about when you get news from [NAMED SOURCE] on [NEWS TOPIC FOLLOWED] in a digital format, how important is each of the following for you?
Media Insight Project
But for certain types of news stories, Americans tend to think that the ability to comment is more important. In particular, 50 percent of people said it was very important for a news organization to allow comments on crime and public safety stories. In comparison, just 23 percent of people said it was very important for news organizations to allow comments on local news stories.
Percent Crime and public safety 50% Weather or traffic 36% Domestic issues 35% Lifestyle 29% National politics 28% Foreign or international news 23% Local news 23% Sports 22%
Data Source: Question: Thinking about when you get news from [NAMED SOURCE] on [NEWS TOPIC FOLLOWED] in a digital format, how important is each of the following for you? It allows people to comment on news and information.
Media Insight Project
NPR’s ombudsman Elizabeth Jensen explains that if you see the comment section as a place to foster constructive conversations, NPR’s decision to discontinue story-page comments isn’t a surprising one. “The number of complaints to NPR about the current comment system has been growing,” Jensen writes. “Complaints that comments were censored by the outside moderators, and that commenters were behaving inappropriately and harassing other commenters.”
Now, NPR will focus on social media as its primary way of engaging with its readers. Though Facebook as a commenting platforms comes with its downsides, Jensen suggests that “Facebook discussions that do take place, in particular, tend to be more civil, most likely because users are required to use their own names.”
For news organizations thinking about better ways to engage with readers through comments, check out API’s Strategy Study on how to choose the best commenting platform for your news site, including how to shape the nature of comments posted on your website. You can also browse everything we’ve published or curated about comments.(40/29 News) A high school principal was arrested Thursday after police allegedly found him naked in a house, covered with a dog's blood.
The Washington County Prosecutor's Office said 43-year-old Christopher Webb was arrested Thursday morning, charged with aggravated assault on a family member, domestic battery, interfering with emergency communication, endangering the welfare of a minor, resisting arrest and aggravated cruelty to a dog.
Farmington Police Chief Brian Hubbard said Webb is the Farmington High School principal. Hubbard was unable to comment about the status of Webb's employment.
Officers said they saw Webb choking a woman and a dead dog in the bathtub with its throat cut.
Bond has been set at $5,000 for Webb, who is being held in a hospital, prosecutors said.
Click here to read the full story from our ABC station in Fayetteville, 40/29 News.Not to be confused with Bongo people (Sudan)
The Bongo people, or Babongo, are an agricultural people of Gabon in equatorial Africa who are known as "forest people" due to their recent foraging economy. Though considered Mbenga Pygmies, they are not particularly short. They are originators of the Bwiti religion, based on consumption of the intoxicating hallucinogenic iboga plant.
There is no one Bongo language. They speak the languages of their Bantu neighbors, with some dialectical differentiation due to their distinct culture and history; among these are Tsogo (the Babongo-Tsogho), Nzebi (the Babongo-Nzebi), West Téké (the Babongo-Iyaa), Punu (the Babongo-Rimba), and Lumbu (the Babongo-Gama), and Myene (the Babongo-Akoa). Yasa in Gabon is reportedly spoken by "Pygmies"; Yasa-speakers speak a different language than their patrons, unlike any other group in Gabon apart from the Baka. The Barimba, Bagama, and Akoa live in the southern coastal provinces.
Bahuchet (2006) confirms three languages, each with dialectical differentiation from their non-Pygmy speakers: Tsogho in the central region (living with the Akele, Tsogo, Simba, Sango, Sira), and Teke and Kaning'i in the southeast (living among the Akele, Kaningi, Teke, Wumbu and the Obamba, Teke, respectively).
The Rimba variety of Punu, however, has recently (2010) reported to have a core of non-Niger–Congo words and therefore should be considered unclassified.
The Babongo have recently changed from being nomadic hunter-gatherers to settled villagers with subsistence agriculture supplemented by hunting. In the early 20th century they were fully nomadic and physically distinct from their Bantu neighbors, but by the mid 20th century they were starting to settle and to become physically indistinguishable. They have radio but not television in their small village communities and the few metal implements they possess come from the outside world. They are otherwise self-sufficient in their villages.
another name: Bazimba
References [ edit ]The Boston Globe reported last weekend that partners of a personal injury law firm in Boston were paid bonuses corresponding exactly to political contributions they made to Democrats.
This scheme appears to be completely illegal. People have gone to prison for doing this, but the firm appears to have taken that risk and tried to skew public policy to enrich themselves and their fellow trial lawyers.
Here's how the scheme worked: Personal injury lawyers at the Thornton Law Firm, which specializes in asbestos litigation, got full reimbursements within 10 days of contributing to Democratic Senate candidates who support laws that make it easier and more profitable to file lawsuits, and shield unethical trial lawyers from scrutiny.
This may not be the only law firm doing this, for many trial lawyers give generously to Democrats. Thornton just happened to be the one that the Globe and Center for Responsive Politics caught.
The newspaper discovered 280 cases in which so-called bonus payments to partners were exactly equal to political contributions they had just made to federal candidates, for a total of $1.4 million.
The reason this is forbidden by federal law is that it would allow all other campaign finance laws to be sidestepped. It would allow corporations to make illegal direct contributions to candidates. A massive conglomerate could reimburse its thousands of employees for any contributions they gave individually to politicians who espoused policies that the conglomerate liked.
Such schemes allow wealthy donors to exceed their legal contribution limit. If Paul can reimburse Peter and Mary for their contributions to Democratic political action committees and candidates, then he can effectively contribute three times the legal limit.
Finally, such schemes defeat the transparency that campaign finance law provides. They structure the donation so the "real" donor, the one providing the money, is not listed in campaign finance filings.
Thornton's partners contributed heavily to Sens. Elizabeth Warren (who has ironically made herself the champion against what she depicts as predatory corporations) and Harry Reid, the Obama-Biden presidential ticket, the Democratic Party, and numerous other Democratic candidates for state and federal office, in addition to super PACs and other Democratic groups from 2010 to 2014. They were routinely reimbursed for it. (The only Republican to receive money from the firm's partners is Sen. Lindsey Graham, a former trial lawyer himself.)
This scheme was particularly brazen because the bonus checks, some of which were obtained by the Globe, specifically said that the bonuses were reimbursements for political contributions.
The scheme helped a particularly greedy special interest group at the expense of the broader economy, and often at the expense of their own clients.
For example, the firm used the reimbursement scheme to funnel $52 |
details, is as simplistic and wrong-headed as the politics that birthed the War on Drugs and lead to these very horrors. Considering everyone involved with the production and sale of illegal drugs—even the governments enmeshed in these enterprises—as villainous targets reproduces the same martial outlook that allows them to thrive. The narcos gunned down en masse by the Ghosts have been produced and empowered by American policies and imperialist politicking. Combating them is not a matter of extrajudicial capture and killing, but of long overdue reforms to the systems that make the trafficking of drugs lucrative enough to deteriorate entire nations. Harsh punishments haven’t stopped the war yet and a game that can only be won through excessive force only props up a dangerous mentality.
Wildlands’ attempts to explore the complexity of its subject matter are cursory at best. Outside of the repeated, mind-numbing killing of Bolivian and Mexican enemies the game requires, a few instances of dialogue make tired gestures toward blurring moral stakes. When asked to kidnap a potentially crooked general’s daughter, the player character is outraged at involving civilians in their fight, never mind the dozens of collateral dead that all but the most skilled players are sure to accumulate by this point. The game’s two endings are meant to convey the futility of accomplishing even so great a task as overthrowing an entire narco-state, but their messages are mixed, wrinkled with an 11th hour twist regarding the distrustfulness of even the “good Bolivians” and undermined by the dozens of hours spent coldly, automatically killing cartel members.
These endings are supposed to be bittersweet—complications of a simple drug war narrative—but they’re impossible to take seriously when players have spent an entire game inhabiting a far different role. By the time the game tries to complicate its message, Wildlands has already hammered home an understanding of American interventionism as a just and effective strategy for ending the horrors of cartel violence.
Worse is the use of Bolivia as a setting—a country that might as well not exist for Wildlands except as a beautiful countryside of gloomy forests, rolling mountains and sun-baked plains for the player to rampage across. Out of what can only be assumed to be an aversion to placing its Mexican cartel in Mexico itself, a player without a decent understanding of current Central and South American politics will likely walk away from Wildlands’s chaotic depiction of Bolivia with the baseline assumption that it’s a truly frightening place—just another corrupt state tragically overrun by narcos. The game is fiction, sure, and can be set wherever it wants, but it fails to justify why, other than Bolivia’s coca fields, it would try to create this impression about a real country, distinct from its geographic neighbors in culture, politics and level of cartel-related violence.
Whatever might be said in favor of its gorgeous landscape, the lizard brain-tickling of its progression systems and utility as a focal point for online hangouts with friends, Wildlands makes these almost impossible to see through the thick miasma of its real-world implications. This is a game that doesn’t seem to care at all about the very real horrors of modern Central and South American history—that presents a dire international problem as something that can be solved through the clean precision of four American badasses pulling off sync shots. Whether out of neglect, a lack of understanding or a deep callousness, it turns the suffering of the people who right now live under vicious cartels into a playground for a forgettable sandbox shooter. Its audience needs either a willful ignorance of—or a disturbing outlook on—the world around them to be able to play Wildlands without a deep sense of unease.
Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands was developed by Ubisoft Paris and published by Ubisoft. Our review is based on the version. It is also available for Xbox One and PC. was developed by Ubisoft Paris and published by Ubisoft. Our review is based on the PlayStation 4 version. It is also available for Xbox One and PC.
Reid McCarter is a writer and editor based in Toronto whose work has appeared at Kill Screen and Playboy. He is the co-editor of (a compilation of critical essays on the shooter genre), edits, co-hosts the Bullet Points podcast and tweets @reidmccarter. Kill ScreenPlayboy SHOOTER (a compilation of critical essays on the shooter genre), edits Bullet Points Monthly
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A young man from Texas crosses the border into Mexico and becomes an infamous drug lord.
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.
Cowboy Bebop
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Follow the adventures of a retired monster-hunter and his family, which includes a thrill-killer, a witch and a warlock. Based on Steve Niles's comic.
Merry Happy Whatever
A strong-willed dad navigates the stress of the holiday season when his daughter brings her new boyfriend home for Christmas. Starring Dennis Quaid.
Undercover
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Ultraman
Years after Ultraman disappeared, Shinjiro learns of his connection to the legendary hero and dons the metallic ultra-suit to fight new aliens.
Raise the Bar
In this animated series, a high school girl attempts to overcome the odds and become a champion weightlifter in the Olympics.Building power in the gym means moving weight fast to recruit the most motor units possible. This typically involves a healthy dose of power cleans and perhaps a few variations of the other classic Olympic lifts, but I'm here to help you broaden your training horizons.
When it comes to building serious power and explosiveness, you have options and it's not just 'change for the sake of change.' The more athletes I've worked with, the more I've been forced to expand my power training toolbox beyond just the basics – and the results have been far better than simply power cleaning till the proverbial cows come home.
Each of the following movements should be programmed early in your daily training session, just as you would any explosive movement. You'll get the most out of these power training movements while fresh.
Your goal with each movement is to recruit the maximum number of motor units before fatigue sets in.
1 – Hang Snatch
You didn't expect a lover of the Oly lifts to choose something other than a variation of an Olympic lift for first on the list, did you? Sorry to disappoint if you did, but the hang snatch wins out for the best explosive power movement.
In terms of power output, the snatch matches the clean closely (1), but for pure coolness the snatch wins every time. And let's be honest, coolness is a big part of a great training program.
The snatch may be heavy on technique, but once you get the 'hang' of it (after some serious coaching, I hope), you'll find its power-creating potential to be unparalleled; power that carries over to the rest of the weightroom. I've never met an athlete that's strong enough to snatch 225-pounds that couldn't squat, clean, and bench with the strongest carnivores in the gym.
I chose the hang snatch over the power snatch because it's much easier for most to achieve a respectable start position from the hang than it is from the floor. The snatch from the floor takes a ton of mobility at both the hips and ankles, and for many athletes this is an area that requires a serious intervention.
2 – Kettlebell Swings With Band Resistance
The traditional kettlebell swing could also make my list, as it's one of the first tools I use to teach young athletes the power of a well-executed hip hinge movement. However, most athletes will find themselves quickly running out of 'bells as they start to get stronger. Adding band resistance to this movement can add 30-70 pounds of resistance at the top while addressing the end range of hip extension.
It' simple to add band resistance with a half-inch to one-inch band. Just loop it through the handle and then back through itself, then step on the end of the band with each foot and you're all set to swing. This movement has the added benefit of not requiring you to buy giant, novelty-sized kettlebells.
Bonus "No band" Movement: Kettlebell Spikes
What happens when you don't have any bands that fit the bill? Simply enlist an awesome partner to help you perform the kettlebell "spike." At the top of each swing, have your friend mimic the action of a band and spike the kettlebell back toward the ground. This requires you to resist a tremendous eccentric force, so prepare to feel it in the old hammies tomorrow.
3 – Split Jerk
At some point, putting a bar overhead became unfairly vilified, much like Ivan Drago after he steamrolled the beloved Apollo Creed in an exhibition boxing match. This is a shame, as the jerk creates more power than any other movement in the gym, and Apollo should've realized that "exhibition" in Russian loosely translates to "ass whipping."
The jerk has been shown to generate more power than both the clean and the snatch (2), and is a tremendous movement for developing power through quad-dominant movement.
The power jerk is an awesome move as well, explosive and total body, but splitting the feet takes the movement to the next level. Much of what you do as an athlete revolves around being able to adapt to changing conditions, and changing from a bilateral stance to an offset, semi-unilateral stance trains you to be adaptable.
It also trains your lead leg to be strong in absorbing force. If you have any aspirations of being fast or athletic, this movement is a must for your training program.
4 – Medicine Ball Throws
Let's just get this out of the way: throwing things is a good time. It's also an unbridled expression of power. Throwing a medicine ball is unlike anything else that we can do in the gym. No deceleration period, only acceleration.
This is also the first movement on my list that trains power in the transverse plane. Transverse plane power is necessary for nearly every athlete, from the high level football player during a change of direction to the beer league softball player-during all non-beer drinking activities.
Throwing a medicine ball is also an awesome core movement to redirect force from the ground through the upper body. The linkage between hip rotation, core stability, and the expression of power through the upper body is hard to miss and tough to beat. Make sure you generate power through the lower body and rotate the back foot to finish the movement.
In the video one of my athletes is doing a medicine ball side throw, but you could do the same drill with a pressing motion to make it even more effective in your upper body training.
5 – Power Clean From Blocks
No list of explosive training movements would be complete without some variation of the power clean. For the same reasons that I chose the hang snatch (mobility requirements) over the power snatch, I'm going with the clean from blocks over a power clean from the floor.
For most athletes, cleans from the floor are difficult to do with good form. Starting the lift off blocks provides the same explosive benefits without exposing your back to injury.
There's a performance benefit as well. By eliminating the eccentric lowering of the bar to the start position, power cleans from blocks also help develop starting strength.
In the video I'm doing power cleans from a low block (to work on my transition around the knee), but you could do them from any height that suits your needs.
6 – Clean/Snatch/Trap Bar Pulls
The Olympic pull is one of the best tools available to improve power, and is an absolute must if you have any interest in being a better Olympic lifter. At higher loads, the pull is a great way to develop power and get acquainted with moving serious weight in the Olympic lifts.
Both the clean pull and snatch pull help improve your feel with either lift, and you can also do a similar movement with a trap bar. The big advantage with the trap bar is that it allows you to keep the load closer to your center of gravity as opposed to in front of the body in the traditional pull.
The pull is great for athletes with flexibility limitations or when trying to reduce the impact on the upper body. Just be careful not to let the quality of the movement diminish when the weights start to get heavy.
In the video I'm doing pulls from a deficit first and then contrasting it with a pull from the ground level. Only athletes that have sufficient mobility should try pulls from a deficit.
7 – Crossover Sled Drags
We've been able to figure out a ton of ways to increase power; unfortunately, most of these methods occur in the sagittal plane. And if you're an athlete – or work with athletes – improving power in only the sagittal plane will only get you so far. To be truly powerful, in every direction, you need to train in multiple planes.
The crossover sled drag is an awesome tool to train in the frontal (side to side) plane. This explosive move is just like the first step that aspiring NFL players take when they test their lateral movement at the NFL combine. Heavy crossover sled drags also train your backside like nothing you've ever done before and leave you super sore when you stumble out of bed the next day.
8 – Rotational Lunge Swings
This movement was first introduced to me by coach Robert Dos Remedios and immediately became one of my favorite training tools. A simple rotation of the sandbag (or kettlebell, if no sandbag is available) while descending into a reverse lunge will challenge your strength and core stability in the elusive transverse plane.
Then, when you add in the power of a swing, what you wind up with is a really cool explosive movement – the swing requires decelerating the implement at the bottom of the movement before you explode from the lead leg into hip and knee extension.
9 – Seated Box Jumps
While most plyometrics take advantage of the stretch-shortening cycle to produce power, the seated box jump removes all eccentric loading and allows athletes to focus on only the explosive, concentric action of the movement.
Taking out the swing of the arms will force you to focus on developing power from the ground up. To take this movement to the next level, hug a weight to your chest. Now you have a loaded plyometric movement that doesn't trash your joints. Not too shabby.
Like any box jump, make sure you're truly able to land on the box to which you're jumping. Choosing a box that's too high doesn't make you more of a man, though it will remove some flesh from your shins when you miss.
10 – Supine Medicine Ball Reactive Throws
Most of the movements used to train explosive power have a distinct lower body bias. Training the lower body to be more explosive will make you more athletic andÊ teach you to recruit the muscles needed to power through a squat and sprint faster, but explosive upper body power is also important to being freakishly strong in the weightroom.
The supine medicine ball reactive throw is an awesome tool to improve upper body power. These throws train you to maintain a good position through a fast eccentric phase, and then explode through the concentric motion to finish strong. Try using these throws in a superset with the bench press and watch yourself power through the lockout.
Wrap Up
Don't believe the rhetoric that you can't build or improve explosiveness. It can be done, and it begins with hitting the old school staples like the power clean and snatch with gusto.
However, don't be fooled into thinking that these are the only tools in your toolbox. You have at least 10 other drills (to be discussed later?) at your disposal, and the more expansive your assortment of explosive movements, the better you'll be at rising to whatever athletic challenges may be in your future.
ReferencesBreaking News Emails Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings.
Nov. 4, 2013, 6:27 PM GMT By Elizabeth Palermo
How long does it take to build a little more than 30,000 miles (50,000 kilometers) of new roads through the rain forest? A new study finds that, in the Brazilian Amazon, such development can happen in just three years.
While roads cover only a tiny fraction of the total land surface of South America's largest nation, their effect on local ecosystems — particularly rain forests — may be huge. In an attempt to better understand road-building's effect on the Amazon, researchers from Imperial College London used road maps and satellite images to track the recent development of the Amazon road network.
The team's report, which was published this month in the journal Regional Environmental Change, concluded that about 10,000 miles (17,000 km) of roads were built every year in Brazil between 2004 and 2007. Not surprisingly, road networks were found to spread the most quickly in newly settled areas, as well as in areas experiencing renewed economic growth.
This rampant road-building may be a major contributor to deforestation and habitat loss in one of planet Earth's most biologically diverse regions. But by mapping road construction, researchers think they can aid future efforts to stop destruction of the Brazilian rain forest.
"Knowing where the roads are and the speed at which they are built is key to predicting deforestation," Rob Ewers, Imperial College London scientist and co-author of the study, said in a statement. "An understanding of road networks is the big missing gap in our ability to predict the future of this region."
The effects that roads have on local ecosystems extend far beyond the locations of the roads themselves. This includes changes in the temperature and humidity of air and soil and the movement of animals.
Past research suggests that certain configurations of road networks in the Amazon are more sustainable than others. A 2011 study, funded by the National Science Foundation, found that a "fishbone" configuration, for example, offers a solution that merges development with forest livelihood. Such a network allows roads to be built far enough away from one another that animals and connected ecosystems can continue to thrive despite the intrusion of human infrastructure.
But road construction is just one of many factors leading to the continued deforestation of the world's largest rain forest. Forest fires alone destroyed more than 33,000 square miles (85,500 square km) of forest between 1999 and 2010, according to a recent NASA release. That's an area larger than the state of South Carolina.
And a recent report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change found that forest fires in the Amazon are only going to get worse, as the region's annual dry season — also known as fire season — continues to extend every year.
Logging and farming also contribute to the continued destruction of the Amazon, with one expert attributing up to 90 percent of all cleared land in the region to the expansion of Brazil's cattle ranching industry.
Follow Elizabeth Palermo on Twitter @techEpalermo, Facebook or Google+. Follow us @livescience, Facebook and Google+. Original article on LiveScience.In his first public speech since being ousted from his post as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York a month ago, Preet Bharara revealed why he forced President Trump to fire him.
The man known as one of Wall Street's fiercest watchdogs, was among the 46 U.S. attorneys asked by the Trump administration to resign on March 10.
While it's standard procedure for presidents to pick their own U.S. attorneys, Trump had previously asked Bharara to stay on.
So when news came last month that Trump had apparently changed his mind and was asking for Bharara's resignation, he refused to step down. Trump fired Bharara the next day.
"I wanted it to be on record that there was a deliberate decision to change [his] mind and fire me, particularly given what my office's jurisdiction is," he said, speaking at The Cooper Union in New York City Thursday.
"I'm not making any accusations," Bharara said. "But I wanted the record to be clear."
Related: Prosecutor fired by Trump leaves legacy as Wall Street crime-buster
Bharara also drew some laughs from the crowd. "I didn't understand why that was such a big deal [to fire someone,] especially for this White House," he said. "I had thought that is what Donald Trump was good at."
"I remember that moment every week during The Apprentice, when Donald Trump would look at his contestants and say, 'Please submit your letter of resignation,'" Bharara added.
Bharara got the coveted prosecutor's job in New York during the depths of the financial crisis in 2009. He went on to earn a reputation as a cutthroat pursuer of insider trading and other types of financial fraud.
During his speech Thursday, Bharara recounted some of his office's many victories, putting financial criminals in jail and going after political corruption. Though, he added, there is still much work to be done.
"A lot of the system is rigged, and a lot of your fellow Americans have been forgotten and have been left behind. Those are not alternative facts and that is not fake news, but I would respectfully submit: You don't drain a swamp with a slogan," Bharara said.
He also took a serious tone in addressing the recent attacks on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Congressional Republicans and the White House have lobbed critiques at the agency, saying it wields too much power. And the CFPB has been facing litigation that questions whether the appointment process for its director is unconstitutional.
Related: House Republican: President Trump, fire CFPB Director Richard Cordray
"It's somewhat remarkable when people are not just talking about the structure of that agency, but denigrating the mission of that agency, which, as far as I understand it, is about helping average people and consumers," he said.
Bharara now holds a position as a distinguished scholar in residence at New York University in Manhattan. He's also spent a bit of time taking jabs at the Trump administration on Twitter since he got fired last month.
Should one wonder whether this could still fly in the United States? https://t.co/SdNiceFUnw — Preet Bharara (@PreetBharara) April 1, 2017Hi! We are happy to share with you a new work from Sergey Kovalev - S.W.A.T. diorama. Following text and photos were made by author.
I present you my new project - diorama S.W.A.T. In this work, I wanted to depict armored truck in civil version, serving as police vehicle, and also replicate part of the street from slum area.
Привет! Мы рады поделиться с вами очередным проектом Сергея Ковалёва - диорамой S.W.A.T. Далее следуют текст и фото автора.
Кстати, вы можете прочитать о недавнем проекте от Сергея здесь на нашем сайте.
Представляю вашему вниманию новую работу - диораму S.W.A.T. В данной работе хотелось изобразить военный броневик в гражданском исполнении, на службе у полиции, и кроме этого создать часть улицы, так сказать, в неблагополучном районе города.
Diorama base is cut out of thick plastic, vehicle is from Kinetic.
Основание диорамы вырезано из толстого пластика, броневик фирмы Kinetic,
I also used figurines from ANT.
Я также использовал фигуры ANT,
One of the main subjects on the scene - part of building by Miniart.
Основной объект диорамы - часть здания MiniArt.
I've chosen set of Russian Spetsnaz figurines from ANT, which suit the topic, but I had to replace AK-47 by American M-4 from Live Resin.
Взятый набор фигур фирмы ANT российского спецназа хорошо подходит по теме, пришлось лишь заменить автоматы Калашникова на американские М-4 фирмы Live Resin.
Wheels from the kit were replaced by resin alternative from Voyagermodel.
Колеса из набора заменил на смоляные фирмы Voyagermodel.
Machine gun was also replaced by resin item from Live Resin.
Пулемет также был заменен на смоляной фирмы Live Resin.
Building is made of sections, gaps filled in, pedestrian road tiles cut out of plastic, asphalt surface copied with help of automotive putty. I applied it with putty knife and before drying scratched it with sponge. After drying I sanded surface.
Здание сделано из секций, швы зашпаклеваны, тротуарная плитка вырезана из пластика, поверхность асфальта имитировал автомобильной шпаклевкой. Шпаклевку нанес с помощью шпателя, до высыхания прошелся губкой, после высыхания поверхность зашлифовал.
As a prototype I've chosen police vehicle from Luisiana State.
За прототип взят броневик полиции штата Луизиана.
Writing on the cab was made with letters decals.
На корпусе надпись сделана при помощи декали из отдельных букв.
Base and armored vehicle were painted with acrylic paints from Tamiya.
Основание и броневик окрашены акриловыми красками фирмы Tamiya.As the name implies, the key focus of this game is your loadout. It’s a third person shooter with a cartoon aesthetic that allows you to build your own guns out of a selection of parts. It’s free to play, as well, with a business model that only has people buying cosmetic items (i.e. the good kind of F2P) so nobody can show up, buy a load of guns, and then immediately dominate. There’s no buying power here, but there’s plenty of power for the people who play it.
The game mixes a similar aesthetic to Team Fortress 2 with over the top gore to hilarious effect, you can strip the flesh from enemy’s limbs so they are just bone, blow holes in their torso that you can see right through, not to mention seeing their insides. It actually sounds a little traumatic but the bright colours and over the top nature of the game really just result in laughter, particularly when the enemy you just literally blew in half gives you the finger.
If hectic chaos is what you look for in a shooter then Loadout has you covered. Players are constantly rolling and jumping all over the map trying to avoid the wide variety of different projectiles that are likely coming their way at any given time. Modes such as Blitz have you capturing control points and encourage team play, as do game mechanics like guns that can heal people up to 200% health.
Jackhammer, which is capture the flag with a hammer instead of a flag, lets you use the hammer itself to get one hit kills if your aim and timing are up to it, netting you more points once you capture it. The closest to a standard shooter mode is Death Snatch, which is a kill confirmed mode where you get points when picking up the Blutonium that enemies drop on death.
It’s important to stay mobile and really get to grips with the movement system. More than just avoiding incoming fire, jumping and rolling can be used to access parts of the map that are usually inaccessible in other games, as you can jump very high, and if you jump immediately after rolling you will jump even higher. Finding better vantage points and quicker routes becomes experimentation and it lets you surprise enemies by jumping out from places you wouldn’t normally be able to in other games.
Obviously, the focus of Loadout is on the weaponry. There are a variety of guns types to choose from, such as rifles, beam weapons, and launchers, after which you can customise how they work completely. Do you want your rockets to explode on impact, or at the press of a button? A shotgun that shoots bouncing balls of electricity? That’s great indoors if you can avoid killing yourself. Fully automatic, burst fire, or semi auto? One powerful rocket, or three less powerful rockets? Do you want your rockets to spiral in the air to maximise chance to hit? You can even make healing guns to heal yourself and your teammates for a little bit of medic work. There are plenty of options for you find that gun you’ve been missing all your life.
Guns parts are all unlocked using only in-game money that you earn from matches, so you can’t just buy your way to more powerful weaponry, although you can buy multipliers to earn XP and Blutonium (the in-game currency) from matches more quickly.
There isn’t really a more powerful weapon anyway, as the advantages come with disadvantages, so you are really just making guns to match your play style. Or more likely you’ll discover that you can make something amazing and change your style around it because you like it so much. I don’t usually use shotguns in games, but my tesla with bouncing projectiles is a lot of fun, particularly in more enclosed environments.
The game is funded by buying cosmetic items to customise your character. There are plenty of outfits and items for players to wear if you fancy supporting the game. The problem is that the cosmetic items are a bit expensive, but since they are entirely optional and don’t affect the gameplay, you don’t need to buy them unless you want to support the game and/or really like customising characters. There are daily sales on items and in future you may be able to get cosmetic items through gameplay, but for the moment they do seem to be a bit expensive.
Loadout is a hilarious, over the top blood bath with chaotic combat and more varied weapons than any other game I’ve seen. Tinkering around with guns to this extent isn’t something that’s found in too many other games and it opens a whole world of possibilities that you can’t find anywhere else. Plus it’s free to play with the best payment model possible for a competitive game so there isn’t much reason not to try it. Edge of Reality have made something great that deserves some attention, if only to ensure there are more people for me to shotgun into oblivion.In a story that's either a case of camera and computer technology taking a step forward or another nail in the coffin of privacy, the South Wales Police recently arrested a man using a mobile automatic facial recognition (AFR) system deployed in a van.
In speaking to Ars Technica, a police commissioner declined to reveal many specifics about the case, but did say the idea of the AFR is “centered upon early intervention and prompt, positive action,” thereby allowing the police to “identify vulnerability, challenge perpetrators, and reduce instances of offending within environments where the technology is deployed.” The latter is not unlike parking a cruiser near a busy highway to deter drivers from speeding, but of course, the former relies on a high level of public surveillance, as the man's face was seen and identified by a camera attached to a police van that was parked near a major soccer match.
Of course, catching criminals is a good thing. But a system that can automatically track and identify individuals in public spaces wields tremendous power — power that could also be abused. What do you think? Is this sort of camera technology worth the loss of privacy?
[via Gizmodo]Introduction
SQL Server 2016 was (finally) released on June 1st, 2016 with an initial build number of 13.0.1601.5. Microsoft build SQL 2016 keeps a lot of things in mind like Cloud first, Security enhancement, JSON support, Temporal database support, Row level security, Windows server 2016 connectivity, Non-relational database connectivity (e.g. Hadoop), rich visual effects, etc.
In this article, we will take a walk-through all fresh SQL 2016 features and cover them one by one.
Always Encrypted
As the word suggests, 'Always Encrypted' feature of SQL 2016 'Always' keeps your sensitive data 'Encrypted' either at rest (local environment) or at remote (Cloud/Azure). It will help to protect data from people who may play around it like DBAs, Cloud operators, high-privileged but unauthorized users.
How It Works
You can set Always Encrypted to individual column (where your sensitive data resides). While configuring columns, you need to specify encryption algorithm and cryptographic keys for data protection. There are basically two keys you need to define:
Encryption Key for column data encryption (It will be used to encrypt data for specific column) Master Key: for Encryption of column encryption keys
So basically, it's a double encryption protection, only program can access it, client application will automatically encrypt and decrypt data before fetching data from database.
JSON Support
SQL 2016 gives direct support to JSON (Java Script Object Notation), SQL has the facility to read JSON format data, load them in table, support index properties in JSON columns.
JSON data will be stored in NVARCHAR type. Due to NVARCHAR type, an application has the following benefits:
Already stored JSON data (as text) can be easily migrated on new feature.
As NVARCHAR is supported by all SQL components so is the JSON too.
You can easily fetch data FOR JSON from SQL with the below syntax:
SELECT column, expression, column as alias FROM table1, table2, table3 FOR JSON [AUTO | PATH]
It is a SELECT command so when we fire the above query, SQL will format each row/cell value and return as JSON object.
SQL has also provided in-built functions for JSON.
Dynamic Data Masking
This is again one of the security features of SQL 2016. As the name suggests, it just wraps MASK on your data, in short, it hides your confidential data that you don't want to display. It just avoids disclosure of your sensitive data.
After masking, SQL User with limited rights will not view original text, he can view only Masked Text, SQL has pre-defined masking functions you just need to apply it on different columns, see below:
Sr No Functions Applied on Plain text (Input) Masking text(output) 1 Default String, Number ABCD xxxx 2 Email Email text [email protected] [email protected] 3 Random Numbers 1234 684 4 Custom String Text RABBIT RXXXX
To apply this on specific columns, you just need to ALTER column with'MASKED WITH'function name, see below syntax:
//here I used function as Default (), you can change it to any of the above types ALTER TABLE tablename ALTER COLUMN columnname MASKED WITH (FUNCTION=‚default()‘)
PolyBase
It's a multi-connection functionality, in which we can connect to all relational and non-relational data from single point, it helps you to connect Hadoop database and Azure Blob storage. Basically, PolyBase creates a bridge between a data that is outside SQL scope, while querying on Hadoop or Azure storage no additional knowledge or installation is needed. Simply, you can Import and Export data To and From Hadoop or Azure storage. Additionally, you can integrate it with Microsoft’s business intelligence.
Row Level Security
This is again one of the security features of SQL 2016. It allows you to secure your data row wise, in short you can define a row, that will be viewed by a particular SQL user only. So depending upon the SQL user access permission, we can restrict row level data, e.g., we can ensure if employees can view only their department data though department table is the same.
To implement Row level security, you need to define Security policy with a predicate and function.
Security policy: We need to create a policy for security, here is simple syntax:
CREATE SECURITY POLICY fn_security ADD [FILTER | BLOCK] PREDICATE FunctionName ON TableName
In the above syntax, FILTER and BLOCK are the predicates that will either FILTER rows and display only those that are available for read or BLOCK rows for write operation.
Function: Function is a simple user defined function, but here are some restrictions for user defined function that are used in Row Level Security syntax:
Database modification operations are not allowed
OUTPUT INTO clause is not allowed in function
clause is not allowed in function Multiple result set should not be returned from function
Stretch Database
As the name suggests, it gives flexibility to the user. In short, we can store portion of database to remote (Here, we can say cloud/Azure). The portion of data can be called as COLD DATA. (It is useful for those where transactional data needs to be keep for long time as industry requirement.) So we can say it's a cost-effective solution for COLD data storage, your data is available anytime for query and manage. You can access your data without changing queries either it is present on local or at stretch database.
To configure it, you need an Azure account and database instance that you need to stretch. The following snap will clear your idea.
Multiple TempDB
It is always a good practice to have a Multiple Temp data files, if you are working on a big crucial data, up till now (SQL 2014), you need to manually add temp db files to your database but SQL 2016 provides you temp DB configuration settings, in which you can configure Number of TempDB files at the time of SQL installation. Default number of files are 8 with default size of 64 MB will be given.
So you no longer need to configure/create it manually.
Query Store
Up till now, to check Query plan and execution statistics, we need dynamic management views in SQL but neither will it give you Query plan that executed by past/old queries nor will it store them anywhere so that you can review, but SQL 2016 provides you 'Query Store' that takes you through query plan, statistics and Query execution for current and past queries.
To enable it, just right click on database (obviously, you need SQL 2016 SSMS), go to properties. You will see 'Query store' at the left corner, select it and click on Enable'true'or you can do it using Query as follows:
ALTER DATABASE [Database1] SET QUERY_STORE = ON
Temporal Table
Do you want to store history of your SQL table? So you want to review your old records after table updation? Then you can go with this features. SQL 2016 provides record version facility in which it keeps a history of changed record and maintains it for timely analysis. This feature can be useful for Audit, checking data trend, accidental update/delete data and many more.
How It Works
Basically, the system keeps pair of a table for history and adds two additional columns in it named'SysStartTime'and'SysEndTime'for start time and end time for row respectively. Live table contains current record of row, whereas history table contains previous record of row. We can fetch data from History table, with the following query:
SELECT * FROM table1 FOR SYSTEM_TIME BETWEEN date1 AND date2 WHERE condition;
R Introduction
Have you stored statistical data in SQL? Want to use R to analyze it? You export data each time from SQL to R? Then your headache will now be covered in SQL 2016, because it is now with R. You |
your boss, but if you want to talk to someone about your problems, you can always knock on my door.” At press time, Pence was kindly reminding another employee whom he caught drinking a ginger ale for the third time in a week that he has a wife and children who love him very much.
DAY 92: Berkeley Campus On Lockdown After Loose Pages From ‘Wall Street Journal’ Found On Park Bench
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BERKELEY, CA—Advising students to remain in their dormitories and classrooms until the situation was resolved, the University of California, Berkeley declared a campuswide lockdown Thursday after several loose pages from The Wall Street Journal were found on a park bench outside a school building. “At 11:15 this morning, several pages from two separate sections of today’s Wall Street Journal were discovered spread across a bench outside of Eshleman Hall in Lower Sproul Plaza,” read the urgent alert sent to all students and faculty, emphasizing that while campus security and local police had safely disposed of the pages, there was no way of knowing if others were strewn elsewhere on university grounds. “As of now, the perpetrator remains at large, so it is vital that you stay where you are until the all-clear is given. In the meantime, notify police immediately if you have any additional information at all regarding this incident.” At press time, a black-clad group of 50 students were throwing bottles at the bench while chanting, “No Nazis, No KKK, No Fascist U.S.A!”
DAY 91: Bill O’Reilly Tearfully Packs Up Framed Up-Skirt Photos From Desk
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NEW YORK—Smiling wistfully as he gazed at the cherished mementos that had sat on his desk for much of the past 20 years, former Fox News commentator Bill O’Reilly reportedly grew teary-eyed Thursday as he packed up the framed up-skirt photos from his work space following his termination by the cable channel. “God, I have so many great memories from this place,” said the longtime host of The O’Reilly Factor as he stared down at the 8-by-10 glossy print showing a woman’s exposed underwear taken from underneath a news desk, before wrapping it in tissue paper and placing it gently in a cardboard box alongside a smaller three-panel frame containing photos of various women’s bare thighs. “I worked with some truly amazing people who showed me some incredible things over the years. I’m really going to miss everything I got to do at this place—it was always such a good time. It’s hard to let go.” At press time, O’Reilly was seen wiping away a tear from the corner of his eye and popping a small down-blouse photo of a woman’s cleavage out of its frame and placing it carefully in his wallet.
DAY 90: Melania Idly Wonders If She Would Get Heads-Up About Nuclear Missile Headed Toward New York
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NEW YORK—Saying she liked to believe she’d be given some kind of warning, Melania Trump idly wondered Wednesday whether she would get a heads-up if a nuclear missile were headed toward New York. “You’d think I’d receive a phone call with some sort of instructions if they knew a nuclear warhead was on its way,” said the first lady, despite being unable to recall her husband or any officials ever mentioning the existence of an alert system or notification protocol. “Maybe they have a secret shelter somewhere, and they’ll just show up suddenly to evacuate me and Barron. If they knew I was in the direct path of a nuclear weapon, surely they’d at least contact me so I could emotionally prepare, right? If absolutely nothing else, Donald would call to say goodbye and tell me he loved me, wouldn’t he? I mean, wouldn’t he?” After pondering the scenarios for a few minutes, Melania decided that, on second thought, it was probably better if she didn’t know.
DAY 89: Donald Trump Jr. Takes Son On Hunting Trip In National Zoo
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WASHINGTON—In what he referred to as an important rite of passage for his 8-year-old son, Donald John III, Donald Trump Jr. took his eldest boy to the Smithsonian National Zoological Park for his first-ever hunting trip, sources said Wednesday.
The daylong excursion, during which father and son could be seen wearing matching khaki fatigues and safari hats, was reportedly an opportunity for Trump Jr. to introduce the young boy to hunting by showing him how to track a wild animal through a zoo exhibit, set up the perfect shot just outside a fenced enclosure, and, if possible, hit the target right between the eyes as it lies sleeping.
“That’s it, D.J.—steady the barrel along the edge of the guardrail, just like that,” Trump Jr. whispered, appearing to swell with pride as Donald John III crouched near an ice cream stand in the zoo’s Cheetah Conservation Station and took aim at a cub playing inside a small enclosure 10 feet below. “Be very quiet or you’ll spook him. Now, whenever you’re ready, just exhale slowly and squeeze the trigger.”
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“Great shot, son!” Trump Jr. continued as three valets from the hunting party set down the Trumps’ gear and entered the cheetah habitat to field-dress the carcass. “Let’s keep this spot until the zookeeper comes to feed them. When that happens, they’ll all move out into the open and we’ll be able to get a few more.”
According to sources, Trump Jr. and his son crept quietly along the paved footpaths—staying low and occasionally ducking behind an information kiosk—in the hopes of remaining undetected as they approached their next targets, Wilma and Zora, the two American bison housed by the zoo. Both animals were reportedly lapping water from a trough and caught unaware, allowing the father-son duo to take each of them out with three quick shots to the head, use a bowie knife to cut off the horns for souvenirs, and then continue on their way to the picnic pavilion for hot dogs and sodas.
Arriving at the zoo’s bird sanctuary, the Trumps are said to have switched from big-game rifles to scatterguns, bringing down a dozen flamingos, five whooping cranes, and a pair of North Island brown kiwi as zoo employees and families in the nearby gift shop screamed and ran for cover.
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“The key to hunting is biding your time, D.J.—wait until those sea lions are trapped between the tank wall and your line of fire so you can get a clear shot at them before they swim away,” said Trump Jr., peering through the scope of his rifle at the aquatic mammals sunning themselves on a concrete embankment. “Later, when we go inside the Great Ape House, you’re going to be tempted to take a shot right away, but you have to be patient.”
“Eventually an orangutan will come down from its tire swing to grab a piece of fruit,” he added. “When that happens—bam, you nail him!”
Reports confirmed the highlight of the expedition came when Trump Jr. took down the zoo’s giant panda Tian Tian with just two shots, the first bullet shattering the Plexiglas barrier and the second hitting the animal directly in the heart. The Trumps reportedly took the opportunity to pose with their prized trophy, each triumphantly placing a foot on the blood-drenched panda as a hired photographer captured the moment.
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The jubilant father and son reportedly ended their day by honing their marksmanship at the Small Mammal House, picking off mongooses one by one as they poked their heads out of their burrows.
“D.J., I was very proud of you out there today,” a misty-eyed Trump Jr. said as he tousled his son’s hair and tenderly wiped a smear of giant anteater blood from the boy’s cheek. “Maybe someday, when you have a son of your own, you’ll take him to the zoo and kill something really great like a white rhino, or, who knows, maybe you’ll take him to an aquarium and bag a dolphin. Even I haven’t done that.”
At press time, having deemed a gazelle carcass too small to make a good wall mount, the Trumps had abandoned the dead animal near a lemonade cart to rot in the sun.
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DAY 88: Cackling Trump Reveals To Dinner Guests They’ve All Just Eaten Single Piece Of His Tax Returns
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WASHINGTON—A satisfied smirk spreading across his face as he watched them finish their meals, a cackling Donald Trump reportedly revealed to dinner guests Tuesday that each and every one of them had just eaten a single piece of his tax returns. “Now that you’re done dining, let me ask: Did you notice anything, shall we say, interesting about your entrées?” said the president, who caused those seated in the State Dining Room to look down at their now empty plates in revulsion as he gleefully revealed that he had diced up over 20 years of pages from his federal and New York State tax filings and sprinkled them into each of the meal’s seven lavish courses. “Dr. Bornstein, you seemed to enjoy your duck roulades. And my good professor, that crab risotto certainly agreed with you. Well, would it surprise you to learn that the dishes you’ve all just partaken of contain morsels of my 1099-Bs from 1995 to 2015? Quite delicious, weren’t they? Please, please don’t be shy about asking for seconds.” At press time, as the disgusted guests stood up from the table and hastily exited, a giddy Trump called out to remind them that they hadn’t even had dessert yet.
DAY 87: Trump Administration Refusing To Disclose Names Of White House Diamond Elite Members
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WASHINGTON—Rejecting calls for increased transparency by government watchdog groups, officials from the Trump administration announced Monday that they would not disclose the names of White House Diamond Elite members. “Due to the potential security risks associated with publicizing the identities of those enrolled in our most premier program, we will continue to keep their names confidential, a policy that will also apply to those at Diamond Plus, Diamond, Gold, and Silver levels,” said White House Communications Director Mike Dubke, reaffirming the administration’s commitment to the privacy concerns of program participants who enjoy a variety of exclusive premium benefits at the White House. “We will also not release the dates or times of their stays nor disclose any of the Elite Select locations they visited, as we are under no legal obligation to do so.” Pressed for further comment, Dubke encouraged journalists to contact a representative to discuss the many rewards of White House membership.
DAY 86: Immigrant Arrests Increase Under Trump
The Washington Post reports that immigrant arrests have climbed 32.6 percent under the Trump administration, and arrests of undocumented immigrants with no criminal record have more than doubled. What do you think?
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DAY 85: Trump Spends 10 Minutes Mistakenly Addressing Steve Bannon's Freshly Shed Exoskeleton
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DAY 84: ‘There Are No Good Options In Syria,’ Sighs Man Who Has Devoted 12 Minutes Of Research To Topic
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SAGINAW, MI—Shaking his head at the tragic futility of it all, local man Daniel Roth sighed “there are no good options in Syria” Thursday after devoting 12 minutes of casual research to the topic. “It’s just so heartbreaking, but what’s worse is that there doesn’t seem to be any real solution,” said Roth, who skimmed seven paragraphs of a Washington Post editorial on the subject and watched a short Vox explainer video on the various participants in the conflict before clicking over to the teaser trailer for Thor: Ragnarok. “There’s certainly no silver bullet, and there might not even be a workable way out at all. With so many confounding variables at play, I can’t even imagine a decent path forward unless something completely unexpected happens.” Roth admitted, however, that he was not an expert on Syria and hoped his friend who recently read a 6,000-word essay in Harper’s might have some more encouraging insight.
DAY 83: Sean Spicer Given Own Press Secretary To Answer Media's Questions About His Controversial Statements
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WASHINGTON—In an effort to ensure their messaging is being communicated to the public in a clear and transparent manner, the White House Press Office announced Wednesday that Sean Spicer has been given his own press secretary to answer the media’s questions about his controversial statements. “The remarks from the press secretary are being taken out of context, which is unfortunate, given the fact that he is in actuality trying to make very much the opposite point,” said Press Secretary to the White House Press Secretary Kevin Harrigan in his first briefing following his appointment to the role, whose primary duties include conducting supplementary press conferences after Spicer’s daily briefings in order to clarify and explain his comments. “If you actually look at the evidence from all sides—the substance, if not the entire whole, is solid, which is what he was trying to articulate all along. And that remains true even if the media is trying to nitpick his words and promote their own message. I understand the point, but it’s clear what he was trying to say with the aforementioned statements—even the parts he was referring to—and, um, I’m sorry, you can’t just pretend otherwise.” At press time, a contrite Harrigan was appearing on multiple morning talk shows to apologize for suggesting that if Syrian president Bashar al-Assad had a nuclear weapon, he might be the first to ever use one.
DAY 82: Rookie Justice Gorsuch Assigned To Supreme Court Overnight Shift
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WASHINGTON—Presiding over the dimly lit chamber during the small hours of the morning, newly sworn-in justice Neil Gorsuch was reportedly forced Tuesday to work the Supreme Court overnight shift. “It’s pretty boring, and it sucks that it’s so late, but [Justice] Anthony [Kennedy] told me that doing the graveyard shift is just a rite of passage rookies like me have gone through since pretty much the beginning of the judicial branch,” said Gorsuch, adding that so far things had been fairly uneventful except for a few “kind of weird” interstate commerce cases. “There’s honestly not that much to do besides just keeping an eye on the place and dealing with whoever straggles in at 2 a.m. to file an amicus brief. Luckily, you can pretty much just read a book most of the time, and I’ve got a little portable radio to keep me company when things are really dead. Still, I’m hoping this is just for a few months before they transfer me to a normal shift.” At press time, Gorsuch was reportedly attempting to rouse a heavily intoxicated assistant solicitor general who had passed out in the back of the courtroom.
DAY 81: Trump Assures Nation That Decision For Syrian Airstrikes Came After Carefully Considering All His Passing Whims
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WASHINGTON—Amid concerns that a U.S. attack on a Syrian government air base would only escalate the ongoing conflict in the region, President Trump assured Americans Friday that his decision to order a missile strike came only after carefully considering every one of his passing whims. “I want to make it perfectly clear that the decision to launch a military intervention in Syria was the result of meticulously reviewing each fleeting impulse that I felt over the last 48 hours,” said Trump, adding that after learning of chemical weapons used by Bashar al-Assad’s forces to kill innocent Syrian civilians, he gathered his top military aides to pore over dozens of his sudden knee-jerk reactions to the situation. “I examined many different options that whirled through my mind in the moment, including authorizing drone strikes, deploying U.S. troops to Syria, sending in SEAL Team Six to take out Assad, getting up and grabbing a snack from the kitchen, doing nothing, and dropping all our nuclear bombs on Damascus at once. Ultimately, I concluded that an airstrike was the best option at that particular second.” Trump went on to say that if the Assad regime’s behavior continues, he will not hesitate to order further military action if he hasn’t already completely forgotten about Syria by then.
DAY 80: Assad Vows Swift Retaliation On Syrian Civilians In Response To U.S. Missile Strike
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DAMASCUS—Angrily declaring that the attack would not go unpunished, Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad vowed swift retaliation on his nation’s civilians Friday for the U.S. missile strike on the al-Shayrat air base. “In response to the egregious aggression of the United States, I promise to stop at nothing to crush the Syrian people quickly and decisively,” said Assad, announcing a full-scale military assault on noncombatants in residential neighborhoods throughout Syria that would make the U.S. “sorely regret its unprovoked and criminal deeds.” “This act of war on the part of the United States leaves us no choice but to strike Syrian hospitals, schools, and places of worship with even more force and resolve. Mark my words: the streets of Syria will run red with the blood of civilian men, women, and children, and America will know the price to be paid for its belligerence.” At press time, Russian officials had decried the U.S. missile strike and said they had not ruled out supporting their ally in any counterattack against Syrian civilians.
DAY 79: Trump Confident U.S. Military Strike On Syria Wiped Out Russian Scandal
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WASHINGTON—After ordering the first U.S. military attack against the regime of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, President Donald Trump held a press conference Friday to express his full confidence that the airstrike had completely wiped out the lingering Russian scandal. “Based on intelligence we have received over the past several hours, the attack on the al-Shayrat air base in Homs has successfully eliminated all discussions and allegations about my administration’s ties to the Russian government,” said Trump, adding that at approximately 4:40 a.m. local time, 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles fired from U.S. naval ships obliterated all traces of the widespread controversy in news outlets across the media. “Ordering this strike was not a decision I took lightly, but given that it was the only way to decisively eradicate any attention being paid to congressional investigations into possible collusion between key members of my staff and high-ranking Kremlin officials, I decided it was a necessary course of action. If we learn that any remnants of this scandal remain after this attack, I will not hesitate to order further strikes.” Trump went on to say that he is leaving the option open for a potential ground invasion of Syria if any troubling evidence emerges that the Russian government manipulated the outcome of the 2016 presidential election.
DAY 78: 5 Things To Know About Filibusters
DAY 77: Judge: Plausible That Trump Incited Riots
A judge has agreed that there is “sufficient evidence” in a lawsuit three injured protesters are bringing against President Trump for inciting and encouraging violence against them at a Kentucky rally. What do you think?
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DAY 76: Bashar Al-Assad Shares Laugh With Military Leaders Over Time He Once Wanted To Be A Doctor And Help People
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DAMASCUS—During a meeting to review the body counts from his latest initiatives to retake rebel-held regions of the country, Syrian president Bashar al-Assad shared an extended laugh with his top military leaders on Thursday over the time in his life when he wanted to be a doctor and help people. “Oh man, can you even believe there was a period when I actually wanted to heal people, to help end their suffering?” said Assad, pausing the discussion of chemical weapons deployments to recall his youthful dream of providing lifesaving medical assistance to the sick and injured between gasps of laughter. “And it’s not like it was just a brief phase or something. I spent over a decade training. I even went to London for postgraduate study. God, there was even a point where I seriously considered working to help children. That’s so crazy.” After more than a minute spent clutching his abdomen in boisterous laughter, a beaming Assad reportedly emitted a few final chuckles, wiped away a tear of glee from the corner of his eye, and authorized sarin gas attacks on several villages outside the city of Hama.
DAY 75: Kentucky Temporarily Barred From Closing Only Abortion Clinic
A judge has granted Kentucky’s only remaining abortion clinic a temporary 14-day restraining order against Governor Matt Bevin, who is attempting to shutter the facility. What do you think?
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DAY 74: Climate Change: Myth Vs. Fact
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With President Trump set to dismantle much of his predecessor’s climate change legislation, many are wondering what the impacts of climate change will be and which sources to believe. The Onion separates fact from fiction on the issue of global warming:
MYTH: Humans have only a negligible overall impact on climate change
Humans have only a negligible overall impact on climate change FACT: That’s every other variety of plant and animal on earth combined that you’re thinking of
MYTH: Oil companies intentionally obscure climatological research in order to grow their profits
Oil companies intentionally obscure climatological research in order to grow their profits FACT: Big Oil has never had to try all that hard to make the public ignore climate change research
MYTH: By the year 2099, sea levels could rise between 7-20 inches
By the year 2099, sea levels could rise between 7-20 inches FACT: You’re never going to get people worried when you put it like that
You’re never going to get people worried when you put it like that MYTH: Rising global temperatures mean that thousands of species are going extinct
Rising global temperatures mean that thousands of species are going extinct FACT: Sure, but it’s mostly just bugs
Sure, but it’s mostly just bugs MYTH: The full impact of these changes won’t be apparent until your grandchildren are grown
The full impact of these changes won’t be apparent until your grandchildren are grown FACT: You’re never going to meet anyone, let alone have kids, if you don’t start taking care of yourself
You’re never going to meet anyone, let alone have kids, if you don’t start taking care of yourself MYTH: The effects of climate change will negatively impact everyone on earth
The effects of climate change will negatively impact everyone on earth FACT: The killjoys who predicted this for decades will have the advantage of looking super smart
The killjoys who predicted this for decades will have the advantage of looking super smart MYTH: There is nothing mankind can do to prevent climate change
There is nothing mankind can do to prevent climate change FACT: There is nothing mankind will do to prevent climate change
DAY 73: 5 Things To Know About Neil Gorsuch
DAY 72: Islam: Myth Vs. Fact
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In the wake of President Trump’s proposed immigration ban targeting largely Muslim countries, The Onion separates myth from fact regarding the religion of Islam.
MYTH: Donald Trump wants to personally see to it that all Muslims are barred from coming into the United States
Donald Trump wants to personally see to it that all Muslims are barred from coming into the United States FACT: This desire is the collective will of the millions of Americans who voted for him based on this promise
This desire is the collective will of the millions of Americans who voted for him based on this promise MYTH: Americans should be afraid of Muslims
Americans should be afraid of Muslims FACT: Americans should be afraid of golden poison dart frogs
Americans should be afraid of golden poison dart frogs MYTH: The word “jihad,” though misunderstood in the West, means an “internal struggle” in pursuit of a goal
The word “jihad,” though misunderstood in the West, means an “internal struggle” in pursuit of a goal FACT: The word “jihad” means that the news article will require a moderated comments section
The word “jihad” means that the news article will require a moderated comments section MYTH: The Catholic Reformation would likely not even have occurred without the Ottoman protection of Martin Luther
The Catholic Reformation would likely not even have occurred without the Ottoman protection of Martin Luther FACT: You’re upsetting your mother. Just drop it.
You’re upsetting your mother. Just drop it. MYTH: “Islam” refers to the religion itself, and “Muslim” is the term for a follower of that religion
“Islam” refers to the religion itself, and “Muslim” is the term for a follower of that religion FACT: The terms are interchangeable when screamed outside a courthouse in a cloud of red-faced anger
The terms are interchangeable when screamed outside a courthouse in a cloud of red-faced anger MYTH: The Quran is 90 percent bomb schematics
The Quran is 90 percent bomb schematics FACT: Rush Limbaugh walked back that statement somewhat in a later segment
Rush Limbaugh walked back that statement somewhat in a later segment MYTH: Islam explicitly condones violence and aggression
Islam explicitly condones violence and aggression FACT: Like all other major religions, Islam offers a hopeful message promptly corrupted by a reliable handful of assholes
Like all other major religions, Islam offers a hopeful message promptly corrupted by a reliable handful of assholes MYTH: Muslims hate America
Muslims hate America FACT: Many Muslims, both immigrants and citizens, love and embrace life in this country, somehow
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DAY 71: How Presidential Approval Ratings Are Calculated
DAY 70: Mike Pence Asks Waiter To Remove Mrs. Butterworth From Table Until Wife Arrives
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WASHINGTON—Expressing concerns about the propriety of being left alone with a syrup container of the opposite sex, Vice President Mike Pence reportedly asked his waiter Thursday to remove Mrs. Butterworth from the table until his wife arrived to join him at a local diner. “Excuse me, sir, would you please take this out of my line of sight until my wife gets here?” said Pence, who reportedly attempted to put the table’s sugar dispenser and salt and pepper shakers between him and the feminine syrup bottle before deciding that even having Mrs. Butterworth within arm’s reach could lead him to have impure thoughts. “It just would not be right for me to sit here alone with a woman-shaped container, particularly one as shapely as this. In fact, I would advise you to do the same for the man sitting over there—I see he is sitting very close to Mrs. Butterworth even though he appears to be wearing a wedding ring.” At press time, Pence had asked the waiter to pour syrup on his pancakes for him, as it would be unseemly to handle the curves of the plastic woman in such a public place.
DAY 69: Trump Unveils Sprawling New Presidential Retreat Where He Can Escape From Stresses Of Mar-A-Lago
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ST. THOMAS, U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS—Speaking Wednesday from the grounds of the lavish tropical estate where he plans to spend much of his downtime while in office, Donald Trump unveiled a new presidential retreat he hopes will allow him to escape from the grueling pace of life at Mar-a-Lago.
With its sunny climate, secluded setting, and luxurious accommodations, the 45-acre Caribbean hideaway known as Isola Vista—which sits on a pristine white-sand beach along the island of St. Thomas’ southern coast—will reportedly serve as a haven where the president can find respite from his five-star Palm Beach, FL resort and its many day-to-day pressures.
“After a while, all that time spent at Mar-a-Lago starts to take a toll,” Trump said of the relentless routine of recreation and extravagance he experiences at his oceanfront Florida club. “I’m there so much that sometimes I just need to get away and clear my head. Here in St. Thomas I’ll have a place where I can simply relax and, for a little while at least, forget about all those headaches I left behind in Palm Beach.”
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Added the president, “A few days in the Caribbean should be all I need to feel refreshed and ready to get right back to the usual grind of Mar-a-Lago.”
According to sources, considerable efforts have been made at Isola Vista to create a tranquil retreat far removed from the rigorous schedule of golf, fine dining, and spa treatments the commander-in-chief faces every single day he is in Florida.
His stressful days at Mar-a-Lago reportedly begin at 6 a.m. with a breakfast prepared by a Michelin-starred chef, followed by an early tee time at the award-winning Trump International Golf Club. By the time the last wearying soiree at his private club finally winds down, the president is often completely exhausted, aides say, prompting his decision to decamp to Isola Vista for some much-needed rest and leisure.
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“It’ll be great to fly down here from Mar-a-Lago and have a little me time,” said Trump, describing how the new retreat will finally let him enjoy some peace and quiet away from his exclusive members-only Florida resort. “The amount of unwinding I’ve done in Palm Beach lately has left me completely drained. Hopefully Isola Vista will allow me to recharge anytime I overdo it at Mar-a-Lago and start to feel run down.”
Following his first visit to Isola Vista, presidential advisers confirmed Trump’s time away appeared to have had a positive effect on his mood and energy level.
“The new retreat seems to have worked wonders on the president,” Trump aide Jessica Ditto told reporters. “When he returned to Mar-a-Lago, he was eager to dive right back into his packed daily schedule immediately and couldn’t wait to get started on the day’s first hot-stone massage.”
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DAY 68: Jared Kushner Quietly Transfers ‘Solve Middle East Crisis’ To Next Week’s To-Do List
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WASHINGTON—Admitting there was simply too much on his plate right now to bring stability to the fractious region by end of day Friday, Senior Advisor to the President Jared Kushner quietly moved the task “solve Middle East crisis” to his to-do list for next week, sources reported Tuesday. “Ushering in lasting peace across the Mideast is definitely still a big priority for me, but given everything else I’ve got going on right now, I’m just going to need to bump it to next week when I have a little more time on my hands,” Kushner reportedly said as he crossed out the task on his pocket day planner and rewrote it on the following page, acknowledging that he was just “too swamped” at the moment with policy reports and real estate development meetings to resolve the numerous wars, land disputes, and centuries-old ethnic and religious tensions that have long raged among the 350 million residents of the geopolitical hotspot. “I was really hoping to at least knock out the Arab-Israeli conflict before the weekend, but this week’s kind of gotten out of hand. It’ll be fine, though—I’ll just carve out an hour or two next week, hunker down in my office, and sort it all out then. If I can push back a couple business calls, I can definitely get this whole Middle East situation ironed out by Wednesday—Thursday at the latest.” At press time, Kushner reportedly pushed “solve Middle East crisis” back an additional 30 minutes after deciding it would be better to get “fix America’s opioid epidemic” out of the way first.
DAY 67: GOP Makes Good On 2009 Promise To Block President’s Healthcare Bill
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WASHINGTON—Telling Americans this was the kind of leadership and accountability they could expect from the GOP, congressional Republicans held a press conference Monday to celebrate making good on their 2009 promise to block the president’s healthcare bill. “Eight years ago, our party made a solemn pledge to do everything in our power to ensure that a healthcare bill put forth by the president of the United States did not become law, and through our actions last week, that is exactly what we have done,” said Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, who declared that Republican leaders had never forgotten the vow they made almost a decade ago and noted that, when presented earlier this month with a comprehensive healthcare reform plan championed by the White House, they quickly stopped it in its tracks and refused to relent until it was dead. “True to our word, we successfully prevented the executive branch from pushing through a sweeping bill that would have completely remade the U.S. healthcare system. When we said in 2009 that we would not let the president enact a plan that would affect tens of millions of Americans, that was not just empty rhetoric, and on Friday, we stood up and put an end to the president’s bill for good. Voters will not forget our resolute action.” McCarthy went on to add that throughout the remainder of this term, the American people could count on their Republican representatives to uphold the vows they made repeatedly between 2008 and 2016 to obstruct the president’s agenda at every turn.
DAY 66: Mar-A-Lago Assistant Manager Wondering If Anyone Coming To Collect Nuclear Briefcase From Lost And Found
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PALM BEACH, FL—Noting that it had already been there for almost two weeks, Mar-a-Lago assistant manager Chris Mahoney reportedly wondered Monday if anyone was coming to collect the nuclear briefcase from the club’s lost-and-found. “Someone noticed it in the dining room and dropped it off, and it’s just been sitting at the bottom of the bin ever since,” said Mahoney, adding that he had been asking people coming to collect their lost scarves and sunglasses if they might also have misplaced a briefcase attached to a pair of handcuffs. “You’d think whoever it belongs to would have realized that they lost it by now. Well, I’ll give it a few more weeks—if no one claims it after 60 days, it’s up for grabs, and I can see if someone on my staff wants it.” At press time, a man had mistakenly claimed the briefcase as his own before getting home to discover all the unfamiliar buttons inside.
DAY 65: ‘Could’ve Been Me,’ Grumbles Merrick Garland Watching Gorsuch Hearings At Bar With Fellow Highway Maintenance Workers
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HOWARD, MD—Shaking his head and sighing as he viewed the televised proceedings, Merrick Garland reportedly grumbled “Could’ve been me” while watching Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch’s Senate hearing Monday at a local bar with his fellow highway maintenance workers. “I’m supposed to be sitting up there before the Judiciary Committee, you know,” said a visibly frustrated Garland, taking a swig of beer and complaining to the members of his road crew that if he hadn’t gotten “royally screwed” he would be on CSPAN-2 testifying right now. “It’s all a bunch of political bullshit. Don’t get me wrong, I like working with you guys out there, but I had that nomination dead to rights, and they snatched it away from me. Well, guess it’s time to get back to work—those dotted white lines aren’t gonna paint themselves.” At press time, Garland was scooping out debris blocking a drainage basin on an I-695 median.
DAY 64: FBI Calls For Increased Surveillance Powers To Keep Pace With Evolving Threat Of Presidential Administrations
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WASHINGTON—Saying the issue was an urgent matter of national security, FBI director James Comey said at a press conference Tuesday that the agency required increased surveillance powers in order to keep pace with the continually evolving threat of presidential administrations. “Even with the vast tools we currently have, the FBI simply cannot keep up with the growing dangers posed by presidents, their cabinets, and other staffers,” said Comey, who called for a significant expansion of the agency’s investigative capabilities, including investing in state-of-the-art surveillance technology and hiring many more field agents to offset each new threat from an administration as it emerged. “Of course, keeping the country safe from presidencies is not solely within the purview of one agency, and we welcome the cooperation of the NSA, the Department of Homeland Security, and the CIA, as well as state and local law enforcement, in our investigations.” Comey cautioned, however, that even if the FBI had vastly expanded powers, it was still only a matter of time before a presidential administration horrifically attacked America once again.
DAY 63: Sessions Rattles Baton Along Prison Bars In Speech Vowing To Crack Down On Violent Crime
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WAVERLY, VA—Saying the inmates had best listen up and listen good because he wasn’t about to repeat himself, Attorney General Jeff Sessions rattled his baton along a line of prison bars in Sussex 1 State Prison Wednesday as he gave a speech vowing to crack down on violent crime. “I am your new Attorney General, and it is my sworn duty to put an end to the savage lawlessness in this country, so here’s how it’s gonna be,” said Sessions, who slowly paced the walkway of Cell Block C, rhythmically slapping his truncheon into his open palm. “What’s been tried has failed, so from now on, we do it my way. We’re gonna have ourselves longer, harsher sentences, and make no mistake, I do not just mean for adults. You had all best get ready, ’cause you’re gonna have some company in those cells real soon, and they’ll be staying for a mighty, mighty long time.” At press time, an inmate who had interjected that overall violent crime rates were at historic lows was thrown into solitary confinement “from now until Judgment Day” for talking back.
DAY 62: Aides Wrestle Drill From Trump’s Hands As He Tries To Remove Obama Listening Device From Skull
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WASHINGTON—Rushing toward the president as he pressed the eight-inch bit into his temple, several White House aides managed to wrestle a drill from Donald Trump’s hand Monday while he attempted to remove Obama’s listening device from his skull. “Obama implanted a microphone inside my head to record everything I say!” Trump reportedly shouted shortly before three White House staffers pinned him to the floor and pried apart his fingers to seize the power tool. “You don’t understand, he can hear everything we’re saying! Obama can even hear my thoughts! I have to get it out! I can feel it! I can feel it! I can feel it!” At press time, staffers were panicking after Trump locked himself in the bathroom and began cutting his stomach open with a razor blade in an attempt to find the tracking chip he said The New York Times had put in his food.
DAY 61: Trump Says Wasteful NEA Hasn’t Produced Single Valuable Work Since Claes Oldenburg’s ‘Clothespin’
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WASHINGTON—Defending his proposed elimination of the federally funded agency, President Donald Trump told reporters Thursday that the wasteful National Endowment for the Arts hasn’t even produced a single valuable work since Claes Oldenburg’s Giant Three-Way Plug. “We have not seen one single NEA-backed project come close to justifying its cost since the Swedish-American sculptor debuted his Pop Art masterpiece in 1970, challenging the way we grapple with questions of industrialization and decay,” said Trump, adding that taxpayer dollars shouldn’t support an organization whose body of work includes such underwhelming artistic efforts as the Joffrey Ballet’s The Rite Of Spring and the entirety of the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival. “Sure, William Bolcom’s Songs Of Innocence And Of Experience moved me at times, but for every Pulitzer Prize–winning composer the NEA supports, it |
to avoid worse)... seem to advise caution. Here lies one of the reasons, why We impose self-restraint on Ourselves in our speeches; the experience, that we made in 1942 with papal addresses, which We authorized to be forwarded to the Believers, justifies our opinion, as far as We see.... The Holy See has done whatever was in its power, with charitable, financial and moral assistance. To say nothing of the substantial sums which we spent in American money for the fares of immigrants."[65]
News from Father Scavizzi [ edit ]
In the spring of 1943 Pirro Scavizzi, an Italian priest, told Pius that the murder of the Jews was "now total", even the elderly and infants were being destroyed "without mercy". Pius is reported to have broken down and wept uncontrollably.
Pius said to Father Scavizzi "I have often considered excommunication, to castigate in the eyes of the entire world the fearful crime of genocide. But after much praying and many tears, I realize that my condemnation would not only fail to help the Jews, it might even worsen their situation... No doubt a protest would gain me the praise and respect of the civilized world, but it would have submitted the poor Jews to an even worse persecution."
Attempted kidnapping [ edit ]
In 1943, plans were allegedly formulated by Hitler to occupy the Vatican and arrest Pius and the cardinals of the Roman Curia.[68][69][70] According to Rev. Peter Gumpel, a historian in charge of Pius' canonization process, the Pope told leading bishops that should he be arrested by Nazi forces, his resignation would take immediate effect and that the Holy See would move to another country, specifically Portugal, where the College of Cardinals would elect a new pope.[71] Some historians argue that the reason Hitler wanted to capture the Pope was because he was concerned Pius would continue speaking against the way the Nazis treated the Jews.[71][72] However, the plan was never brought to fruition, and was reportedly foiled by Nazi general Karl Wolff. Both British historian Owen Chadwick and Jesuit ADSS editor Robert A. Graham dismissed the existence of a plot as British wartime propaganda. However, subsequent to those accounts, Dan Kurzman in 2007 published a work which he maintains establishes the plot as fact.[74]
German occupation of Rome [ edit ]
According to Joseph Lichten, the Vatican was called upon by the Jewish Community Council in Rome to help fill a Nazi demand of one hundred pounds of gold. The Council had been able to muster seventy pounds, but unless the entire amount was produced within thirty-six hours had been told three hundred Jews would be imprisoned. The Pope offered an interest-free loan without a time limit, according to Chief Rabbi Zolli of Rome.[76] However, the Roman Jewish community managed to meet the requirement, and delivered the gold to the occupiers on September 28.[77] Despite the payment of the ransom, 1,015 Jews were deported on 16 October 1943 in the Roman razzia, and most of them died in Germany.[78] Many others were also killed on 24 March 1944, at the Fosse Ardeatine.
Nuncio Orsenigo's appeal to Hitler [ edit ]
In November 1943, nuncio Cesare Orsenigo spoke to the leader of the Third Reich on behalf of Pope Pius XII. In his conversation with Hitler, he talked about the status of persecuted peoples in the Third Reich, apparently referring to Jews. This conversation with the Nazi leader led to no success. Over large parts of the conversation Hitler simply ignored Orsenigo; he went to the window and did not listen.[e]
Actions of Angelo Roncalli [ edit ]
Part of the historical debate surrounding Pius XII has concerned the role of nuncio Angelo Roncalli, the future John XXIII, in rescuing Jews during the War. While some historians have argued that Roncalli was acting as a nuncio on behalf of the Pope, others have said that he was acting on his own when he intervened on behalf of Jews, as it would appear by the rather independent position he took during the Jewish orphans controversy.[80]
According to the Raoul Wallenberg Foundation, Roncalli forwarded a request for the Vatican to inquire whether other neutral countries could grant asylum to Jews, to inform the German government that the Palestine Jewish Agency had 5,000 immigration certificates available and to ask Vatican Radio to broadcast that helping Jews was an act of mercy approved by the Church. In 1944, Roncalli used diplomatic couriers, papal representatives and the Sisters of Our Lady of Zion to transport and issue baptismal certificates, immigration certificates and visas – many of them forged – to Hungarian Jews. A dispatch dated Aug. 16, 1944 from Roncalli to the papal nuncio to Hungary illustrates the intensity of "Operation Baptism".[citation needed]
Roman razzia [ edit ]
On 28 October 1943, Ernst von Weizsäcker, the German Ambassador to the Vatican, telegrammed Berlin that "the Pope has not yet let himself be persuaded to make an official condemnation of the deportation of the Roman Jews.... Since it is currently thought that the Germans will take no further steps against the Jews in Rome, the question of our relations with the Vatican may be considered closed."[81][82]
After receiving a sentence of death, Adolf Eichmann wrote in his diary an account of the round up of Roman Jews: "At that time, my office received the copy of a letter, that I immediately gave to my direct superiors, sent by the Catholic Church in Rome, in the person of Bishop Hudal, to the commander of the German forces in Rome, General Stahel. The Church was vigorously protesting the arrest of Jews of Italian citizenship, requesting that such actions be interrupted immediately throughout Rome and its surroundings. To the contrary, the Pope would denounce it publicly... The Curia was especially angry because these incidents were taking place practically under Vatican windows. But, precisely at that time, without paying any attention to the Church's position, the Italian Fascist Government passed a law ordering the deportation of all Italian Jews to concentration camps.... The objections given and the excessive delay in the steps necessary to complete the implementation of the operation resulted in a great part of Italian Jews being able to hide and escape capture."[83]
Historian Susan Zuccotti, author of "Under His Very Windows: The Vatican and the Holocaust in Italy", wrote "If the Pope remained silent, however, he allowed nuns, monks, priests, and prelates in his diocese, including several at the Vicaraite, to involve themselves in Jewish rescue. Many Church institutions, including Vatican properties sheltered Jews along with other types of fugitives for long periods." James Kurth in his essay The Defamation of Pope Pius XII, writes that she [Susan Zuccotti] "is intent on arguing that Pius XII even allowed the deportation of the Jews of Rome from 'under his very windows'. To do so, she has to be silent about the much greater number of Roman Jews that the Church, with the approval of the Pope, hid within a wide network of monasteries, convents, schools, and hospitals, 'under the very windows' of the Gestapo and the collaborating Fascist police."[86] Kurth concludes his article "It is a demonstration of the depravity and hypocrisy of these liberals and radicals that they seek to achieve the silence and passivity of the Pope and the Church during this current and ongoing holocaust [abortion], by falsely accusing them of committing the crimes of silence and passivity during the Holocaust of sixty years ago."[86]
In August 2006, extracts from the 60-year-old diary of a nun of the Convent of Santi Quattro Coronati[87] were published in the Italian press, stating that Pope Pius XII ordered Rome's convents and monasteries to hide Jews during the Second World War.[88]
Conversions of Jews to Catholicism [ edit ]
The conversion of Jews to Catholicism during the Holocaust is one of the most controversial aspects of the record of Pope Pius XII during that period. According to Roth and Ritner, "this is a key point because, in debates about Pius XII, his defenders regularly point to denunciations of racism and defense of Jewish converts as evidence of opposition to antisemitism of all sorts".[89] The Holocaust is one of the most acute examples of the "recurrent and acutely painful issue in the Catholic-Jewish dialogue", namely "Christian efforts to convert Jews".[90]
Meeting with Churchill [ edit ]
In August 1944, following the Liberation of Rome Pius met British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, who was visiting the city. At their meeting, the Pope acknowledged the justice of punishing war criminals, but expressed a hope that the people of Italy would not be punished, but, with the war continuing, he hoped that they would be made "full allies".[91]
Holocaust by country [ edit ]
Austria [ edit ]
In 1941, Cardinal Theodor Innitzer of Vienna informed Pius of Jewish deportations in Vienna.
Croatia [ edit ]
Archbishop Stepinac called a synod of Croatian bishops in November 1941. The synod appealed to Croatian leader Ante Pavelić to treat Jews "as humanely as possible, considering that there were German troops in the country". The Vatican replied with praise to Marcone with praise for what the synod had done for "citizens of Jewish origin", although Israeli historian Menachem Shelah demonstrates that the synod concerned itself only with converted Jews. Pius XII personally praised the synod for "courage and decisiveness".
France [ edit ]
Later in 1941, when asked by French Marshal Philippe Pétain if the Vatican objected to anti-Jewish laws, Pius responded that the Church condemned antisemitism, but would not comment on specific rules. Similarly, when Philippe Pétain's regime adopted the "Jewish statutes", the Vichy ambassador to the Vatican, Léon Bérard (a French politician), was told that the legislation did not conflict with Catholic teachings. Valerio Valeri, the nuncio to France was "embarrassed" when he learned of this publicly from Pétain and personally checked the information with Cardinal Secretary of State Maglione[95] who confirmed the Vatican's position.[96]
Yet in June 1942 Pius personally protested against the mass deportations of Jews from France, ordering the papal nuncio to protest to Marshal Pétain against "the inhuman arrests and deportations of Jews". In October 1941 Harold Tittman, a U.S. delegate to the Vatican, asked the pope to condemn the atrocities against Jews; Pius replied that the Vatican wished to remain "neutral", reiterating the neutrality policy which Pius invoked as early as September 1940.
Hungary [ edit ]
Before the Holocaust began an International Eucharistic Conference took place in Budapest in Hungary during 1938. Cardinal Pacelli addressed the congress and described the Jews as people "whose lips curse [Christ] and whose hearts reject him even today". Michael Phayer asserts that the timing of the statement, during a period when Hungary was in the process of formulating new anti-Semitic laws, ran counter to Pope Pius XI's September statement urging Catholics to honour their spiritual father Abraham.
In March 1944, through the papal nuncio in Budapest, Angelo Rotta, the pope urged the Hungarian government to moderate its treatment of the Jews. The pope also ordered Rotta and other papal legates to hide and shelter Jews. These protests, along with others from the King of Sweden, the International Red Cross, the United States, and Britain led to the cessation of deportations on 8 July 1944. Also in 1944, Pius appealed to 13 Latin American governments to accept "emergency passports", although it also took the intervention of the U.S. State Department for those countries to honor the documents.
Lithuania [ edit ]
Cardinal Secretary of State Luigi Maglione received a request from Chief Rabbi of Palestine Yitzhak HaLevi Herzog in the Spring of 1939 to intercede on behalf of Lithuanian Jews about to be deported to Germany. Pius called Ribbentrop on 11 March, repeatedly protesting against the treatment of Jews. In his 1940 encyclical Summi Pontificatus, Pius rejected anti-semitism, stating that in the Catholic Church there is "neither Gentile nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision". In 1940 Pius asked members of the clergy, on Vatican letterhead, to do whatever they could on behalf of interned Jews.[55]
The Netherlands [ edit ]
After Germany invaded the Low Countries during 1940, Pius XII sent expressions of sympathy to the Queen of the Netherlands, the King of Belgium, and the Grand Duchess of Luxembourg. When Mussolini learned of the warnings and the telegrams of sympathy, he took them as a personal affront and had his ambassador to the Vatican file an official protest, charging that Pius XII had taken sides against Italy's ally Germany. Mussolini's foreign minister claimed that Pius XII was "ready to let himself be deported to a concentration camp, rather than do anything against his conscience".
When Dutch bishops protested against the wartime deportation of Jews in 1942, the Nazis responded with harsher measures rounding up 92 converts including Edith Stein who were then deported and murdered. "The brutality of the retaliation made an enormous impression on Pius XII."[105][f]
Slovakia [ edit ]
In September 1941 Pius objected to a Slovakian Jewish Code,[106] which, unlike the earlier Vichy codes, prohibited intermarriage between Jews and non-Jews.
In 1942, the Slovakian charge d'affaires told Pius that Slovakian Jews were being sent to concentration camps. On 11 March 1942, several days before the first transport was due to leave, the chargé d'affaires in Bratislava reported to the Vatican: "I have been assured that this atrocious plan is the handwork of... Prime Minister (Tuka), who confirmed the plan... he dared to tell me – he who makes such a show of his Catholicism – that he saw nothing inhuman or un-Christian in it... the deportation of 80,000 persons to Poland, is equivalent to condemning a great number of them to certain death." The Vatican protested to the Slovak government that it "deplore[s] these... measures which gravely hurt the natural human rights of persons, merely because of their race".
On 7 April 1943, Monsignor Domenico Tardini, one of Pius's closest advisors, told Pius that it would be politically advantageous after the war to take steps to help Slovakian Jews.[108]
Alleged silence [ edit ]
Susan Zuccotti writes "Pius XII, the head of the Roman Catholic Church during the Second World War, did not speak out publicly against the destruction of the Jews. This fact is rarely contested, nor can it be. Evidence of a public protest, if it existed, would be easy to produce. It does not exist." Ecclesiastical historian William Doino (author of The Pius War: Responses to the Critics of Pius XII) contests Zuccotti's assertion, and has said that Pius XII was "emphatically not'silent', and did in fact condemn the Nazis' horrific crimes–through Vatican Radio, his first encyclical, Summi Pontificatus, his major addresses (especially his Christmas allocutions), and the L’Osservatore Romano" and he "intervened, time and time again, for persecuted Jews, particularly during the German occupation of Rome, and was cited and hailed by the Catholic rescuers themselves as their leader and director".[114]
In A History of Christianity, Michael Burleigh writes:
For reasons either of personal character or of professional training as a diplomat, his [Pius's] statements were exceedingly cautious and wrapped up in involuted language that is difficult for many to understand, especially in this age of the resonant sound-bite and ubiquitous rent-a-moralist.[g]
According to Giovanni Maria Vian of the Vatican Jesuit journal La Civiltà Cattolica the roots of Pius's alleged "silence", what he terms "a black legend", begins in early 1939 with the complaint of the French Catholic intellectual Emmanuel Mounier who questioned the failure of the Pope to censure the Italian aggression of Italy towards Albania and wrote off "the scandal of this silence".[116] He further notes that in 1951 another French Catholic intellectual, François Mauriac, wrote in the introduction to a book by "the Jew Poliakov" that "we never had the comfort of hearing the successor of Galilee, Simon Peter, [i.e Pius XII] use clear and precise words, rather than diplomatic allusions, to condemn the countless crucifixions of the 'brothers of the Lord' [i.e. Jewish people]".[116]
The British representative to the Vatican wrote in 1942 that "A policy of silence in regard to such offences against the conscience of the world must necessarily involve a renunciation of moral leadership and a consequent atrophy of the influence of the Vatican". Pius himself noted on 3 August 1946 "We condemned on various occasions in the past the persecution that a fanatical anti-Semitism inflicted on the Hebrew people." Garry Wills comments "That this is a deliberate falsehood. He never publicly mentioned the Holocaust."[h][i] Michael Phayer notes that with the exception of the "very guarded terms" used in the 1942 Christmas message, Pope Pius did not speak out publicly about the Holocaust.[40] Paul Johnson wrote "The Pope gave no guidance. Pius XII advised all Catholic everywhere to fight with valour and charity" and "What made Pius keep silent, apart from natural timidity and fear for the safety of the Vatican itself, was undoubtedly his belief that a total breach between Rome and Hitler would lead to a separatist German Catholic Church."[j][k]
Ronald Rychlak notes that Pius was recorded as saying "No doubt a protest would have gained me praise and respect of the civilized world, but it would have submitted the poor Jew to an even worse fate."[l] Guenter Lewy notes that some writers have suggested that a public protest by the Pope would only have made things worse for the Jews but comments "Since the condition of the Jews could hardly have become worse, and might have changed for the better, as a result of a papal denunciation, one could ask why the Church did not risk the well being and safety of the Catholics and of the Vatican." Michael Phayer notes Pius XII making similar excuses in 1940 but comments that "This justification cannot be taken seriously."[m] It is worth pointing out though, that while European Jews were being exterminated, the Nazis never systematically killed Mischlinge, or people of partial Jewish descent. Frank Coppa wrote: "During World War II as well, Papa Pacelli's diplomatic focus often restricted his moral mission, refusing to openly condemn Nazism's evil actions including its genocide when it appeared it might triumph, but denouncing it as satanic when it was defeated."[29]
Martin Rhonheimer comments "Well-intentioned Catholic apologists continue to produce reports of Church condemnations of Nazism and racism. But these do not really answer the Church's critics. The real problem is not the Church's relationship to National Socialism and racism, but the Church's relationship to the Jews. Here we need what the Church today urges: a 'purification of memory and conscience.' The Catholic Church's undeniable hostility to National Socialism and racism cannot be used to justify its silence about the persecution of the Jews. It is one thing to explain this silence historically and make it understandable. It is quite another to use such explanations for apologetic purposes."[40]
Cardinal Tisserant, a senior member of the Roman Curia wrote to Cardinal Suhard, the Archbishop of Paris, as Nazi forces were overrunning France in June 1940. Tisserant expressed his concern at the racism of the Nazis, the systematic destruction of their victims and the moral reserve of Pope Pius XII: "I'm afraid that history may be obliged in time to come to blame the Holy See for a policy accommodated to its own advantage and little more. And that is extremely sad – above all when one has lived under Pius XI."[122]
President Franklin D. Roosevelt sent Myron C. Taylor as his special representative to the Vatican in September 1941. His assistant, Harold Tittman, repeatedly pointed out to Pius the dangers to his moral leadership by his failure to speak out against the violations of the natural law carried out by the Nazis.[123] Pius XII responded that he could not name the Nazis without at the same time mentioning the Bolsheviks.[124]
Pius XII also never publicly condemned the Nazi massacre of 1.8–1.9 million mainly Catholic Polish gentiles (including 2,935 members of the Catholic Clergy),[125][126] nor did he ever publicly condemn the Soviet Union for the deaths of over 100,000 mainly Catholic Polish gentile citizens including an untold number of clergy.[127]
In an interview Father Peter Gumpel stated that Robert Kempner's (former U.S. Nuremberg war crimes prosecutor) foreword to Jeno Levai's 1968 book "Hungarian Jewry and the Papacy" asserts that Pope Pius did indeed complain through diplomatic channels about the situation of Hungarian Jews but that any public protestation would have been of no use.[128][129]
Praise from Jewish leaders [ edit ]
Post-war praise by Jewish leaders [ edit ]
Pinchas Lapide, a Jewish theologian and Israeli diplomat to Milan in the 1960s, wrote in Three Popes and the Jews that Catholics were "instrumental in saving at least 700,000 but probably as many as 860,000 Jews from certain death at Nazi hands".[130] Some historians have questioned this oft-cited number, which Lapide reached by "deducting all reasonable claims of rescue" by non-Catholics from the number of Jews he claims succeeded in escaping to the free world from Nazi-controlled areas during the Holocaust.
According to Rabbi David Dalin, in the aftermath of the war, Jewish leaders who hailed Pius XII a righteous gentile for his work in saving thousands of Jews included the scientist Albert Einstein, the Israeli Prime Ministers Golda Meir and Moshe Sharett, and the Chief Rabbi Yitzhak HaLevi Herzog.[133]
The Chief Rabbi of Rome, Israel Zolli, took refuge in the Vatican following the Nazi occupation of Rome in 1943. After the war he converted to Catholicism and took the name "Eugenio" in honour of Pope Pius XII.
On 21 September 1945, the general secretary of the World Jewish Council, Dr. Leon Kubowitzky, presented an amount of money to the pope, "in recognition of the work of the Holy See in rescuing Jews from Fascist and Nazi persecutions". After the war, in the autumn of 1945, Harry Greenstein from Baltimore, a close friend of Chief Rabbi Herzog of Jerusalem, told Pius how grateful Jews were for all he had done for them. The pope replied, "My only regret is not to have been able to save a greater number of Jews."
Catholic scholar Kevin Madigan interprets such praise from prominent Jewish leaders, including Golda Meir, as less than sincere; an attempt to secure Vatican recognition of the State of Israel.[136]
Historiography [ edit ]
Early accounts [ edit ]
Early literature on the war time leadership of Pius XII was positive, including Halecki and Murray's Pius XII: Eugenio Pacelli, Pope of Peace (1954) and Nazareno Padellaro's Portrait of Pius XII (first published in Italian in 1949). Later, more critical accounts were written.[1]
Pius XII died in October 1958. In 1959 the German bishops issued a series of statements regarding the Holocaust which acknowledged German guilt, in particular that of Catholics and their bishops. Michael Phayer considered it no accident that they waited until Pius's death before speaking out and that all those who had not kept silent were post-war appointees. During Adolf Eichmann's much publicized trial in 1960 a question arose relating to the Vatican's knowledge of the Holocaust and if Pope Pius's refusal to speak out was based on fears on what would happen to German Catholics. This sparked public debate in Germany on the relationship of the Church to the Holocaust and Michael Phayer identifies this as when Pius's XII high repute began to wane.
E. W. Bockenforde's article published in the Catholic periodical "Hochland" in 1961 resulted in vehement attacks by many Catholics. In 1962 the historian Friedrich Heer commented that "In 1945 the situation was so critical that only a gigantic attempt at concealment was... able to save and restore the face of official Christianity in Germany... I have to confess that all Catholics, from the highest to the lowest – priest, chaplains, laymen (anti-Semitic to this day) – are co-responsible for the mass murder of the Jews."
In 1960 Guenter Lewy began work on his book "The Catholic Church and Nazi Germany", combing the records of the German diocesan, State and party archives, and finally publishing the work in 1964. Though recognising that the Church is hierarchical, it is not immune to the influence of its branches and therefore he does not focus purely on the role of Pius XII.[n] Lewy wrote "It is symptomatic of the boldness with which some Catholic writers after 1945 have falsified important documents from the Nazi period."
In 1963, Rolf Hochhuth staged his play The Representative (or The Deputy) which depicted Pius as an antisemite and indifferent to the Holocaust. The depiction was called "unhistorical" and lacking "credible substantiation" by the Encyclopedia Britannica. John Cornwell, himself a critic of Pius, described the play as "historical fiction based on scant documentation" and "is so wide of the mark as to be ludicrous".
Saul Friedländer, whose parents had died in Auschwitz, published his book Pius XII and the Third Reich amidst the controversy around The Deputy, in 1964. It relied heavily on primary sources and concentrated on diplomatic correspondence between the Holy See and Germany.[o] Friedländer hoped that the Vatican would open up its own archives and in 1964 Pope Paul VI commissioned a group of Jesuit scholars to edit and publish the Vatican's records. These were published in eleven volumes between 1965 and 1981.
Carlo Falconi published in 1965 "The Silence of the Pope" and followed this with "The Popes of the Twentieth Century" in 1967 in which he criticised Pius XII for "failing to speak out"; "he also was guilty of inadmissible silence about the millions of civilian victims of Nazism – Jews, Poles, Serbs, Russians, gypsies, and others". Falconi was the first to research and publicise the atrocities committed by Croatian Ustashe against Jews and Serbs. Joseph Bottum considers these early attacks, by Lewy, Friedländer, and Falconi, as "more serious and scholarly" and "by today's standards, quite moderate and thoughtful".[150]
The Deputy [ edit ]
A rare 1899 handwriting of Eugenio Pacelli with text in Latin
In 1963, Rolf Hochhuth's controversial drama Der Stellvertreter. Ein christliches Trauerspiel (The Deputy, a Christian tragedy, released in English in 1964) portrayed Pope Pius XII as a hypocrite who remained silent about the Holocaust. Books such as Dr. Joseph Lichten's A Question of Judgment (1963), written in response to The Deputy, defended Pius XII's actions during the war. Lichten labelled any criticism of the pope's actions during World War II as "a stupefying paradox" and said, "no one who reads the record of Pius XII's actions on behalf of Jews can subscribe to Hochhuth's accusation". Critical scholarly works like Guenter Lewy's The Catholic Church and Nazi Germany (1964) also followed the publication of The Deputy. Lewy's conclusion was that "the Pope and his advisers—influenced by the long tradition of moderate anti-Semitism so widely accepted in Vatican circles—did not view the plight of the Jews with a real sense of urgency and moral outrage. For this assertion no documentation is possible, but it is a conclusion difficult to avoid."[152] Carlo Falconi (1967) described Hochhuth's depiction as crude and inaccurate, but he does not accept the explanations put forward by apologists of Pius regarding his alleged silence. In particular he rejects the defence of not making things worse by public denunciation since no fate could have been worse than what the Jews were undergoing and that on the one occasion when bishops did speak out against the euthanasia of disabled people the Nazis backed down. He also rejected the defence that the Pope did not know of what was happening since in his opinion this is directly contradicted by instances in which Pius did make diplomatic interventions. In 2002 the play was adapted into the film Amen.
An article on Jesuit Vatican journal La Civiltà Cattolica in March 2009 indicated that the accusations that Hochhut's play made widely known originated not among Jews but in the Communist bloc. It was Moscow Radio, on 2 June 1945, that first direct against Pius XII the accusation of refusing to speak out against the exterminations in Nazi concentration camps. It was also the first to call him "Hitler's Pope".[154] The same journal during the pontificate of Pius was still accusing the Jews of being "Christ killers" and of indulging in ritual murder as late as 1942.
Former Securitate General Ion Mihai Pacepa has stated that the play of Hochhuth and numerous publications attacking Pius XII as allegedly having been a Nazi sympathizer were fabrications from the KGB and Eastern bloc Marxist secret services leading a campaign to discredit the moral authority of the Church and Christianity in the West.[156] Pacepa also claims that he was involved in contacting East bloc agents close to the Vatican in order to fabricate the story to be used for the attack against the wartime pope.[156]
Paul VI's defense of Pius [ edit ]
During his 1964 visit to Jordan and Israel, Paul VI passionately spoke out in defense of Pius during his farewell to the Israeli authorities. He said that all know what he accomplished in defense and for the rescue of all those who faced difficulties, with no distinction whatsoever. He added that nothing is more unjust than this outrage against such a venerable figure.[157]
Recent literature [ edit ]
Hitler's Pope and The Myth of Hitler's Pope [ edit ]
In recent decades, the legacy of Pius XII in relation to the Holocaust has been the subject of critical and supportive literature. Authors such as John Cornwell, Garry Wills, Michael Phayer, James Carroll, Susan Zuccotti and Daniel Goldhagen have written critical assessments, while Jewish historians such as Richard Breitman, David Dalin, Martin Gilbert, Pinchas Lapide, Jeno Levai and Michael Tagliacozzo, as well as non-Jewish scholars such as Pierre Blet, Antonio Gaspari, Robert Graham, Peter Gumpel, Margherita Marchione, Michael O'Carroll, Piertro Palazzini, Kenneth Whitehead, Ralph McInerny, Michael Feldkamp, M. L. T. Brown and Andrea Tornielli have written extensively on the work he did to aid the Jews during the war.[158]
In 1999, John Cornwell's controversial Hitler's Pope was highly critical of Pius, arguing that he had not "done enough", or "spoken out enough" against the Holocaust. Cornwell argued that Pius's entire career as the nuncio to Germany, cardinal secretary of state, and pope was characterized by a desire to increase and centralize the power of the Papacy, and that he subordinated opposition to the Nazis to that goal. He further argued that Pius was anti-Semitic and that this stance prevented him from caring about the European Jews. (Cornwell's views have developed (as noted below), now stating he is unable to judge the Pope's motivation). In the assessment of the Encyclopedia Britannica, Cornwell's depiction of the Pope as antisemitic, lacked "credible substantiation".[1] Kenneth L. Woodward stated in his review in Newsweek that "errors of fact and ignorance of context appear on almost every page".[160]
Cornwell's work was the first to have access to testimonies from Pius's beatification process as well as to many documents from Pacelli's nunciature which had just been opened under the seventy-five year rule by the Vatican State Secretary archives. Cornwell's work was highly controversial. Much praise of Cornwell centered around his disputed claim that he was a practising Catholic who had attempted to absolve Pius with his work.
Susan Zuccotti's Under His Very Windows: The Vatican and the Holocaust in Italy (2000) and Michael Phayer's The Catholic Church and the Holocaust, 1930–1965 (2000) provided further critical, though more scholarly analysis of Pius' legacy.[162]
In 2005, Jesuit historian Vincent Lapomarda wrote:
Recent works by José M. Sánchez, Pius XII and the Holocaust (2001) and Justus George Lawler's Popes and Politics (2002) show how really outrageous are the positions of many of those who have attacked Pope Pius XII. To condemn Pius for not seizing every opportunity to protest the crimes against the Jews overlooks the fact that he could not even save his own priests. What is amazing is that the Catholic Church under the Pope's leadership did far more to help Jews than any other international agency or person... Vincent A. Lapomarda, The Jesuits and the Third Reich[158]
A number of scholars have replied with favourable accounts of the Pius XII, including Margherita Marchione's Yours Is a Precious Witness: Memoirs of Jews and Catholics in Wartime Italy (1997), Pope Pius XII: Architect for Peace (2000) and Consensus and Controversy: Defending Pope Pius XII (2002); Pierre Blet's Pius XII and the Second World War, According to the Archives of the Vatican (1999); and Ronald J. Rychlak's Hitler, the War and the Pope (2000).[162] Ecclesiastical historian William Doino, author of The Pius War: Responses to the Critics of Pius XII, concluded that Pius was "emphatically not silent".[114]
In specific riposte to Cornwell's monniker, American Rabbi and historian, David Dalin, published The Myth of Hitler's Pope: How Pope Pius XII Rescued Jews from the Nazis in 2005 and reaffirmed previous accounts of Pius having been a saviour of thousands of Europe's Jews. In a review of the book, the eminent Holocaust historian and Churchill biographer, Sir Martin Gilbert, wrote that Dalin's work was "an essential contribution to our understanding of the reality of Pope Pius XII's support for Jews at their time of greatest danger. Hopefully, his account will replace the divisively harmful version of papal neglect, and even collaboration, that has held the field for far too long."[9]
Five years after the publication of Hitler's Pope, Cornwell stated: "I would now argue, in the light of the debates and evidence following Hitler's Pope, that Pius XII had so little scope of action that it is impossible to judge the motives for his silence during the war, while Rome was under the heel of Mussolini and later occupied by Germany."[163][164] In 2009 Cornwell wrote of the "fellow travellers" i.e. those priests in Nazi Germany who accepted the benefits that came with the Reichskonkordat but who failed to condemn the Nazi regime at the same time. He cites Cardinal Pacelli (the future Pope Pius XII) as being an example of a "fellow traveller" who was willing to accept the generosity of Hitler in the educational sphere (more schools, teachers and pupil places), so long as the Church withdrew from the social and political sphere, at the same time as Jews were being dismissed from universities and Jewish pupil places were being reduced. For this he considers Pacelli as effectively being in collusion with the Nazi cause, if not by intent. He further argues that Monsignor Kass, who was involved in negotiations for the Reichskonkordat, and at that time the head of the Roman Catholic Centre Party, persuaded his party members, with the acquiescence of Pacelli, in the summer of 1933 to enable Hitler to acquire dictatorial powers. He argues that the Catholic Centre Party vote was decisive in the adoption of dictatorial powers by Hitler and that the party's subsequent dissolution was at Pacelli's prompting.[165]
Controversy – "The Pius Wars" [ edit ]
There have been many books published on the subject of Pius XII and the holocaust, often coupled with heated debate, such that it has been described as the "Pius Wars".[150]
Michael Burleigh comments that "Making use of the Holocaust as the biggest moral club to use against the Church, simply because one does not like its policies on abortion, contraception, homosexual priests or the Middle East, is as obscene as any attempt to exploit the deaths of six million European Jews for political purposes."[p]
A spokesperson for the nineteen Catholic scholars who wrote a letter to Pope Benedict XVI in 2010 asking that the process of sainthood for Pius XII be slowed down, and which asserted that "Pope Pius XII did not issue a clearly worded statement, unconditionally condemning the wholesale slaughter and murder of European Jews", affirmed that "We're all practicing Catholics. We're faithful to the Holy Father."[168]
Joseph Bottum notes Philip Jenkins opinion that criticisms are not really about Pius XII: "Philip Jenkins understands it as not particular to Pius XII at all, but merely a convenient trope by which American commentators express what he calls an entirely new form of anti-Catholicism. Others see it in a continuum of more old-fashioned American distaste for the Whore of Babylon that dwells in Rome, spinning Jesuitical plots."[150][169]
Daniel Goldhagen describes defenders of the Church using Pius XII as a lightning rod to divert peoples attention away from the broader issues, focusing attention on favorable points and concealing others. He further argues that those who use a person's identity as a Jew, Catholic or German as a tool to further their cause betray a great deal about themselves as such tactics are often used to stifle sober |
channels with voice commands (if you have Kinect) and “Snap” the video to the side of the screen while you play a game.
Unfortunately, Microsoft hasn't given much love to cord cutters, at least in the United States. The console itself lacks an RF antenna input, and while users in Europe can buy an official Xbox One TV tuner, that device won't work for U.S. broadcasts—and there's no word on whether we'll see a proper U.S. version.
Update: You can now buy an over-the-air TV tuner for the Xbox one.
There is, however, a workaround: Reading through some recent posts in Reddit's cord-cutters forum, I discovered a $35 box called the MediaSonic HomeWorx HW180STB.
You don't need a cable box to get Microsoft's program guide on your TV.
The HomeWorx HW180STB is both an analog-to-digital converter and an over-the-air tuner for U.S. ATSC broadcasts. Equally important, it has an HDMI output that can be connected to an Xbox One, enabling most of the gaming console's TV features.
Here's what you need:
MediaSonic HomeWorx HW180STB (Amazon has it for $35)
Two AAA batteries
A TV antenna (This $12 amplified one works for me; TVFool can help you figure out what range antenna you need.)
An extra HDMI cable
Either Kinect or some IR extender emitter cables (any off-the-shelf ones with a 3.5mm jack should suffice.)
Setting up the box
Before connecting the MediaSonic box to your Xbox One, you'll first want to plug it directly into your television via HDMI. You should also plug your TV antenna into the box's RF In jack before before powering the box on.
MediaSonic's remote control doesn't come with batteries, so you'll need to supply your own, at least to get through setup. From the setup screen, scroll to the “Channel Search” option and hit OK. Wait a few minutes while the box scans for over-the-air channels.
Once the scanning is done and you have live TV coming through, unplug the HDMI cable from your television and plug it into the HDMI In jack on the back of the Xbox One. The cable should run from the MediaSonic box to the game console, and a second HDMI cable should run from the Xbox One's HDMI Out jack to to your TV.
Fine-tuning the Xbox One
Turn on the Xbox One, press your controller's start button (the one with three horizontal lines) and go to Settings and then to TV & OneGuide (under the Console section). You'll land on the Device control menu, where you should select “Cable or satellite box.” Don't worry about MediaSonic's status as a lowly DTV converter; you should still select “Cable or satellite box setup” from the next screen.
Type in "Mediasonic" when the console asks what brand your box is. At the next screen, choose the manual “Enter it” option instead of guided setup.
Type in “HW” and hit enter. A sidebar menu should appear, from which you can select “HW180STB (new version)." This allows your Xbox controller to communicate with the MediaSonic box, either through Kinect or your IR extension cables.
All that's left is to set up the programming guide. Head back to the TV & OneGuide menu, select “OneGuide,” and then “TV lineup. Choose “Antenna” from the sidebar menu and enter your zip code.
And that's it! You can now watch live, over-the-air programming through the Xbox One's TV app. With Kinect or IR extension cables plugged into the back of the console, you can change channels with the Xbox controller instead of the Mediasonic remote. Kinect users can also use voice commands, such as “Xbox, watch ABC.” Who knew watching TV with rabbit ears could be so futuristic?
If you have an external hard drive hooked up to the MediaSonic box, you can also pause and resume live video through the Xbox interface, though I had trouble getting playback to run smoothly. MediaSonic also offers DVR scheduling for over-the-air programs, but you must use MediaSonic's clunky remote control and built-in interface for that.
Is there any reason to hold out for an official TV tuner from Microsoft? Not really, unless you believe Microsoft can deliver SmartGlass video playback on phones and tablets, like it does in Europe. To bring that feature stateside, Microsoft needs to grapple with content-licensing issues, and I'm skeptical that'll happen anytime soon.
In the meantime, MediaSonic's box offers nearly all the same features for cheap. It's worth considering if you've cut the cord and feel like you've been missing out on the full Xbox One experience.
This story, "How to watch over-the-air broadcasts on an Xbox One (even though Microsoft's TV tuner isn't available stateside)" was originally published by TechHive.In Oklahoma a firearms owner prevented a horrific crime when he shot a neighbor who was attempting to drown twin babies. This story was probably not well received by Moms Demand Action and Planned Parenthood. Using a gun to prevent someone from killing babies must rub them in all wrong directions.
An Ada man was shot and killed by a neighbor Friday after he tried drowning twin babies. “It’s awful because I’ve held the babies and, like, I’ve played with them and I just gave them clothes yesterday,” said neighbor Summer Pierce. Officials say Leland Foster was allegedly threatening the mother of the children with a knife during the ordeal. A 12-year-old girl who was in the home ran to a neighbor’s house for help. The neighbor, Cash Freeman, rushed back over to the home to find Foster trying to drown the 3-month-old twins, a boy and a girl, in the bathtub. He then shot Foster twice in the back with a gun.
Freeman is worried that he could be in trouble for his actions even though he beleives he did what was necessary.
We spoke to Freeman off camera and he told us when he saw what was happening in the bathroom, he did what he had to do to save the babies. However, he told us he was concerned that he could be in trouble. Pierce doesn’t believe he should be. “I think he did the right thing because who knows what would happen, because who knows what would have happened to the babies if he hadn’t intervened. They might not have made it.” The spokesperson for Ada police told NewsChannel 4 that Freeman was questioned and released, but will have to go before the district attorney to see if it was a justified homicide.
It’s hard to imagine a better justification for shooting someone than stopping them from murdering babies. Leland Foster had a history of violence, domestic abuse, and arson.
The twin babies were taken to the hospital via helicopter but have already been released.Owen Smith has called on the Tories to “find a conscience” after a peers’ report revealed disabled people are still facing widespread discrimination.
The Government has failed to stop disability access being seen as an “afterthought” and neglected to enforce their rights, a House of Lords report has found.
Many businesses, from taxis to pubs, are failing to accommodate the needs of disabled people, even though the Equalities Act lists disability as “protected characteristic”. Many restaurants do not have a disabled toilet and new buildings commonly fail to be wheelchair accessible. Notably, some Crossrail stations will not have step-free access when the rail line opens.
The current Act allows businesses to pursue “plainly discriminatory policies” because it only requires them to give thought to the impact on disabled people rather than make substantive changes to their space.
The report has called on the Government focus on the burdens experienced by disabled people rather than the challenges businesses experience in providing for them. It recommends giving powers to local authorities to reject license applications from venues that are not accessible and changing planning regulations to better accommodate disabled people.
Smith, Labour’s shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, said: “The Tories should hang their heads in shame at this report. It shows just how much more difficult they have made the lives of disabled people across Britain.”
The Government tried to cut welfare support for disabled people by £4.4bn in the Budget, which was met with such intense opposition Iain Duncan Smith resigned and the Government carried out a u-turn within days.
The Equality Act is designed to protect people from discrimination on the basis of sex, race, religious belief, sexual orientation gender reassignment, age, pregnancy or maternity status or disability.Higher airfares and overcrowded flights will boost your vacation bill this year, making it a good time to take the roads less traveled on summer retreats.
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“Considering the costs this year, if you go off the beaten paths you will score some good deals,” says Clem Bason, president of Hotwire.com.
He expects flight prices for summer travel—generally speaking, from Memorial Day to Labor Day—to jump as much as 10% over last year, double the average 5% increase travelers experienced last summer.
That’s partially thanks to fewer flights as carriers have pared their schedules in recent months to keep planes fully loaded.
Hotel rates are trending higher by 6%, and car rentals—once a relatively stable cost—are tracking 7% higher and then some since last year, Bason says. “Right now, the car-rental industry is looking like the airlines, rolling out price increases every two weeks.”
As for any summer vacation, the best buys will come to those with flexible travel dates who plan ahead. Many of the deals out there now should be booked in the next two weeks and certainly before Memorial Day weekend.
Sure, you may be able to find last-minute bargains in July or August, but do you want to risk it?
Skip the usual sightseeing monuments, natural wonders and trendy beaches and consider trips to what are called “sleeper cities,” vibrant locations that aren’t often thought of as vacation spots.
You’ll find world-class attractions, scenic walking and biking trails, recreational amenities, museums, and hot bars and clubs in cities like St. Louis; Phoenix and Scottsdale, Ariz.; Portland, Ore.; or Savannah, Ga., for prices that are far lower than perennially pricey Las Vegas, the Grand Canyon or New York.
Hotwire, which sells unsold airline tickets, hotel rooms and rental cars at deeply discounted prices, has a four-star hotel in downtown St. Louis for $83 a night for a June stay.
Certainly, the Gateway Arch is familiar to most, but St. Louis also boasts one of the nation’s leading zoos—and it’s free—and an interactive children’s museum called Magic House. Forest Park, once home to the 1904 World’s Fair, is among the largest urban parks in the U.S.
In Scottsdale—known for its ritzy hotels and restaurants, designer golf courses and art galleries—you can find a four-star hotel for $69 a night in June (when the average high temperature is a sizzling 103 degrees; low is a more hospitable 75 degrees). Once there, you can take hot-air balloon rides over the Sonoran Desert, kayak in the Verde River or tour Frank Lloyd Wright’s architectural campus and winter home, Taliesin West.
Expedia.com has a four-night stay at a boutique hotel in Savannah, near the City Market, the historic district and riverboat cruises, for $1,070, which includes airfare from Chicago. You can take the Old Savannah Ghost trolley tour or a dramatic walking tour around Civil War Savannah. There’s also a cooking school, the 1849 homestead of Girl Scouts founder Juliette Gordon Low and a jaunt to the Augusta National Golf Club.
Even luxury spots go on sale for those who want to splurge without paying the full ticket. Sniqueaway.com, a travel site for discounted high-end locations, has a special offer for a three-night stay in mid-May at the Hotel Monaco in Portland for $279 a night, $40 off the best rate the hotel could offer.
Go to sites including Kayak.com, Priceline.com, Hotels.com, Booking.com and Orbitz.com for comparison shopping. Also sign up for the daily deals on national sites like Groupon and Living Social for the city you’re traveling to and do Internet searches of local sites for more deals. You can find deals in St. Louis, for example, at ExploreStLouis.com.
If you want to travel abroad this summer, SmarterTravel.com editor Anne Banas says Latin America is the place to go. She likes Nicaragua or Ecuador for their breathtaking coastlines and landscapes. “It will most likely be cheaper to get from the U.S. to Latin America than Europe,” Banas says. “The ground costs [hotels, dining, transportation] are cheaper than in Europe so you spend a lot less once you get there.”
Hotel room rates vary greatly throughout the region, but generally speaking, the deeper into the continent you go, the less costly it will be.
Virgin Vacations has a 10-day, round-trip package from New York to Ecuador and the Amazon that includes airfare, hotels and visits to the capital city of Quito, the rain forest and the Cotopaxi National Park, starting at $1,469.CHICAGO (Reuters) - An experimental vaccine helped protect monkeys from an especially deadly form of the AIDS virus, raising new hope for an effective vaccine in people, U.S. researchers said on Wednesday.
Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health, testifies during a hearing on "Developments in Synthetic Genomics and Implications for Health and Energy" by the House Energy and Commerce Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, May 27, 2010. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
The vaccine reduced the risk of infection by 80 percent among monkeys exposed to a primate version of the virus, while monkeys that became infected had lower amounts of the virus in their blood, the team reported in the journal Nature.
“It is an important advance in knowledge,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said in a telephone interview.
Scientists are especially excited because the study helped identify a key part of the immune system that is needed to offer protection from the human immunodeficiency virus or HIV that causes AIDS.
“It is nailing down in a more precise way what kind of an immune response a vaccine needs to induce to protect against the acquisition of infection as well as suppression of virus if someone happens to get infected,” Fauci said.
The result is promising enough that the researchers are planning to test the vaccine in humans next year.
Efforts so far to make an AIDS vaccine have not been successful but a 2009 study in Thailand involving 16,000 people showed for the first time that a vaccine could safely prevent HIV infection in a small number of volunteers.
The researchers used weakened versions of two viruses commonly used in vaccine development — a common cold virus called an adenovirus and a smallpox virus — to deliver the primate version of the HIV antigen into the body and trigger an immune response.
“The vaccines we tested have had very extensive experience in the clinic, which means the transition from the animal work to the human work will be very easy,” said Colonel Nelson Michael, director of the U.S. Military HIV Research Program at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, who worked on both the study in Thailand and the latest effort.
After vaccinating the monkeys, the team exposed the animals to an aggressive version of simian immunodeficiency virus, or SIV.
“This was really a high bar to get over,” Michael said in a telephone interview. “We were excited to see these vaccine types protected these animals.”
After repeated exposure to SIV, eventually most of the animals did become infected but even then, the vaccine appeared to offer added protection.
“We saw two things that were really important. A protection against infection but even in animals that became infected, we saw reduced levels of virus,” Michael said.
Next, the team did a series of tests to see what parts of the monkeys’ immune system became active. They found that a key portion of a gene called an envelope, which the virus uses to get inside cells, was critical to protecting the animals.
“This is going to be the anchor for a next generation of vaccines that will propel us past Thailand,” Michael said.
He cautioned that the studies so far are in monkeys and the real test will be human trials, which he expects to start in January 2013.
The group is working closely with vaccine maker Crucell, a unit of Johnson & Johnson.
There is no cure for AIDS but cocktails of drugs can keep the disease at bay for many years. New research shows they can prevent the virus from spreading to sexual partners.
But because HIV is spread in so many ways — during sex, on needles shared by drug users, in breast milk and in blood — there is no single easy way to prevent infection and a vaccine is still considered the best hope for conquering the virus.
Some 34 million people globally are infected with HIV and more than 25 million people have died of AIDS, according to the United Nations agency UNAIDS.The Flash S2x01 “The Man Who Saved Central City” Share:
WARNING! SPOILERS!
The Flash, one of the strongest comic book shows on television, returned for its second season with a decent start. It wasn’t quite as good as the last few episodes of Season 1, instead feeling somewhat clichéd. Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: following some major events in a hero’s life, the hero himself has reverted to working on his own and shutting out the rest of his teammates, who are all going through their own problems, and only by putting the group back together, can they overcome their difficulties and save the day. Sound familiar? You’d be right.
The premiere picked up six months after the finale of the previous season which ended with Barry heading into the skies to stop the Singularity above Central City. Through this, we learn that whilst Barry did save the city, it was only through the help of Professor Stein and Ronnie Raymond, who merged together as Firestorm and then had to promptly split apart at the heart of the Black Hole. However, we learnt pretty quickly that only Stein made it out alive, and as a result, despite saving the city, things were left on a pretty dour note. Caitlin wasn’t working with STAR Labs anymore. Neither was Cisco, who is the resident tech-expert for the Anti-Metahuman task force in Central City’s PD, which is headed by Joe Wells. And Barry is coping in his own way, by doing as much as he can to rebuild the city after dark.
The show introduced a new villain pretty early on, called The Atom Smasher, who suffered from a problem that most of the villains, with a couple of exceptions, from Season 1, also suffered from. They weren’t simply developed enough, and that was the same case here. He felt cheesy and very much one-note, but it’s clear, like with most Flash episodes, the villain isn’t always the central part of the series. It’s the characters, and it’s fantastic to have them back on-screen after a long hiatus, made only slightly bearable that I recently started rewatching Season 1 when the DVD was released not long ago. Cisco, Caitlin, Joe, Barry, et al, are all incredibly fun characters, and the interactions were once again the highlights of the episode. Cisco wanting a Central City PD badge was so typical of the character, and everyone else was back in fine form, to the point where I didn’t even miss Eddie, who always felt like one of the weaker parts of Season 1, particularly with the whole Eddie/Iris/Barry love triangle.
The episode itself was somewhat darker than one would originally expect from The Flash, but it boasted plenty of teasers throughout and interesting moments. We got to see Barry’s father finally after fourteen years released from prison, because it turns out that Harrison Wells left Barry something in his will after he died, a confession. How this affects the group going forward will be interesting to see, especially as to what role Henry’s character will play. This was one of the finer moments of the episode as they celebrated his return home, and it really felt like the characters were becoming a proper family.
I also loved how the show introduced Jay Garrick at the end of the season on a cliffhanger. Yes, it’s fairly typical to introduce a character who knows more about what’s to come than the hero himself, but Jay should provide an interesting starter point for more of The Flash family to come. Another element that was welcomed was the people of Central City holding “Flash Days” as well, respecting the hero that saved Central City. If this was Starling City or the Marvel Cinematic Universe, they’d probably end up hating The Flash for causing the event in the first place. But adopting this approach feels fresh, and allows the show to take a lighter tone even though the episode felt darker than normal.
On the whole, it’s great to have The Flash back. This episode may not have been the best of the series, but it was still pretty fun and an enjoyable television episode. There’s also a few questions that remain that will be answered hopefully over the course of the season, namely, what’s in store for our heroes? What role will Tom Cavanagh play given that he’s still effectively a series regular? The original Harrison Wells from this reality, or one from a different timezone? Jay Garrick’s, perhaps? Either way, whatever the writers come up with it should be interesting, and it’s been too long without The Flash on our screens, so it’s really good to have it back.
The Flash continues next Tuesday on the CW. Liked this review? Stay tuned for my review of the Arrow premiere, which will go live either today or tomorrow.Sanjay Singh Sanjay Singh
With closing of the application process, a total of four candidates have filed nominations for election of three Rajya Sabha seats from Assam, to be held on February 7.Lok Sabha member from Sultanpur in Uttar Pradesh Sanjay Singh and Congress' present Rajya Sabha member Bhubaneshwar Kalita filed their nominations, while the party's ally in the state Bodoland Peoples Front (BPF) have fielded its present member of the Upper House Biswajit Daimary.Former journalist Haidar Hussain was the last candidate to file his nomination with support from the opposition in the Assam Legislative Assembly, comprising BJP, AGP and AIUDF."Today three candidates filed nominations, while one person filed yesterday. The last date of filing the nomination ended today," Assam Legislative Assembly principal secretary Gauranga Prasad Das said.The nominations will be scrutinised on Wednesday, while the last date to withdraw the same is January 31, he added."The election will take place on February 7 morning and the results will be declared in the same day evening at 5 pm," Das, who is also the Returning Officer, said.The election will take place due to completion of terms on April 9 by three existing members. The three seats will be vacated by the three-time Rajya Sabha member and Congress state unit president Bhubaneswar Kalita, Asom Gana Parishad's Birendra Prasad Baishya and BPF's Biswajit Daimary.On Singh's nomination, many organisations and political parties have criticised the Congress for supporting an outsider as the state's candidate.Singh was accompanied by Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi and other senior leaders during filing of the nomination at the state Assembly complex.Commenting on the criticism, Gogoi told reporters "I am a Sonia Gandhi and Indira Gandhi loyalist. Sonia Gandhi has selected him and all Congress MLAs in Assam have supported. We are a national party."When asked if Singh's candidature will negatively affect the Lok Sabha election outcome for the Congress in Assam, the chief minister replied in the negative.Asked if he supported Singh in the interest of Rahul Gandhi with a hope of getting a Lok Sabha ticket for his son, Gogoi angrily shot back and said "Don't bring my son into this."Kalita said his party will support the BPF candidate and hopes to win all three seats.Commenting on the joint candidate Haidar Hussain, BJP national vice-president Bijoya Chakravarty said "to defeat the Congress candidate, we have jointly put up Hussain. We will definitely win."There are seven Rajya Sabha seats from Assam with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh also representing the state in the Upper House.The NSA develops high-powered hacking tools. Now a hacker claims to be selling a stolen batch of them.
On Saturday, a load of computer code -- whose purpose is to break into other computers -- was leaked to the public by an anonymous entity called "The Shadow Brokers."
The same mysterious entity also promised an upcoming "cyber weapons auction" -- the digital equivalent to putting stolen military missiles up for sale.
The gang claims the stolen hacking tools were developed by "the Equation Group" -- a spying entity widely thought to be the U.S. National Security Agency and spying departments from four international allies: Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Together, that group is called the "Five Eyes."
Computer security experts worldwide now worry that sensitive NSA spying tools are accessible to common criminal hackers.
"It definitely looks like a toolkit used by the NSA," said Matt Suiche, a French computer researcher who has been reviewing the leaked code.
Of particular importance: These hacking instruments are in the form of a neatly packaged tool, which means they're ready "to use easily against a target," said Suiche, who runs the UAE-based cybersecurity firm Comae Technologies.
"This is dangerous," said New York University computer security professor Justin Cappos. "People who want to launch attacks but were not aware how to do it now have the tools and information available to do this."
On the popular computer coding website Github, where the group initially made its statement, the hacker post starts with this: "!!!! Attention government sponsors of cyber warfare and those who profit from it!!!!"
Then came the implications of danger: "How much you pay for enemies cyber weapons?" it said in a cheeky style. "We give you some Equation Group files free, you see. This is good proof no? You enjoy!!! You break many things. You find many intrusions."
Cybersecurity researchers around the world have been intensely and rapidly studying the leaked information.
"This appears to be legitimate, and a framework designed to take control of routers and firewalls," said Nicholas Weaver, senior researcher at the International Computer Science Institute. "The likely conclusion is that the code was stolen from the NSA itself or a 5EYES ally with access to this particular code."
After examining the leaked computer code, Weaver believes this batch of tools was stolen from the NSA or its partners in 2013.
Brendan Dolan-Gavitt, a computer science assistant professor at New York University, has experimented with some of the samples the hacker made public. He said one tool matches "pretty well" with a top secret NSA tool that was described in documents leaked by ex-NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden.
Related: Snowden designs iPhone case that hides owner's location
"If it's fake, someone put a huge amount of work into it," Dolan-Gavitt said about the leak.
The FBI declined to say whether it's investigating the potential theft of sensitive information. The office of the Director of National Intelligence, which oversees the NSA, did not return requests for comment.
Computer security experts noted that the vulnerabilities exploited by these hacking tools are at least three years old and might be stopped if people, corporations and governments keep their software updated.Most programs would kill for one national title a decade, much less three. But when you’re the Crimson Tide and coached by the venerable Nick Saban, going two seasons without one must feel like an eternity. With a new QB, a void at WR and a once-machine-like D in need of fixing, a return to glory is a long climb.
Offense
How the Tide beat you: In one season, Lane Kiffin changed everything. He took an offense that evoked 3 yards and a cloud of dust and turned it into a monster truck rally. The Tide attacked from all angles, dumping the huddle in favor of the hurry-up and in turn creating the most plays of 20-plus yards (81) in the Saban era. Of course, the personnel mostly responsible for the turnaround -- QB Blake Sims (3,487 pass yards, No. 2 in the SEC; 28 TDs, No. 1) and WR Amari Cooper (124 catches, No. 1 in the FBS; 1,727 yards, No. 2) -- must be replaced by a journeyman backup (Jake Coker) and a WR committee (ArDarius Stewart, Robert Foster and Chris Black) that had 33 catches. But Saban says it’s no different from a year ago, when Kiffin took Sims, a four-year backup, and engineered the SEC’s second-best offense (36.9 ppg).
How you beat the Tide: Things get dicey when Kiffin becomes one-dimensional. In the Sugar Bowl loss to Ohio State, Sims had his second-most pass attempts (36). In a 14-13 win over Arkansas, Alabama was held to a season-low 66 rushing yards. In fact, since Saban arrived in 2007, when Bama throws for 300-plus yards, its winning percentage actually drops 9.2 points. If it doesn’t reach 100 yards rushing, the rate plummets from 88.7 percent to 45.5.
Defense
How the Tide beat you: Beating Bama at the point of attack is like trying to push back, well, the tide. Since 2009, no team in the FBS has allowed fewer rushing yards (90.7 ypg). Last season, the Tide gave up 102.4 rushing ypg (No. 4 in the FBS) and had a red zone efficiency of 38.6 percent (No. 2) while holding opponents to 18.4 ppg (No. 6). D-linemen A’Shawn Robinson and Jarran Reed (13 TFL combined in ’14) both should play on Sundays. On the outside, DE Jonathan Allen is the top TFL returner (11), and LB Reggie Ragland, the top returning tackler and himself a likely pro, says to keep an eye on under-the-radar junior LB Tim Williams. “He can lead the country in sacks,” Ragland says. “That’s how fast and physical he is.”
How you beat the Tide: Run an up-tempo offense, incorporate a mobile QB and you’ve got a puncher’s chance. Just look at Nick Marshall, Johnny Manziel and Cardale Jones, who each led a hurry-up to the first- (630), second- (628) and third-most (537) yards allowed, respectively, by a Saban-coached Bama defense. But the biggest issue of late hasn’t been wrangling a fleet-footed QB, it’s been clamping down on the deep ball. In 2014, the Tide gave up 43 passes of 20-plus yards, the most in at least a decade and a far cry from 2011, when they led the FBS with just 15.André Villas-Boas has described his relationship with Frank Lampard as "fantastic", though he has stressed that team selection at Chelsea will continue to be based upon form rather than reputation.
Lampard, one of the players deemed "untouchable" by the former manager José Mourinho and a veteran of 535 games at the club, found himself on the bench for the key fixtures against Valencia, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur last month. That led to some frustration from the 33-year-old, who claimed not to have spoken to Villas-Boas about the issue.
Yet, with LA Galaxy monitoring the player's potential availability in the summer, Villas-Boas has insisted the England midfielder remains a key part of his plans "for the long term" even if no one will be considered an automatic selection for the team. "Our relationship is fantastic," said Villas-Boas. "Frank is a player who is not available at any price.
"He is not 'in and out in rotation'. There is no such thing here. We decide on an XI which is strong for a particular game, and that can help us in the strategy to win that game. Frank has been decisive in the last couple of games [against Wolverhampton Wanderers and Portsmouth] with the timing of his arrival in the box to solve problems for the team. Has he spoken to me about it? We speak every day. We see each other every day."
Lampard's goal in the FA Cup third-round defeat of Portsmouth on Sunday was his 10th of the campaign, suggesting he remains a threat from midfield, though the player has always said that his best form is generated by a regular run in the side. While he will hope to begin Saturday's visit of Sunderland to Stamford Bridge, he has made four starts in the past seven Premier League matches, with his omission in the bigger games through December notable.
"Every player wants to find that consistency and playing time," Villas-Boas said. "You read what [Florent] Malouda said recently about that, too. It's normal everybody wants to be involved. Frank, with the player he is and the history he represents, wants to be involved all the time, but every player is competing for a place. I've said the same all season, even when Frank had more playing time and others didn't. Everyone is fighting to be in it, and a player of Frank's level has a shorter distance to travel to be in the team than others.
"He did previously start at [Manchester] United and against Liverpool and Arsenal, and Valencia away. His talent is not in doubt. But we decide what will be best for the team. Players have different characteristics and your strategy depends on how you want to play the game. Other players might be better placed in certain games, or players might be in better form than others. We try different options at times, but Frank is the [joint] sixth most-used starter at Chelsea in the league this season, so he's involved all the time."
Villas-Boas is charged with revitalising Chelsea's playing squad, a task that has been necessitated by an ageing staff with many up and down the spine of the first-team having featured since Mourinho's time at the club. Lampard remains one of the team's modern-day talismans, granting his omission for certain matches greater resonance among supporters. "But what the fans demand is instant success, and success in terms of trophies," Villas-Boas said. "Liverpool have been wanting to get back to winning the Premier League for some time, and they don't have Ian Rush, [Kenny] Dalglish and [Alan] Hansen playing.
"You have to respect players of magnitude who have reached lots of success. Players have to make judgments on the players around them, in terms of their freshness, availability, the recovery process, playing quality and physicality. It's normal that players feel [when their time may be up]. Eventually, if that's the case, an up front relationship would see them inform the manager and a decision would be made. But I always make a decision for the good of the team. And the likes of John Terry and Frank continue to play here because they continue to have a high level of performance."As It Stands by Dave Stancliff/For the Eureka Times-Standard
A landmark decision for all Californian’s quietly made history on August 20th in a Santa Cruz courtroom.
For the first time since 1996, when the Compassionate Use Act was passed, the federal authorities have been charged with violating the 10th Amendment for harassing medical marijuana patients and state authorities.
The case of Santa Cruz vs. Mukasey, was heard by U.S. District Court Judge Jeremy Fogel, who said the Bush Administration’s request to dismiss a lawsuit by Santa Cruz city and county officials, and the Wo/Men’s Alliance for Medical Marijuana (WAMM), wasn’t going to happen.
In a recent telephone interview with Alan Hopper, an ACLU counsel familiar with the case, I asked him what came next?
â€The plaintiff will get a get a court-ordered discovery document that will allow them to get documents, and even depositions, from the federal authorities to support their claims,†he explained.
So now it’s the city, county, and WAMM’s turn to prove their case against the federal government. The court has recognized a concerted effort by the federal government to sabotage state medical marijuana laws, which violates the U.S. Constitution. The significance of this ruling, the first of its kind, cannot be overstated.
California voters may finally get what they asked for a dozen years ago. When the court said that the federal government had gone out of its way to arrest and prosecute some of the most legitimate doctors, patients, caregivers, and dispensary owners that had been working with state and local officials, it finally drew a line-in-the sand.
An example of the federal authorities violations was their pursuit of WAMM. This non-profit group has been around for many years, and has been fully supported by the city and county of Santa Cruz. They have been referred to, by officials, as the model medical marijuana patient’s collective.
The group was functioning so smoothly that the city even allowed them to hold regular meetings to distribute marijuana to its patients on the steps of city hall! The federal agents still went after them, which brought about this court decision.
When the ACLU filed this lawsuit to stop them from targeting medical marijuana providers and patients, they opened a door that may finally lead to no federal interference in California’s medical marijuana law.
We must not forget that medical marijuana brings in about $100 million each year in tax revenue. Conferring total legitimacy to the law will allow this cash flow to continue, and hopefully, increase over time.
When the judge ruled the feds were threatening physicians who recommended marijuana, he set the stage for regaining patient’s rights. The ruling clearly pointed out that the feds were also threatening government officials who issue medical marijuana cards, and interfered with municipal zoning plans.
In the summation, the court found that, “There was a calculated pattern of selective arrests and prosecutions by the federal government with the intent to render California’s medical marijuana laws impossible to implement and therefore forced Californian’s and their political subdivisions to re-criminalize medical marijuana.â€
In a recent column, I mentioned California’s Attorney General Jerry Brown had passed out an 11-page directive that all law agencies were to go by. I expressed concern that the federal authorities would ignore those guidelines, but upon finding out about this recent ruling I now have some cause for hope.
It sure sounded like Hopper was looking forward to the next phase, and he seemed confident that positive change lay ahead. Asked which presidential candidate would be more amenable to upholding medical marijuana laws, he cleverly replied that he thought they both would be willing to work for change. He could be right too. This is a year of change.
This on-going battle with the |
’s being played on TV every ten seconds.”
While pundits generally agreed Clinton won the debate with a relaxed, commanding performance, focus groups across the country pronounced Sanders the victor. And the "damn emails" moment was critical to the Sanders campaign’s goal of expanding his appeal among Democratic primary voters who are open to a Clinton alternative. “Our target voters are not voting for us right now -- they’re voting for Hillary Clinton, or are favorable to her,” Devine explained. “It was precisely what we want to do, we want to talk to her voters.”
And Sanders’ response on Clinton’s emails was the “intercepted pass" he needed to lure Clinton voters to his side, Devine argued.
Sanders’ campaign also said his talk about reforming the criminal justice system helped appeal to crucial voting blocs outside his base of white, young college-educated voters. “We made inroads with African Americans last night,” Devine said. “This is the first time Bernie Sanders showed up last night in front of important constituents. Some of the first words he said were Black Lives Matter.”
"The reason those words matter," Sanders said during the debate, "is the African American community knows that on any given day some innocent person like Sandra Bland can get into a car and three days later she can up dead in jail...we need to combat institutional racism from top to bottom, and we need major, major reforms in a broken criminal justice system."
Post-debate outreach is already happening on the ground in Iowa, where Rev. Frantz Whitfield -- an African American minister who supported Clinton in 2007 and hosted her at the Mount Carmel Baptist Church in Waterloo -- has switched allegiances and is now trying to bring black voters to Sanders.
“Hearing him say Black Lives Matter in the debate got a lot of people’s attention,” Whitfield said. “We’re talking about getting Bernie to the church -- one of my main focuses is to get his name out in the African American community, and now it’s going to take us knocking on doors.”
Sanders making the comment of the night is also getting him more exposure than he has enjoyed thus far in his insurgent, grassroots campaign, which has largely kept him in Iowa and New Hampshire and rendered him relatively unknown in states he will have to win in later primaries to remain competitive into March.
Indeed, the Sanders campaign blasted out a fundraising email with the subject line, “Your damn emails,” noting that Sanders’s comment “got the biggest applause of the night.” The fundraising plea included a video clip of the exchange, which supporters were encouraged to “watch right now, and if you’re as fired up as we are about how things are going, make a contribution of $23.81 — the average donation made to our campaign during the debate — before Bernie steps off the stage.” (Clinton's campaign said it was not releasing any fundraising figures.)
While political insiders called Clinton the runaway winner, a CNN post-debate focus group showed voters choosing Sanders as the night’s victor. On Fusion’s panel of about a dozen 18- to 34-year-old registered Democrats, the majority considered Sanders the winner; and a Fox News poll of 28 Democrats showed that while half came in supporting Clinton, that dropped to just about 14% after the debate. A Time magazine online poll showed 68% of recipients said Sanders won, while 84% of respondents in a U.S. News & World Report poll had him as the night’s winner.
Clinton’s team, however, was not ready to cede any points over what has been hailed as the best night to date of her rocky campaign. “There is no substitute for the eyeball test,” said spokesman Brian Fallon, “and she was the only candidate who looked and sounded like our next President. There is going to be a lot of next-day spin from other campaigns, but the unanimous verdict last night was Hillary Clinton owned the stage.”
Her campaign noted that while Sanders’ “damn emails” comment was helpful to Clinton, she enjoyed other stand-out moments of her own -- the most tweeted topic online was an exchange where Clinton criticized Sanders’ record on guns, and a second big exchange with Sanders was when Clinton engaged him on her vision of how the country’s economy works (“we are not Denmark,” she said).
Clinton campaign officials also said they were skeptical of online metrics that can be manipulated through paid marketing that campaigns launch on social media, and that are in general unscientific.
But former Obama advisor Dan Pfeiffer noted on Twitter Wednesday that the dynamic of Sanders walking away with the focus group and online poll wins as the pundits lauded Clinton’s performance was “reminiscent of Obama in 07-08.”
Even inside the Wynn Hotel, in a room down the hall from where the debate was unfolding, Clinton supporters who came to watch on site were enjoying Sanders’ performance. A large segment of the Clinton watch party cheered when Sanders called for a “political revolution.”
Sanders’ “damn emails” line -- so popular it has already spawned its own Twitter feed, @damnemails -- was not rehearsed or planned, campaign aides said, but the plan was always to shy away from attacking Clinton on the issue. “We discussed whether the emails were going to be something he spoke about more aggressively or pushed back on,” Devine said. “All of us decided there was no reason for him to attack her on the issue. But the line was not planned -- the line was Bernie. All we said was, you gotta be yourself in this thing, call it like you see it.”
For Sanders’ campaign, the hope is that his message to Clinton supporters on the emails and his message to African American voters that Black Lives Matter will drown out any damage caused by the slams he took for his record on guns, where he has voted against legislation to institute background checks for gun purchases.
But his team was hopeful. “We had 90 debate watch parties in Iowa,” Devine said. “We have an organization that can pull off something like that.” And he pointed to Whitfield’s conversion from Clinton’s camp to working on behalf of Sanders as a sign of more to come.
“I have a lot of pull in my city, trying to persuade people to vote,” Whitfield noted. “One of the reasons I left the Clinton campaign was I felt out of the loop. I feel like I’m part of the Sanders campaign. My whole goal was to feel like I’m part of something.”‘Bullet for Adolf” has all the markings of a cult show — it could be theater’s answer to a midnight movie.
Directed and co-written by Woody Harrelson, this new off-Broadway play is often inept and always profane, with cartoonish characters and an eye-rollingly ridiculous story.
It’s also oddly compelling.
For the semi-autobiographical setting, Harrelson and co-writer Frankie Hyman drew from their days working construction jobs in Houston and the salty mixed nuts they hung around with.
So we’re back in 1983, a couple of years before Harrelson’s “Cheers” gig. To make it blindingly obvious, quick-paced edits of vintage videos, newsy soundbites, movies and ads flash by between scenes. Reagan, “Flashdance,” Pepsi versus Coke, “Go ahead, make my day”: It’s all there.
At first, this seems like pandering, but the videos provide a grounding counterbalance to the surreal happenings onstage.
And there’s lots of it, loosely connected by a flimsy plot about a missing gun that was almost used to kill Hitler. Sexy black women karate-chopping hapless white dudes, pot-addled banter, constant cussing, racial humor — we’re in cheeseball Tarantino territory.
But the show also has a sincere, goofy nature that somehow makes the silly dialogue seem like inspired nonsense:
“Shareeta is the Ethiopian term for the number of heartbeats per minute,” a character says, explaining her name.
“In other words, pulse?” another replies.
You never know where this play is going, probably because Harrelson and Hyman don’t, either.
Nominally, the leads are the authors’ stand-ins, Frankie (Tyler Jacob Rollinson) and Zach (Brandon Coffey).
But the breakout character is Zach’s loco roommate, Clint (David Coomber), a supposedly straight, reformed Baptist who flounces about in a robe and loves Judy Garland.
Coomber’s performance is memorably deranged. He consistently comes up with ever more bizarre ways to declaim his lines, and his high-pitched shriek of a laugh will haunt my dreams.
Rude, crude and often clueless, “Bullet for Adolf” isn’t for everybody. But at a time when many plays are well-crafted but personality-free, this one stands out as a happy, devil-may-care car crash.Jim Jarmusch On Iggy Pop, Hip-Hop And Finding Poetry In Mundane Things
Jarmusch's new movie, which was inspired by William Carlos Williams' epic poem Paterson, is about a bus driver who writes poetry. Jarmusch also made a documentary about Iggy and the Stooges.
TERRY GROSS, HOST:
This is FRESH AIR. I'm Terry Gross. My guest is screenwriter and director Jim Jarmusch. His new movie "Paterson" stars Adam Driver as a bus driver and poet named Paterson who lives and works in Paterson, N.J., and is inspired by William Carlos Williams and his epic poem "Paterson." The poems Paterson writes in the film are inspired by what he observes in the daily routines of his life. Almost all the poems used in the film were actually written by poet Ron Padgett. New Yorker film critic Richard Brody wrote (reading) Jarmusch has made a movie that's filled with poetry and that is a poem in itself.
We're going to talk about movies, poetry and music - three of Jarmusch's passions. The rapper Method Man has a cameo in the new film. Jarmusch recently made a documentary about the punk band Iggy and the Stooges. His other films include "Stranger Than Paradise," "Down By Law," "Coffee And Cigarettes," "Dead Man," "Ghost Dog" and "Only Lovers Left Alive." Let's start with a clip from the film.
(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "PATERSON")
ADAM DRIVER: (As Paterson) Another one when you're a child, you learn there are three dimensions - height, width and depth, like a shoebox. Then later, you hear there's a fourth dimension - time. Then some say there could be five, six, seven. I knock off work, have a beer at the bar. I look down at the glass and feel glad.
GROSS: That's Adam Driver and Jim Jarmusch's new movie. Jim Jarmusch, welcome back to FRESH AIR. So...
JIM JARMUSCH: Thanks. Thanks for having me.
GROSS:...Why did you want to make a film about a poet who drives a bus - or a bus driver who writes poetry depending on how you want to look at it (laughter)?
JARMUSCH: Well, I visited Paterson many years ago - 20 some years ago as a kind of day trip because of William Carlos Williams, because of Allen Ginsberg having lived there. And I went to the Great Falls and sat really in the exact same spot as Adam Driver does as Paterson. And I walked around the factory buildings, and I was rereading - I was reading at the time the epic length poem "Paterson" by Williams.
And it just really just stayed with me, and I had this idea for a long time to make a film about a poet in Paterson named Patterson. I wanted him to be working class. Eventually I thought a bus was a perfect visual way to move him, to drift him through the city, to have a measured kind of routine lifestyle. And all these things kind of congealed into the film "Paterson" eventually.
GROSS: I love that your movie is so much about a poet and poetry since, you know, it's not a typical subject for movies, and you wanted to be a poet before you became a filmmaker. So when you were studying poetry with Kenneth Koch, what were some of the things he taught you about language and about observation?
JARMUSCH: Well, he taught us so many things. He taught us to be playful, to be very appreciative of other poets, to appreciate all forms of expression. He taught us to be experimental. And Kenneth Koch taught - there's a great book called "Rose, Where Did You Get That Red?" a collection of poems that comes from a poem that a child wrote. He taught children in public schools in New York City to write poems and told them down worry about rhyming, don't worry about any of that stuff. You know, write a poem where you mention three colors and make it five lines - or he would just give them, you know, little strategies. And, man, they wrote some great poems.
GROSS: Well there's a scene in "Paterson" where Adam Driver's character, the poet and bus driver, is walking home from the bus depot, and he sees sitting on this kind of concrete ledge a 10-year-old girl who's all alone. It's not a great neighborhood, and so he's concerned about her safety. So he sits down next to her, and it turns out her mother and her sister will be back in a couple of minutes. But in the meantime, he sees that she has one of those like pink little girl journals with a little lock on it. (Laughter) And he says what do you write in it?
JARMUSCH: Right.
GROSS: And it turns out she writes poetry, so I want to play that scene. And it includes a poem that she wrote, and I'll mention this is actually a poem that you wrote for the film. So I want our listeners to listen to it, and then I'm going to ask you about writing it.
JARMUSCH: OK.
GROSS: So this is Adam Driver and the girl is played by Sterling Jerins, and this is a scene from "Paterson."
(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "PATERSON")
STERLING: (As Young Poet) Are you interested in poetry?
DRIVER: (As Paterson) Actually I am kind of.
STERLING: (As Young Poet) Really?
DRIVER: (As Paterson) Yeah.
STERLING: (As Young Poet) I write poetry. I keep it all in this notebook - secret notebook.
DRIVER: (As Paterson) Oh, you're a poet?
STERLING: (As Young Poet) Yeah.
DRIVER: (As Paterson) That's great.
STERLING: (As Young Poet) Would you like to hear one?
DRIVER: (As Paterson) Sure, sure.
STERLING: (As Young Poet) It doesn't really rhyme though.
DRIVER: (As Paterson) That's OK. I kind of like them better when they don't.
STERLING: (As Young Poet) Yeah. Me, too. OK. This one's called "Water Falls" - two words, though.
DRIVER: (As Paterson) "Water Falls" OK.
STERLING: (As Young Poet) OK. (Reading) Water falls. Water falls from bright air. It falls like hair, falling across a young girl's shoulders. Water falls making pools in the asphalt, dirty mirrors with clouds and buildings inside. It falls on the roof of my house. It falls on my mother and on my hair. Most people call it rain.
DRIVER: (As Paterson) That's a beautiful poem.
STERLING: (As Young Poet) You really liked it?
DRIVER: (As Paterson) Yeah. I really do. I think it's beautiful, "Water Falls." Thank you.
GROSS: (Laughter) What a nice scene. So, Jim Jarmusch, you wrote the poem that the little girl reads. What did you try to do when you were writing the poem and was it liberating at all to be writing in the voice of somebody very different from you?
JARMUSCH: Yeah. It was. Really what I was trying to do was imitate in a way the poems that Kenneth Koch got kids to write. So I was remembering those and those kinds of strategies, so I was just trying to be her for a minute. And I wasn't really satisfied with the poem. And I - when Ron Padgett did agree to write the poems for the film in Paterson's voice, I did ask him - I said now, do you want to write one for the girl? I wrote one in there, but I think you might want to write a better poem for her. And he said no, no, no, I like that one. That's perfect for her. So I kept that in. It's not my poem, but it's me sort of channeling her and writing a poem for her.
GROSS: So she writes her poems in a secret notebook. Paterson writes his poems in a secret notebook that he shows to no one, not even his wife. Did you have a notebook like that, too? Were you very reticent about showing poems to anybody?
JARMUSCH: Yes. I still do have my secret notebook.
GROSS: Why do you keep them secret? I mean, you have a public body of work - your movies.
JARMUSCH: Well. I don't know. I feel - I'm not really that confident in them. I will do a reading later this year in April at Princeton with John Ashbury because he asked me to, and I'm a big - I love John Ashbery. He's the - really the poet laureate of English language poetry, whether he's given that or not, he is to me. But I'm just a little shy of - I don't know.
GROSS: The poems in your movie - in the movie "Paterson" are the poems of somebody who has a daily routine. And the poems of the - are the poems of somebody who is observing things while living a life of routine. You know, he wakes up at 6:15 every morning - 6:15-ish - has a bowl of Cheerios, a cup of coffee, walks to work with his lunch box, goes to the bus depot, drives the bus, overhears interesting conversations from his passengers, returns the bus, goes home, has dinner, walks the dog. And this is what a typical day is like.
But, you know, in that typical day he finds either beautiful things or interesting things to write poems about or to be the kind of jumping off point, the point of departure for a larger reflection. And is that the kind of poetry you find yourself especially interested in, like, the poetry that reflects something of daily life?
JARMUSCH: Yes, for me certainly, but I like that also in cinema as well. I mean, I like all forms of movies. I'm a movie geek, so I watch all kinds of films, but - and I read all kinds of things, too. But the poetry that speaks to me the most directly will contain mundane things, will contain details. But there's also a great thing in the film - well, great, I will say it's great - that Method Man - Cliff Smith - plays a rapper in a laundromat who is working out some lyrics sort of to the rhythm of a washing machine. And something about hip-hop culture and hip-hop is the ability to use current language and slang and reference details of life is very, very strong for me.
I'm a big Wu-Tang fan, and I love the Wu-Tang Clan, the GZA and RZA and Method Man and Ghostface Killer (ph) and Raekwon and Old Dirty Bastard. Man, they were writing incredible stuff. Now, I know - I think we need to sort of broaden our definition of poetry, which maybe it's a good thing that they just gave this Nobel Prize to Dylan because blurring the lines of song lyrics and also hip-hop for me is like some of the greatest uses - most innovative uses of language in my lifetime.
GROSS: If you're just joining us, my guest is Jim Jarmusch, and his new movie "Paterson" is about a bus driver and poet named Patterson who drives a bus in Paterson, N.J. And we're going to take a short break and then talk more about poetry and about movies with Jim Jarmusch. This is FRESH AIR.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
GROSS: This is FRESH AIR. Let's get back to my interview with Jim Jarmusch. He wrote and directed the new film "Paterson" starring Adam Driver as a poet and bus driver living in Paterson, N.J. Most of Paterson's poems in the film were actually written by poet Ron Padgett. When you were auditioning Adam Driver, did you have him read poems?
JARMUSCH: No, and I didn't audition him in any traditional sense. I just had lunch with him basically. I had seen a few films he was in. I had seen maybe one episode of "Girls." I loved his presence, his face, his physical present, you know, being, but I just wanted to meet him. And then he was so kind of humble and had a really nice sense of humor, but he was kind of self-effacing and I just loved him so I - we just talked for a while. And then when I left that lunch I - Ellen Lewis, who helps me cast my films always had hooked up this lunch. So as soon as I left I was on my phone like, Ellen, I'm in love with this guy, he's got to be Paterson. So I was just so happy to work with Adam.
And Adam is great to work with for me especially because - well, I can only speak for myself, but I'm completely intuitive and I don't like to analyze things. And I like actors who just become that person and then react, and Adam is completely reactive in that way. So every day working with him was really a pleasure. And he's in almost every scene in the film, so the poor guy had to work the - almost the entire 30 days of our film shoot. But, yeah, he was really a pleasure, and I really love what he - how he embodied this character.
GROSS: So because Adam Driver plays a bus driver, and there is a lot of scenes of him driving the bus and we see things from his point of view as he's driving the bus, did you spend a lot of time driving around in a bus in Paterson to get a feel of what it looks like through a bus window?
JARMUSCH: No. I spent a lot of time driving around in cars. We would just go almost three, four days a week in pre-production. But then, yes, I rode on the bus quite a bit to get that feeling of elevation. I love riding on a bus now because you're looking down on the world from not too high of an angle, but people on the street rarely look up into the bus. They're sort of oblivious to this big giant machine, you know, passing by. So there's something very beautiful about the angle that you look at the world through. So we try to capture that and give that feeling with a lot of point of views from the side windows of the bus and from the front windows.
GROSS: Did Adam Driver have to learn how to drive a bus?
JARMUSCH: Yes. Adam Driver - it's funny, we were - the producers, they were preparing so that Adam could get a bus license and go to bus driving school. So we called Adam to say, OK, we set this up so you can you can go to bus driving school, to which Adam replied, oh, no, I've been doing that on my own. I've been in bus driving school. I've passed the written test. I have my driving test next week.
GROSS: (Laughter).
JARMUSCH: I think it's going really well. So Adam is amazing. This is the same when I got the 700-page "Collected Poems" of Ron Pagett or however big it is. I got a copy for Adam and I called him saying, oh, I got the Ron Padgett book, I'm going to send it over to you. He said, oh, no, I've had that for several weeks. I've been immersed in Ron Pagett, I love this guy. So, you know, Adam Driver, he thinks ahead.
GROSS: That's really great.
JARMUSCH: But he did drive the boss at times in the film, and I must say very confidently. It was very stable. He's a good bus driver. He's got a - if this acting thing doesn't work out for him...
GROSS: (Laughter).
JARMUSCH:...He could drive a bus in New Jersey.
GROSS: So, you know, the Adam Driver character as he's preparing to begin his shift or ending his shift, he's always kind of like taking notes and writing lines of poetry or thinking about a poem. And then usually that ends with him opening the door of the bus so he can talk to the dispatcher who's telling him it's time to start, and the dispatcher always has, like, a tale of woe. So I thought I'd play the first version of this scene between Adam Driver and the dispatcher.
(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "PATERSON")
DRIVER: (As Paterson) Good morning, Donny.
RIZWAN MANJI: (As Donny) Ready to roll, Paterson?
DRIVER: (As Paterson) Yeah. Everything OK?
MANJI: (As Donny) Well, now that you ask, no, not really. My kid needs braces on her teeth. My car needs a transmission job. My wife wants me to take her to Florida, but I'm behind on the mortgage payments. My uncle called from Indiana, and he needs money for my niece's wedding. And I got this strange rash on my back. You name it, brother. How about you?
DRIVER: (As Paterson) I'm OK.
GROSS: That was Adam Driver and Rizwan Manji in a scene from "Paterson," which was written and directed by my guest Jim Jarmusch. I saw that scene on the trailer for the movie and I thought, I am definitely going to this film. Once he said, and I have a strange rash on my back, I thought, this is great.
(LAUGHTER)
JARMUSCH: Well, he's a lovely - a wonderful actor.
GROSS: So there's a great English bulldog in the film who's named Marvin in the film. But it was actually played by a female dog named Nellie. And Nellie won the Palm Dog at the Cannes Film Festival for the Best Dog Performance. So why did you want to have a dog in the film? And how did you cast the dog, who's terrific?
JARMUSCH: Well, the dog was part of the film from the beginning because that was the kind of one silly, I mean, it's a ridiculous plot point. I won't give it all away now, but the dog was very important. In my first original script, the dog was a Jack Russell because I've had friends that have Jack Russells that are very mischievous and energized. I was talking with the trainer that we eventually worked with, a fantastic trainer, and he said, listen, I don't have a trained Jack Russell. I can train you one in time. This was some months before shooting.
He said, it's not a problem, I can get a Jack Russell to do the things in the script. However, I wanted to just bring to your attention this wonderful dog that's an English bulldog that is a rescue dog, like most of their dogs are. And he said, she is incredibly smart and funny. And there are two reasons why I think she fits your script very well. He said, I don't want to impose on you, I'm not - you know, I will get you a Jack Russell. But just two things - in the film, the dog pulls Adam Driver, his character around, and he's quite a big guy.
Now, a Jack Russell weighs about 20 pounds, an English bulldog about 40. And I think it would just be funnier and more believable to have rather than the dog bouncing along on a leash, like, really pulling him along like a little machine. And number two, you have this scene where these guys, maybe they're Bloods that pull up in a car and talk about dog jacking. And he said, just so you know, a Jack Russell is worth about half as much on the street as an English bulldog currently.
So I just wanted to plant those two things. And then I wanted to ask you to see a video or meet this dog. And then I saw videos of Nellie and I - and with these two comments he made, which I thought were fantastic and helpful, I was like, no, all right, we found our dog. And she was wonderful. All the vocalizations are her. Everything came from her. She's not dubbed with other dogs. There wasn't a second double dog, as there usually is. It's all Nellie doing all that stuff. And with respect to these incredible trainers, she was an amazing dog and very easy to work with.
We didn't have to shoot for hours and hours to get her to do things, even the - well, there's a very specific gag - well, I won't give it away if people haven't seen it. But, yeah, really a remarkable dog, fantastic.
GROSS: My guest is screenwriter and director Jim Jarmusch. His new film is called "Paterson." After a short break, we'll talk about his documentary, "Gimme Danger," about the punk band Iggy and the Stooges. An LA Times film critic Justin Chang will talk with us about the films he saw at the Sundance Film Festival, which wrapped up over the weekend. I'm Terry Gross, and this is FRESH AIR.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
GROSS: This is FRESH AIR. I'm Terry Gross back with screenwriter and director Jim Jarmusch. His new film "Paterson" stars Adam Driver as a bus driver and poet named Paterson living in Paterson, N.J. Jarmusch also directed a recent documentary about the punk group Iggy and the Stooges that's named after their song "Gimme Danger." The documentary had a theatrical release and is now available for streaming on Amazon. You've known Iggy Pop for a long time. You came to New York in - what? - the '70s or late-'60s to study...
JARMUSCH: No, I came in the mid-'70s.
GROSS: Mid-'70s, OK. So what did punk rock mean to you when it was starting?
JARMUSCH: It meant a kind of real liberation of expression. It embraced amateurism in a way that I still am inspired by. It was not about trying to get, you know, stadium gigs or even commercial radio play or even record deals for that matter. It was about saying something 'cause you meant it, and expressing something that you felt. And that was primary for that - whatever the scene, whatever punk rock means, it was very, very important to me, very formative. And I still consider myself to be an amateur filmmaker. And I say that because in the Latin origin of the word amateur is the word love, and it's love of a form, whereas professional implies something you do for money or for work.
And I'm not putting down anyone that does look at their work in that way, but for me I am a hardcore amateur. And really that came to me through the music scene, through - you know, I kind of grew up in my early 20s in Max's Kansas City and CBGB, and these bands and that whole approach and all the artists inspired me. The filmmaker Amos Poe was a huge inspiration for me by making guerrilla-style punk films on the streets of New York and - well, it's just a lot of painters and artists and filmmakers all within that scene, and it's very, very important to me.
GROSS: So did that amateur aesthetic give you permission to make movies before you felt accomplished enough to actually make them?
JARMUSCH: Yes, completely. My first film I made, "Permanent Vacation," we shot in 1979 for like $12,000, part of which I got a fake car loan for that Amos Poe told me you could do that. And, yeah, I had no idea what I was doing. It was just like, well, we're going to try and do this. Partly because I had been following Amos Poe and Eric Mitchell around for about a year, and I worked on some of Eric's films as a sound recordist and stuff. And they were always saying, well, Jim, when are you going to make your film? When are you going to do it? So I was like, oh, I'm going to do it soon, and so I made "Permanent Vacation." And I'm still trying to learn how to do it, I'm still trying to figure out how to make films, but, yeah, it started then.
GROSS: One of the really interesting things that Iggy Pop says in your documentary is when he was a kid he loved Soupy Sales, the kid's show host who was kind of part hipster and part vaudevillian. He was really funny and kind of transgressive for a kid's show of his time. And Iggy Pop remembers Soupy telling the kids to write to him but to keep their letters to 25 words or less. And then Iggy Pop tells you that he decided to apply that to his lyrics (laughter), so can you hear that in his lyrics?
JARMUSCH: Yes, I mean - no fun, my babe, no fun. That's four words he makes into a whole chorus. So his reductive ability to be reductive with language is very much, you know, he's very open and sincere about that coming from Soupy.
GROSS: Yeah, 'cause the funny thing is, I mean, he's so well-spoken and so smart and so kind of aware of the arts and the avant-garde, so people who don't know better might think that he wasn't as intellectual as he is (laughter).
JARMUSCH: Well, he's one of those remarkable people that is - you know, he has an incredible mind. He is very intellectual, but it's not refined by academics or school.
GROSS: Exactly, exactly, exactly.
JARMUSCH: I find this too in members of the Wu-Tang Clan that are amazingly intellectual, but they come from, like, the streets of Staten Island. And they don't - they didn't go to Harvard or whatever, but their mental abilities are staggering and remarkable. And Iggy's seems like that too, and he's very self-taught, self-educated, but, man, that guy knows about so many things.
And what's really beautiful about him - and other are people like that like the Wu-Tang people too - is that he never stands on his laurels about his knowledge. Like, every day is what can I learn, what don't I know? And if something comes up people are talking about it and he doesn't know about it, his curiosity is like an antenna. He's like, well, what's that? You know, he wants to - he's just absorbing things. So, yeah, he's a remarkable - I think he's an aberrant mutation because of his physical being and his mind. That's just not fair that...
(LAUGHTER)
JARMUSCH:...He has that body and that mind. Come on.
GROSS: Well, why don't we hear one of Iggy Pop or Iggy and the Stooges' most famous songs? And this is the song that gave you a documentary its title, "Gimme Danger."
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "GIMME DANGER")
IGGY POP: (Singing) Give me danger, little stranger. And I feel you at ease. Give me danger, little stranger. And I feel your disease. There's nothing in my dreams, just some ugly memories, hits me like the ocean breeze. Now, if you will be my lover, I will shiver and sing. But if you can be my master, I will do anything. There's nothing left alive but a pair of glassy eyes. Raise my feelings one more time.
GROSS: That's Iggy and the Stooges doing "Gimme Danger," it's the song that gives Jim Jarmusch's documentary about The Stooges its title. And Jim Jarmusch is my guest, he also directed the new film "Paterson" which stars Adam Driver as a bus driver and poet inspired by the work of William Carlos Williams in Paterson, N.J.
So I'm interested in your early movie life. Your mother reviewed films for the local Akron newspaper. Was that a weekly or a daily?
JARMUSCH: No, it was a daily, the Akron Beacon Journal.
GROSS: Did she take you to the movies a lot?
JARMUSCH: No, not so much. She mostly - she used to drop me off at the State Road theater near Akron in Cuyahoga Falls, or maybe it was in Akron, it was right on the edge. I grew up in a suburb of Akron. And she used to drop me there on Saturdays sometimes when she had things to do, and they had double and triple features of really monster movies, Sci-Fi movies, horror movies. So this was my first real experience of movies, so it was "Attack Of The Giant Crab Monsters" and that kind of stuff. But she later was very - she always would talk to me about movies. She had quite - still has a quite good sense of memory, of knowledge of Hollywood actors and directors, and, you know, we still - we talk about movies still.
GROSS: So when you were alone in movie theaters 'cause your mother dropped you off while she did errands or whatever...
JARMUSCH: Yeah.
GROSS:...Did any strangers ever approach you?
JARMUSCH: No, never. It was more like a lot of wild kids. Like, you had to kind of learn the ropes of the theater so that if you - you didn't want to sit - I learned the hard way, you don't want to sit under the balcony because projectiles are going to come down...
GROSS: (Laughter).
JARMUSCH:...Including, like, half chewed milk duds and popcorn and stuff. So you kind of learned where to position yourself, where the best seats were. I still kind |
2017.
“It remains to be seen whether the orders will translate into actual sales,” the source said. The source declined to be identified as the discussions were confidential.
A Samsung SDI spokesman declined to comment.
Samsung SDI is an affiliate of Samsung Electronics Ltd.Texas Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre (29) is pictured during the Toronto Blue Jays vs. the Texas Rangers major league baseball ALDS Game 1 at Globe Life Park in Arlington on Thursday, October 6, 2016. (Louis DeLuca/The Dallas Morning News)
Kevin Sherrington
Coming off a season in which the Rangers defied the laws of mathematics, if not the universe, by posting the best record in the American League, it's reasonable to assume that fate will dial it back a little this season. Which is probably OK, given that all it resulted in last year was a quick exit from the playoffs.
The Rangers can reasonably assume that they'll get better production from the top end of their rotation. Yu Darvish is healthy from the get-go, and he's in a contract year. Those types of developments generally bode well. If Carlos Gomez continues to play like he did after joining the Rangers last year, they should also be better in center field. If the plan to move Shin-Soo Choo to designated hitter results in more games played, then that's another significant improvement, as is Mike Napoli over Mitch Moreland at first base and a full season of Jonathan Lucroy at catcher. Here's betting Nomar Mazara's disciplined approach leads to a step up this season.
On the down side: No one should expect Adrian Beltre, at 38, to reproduce his phenomenal numbers of last year. Elvis Andrus also had a career year, at least offensively, and who knows what to expect from Roogie Odor? Will he be a big bat again? Or will teams show they've figured him out as he chases pitch after pitch?
Bottom line: They should be at least as good as they were last year offensively, meaning the best hopes of beating the numbers is in the rotation. If Cole Hamels isn't on the decline at 33, if Martin Perez takes another step up, and Tyson Ross reverts to what he was before his injuries, the rotation would be vastly improved. But those are big ifs. Getting one of those three is more likely. Two, at best.The bullpen should be the team's strength. But bullpens are hard to predict. Doesn't mean we won't try.
Prediction: Second in AL West (88 wins), wild-card team
Gerry Fraley
Whitey Herzog, the Hall of Fame manager whom the Rangers fired, liked to offer a proposition.
"You put every other manager in the other dugout," Herzog said. "You give me the best bullpen."
What happens?
"I'll win every year," Herzog said.
Herzog was an early believer in the value of a stout bullpen, a sentiment that now sweeps the game. A good bullpen can make up for a variety of failings.
That will be the Rangers' path to winning the American League West for the third consecutive season. They have the division's best bullpen, by a wide margin.
The Rangers experienced a degree of luck last year. They won 95 games despite outscoring opponents by only eight runs overall. The best-ever record in one-run games (36-11) figured in that.
The Rangers cannot count on that success again, but they have the security blanket of a deep bullpen that was 41-20 with the AL's third-best save-conversion rate at 76.7 last season. Whitey would have loved those odds.
Prediction: First in AL West (89 wins)
Evan GrantIntel’s upcoming Haswell Core i7-4770K benchmarks have been leaked by Coolaler forums showcasing the strengths of Intel’s 4th generation microarchitecture. It was detailed at IDF 2013 that Intel’s 4th generation Haswell microarchitecture would bring enhanced overclocking features to the core, memory and graphics die. The full architectural details of Intel’s 4th Generation Haswell can be found here.
Also, Read
Intel “Haswell” Core i7-4770K Review With DZ87KLT-75K Motherboard Review
Intel Core i7-4770K vs Core i7-3770K Tested Head to Head
The Core i7-4770K, the flagship part would have 4 cores and 8 threads clocked at 3.5 GHz stock and 3.9 GHz max Turbo Boost 2.0 frequency, these specifications are alot similar to the Ivy bridge based Core i7-3770K and both CPUs are based on a 22nm die with different architectures.. The CPU would ship with an 8 MB L3 cache, 84 W TDP and an GT2 level iGPU which would be clocked at 1250 MHz (1.25 GHz). Now here’s something to note though, that while Intel’s GT2 HD 4600 graphics would offer better performance over Ivy Bridge’s HD 4000 it still features 20 cores (Execution Units) compared to 40 Execution units on the GT3 chip which only ships with Quad Core mobile parts.
Intel Core i7-4770K Intel Core i5-4670K Intel Core i7-3770K Intel Core i5-3570K Cores/Threads 4/8 4/4 4/8 4/4 Base Clock 3.5 GHz 3.4 GHz 3.5 GHz 3.4 GHz Turbo Clock 3.9 GHz 3.8 GHz 3.9 GHz 3.8 GHz Cache 8 MB 6 MB 8 MB 6 MB iGPU HD 4600 HD 4600 HD 4000 HD 4000 TDP 84W 84W 77W 77W Price $327 $227 $332 $235
Coolaler said that overclocking the memory on Z87 platforms would be a feast for overclockers and enthusiasts. Although the heating issue still exists on the Haswell processors, but its not as worse as Ivy Bridge’s TIM issue. It could possibly be an issue with the current engineering samples and could be fixed on the retail samples but the Ivy Bridge issue still hasn’t been fixed so far so we doubt Intel would do it again. Memory configurations used while overclocking the processors are listed below:
CPU:3770K @ DRAM MODULE:G.SKILL 8GBX4=32GB Module DDR3 2800 MEMTEST burntest
4GBX4=16GB Module DDR3 2800 MEMTEST burntest CPU:4770K @ DRAM MODULE:G.SKILL 8GBX4=32GB DDR3 Module 3000C12 burn MEMTEST
8GBX2=16GB DDR3 Module 3000C12 burn MEMTEST
4GBX4=16GB DDR3 Module 3000C12 burn MEMTEST (CL11 Possible)
The Core i7-4770K processor was tested on an un-disclosed Z87 motherboard due to NDA issues, it is mentioned that overclocking through BIOS is very detailed and users can easily reach 4.8 GHz – 5 GHz on air cooling. Both CPUs – Core i7-4770K and Core i7-3770K were tested on their default frequencies, benchmark results are listed below:
CPUMARK 99: Core i7-3770K- 613 Minutes
Core i7-4770K- 676 Minutes Core i7-4770K shows 10.27% improvement over the 3770K in this benchmark. Super PI 1M: Core i7-3770K- 9.344 seconds
Core i7-4770K- 9.220 seconds Core i7-4770K shows 1.32% improvement over the 3770K in this benchmark. Super PI 32M: Core i7-3770K- 8 38.717 seconds
Core i7-4770K- 8 15.059 seconds Core i7-4770K shows 4.56% improvement over the 3770K in this benchmark. Cinebench R11.5: Core i7-3770K- 7.87pts
Core i7-4770K- 8.55pts Core i7-4770K shows 8.64% improvement over the 3770K in this benchmark. At average, the Core i7-4770K shows a 5-10% IPC improvement over its predecessor, the 3770K. This may not be a massive improvement for people planning to upgrade from Ivy Bridge to Haswell but those still living on the older core processors would choose Haswell as their choice of upgrade. The launch of Haswell is scheduled for June 2013. You can also check out the iGPU performance of the Core i7-4770K here.
Also, Read
Intel “Haswell” Core i7-4770K Review With DZ87KLT-75K Motherboard ReviewLions backup quarterback Jake Rudock is generating trade interest around the NFL, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link), who adds rival clubs attempted to “poach” Rudock last season.
Rudock, a sixth-round pick out of Michigan in the 2016 draft, didn’t attempt a pass during his rookie campaign but did perform well in his most recent preseason contest, as he completed 10 of 13 passes for 113 yards and one touchdown. Entering his age-24 season, Rudock is signed through 2019 under the terms of his rookie contract.
While Rudock didn’t see a snap last season, that doesn’t mean he’s not valuable to Detroit, which only has two other quarterbacks on its roster: starter Matthew Stafford and rookie Brad Kaaya. Kaaya, a sixth-round choice earlier this year, presumably isn’t prepared to serve as Stafford’s backup in 2017, so the Lions would potentially need to secure another quarterback if they deal Rudock.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.Story highlights Douglas Rushkoff: Your Internet service provider may soon begin monitoring your account
He says new alliance of Fox, Disney, Sony, big ISPs to detect, stop online piracy
He says new plan lets ISP's keep track of, punish offenders, but could take in the innocent
Rushkoff: Subscribers will be losing expectation of privacy from their own service providers
This month, if everything goes according to schedule, your Internet service provider may begin monitoring your account, just to make sure you aren't doing anything wrong with it -- like sharing copyrighted movie or music files. While we might all agree that copyright holders need to be protected, we may not all be equally happy about all of our communications being checked for violations. People and businesses who are not doing anything illegal may still have some things they wish to hide from their Internet access providers.
Under normal circumstances, your Internet service provider, or ISP, tries to protect you and your data from spying eyes. Cablevision, Time Warner Cable (an independent company no longer directly affiliated with TimeWarner, the parent of CNN and this site) and Comcast utilize all sorts of software to keep the connections between our modems and their servers safe. They also encourage us to keep our home networks secure from eavesdroppers.
But what are we supposed to do when the eavesdropper is the ISP itself?
This is the most disturbing question raised by a new alliance among America's biggest ISPs and media giants such as Disney, Sony and Fox, which is to go into effect this month. The effort, dubbed the Center for Copyright Information, hopes to combat the illegal downloading and sharing of movies and music by monitoring it at the source - your computer.
Until now, it was up to movie and music companies to figure out when their stuff was being illegally shared. This was a little tricky, because files aren't stored on just one user's computer. Hundreds or thousands of sharers have bits and pieces of stolen files, for downloaders to reassemble into songs or movies.
Douglas Rushkoff
So movie companies have been searching online for copies of their own movies, identifying the locations of everyone from whom they received a bit of data. Then they contact the Internet service providers, who send letters of warning to subscribers' homes.
A number of clever workarounds, including certain kinds of encryption or the use of "proxy" servers in other countries, have helped advanced users of file-sharing software stay one step ahead of the movie companies. If a file sharer appears to be working out of New Guinea, say, the movie studio can't rely on a friendly ISP to find an illegal downloader here in the United States.
As I understand the new agreement and subsequent comments, which are about as cryptic as a copy-protected DVD, ISP's have agreed to implement a standardized "graduated response plan" through which offending users are warned, restricted and eventually cut off from the Internet for successive violations. The companies are supposed to be developing systems that keep track of all this, so that the letters and usage restrictions happen automatically. The fact that they are all agreeing to participate makes it harder for any one company to win the disgruntled customers of those who have been disciplined by another.
But now that they're free from individual blame, there's also the strong possibility that the ISPs will be doing the data monitoring directly. That's a much bigger deal. So instead of reaching out to the Internet to track down illegally flowing bits of their movies, the studios will sit back while ISP's "sniff" the packets of data coming to and from their customers' computers. While they're simply claiming to be protecting copyright holders, ISPs have a lot to gain from all this as well.
For instance, in many cases the Internet subscriber might have no knowledge of the infraction that the ISP detects. A houseguest might log onto one's home network simply to check e-mail. Because his sharing software might be running in the background (even when he's not downloading files himself) he is in effect sharing his own movie files wherever he goes. Your ISP sniffs the packets, so you are nabbed. The same is true for those of us who run "open networks" so that neighbors and others nearby can get free Internet access when they need it. (In the old days, that used to be considered polite.)
Once sharing a network connection becomes a legal liability, our already privatized access channels will become less a community resource. And the ISP's will have the pleasure of selling individual subscriptions to neighbors who used to share.
Worse, subscribers will be losing their expectation of privacy from their own service providers. While most of us aren't too worried about someone at an Internet provider seeing our messages to Aunt Sophie, businesses, law firms or hospitals who use the Internet to communicate privileged information might have more reservations.
If monitoring of data streams becomes de rigueur, what's to stop an ISP (or a particularly unscrupulous or bribable employee) from monitoring its competitors' communications? Admittedly, such scenarios are only as outlandish as the possibility that Murdoch newspapers could successfully bribe Scotland Yard.
As Internet security expert Josh Klein explained to me, "Honestly, the prohibition made more sense than this." To protect his own data, he already uses servers outside the United States, and fears other companies may soon feel the need to do the same: "The risk of losing their 'net [access] because someone accidentally streamed the wrong thing is a business prerogative significant enough to tunnel all their traffic to a country that provides sensible data privacy laws. How much long after that until the rest of the company gets off-shored?"
Whether the agreement promises to unleash such demons has yet to be seen. For the time being, though, the practice of preventing abuse by restricting peer-to-peer activity appears doomed only to escalate the arms race between consumers and their producers.
The longer term solution would be to develop an appropriate social contract: conducting ourselves online under the same civilized behavioral norms that keep us from, say, stealing stuff from one another's homes even though we could probably get away with it. It's not really that hard, and it's worth figuring out before the privilege of free interaction is taken away from us - along with any expectation of privacy.
Only by strengthening people's ability to distinguish between sharing and stealing will we be able to build a society capable of surviving our networks.The city of Fairbanks says it will cover health insurance premiums for the Brandt family through the end of the year.
From Fairbanks Police Department
Fairbanks Police Sgt. Allen Brandt was shot multiple times in the line of duty on Oct. 16 and later died because of complications from eye surgery. Shrapnel from one of the shots struck Brandt's bulletproof vest and lodged in the officer's left eye. He was in Anchorage for surgery when he died surrounded by family last week.
He left behind a wife and four children ranging in age from two to eight years old.
During a phone interview on Wednesday, the mayor of Fairbanks, Jim Matherly, said the city will pay for coverage for the family through the end of the year and that Fairbanks Memorial Hospital has also asked about providing services to the family, although it's unclear what that includes.
The Brandt family was set to lose its medical coverage because of Brandt's death on Nov. 30.
Matherly said the city council is also considering providing additional payments for the family at its next meeting.
"We want to fund that through the end of the year," Matherly said, "We want to do it going forward and that was what we're discussing now at the council level. The two main things we've committed to right now is end of the year and then we also put some money out for the cost for the upcoming services for Sgt. Brandt."
There have been several failed attempts by the Alaska Legislature, led mostly by Rep. Charisse Millett (R-Anchorage) dealing with retirement and death benefits that would continue health coverage for surviving families of fallen first responders. Nothing has passed.
The wives of Trooper Gabe Rich and Sgt. Scott Johnson, who were killed in Tanana on May 1, 2014, have also lobbied lawmakers to continue benefits after their husbands were shot and killed.
The troopers' deaths would have immediately cut off their families' state health care insurance coverage, if Govs. Sean Parnell and Bill Walker hadn't stopped that from happening.
On May 23, Walker introduced House Bill 4002, which would provide death benefits for all peace officers in the public retirement system.
The Governor's office released a statement saying had the Legislature passed his bill, health care benefits for Sgt. Brandt's family members would have been covered. The Alaska House of Representatives on June 18 passed HB 4002 unanimously, but it failed in the Senate.
Sgt. Gerard Asselin the Anchorage Police Department Employees Association said he's hopeful next session a bill will pass.
"It's very discouraging, and fearful almost, to be left in that balance of 'am I going to have this benefit or not' and so I think for them to be left in that position is quite unfair for those families," Asselin said.
Matherly said the benefits for the Brandt family, as well as some of the costs of the service Sunday, add up to between $40,000 and $45,000.
"We want to be sure health coverage is out there for a long period of time going forward for them," Matherly said.THE New York Police Department got an earful from Shira Scheindlin, a federal judge, on the morning of August 12th. In the case of Floyd v City of New York, America’s largest police force was chastised for its “stop and frisk” policy whereby, over the past nine years, 4.4m people were spontaneously stopped and searched on the suspicion "that criminal activity ‘may be afoot’".
The federal district court in Manhattan issued a stunningly broad ruling, finding that the NYPD has failed to uphold New Yorkers’ fourth-amendment right against unreasonable searches and, through “indirect” racial profiling of blacks and Hispanics, violated the 14th-amendment guarantee of equal protection. Judge Scheindlin’s decision does not end stop and frisk but calls for broad reforms in the way it is carried out. Among other changes, police training and supervision will be revised and officers will be asked to wear small “body cameras” to record street encounters and increase accountability. An independent monitor, Peter Zimroth, a former prosecutor and defence attorney, will oversee the reforms.
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Michael Bloomberg, the city’s outgoing mayor and staunchest defender of the policy, promised to appeal the ruling. "Throughout the trial that just concluded, the judge made it clear she was not at all interested in the crime reductions here or how we achieved them," said Mr Bloomberg. "In fact, nowhere in her 195-page decision does she mention the historic cuts in crime or the number of lives that have been saved."
Putting a finer point on it, Mr Bloomberg called the ruling a “very dangerous decision”. And, as usual, he cited the recent decline in crime to pound home his point. "Think about what that change really means: if murder rates over the last 11 years had been the same as the previous 11 years, more than 7,300 people who today are alive would be dead."
But his reasoning goes awry in two ways. First, there is little evidence that stop and frisk has accomplished all that Mr Bloomberg claims it has. Robert Gangi explained one facet of the mayor’s weak empirical case a year ago in the New York Times:
The misguided emphasis on numbers explains the exponential increase in stop and frisks during Mayor Michael Bloomberg's tenure, a leap of 600 percent, from 97,296 in 2003 to 685,724 last year. Echoing the dubious claims of his police commissioner, Raymond Kelly, Bloomberg defends tactics like stop and frisk by citing crime reduction in the city. But the relevant data hardly serve his argument. The drop in murders in New York City, for example, from 2002 until now has been about 12 percent, from 587 annually to 536. During the same period, the number of murders declined by 43 percent in Washington and by 50 percent in Los Angeles, two cities that have less aggressive stop and frisk tactics.
This comparative context is important, as is the familiar but frequently ignored distinction between correlation and causation: crime in New York City has indeed fallen since stop and frisk was instituted in 2004, but this alone does not establish a causal relationship between the latter and the former. According to the Floyd ruling, guns have been recovered in only 1.5% of stops in which suspects were frisked. The policy has led to many more people being busted for marijuana possession.
But even if we accept all of Mr Bloomberg’s empirical claims regarding the crime-reducing effect of stop and frisk, there is the matter of what forms of policing are consistent with the constitution. As Judge Scheindlin wrote,
[T]his case is not about the effectiveness of stop and frisk in deterring or combating crime. This Court’s mandate is solely to judge the constitutionality of police behavior, not its effectiveness as a law enforcement tool. Many police practices may be useful for fighting crime—preventive detention or coerced confessions, for example—but because they are unconstitutional they cannot be used, no matter how effective.
Here is the point that Mr Bloomberg consistently ignores. I have no doubt of his and Mr Kelly’s sincere motivation to protect New Yorkers from violent crime. I don’t think either man is motivated by racial animus toward black and Hispanic men, the targets of 83% of the 4.4m stops. But both officials come across as callously narrow-minded when confronted with evidence of the toxic effect the policy has had on community relations. They view the stops as basically harmless inconveniences that make everybody safer. In fact, stop and frisk represents a municipal watch programme for minority youth that violates constitutional rights, breeds discontent and suspicion of law enforcement officials and exacerbates racial tensions in the city.
(Photo credit: AFP)Leeds Rhinos will remain at Headingley during the South Stand development
Leeds chief executive Gary Hetherington has dismissed speculation that his club may be forced to switch home matches away from Headingley during redevelopment of the famous stadium.
A report suggested the 2015 Super League champions were planning to use Bradford's Odsal Stadium as an alternative venue for matches at the end of the current season and the start of the 2018 campaign when the South Stand at Headingley is due to be demolished.
However, Hetherington says the Rhinos will continue to play at Headingley during reconstruction work with a reduced capacity of 13,000, down from its current limit of 20,000.
"We are hoping the development can go ahead at the end of the season and so there will be no disruption at all to any of our games at Headingley this year," he said.
"There will be some disruption at the start of next season but we will continue to play at Headingley with a reduced capacity."
Leeds and Yorkshire County Cricket Club received planning permission for new South and Main stands in January after funding and planning issues led to a delay and the clubs are still working their way through ways to pay for the improvements.Radical plans to scrap tuition fee subsidies and pay half of students' rent instead have been announced by the Welsh Conservatives.
Students from Wales currently pay only £3,810 towards their fees wherever they study in the UK.
The Welsh government pays up to £5,190 on top of that, which the Tories claim is "unsustainable" at an annual cost of £229m.
The party said its £75m-a-year plans help with living costs and were fairer.
Their argument is accommodation costs often take a chunk out of a student's maintenance loan and the plan would help free up funds for their education.
'Potentially prohibitive'
Tory leader Andrew RT Davies said higher education funding in Wales needed a "radical shake-up".
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Andrew RT Davies says rent is a bigger concern for students than tuition fees
"Welsh Conservatives are the only party proposing a radical new approach which offers students the support they need with potentially prohibitive living costs," he said.
"Accommodation costs often swallow up maintenance loans, meaning students - and their parents - often struggle with everyday living costs associated with university life.
"We want to change that - offering students timely, urgent support that will improve the accessibility of education; simultaneously ending Labour's unsustainable tuition fee grant."
The Tories said average rental costs in Wales for students were around £118 a week, meaning students would receive on average £59 a week in rent subsidy.
The money would be paid wherever in the UK the student chooses to go to university.
'Reward landlords'
Education Minister Huw Lewis has suggested Labour would continue to subsidise tuition fees if the party won the election in May, but hinted the subsidies may be means-tested.
Responding to the Conservative plan, he said Labour was "proud" of a policy which he said had protected thousands of Welsh students, facing on average £22,000 less debt compared to graduates in England.
Plaid Cymru said it would shift to a system where graduates who work in Wales would get £6,000 a year of their tuition fee debts written off.
Education spokesman Simon Thomas claimed the Tory plan would push up rents and buy-to-let house prices in university towns and cities.
"While Plaid Cymru will reward students for working in Wales after graduation, the Tories will reward landlords for being lucky enough to own property to let out," he said.
The Welsh Liberal Democrats have said they would replace tuition fee subsidies with maintenance grants for students and more direct help for cash-strapped universities.IT'S the loo that is taking the term toilet humour to a whole new level - and it has Millaa Millaa residents in a spin.
After being told by council it would cost more than $80,000 to build a toilet at the local cemetery, the Chamber of Commerce group decided to take issues into their own hands and build their own - in the shape of a coffin.
"You have to be careful, not everyone is going to have our macabre sense of humour," Chamber president Pat Reynolds said. "But we did it with good intentions. It's for firstly, the cemetery, and secondly, maybe a few more people will notice Millaa Millaa now."
This is no shabby construction, it has a cement foundation, a septic system and solid walls, one of which bears a cross and the letters RIP.
Is the cemetery loo in poor taste? Tell us below
Not everyone is in favour of the new latrine with one local resident, Brian Norton, writing to council to express his displeasure and ask for its removal.
"Imagine if they had a funeral there," he said. "I don't think it's going to go over very well, especially if people are there from out of town. They'll think 'what sort of place is this?'."
media_camera Residents are angry at a coffin-shaped toilet in the Millaa Millaa cemetery.
Originally published as Millaa Millaa locals have a coffin fitA few years ago after voting I went back to my local elementary school where I was taught about liberty, and the “American way of life.” The same old stories, same old lies. I went there to ask them to take down the massive confederate out-of-date flag of Georgia that was still flying since I went to school there.
As a futurist and transhumanist I look at the world from a point of view of the here-and-now and how it will change during my lifetime(∞?) and beyond. For example we know a lot about cave paintings, Egyptian Hieroglyphic symbols, Ancient Greek money, and we also have linguists studying the epistemology of language.
I do not want to talk about money or the theory of other possible world semantics to get more insight to our understanding of language. Rather I want to discuss how emotions and actions may play roles in the future of symbols, especially that of flags.
Emotion is often intertwined with mood, temperament, personality, disposition, and motivation. On some theories, cognition is an important aspect of emotion. Those acting primarily on emotion may seem as if they are not thinking, but mental processes are still essential, particularly in the interpretation of events. For example, the realization of danger and subsequent arousal of the nervous system (e.g. rapid heartbeat and breathing, sweating, muscle tension) is integral to the experience of fear. Other theories, however, claim that emotion is separate from and can precede cognition. Emotions are complex. According to some theories, they are a state of feeling that results in physical and psychological changes that influence our behavior. - Wikipedia
When I look at the rainbow flag of the LGBTQI movement and the anarchist-transhumanist flag I get a sense of "this feels right, this is what I want to be a part of, I support most, if not all the concepts being pushed by these groups agendas." Are my emotions legit? Are my emotions based on factual premises? How can a symbol or flag invoke such emotions? When one flies a flag lke the white supremacy nazi swastika or the white supremacy confederate flag I get a sense of nausea, distaste and anger.
As some of you may know I and many others have been working on an “Anarchist Transhumaninist Manifesto”. We clearly state that flags themselves cause emotions, which, when acted out, may cause violence as well. At the top of the Manifesto it reads:
Although this is a flag, its more about an idea, a concept, a way to live. It has nothing to do with nationalism, nor patriotism.
“Flags are bits of colored cloth that governments use first to shrink-wrap people’s minds & then as ceremonial shrouds to bury the dead.” - Arundhati Roy
The point of being anti-flag within the manifesto runs deep at the heart of anarchist thought. The flags are used as weak symbols to verify certain schools of political theory, but the black flag and misuse of flags cited by Roy and many others are also part of the manifesto's goal – that is, the destruction of all flags. On this day, however, in which the supreme court of the U.S. declared Same Sex marriage legal, it is hard to find the right words to express why rallying around a flag like the rainbow flag can be detrimental to movement building. Perhaps as movements come and go so do their symbolic artifacts.
While many humans want to fly a flag symbolizing their ideas, there are flags which carry with them the capacity to engrave ideas into one's mind, here I am referring to the Confederate Flag.
A young person's mind exposed to such obscene nonsense in 2015 is totally unacceptable. Take this quote from Rolling Stone "The (Confederate Flag) was picked up by some veterans' groups after the war, and then used by the Ku Klux Klan." and this one from the Atlantic “While defenders of the Confederate flag exalt it as an emblem of regional “heritage,” it was designed as the ensign of a slaveholders’ republic, revived a century later as the symbol of massive resistance to civil rights, and became an iconic code for the Republicans’ Southern strategy.” For young people flags can have a deep impact on their thought processes, especially if they feel the ideas behind the flag represent them specifically, but we know (through educational privilege) ultimately they are based on social constructs.
Like the recent 3 continent attack by “ISIS” which left over 40 people dead, the flag they carry has the same power behind it as the confederate flag which influenced DR's who killed 9 people of color in Charleston South Carolina. R's personality, disposition, and motivation can partly be blamed on the societal acceptance of a the symbolism associated with the confederate flag based on photos him prior to the shooting.
The future of movement symbolizing is extremely important, and how we do it as transhumanists may make all the difference in many people's lives. Consciousness cannot go on if we divide ourselves with flags and symbols that represent any kind of irrational intolerance. It is important to remember that many people still associate transhumanism with eugenics. This association with eugenics I have to admit sounds quite easy to make given that selective breeding and sterilization for the "enhancement" of human kind is not too far away from the 1% seeking to develop genetic therapy, etc for enhancement purposes. If the wealthy upperclass embraces images like the cyborg arm touching gods hand, and the extra strength/speed of neural and physical enhancement we may see a radical divide between rich and poor, expressed through sci-fi, art, and radical symbols of power and greed.
While a one kind of language may be the future as we exchange qualia at rapid speeds, it does not mean the individual or collective will want to agree on certain technological revolutionary symbols. I would argue however that a one kind of language might be nice as self's become cyborgs and still have a sense of individuality.
This brings up two important topics: individuality and the here-and-now of transhumanist thought. The image below is a google search of “transhumanism”.
We can already see where this is going: transhumanism means becoming Gods. Half the images show us manipulating our DNA, becoming cyborgs, and a few happen to show anarchism mixed with transhumanism (Hey, I made that logo!).
The problem I see with the aesthetics of ape--->human--->cyborg--->god are a couple of things. The person who thinks the symbols of transhumanism in the here-and-now represent either a threat or a goal to reach presents us with inklings of hate attacks like we saw in Charleston or a wealthy guru aiming to live forever before everyone else. Singularitarianism, before any other kind of transhumanism promotes the abstract idea of an AI sci-fi like god. The idea of god being created by a corporation or government will hopefully backfire on them, for the tech-singularity may just reject the current corporatocracy system all together. As we get our bumper stickers and tattoos of transhumanist symbolism, we may just be giving into group think and helping corporations make profits off of new-generation sweatshop made products which are copy righted, and protected leaving the 99% without owning The Means of Production
Flag and Symbol Fetishism
A fetish (derived from the French fétiche; which comes from the Portuguese feitiço; and this in turn from Latin facticius, "artificial" and facere, "to make") is an object believed to have supernatural powers, or in particular, a man-made object that has power over others. Essentially, fetishism is the emic attribution of inherent value or powers to an object. - Wikipedia
Austin Cline of atheism.about.com/ writes:
Americans’ obsession with the American flag isn’t just an example of patriotism or nationalism — it’s an example of fetishism. Some Americans, at least, have developed a cult around their flag in which that flag is treated almost as it if had supernatural powers, and certainly as if it were more than merely a symbol of America. The flag is treated as if it were America itself — as if it were a substitute for America, such that how you treat it were how you treat America... Some Americans’ fetishism for their flag is demonstrated by a near-obsessive, ritualistic manner in which they insist it be treated. Their behavior is more consistent with how people treat religious icons: obsessions about proper folding, never letting it touch the ground, not allowing it to fly after sunset, and so forth. When people treat common objects like this, we say that they suffer from a mental imbalance — obsessive-compulsive disorder, to be exact. When they treat religious objects like this, we simply say they are devout.“A picture of a pipe isn’t necessarily a pipe, an image of “African fabric” isn’t necessarily authentically [and wholly] African”.
These above words are quoted by Yinka Shonibare, a Nigerian-British contemporary artist known for his amazing artwork using African print fabrics in his scrutiny of colonialism and post-colonialism. What is commonly known as “African fabric” goes by a multitude of names: Dutch wax print, Real English Wax, Veritable Java Print, Guaranteed Dutch Java, Veritable Dutch Hollandais. I grew up calling them ankara and although they’ve always been a huge symbol of my Nigerian and African identity, I had no idea of the complex and culturally diverse history behind the very familiar fabrics until I discovered Yinka Shonibare and his art.
I know I personally felt shocked upon learning that the “African” fabrics I grew up loving and admiring were not really “African” in their origins (or is it?). This put things in perspective, however, as it suddenly made sense that my mother’s friends regularly travelled to European countries, including Switzerland and England, to purchase these fabrics and expensive laces to sell them again in Nigeria. In an attempt to join this lucrative business, my mother once dragged me with her to |
Authority.
But Detroit’s top attorney, Melvin Butch Hollowell, has countered the assertion of conflict is “misplaced and inaccurate.”
Detroit’s City Council in October requested the audit of the Detroit Building Authority and Detroit Land Bank Authority’s demolition activities in response to concerns over bidding practices and spiraling costs within the city’s program.
Meanwhile, the city’s Inspector General’s Office is conducting its own investigation into an aspect of the demolition program, and officials say it should wrap up in the coming weeks.
The land bank authority, which administers the city’s Hardest Hit Fund demolitions, said Wednesday it has not been contacted by federal inspectors or the FBI.
“But, we will cooperate if at some point they do contact us,” said Craig Fahle, a land bank spokesman.
Erica Ward Gerson, who chairs the land bank, has said it has cooperated with other audits and reviews of the demolition program conducted by the city’s auditor and inspector general as well as the Michigan State Housing Development Authority — all of which have turned up nothing specific to the land bank.
Since January 2014, more than 8,600 houses have come down in Detroit under the Duggan administration’s demolition program. The vast majority of the city’s demolitions — more than 6,000 — have been paid for with federal Hardest Hit Fund dollars.
On Monday, the city announced that its blight removal efforts will be expanding into even more city neighborhoods with the help of $42 million in additional funding approved by the U.S. Treasury and MSHDA. To date, the city has received $170 million in federal blight removal funds.
MSHDA formerly reviewed the land bank’s bid selection process related to Hardest Hit funds amid news reports questioning bidding practices and spiraling demolition costs. The state agency noted it did not find “any glaring or significant problems.”
Last fall, the mayor’s office defended the bidding process for its large-scale demolition program after after a WJBK-TV report (Channel 2) claimed city building officials improperly met with contractors in 2014 to set prices for bulk demolitions before requests for bids were official.
Three of the four local contractors participating in the negotiations were the sole bidders after the project was publicly offered and awarded the work.
The administration later countered there was nothing unusual or improper about the set-price contract initiative for bulk demolitions, which was a pilot program and discontinued shortly after when it failed to attract national players.
The project accounted for nearly 1,400 of the homes knocked down in Detroit in 2014.
Under the Hardest Hit program, Detroit’s demolition costs went from an average of about $13,600 per house in 2014 to about $16,400 in 2015. The city said the rising prices were tied to new environmental safeguards. They have since made changes, and costs now average about $13,600 per house.
Read or Share this story: http://detne.ws/27eV7peIf you thought you saw a car driving around Redondo Beach with a giant red baseball cap on its roof after 2 a.m. Tuesday, it wasn’t your imagination.
Police are asking for the public’s help to find a 3-foot-tall, Donald Trump-inspired baseball cap and three men who were caught on surveillance video stealing it from an iconic statue outside Joe Oliveri Hair Design at 1401 Pacific Coast Highway.
Oliveri noticed his oversized parody of the presidential hopeful’s “Make America Great Again” hat — which instead reads “Make Your Hair Great Again” — was missing from the 6-foot-tall statue of a mannequin head when he opened the salon Tuesday morning.
The hat had been smashed in by vandals a few months ago.
Oliveri reviewed surveillance video, which clearly shows three men jostling the hat off of the statue and driving away with it on the roof of a four-door black sedan.
He filed a police report and uploaded the video to YouTube, hoping someone would recognize the thieves.
So far, he hasn’t heard anything.
Redondo Beach police Officer John Anderson said the first suspect is described as having short hair, a mustache and a beard, and was wearing a blue flannel shirt and jeans. The second is described as a Latino wearing a light-colored. striped hoodie and jeans. The final suspect, who briefly tried to hide his face from the camera, is described as a heavy-set Latino with facial hair wearing a white L.A. Dodgers jersey with the number 32 and jeans.
The men are wanted for grand theft.
Oliveri said the hat, which he first put up months ago, has been popular in the community, generating lots of chuckles and people pulling over to snap photos. Conservative pundit Ann Coulter even tweeted a picture of it.
“I’m not a Trump advocate necessarily, but what I’ve done here is simply jump on the Trump locomotive,” said Oliveri, who has owned the salon on PCH and Avenue F for 55 years. “People love it. It’s meant to be a fun thing.”
The cap was just one of many looks he has given the statue he designed 45 years ago, which sits prominently in a planter filled with flowers. He has given it a giant set of earmuffs on chilly nights and a Santa hat during the holidays.
When the salon was undergoing a remodel two years ago, Oliveri put a large bandana and rollers in the head’s tresses — made of ivy — with a sign telling customers the business was getting a makeover.
He is quick to note that he designed the Chia Pet-looking statue long before the advent of the plant fad.
Though the police report values the hat at $2,000, Oliveri believes it is worth more like $5,000.
He spent weeks building it from steel and red sail fabric and had to remake it when it was vandalized, though that incident was not captured on video.
“Whoever’s got it, I don’t know what they intend to do with it, unless the guy’s got such a big head he thinks he can wear it,” Oliveri said.
Customers are “furious” about the theft, he said.
Anyone with information is encouraged to contact Redondo Beach police at 310-379-2477.Archeologists will start inspecting land in southern Spain near where the acclaimed poet Federico Garcia Lorca is believed to have been executed and buried at the start of the Spanish Civil War in 1936, officials said Friday.
Soundings will begin on Nov. 17 in a 300-square meter (360-square yard) hillside close to the southern city of Granada, Luis Naranjo of the southern regional government of Andalusia said.
He said the project is aimed at discovering the remains of Civil War victims, not specifically those of Lorca. He stressed that the studies did not involve any digging. If signs of bones are detected it will be up to a court to decide the next step.
A two-month, high-profile dig in another area nearby in 2009 yielded no results.
Lorca, one of Spain's most renowned 20th-century poets, was among tens of thousands of civilians executed by militias loyal to late dictator Gen. Francisco Franco, and who were buried in unmarked mass graves.
The search for his grave remains one of the greatest mysteries of the 1936-1939 war, which was started when Franco rose up against Spain's elected leftist Republican government.
Back in 2009, the poet's family initially opposed the dig, saying that they preferred to let the remains lie in peace and arguing that Lorca should not be singled out for recognition when so many families were also seeking to recover missing loved ones. They later said they might be prepared to offer DNA samples to help with identification if bones were found.
Lorca is best known for tragedies such as "Blood Wedding" and his poetry collections "Poet in New York and "Gypsy Ballads." His work draws on universal themes like love, death, passion, cruelty and injustice.
Explore further: Spain: Ebola test drug out of supply worldwideAustralia's federal police and foreign affairs department are now able to match a person's facial image against records held by Immigration after the government sent the first phase of its new face verification service live.
Last year the federal government handed over $18.5 million to fund the development of a national facial recognition system, proposed by state and federal police ministers and attorneys-general.
The face verification service (FVS), which will complement the existing document verification service (DVS), is intended to reduce cross-border criminal activities by letting law enforcement agencies share citizens' facial images to verify identities and identify unknown individuals.
Justice Minister Michael Keenan today said the first phase of the platform - allowing DFAT and the AFP access to images on citizenship applications held by Immigration so they can verify identities - was now live.
Other types of images such as visa and passport photos will be added over time, he said, with the government also currently talking to states and territories to bring driver licence images into the FVS.
Access will also gradually be expanded to other police and security agencies such as ASIO and Defence. The federal Attorney-General's Department is the lead agency for the capability and manages access.
Next year the government will extend the system to include identification of unknown persons, to assist investigations of serious offences. Keenan said access in this case would be restricted to "a limited number of users in specialist areas".
The minister said the capability to share images was necessary given the higher-quality fraudulent identity documents being produced by criminals. He released a government report [pdf] today that claimed identity fraud cost Australians $2.2 billion each year.
Agency users access the FVS through a web-based portal that allows them to compare an image on a one-on-one basis with another government record to help verify an individual's identity.
The hub will eventually be able to receive requests via system-to-system connections with agencies’ existing systems "using industry standard integration technologies such as web services", the government said.
It has pushed ahead with the plan despite criticism by privacy advocates and the ACT government that the hub gives police "unprecedented and extraordinary" access to sensitive data without proper safeguards.
The Attorney-General's Department undertook a privacy impact assessment for the capability last year and said no significant risks or privacy issues had been identified in the system's design.
Agencies need legislative powers to collect and use facial images in order to access the service.The percentage of people who do not have health insurance rose to 12.3 percent in the third quarter of the year, the first such rise since ObamaCare took effect in 2014.
The hike in the uninsured rate, up 1.4 percent according to Gallup since the beginning of the year, comes as the GOP Congress has sought to repeal the law and as President Trump has threatened to allow its implosion.
Trump last week said he would end federal payments to insurers meant to help people afford ObamaCare, and his administration has cut funds that would sign people for the health exchanges.
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Democrats have been attacking Trump for “sabotage” of the law, highlighting the 90 percent cut to the advertising and outreach budget.
When ObamaCare went into effect in 2014, the nation saw a steep drop in the uninsured rate, which had peaked at 18 percent in 2013.
Today's higher rate also comes as the nation's unemployment rate has fallen. Because many people get health insurance through their employer, strong employment can lower the uninsured rate.
Experts expect the cuts and confusion over whether the law is being repealed will further depress enrollment — which could cause the rate of people without insurance to rise further.
“Uncertainty about the healthcare law also may be driving the increase,” Gallup writes. “Congressional Republicans' attempts to replace the healthcare law may be causing consumers to question whether the government will enforce the penalty for not having insurance.”
Gallup also points to some insurers dropping out of certain markets and premium increases as a possible cause.
“The rising insurance premiums could be compelling some Americans to forgo insurance, especially those who fail to qualify for federal subsidies,” Gallup said.I thought I had found the man, third time’s the charm right?
You looked at me with something in your eyes – something other than lust.
Wanting something more than domination, manipulation, and control.
But you ripped me apart, leaving a bloody mess.
I became yours for the taking – I felt dirty.
You never asked for consent and you didn’t stop when I said no.
Only physical force saved me – my physical force.
Once again I was violated by a man who wanted to be a pastor.
I blamed myself for every girl after me – every one who you hurt next.
But I wouldn’t let the monster of what you did escape from my lips.
I wouldn’t let the bile rise up – I swallowed it down.
I prayed that the others are fine and that no more will be hurt.
I justified what you did to me and to them.
Over and over I justified the things you did.
But then some days my head is clear from your grasp.
And I know – I know that what you did can’t be justified.
So one day my mind was crystal clear.
And I made my choice in that clarity.
Phone calls were made and cars were borrowed.
A long night in the police station after hours.
So I told – I opened my mouth and the monster came out.
The dark mess came out slowly, then all at once, like bile I couldn’t keep down.
I told the police but I didn’t want charges.
I wanted a record for those after me, for those who might come.
But then I went back and I told home – our home – yours and mine.
Because even there I needed there to be a something for those to come after me.
I knew there were some to come – I was the frontrunner.
I was the trailblazer for those hurt by you.
I told and the monster came out in our home.
Bile rising up – tears pouring out.
I spoke those words you begged me not to.
The truth burned out – I don’t know if even I could have stopped them.
In the end even you – even you admitted it.
No punishments happened to you, not a single one.
And I was the one who received the backlash.
Maybe that was the truth of the monster.Just Dance is extremely fun. Now, having said that, Just Dance can be difficult. Not that the moves themselves are that hard, it's just that it expects you to be an expert and know moves the first time you do a song. The incoming dance move timeline is way too short, compared to a DDR or a Rockband or something similar. Theoretically, the incoming timeline is only supposed to augment the player(s) mirroring the on screen avatar, but there's a fundamental problem with this. You're expected to be doing the dance move at the *same time* that the onscreen avatar is doing the move. If you're always mirroring the avatar, you're going to be lagging a few beats behind. That's the whole point of the incoming moves timeline, to let you know what's next, so that you can be in sync with the avatar. As such, when you don't know what move to do next, you're going to lag, and lose star rating. There really needs to be a training mode or something similar, where you can slow the song down, and learn the moves smartly, then actually play the song in Dance Quest and other modes. In addition, a longer, more visible incoming timeline would be super helpful for not having to memorize each and every song. It would certainly help in not having to memorize several 3 minute routines. Beyond that, the new 2016 innovation of using your phone to play works reasonably well. It syncs quickly, though the app is a bit of a battery drain, at least on iOS9. And if you get a call, and depending on your notification settings for apps, any notifications will interrupt and pause the game. Not that this is a direct fault of the game. The Wii U version of the game is SLOOOOOW. It takes well over a minute from loading the game to actually playing a song. It doesn't seem like any optimization was done for this system. Every load transition is comically long for what it's actually doing. It's a fun game, even more so in a group.
Read moreGUWAHATI: The death toll in Assam militant attacks has risen to 48 with the recovery of more bodies. The victims are adivasis which include women and children.They have been shot dead by Bodo militants of Songbijit faction of National Democratic Front of Boroland (NDFB) at five different locations across the state on Tuesday.The attacks started at around 5 evening at Maitalubasti in Sonitpur district where worst attack took place. Police are recovering the bodies in this area inside the Pabhoi reserve forest.Within few minutes of the attack, the militants struck at a village called Pakhriguri in Kokrajhar district in the western part of the state where three people were killed.The next three attacks were carried out again in Sonitpur district at two other places. So far 10 people have been found dead in Phulbari and another six at Batasipur. All the places of incidents are in Bodoland Territorial Autonomous Districts (BTAD).There was no casualty at Ultapani in Kokrajhar district.Assam Police additional director general of police (special branch) Pallab Bhattacharya said that the actual casualty figure is yet the ascertained but there is information about more than 40 people having been killed. “The places are remotely located and close to India-Bhutan border and our people are reaching the locations,” he said.The militant outfit had on Monday warned the state government of retaliatory attack if security forces did not stop operations against the cadres. The ADGP said, “We had information that the outfit would carry out retaliatory attacks but it was difficult to pinpoint the locations.”A source said, “The NDFB (S) picked up the adivasi community this time because it thinks that the adivasi community residing in forest areas near the India-Bhutan border might have given away information about their locations to the police and army based on which counterinsurgency operations were launched.”The attacks came in less than three hours after chief minister Tarun Gogoi remarked that the state government will not surrender before the threats from the NDFB (S) and will continue the counterinsurgency operations.The outfit was hit the hardest on Sunday when army and police jointly killed two of its cadres and recovered a huge cache or arms and weapons inside the Chirang reserve forest.Arc System Works Bringing Fantasy Hero: Unsigned Legacy To The West
By Ishaan. November 12, 2014. 9:00am
Arc System Works are bringing their downloadable Vita RPG Fantasy Hero: Unsigned Legacy to North America, Europe and Australia, the publisher announced this morning.
Fantasy Hero is a top-down co-op game that can be played by up to four players in local multiplayer, and will feature four different playable characters. You’ll be able to enhance and remodel your weapons as you play through the game, and Arc say they plan on releasing DLC missions as well.
Fantasy Hero: Unsigned Legacy will be available in the U.S. on December 2nd. Other regions will see it in the first quarter of 2015, and Arc System Works have shared a trailer for the game, which you can watch above..Flying with an upgraded first stage, United Launch Alliance’s Delta IV rocket has successfully deployed the seventh Wideband Global Satcom communications satellite on Thursday. Liftoff from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station occurred at 20:07 local time on Thursday – following the weather-related postponement of Wednesday’s opportunity.
Delta IV Launch:
The launch, which was the thirtieth for the Delta IV, introduced to the single-core vehicle the upgraded first stage which was first tested on the Delta IV Heavy launch of NROL-15 in 2012.
Featuring structural changes to increase commonality across the rocket’s different configurations and an uprated RS-68A engine. Only previously used on the NROL-15 launch, these changes are to become standard across the Delta IV fleet in an effort to reduce production costs.
The payload for the rocket’s mission was the Wideband Global Satcom 7 (WGS-7) communications satellite.
The first Block II Follow-On spacecraft in the US Air Force’s WGS program, WGS-7 introduces enhancements over its Block II predecessors with increased downlink channels and bandwidth. Further upgrades are expected to follow from the next satellite.
The 6,000 kilogram (13,000 lb) spacecraft carries a Ka and X-band communications payload. The spacecraft is designed for a service life of fourteen years.
Constructed by Boeing, the WGS spacecraft are based on the BSS-702 satellite bus. Twin solar arrays provide power for the spacecraft’s systems while an R-4D-15 liquid propellant motor will be used for major maneuvers such as orbit circularization.
An electric propulsion system, consisting of four XIPS-25 ion thrusters, will be used for stationkeeping. The contract to build WGS-7 was signed in September 2011, although long-lead parts had been under construction from August 2010.
Initiated and led by the United States Air Force, the WGS program has become multinational with Australia financing the sixth spacecraft in return for participation and international investment also facilitating a further vehicle.
The Wideband Global Satcom program, which was originally named Wideband Gapfiller Satellite, was intended to serve as an interim between the previous Defense Satellite Communications System (DSCS) and the then-planned Transformational Satellite (TSAT) series.
Since TSAT’s cancellation in 2009, WGS has – along with the Advanced Extremely High-Frequency constellation – become one of the Air Force’s primary communications satellite program.
The first WGS spacecraft, USA-195, was deployed by an Atlas V rocket in October 2007. Two further Block I satellites followed in April and December 2009 before Block II launches began in 2012.
The most recent two launches, both of Block II vehicles, took place in May and August 2013. Launches on the Atlas V make use of the 421 configuration while Delta IV missions have used the Medium+(5,4) variant. Since the first two spacecraft used the Atlas V, all subsequent WGS satellites have flown atop the Delta.
First launched in November 2002, the Delta IV was developed by Boeing for the US Air Force’s Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) program alongside Lockheed Martin’s Atlas V.
Since 2006, the manufacture and operation of both vehicles, along with Boeing’s older Delta II vehicle, has been transferred to United Launch Alliance (ULA).
In March, ULA announced its intention to phase out the Delta IV in favor of the Atlas V in the short term and in the long term the Vulcan rocket they are developing to replace both EELVs.
Delta IV Medium launches are expected to cease in 2018 or 2019 with the Heavy continuing to fly occasionally until an alternative is available.
The Delta IV’s maiden flight carried the Eutelsat W5 (later Eutelsat 33B) communications satellite for French telecommunications firm Eutelsat – the only fully commercial launch the rocket has made. All of the Delta IV’s flights since then have carried payloads for the US Government, which are predominantly of a military nature.
The first flight of the Delta IV Heavy, which was funded by the US Air Force, carried only a demonstration payload and two university microsatellites. That launch resulted in the vehicle’s only failure to date after cavitation in oxidizer lines led to the premature depletion of the first stage and both boosters.
Between 2006 and 2010 three Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) weather satellites were launched by the Delta IV. While they were launched as commercial payloads, their operator – the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration – is a US Government agency.
Last December a Delta IV Heavy lofted NASA’s debut Orion mission, Exploration Flight Test 1 (EFT-1), into a fractional orbital trajectory to conduct a reentry test.
The Delta IV’s military payloads include two of the old Defense Support Communications System (DSCS) communications satellites and four more WGS spacecraft in addition to this launch.
The rocket has carried six Global Positioning System navigation satellites, a Defense Support Program (DSP) missile detection spacecraft, a Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) military weather satellite and a pair of GSSAP space surveillance satellites.
Eight launches for the National Reconnaissance Office have placed into orbit three Orion and one “Improved Trumpet” signals intelligence spacecraft, two KH-11 imaging satellites, a Quasar communications satellite and a Topaz radar imaging spacecraft.
The Delta IV’s first stage, or Common Booster Core (CBC), is powered by a single RS-68A engine burning liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen.
In the Delta IV Medium configuration, this is flown without boosters while the Delta IV Medium+ can fly with two or four solid rocket motors. The Delta IV Heavy makes use of two additional CBCs attached to the sides of the core vehicle.
For the launch, which had flight number Delta 372, the Medium+(5,4) configuration was used. This featured four GEM-60 solid rocket motors and a five-meter diameter upper stage.
Departing from Cape Canaveral’s Space Launch Complex 37B, Delta 372’s mission began with ignition of the first stage main engine five seconds ahead of liftoff. The solid rocket motors ignited a fraction of a second before the countdown reaches zero, with the Delta achieving liftoff when the thrust from the RS-68A engine exceeded her weight.
Beginning a series of pitch, yaw and roll manoeuvres to attain attitude for her ascent to geosynchronous transfer orbit, Delta 372 aligned herself along a launch azimuth of 93.46 degrees heading East over the Atlantic Ocean. Forty five seconds into the flight the vehicle experienced maximum dynamic pressure.
At the 91.6-second mark in the flight the solid motors burned out. Their spent casings were jettisoned in pairs, 2.4 seconds apart, with the first two separating 100 seconds after liftoff. The payload fairing separated from around WGS-7 three minutes and four seconds into the flight.
Three minutes and 56.4 seconds after lifting off from Cape Canaveral, the Delta’s first stage propellant was depleted and the stage cut off. Six seconds later it separated from the rocket, allowing the second stage to extend the nozzle of its RL10B-2 engine and, thirteen seconds after staging, igniting to continue its ascent.
The Delta IV’s upper stage, the Delta Cryogenic Second Stage (DCSS), is powered by the single RL10B-2 engine and can be flown in versions with diameters of four or five metres depending upon payload requirements. Like the CBC, the DCSS burns liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen.
The first burn of the second stage lasted fifteen minutes and 41.4 seconds. Following a nine-minute, 25.3 second coast the DCSS restarted for a further three minutes and eighteen seconds to establish the final orbit for spacecraft separation.
WGS-7 separated nine minutes and 9.9 seconds later into a 441 by 66,870-kilometre orbit (274 by 41,551 miles; 238 by 36,107 nautical miles) at an inclination of 24 degrees.
The launch was the thirty-seventh orbital launch attempt of 2015 and the Delta IV’s second of two launches planned this year following March’s successful deployment of the GPS IIF-9 satellite. The Delta IV will next be in action in February 2016 with a Medium+(5,2) vehicle deploying the NROL-45 mission for the National Reconnaissance Office.
ULA’s next launch is currently scheduled for 31 August with an Atlas V carrying the MUOS-4 communications satellite to orbit for the US Navy.
(Images via ULA).Voice of Martyrs (VOM), an international missionary group, on Wednesday announced the publication of the first Bible translated into both English and the North Korean dialect.
The North Korean Bible is based entirely off of the Korean Christian Federation’s official publication, with only a few terms altered. The English version has been adopted from Wycliffe Mission Assist, the most readable and widely disseminated version.
VOM cooperated with not only Biblical scholars but also North Korean defectors and South Korean pastors.
“We didn’t create it for North Koreans, but with North Koreans. They asked us to make it, and we created it to meet their needs,” VOM founder Eric Foley said.
As footnotes, the newly published Bible includes explanations – in both languages – to help North Koreans teach themselves.
There are some linguistic differences between the South and North, making it difficult for defectors to comprehend the Bible, even among those who have attended church for nearly 10 years.
“Defectors will ask me something really unexpected, about parts that are not confusing for me at all, as I grew up and was educated in South Korea,” said Noh Hyun-min, pastor of Hana Church in Hanawon, the governmental organization for defector settlement.
VOM prioritized finding adequate words in the North Korean dialect.
“During the translation process, there were various North Korean words corresponding to the English. Defectors contributed a lot to matching them,” Heo Ju, professor of Asia United Theological University said.
The Bibles are already being sent into North Korea via balloon launches. Despite lots of controversy surround this method of bringing outside information into North Korea – some call it ineffective or even dangerous for Northerners caught with the materials sent in – VOM said it is most effective means and that it shows respect for North Koreans’ situations.
“In North Korea, even children are aware of the risks of possessing a Bible. Even socks, clothes or food are dangerous. People who pick up a Bible know that their choice is very risky, and probably (could cause them to be) executed,” Foley told NK News.
Foley highlighted the positive influence of Christianity, suggesting historical evidence that Christianity helped Koreans in their quest for an independent democracy.
“Like the early Korean Christians such as Cho Man-sik and Ahn Chang-ho, (North Koreans) reading Bibles could help promote the concept of freedom and human rights.”
He emphasized North Korean defectors’ roles in spreading the word into North Korea, particularly their experience and understanding of North Korean society.
“Eighty percent of defectors are communicating with their families and relatives in their hometown, and this channel hasn’t been used properly.”
The Bibles will be distributed for free to anybody working as a North Korean missionary and for defectors. VOM stated that they will spread Christianity not only via the written word but also via radio broadcasting and or MP3 files.
All photos: Ha-young Choi[UPDATE: As Will points out in the comments, this isn’t really the EM algorithm. There isn’t a proper E step, because there’s no distribution being estimated: there’s only a maximization step that alternates between maximizing the class labels and the slopes. You can think of this algorithm as a degenerate version of EM in the way that naive k-means implements a degenerate form of EM for Gaussian mixtures.]
Last night, Drew Conway showed me a fascinating graph that he made from the R package data we’ve recently collected from CRAN. That graph will be posted and described in the near future, because it has some really interesting implications for the structure of the R package world.
But for the moment I want to talk about the use of mixture modeling when you have a complex regression problem. I think it’s easiest to see some example data to motivate my interest in this topic, so here we go:
If you’ve never seen data like this, let’s just make sure it’s clear how you could have ended up with a plot that looks this way. We could end up with data like this if we had two classes of data points that each separately obey a standard linear regression model, but the models have different slopes for points from each of the two classes of data. In other words, this is the sort of data set you might fit using a varying-slope regression model — if you knew about the classes coming in to the problem. To make this idea really clear, here’s the simulation code that generated the plot I’ve just shown you.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 N <- 100 true. classes <- sample ( c ( 0, 1 ), N, replace = TRUE ) x <- rep ( 1 : 50, 2 ) y <- rep ( NA, N ) beta <- c ( 0.3, 1.0 ) for ( i in 1 : N ) { y [ i ] <- beta [ true. classes [ i ] + 1 ] * x [ i ] + rnorm ( 1 ) } png ( 'unlabeled.png' ) qplot ( x, y, geom = 'point' ) dev. off ( )
But what do you do when you don’t know anything about the classes because you’ve only discovered them after visualizing your data? It should be obvious that no amount of regression trickery is going to give us the class information we’re missing. And we also can’t fit a varying slope regression without some sort of class information. It would seem that we can’t get started at all given standard regression techniques, because we have a chicken-and-egg problem where we need either the class labels or the regression parameters to infer the other missing piece of the puzzle.
The solution to this problem may amaze readers who don’t already know the EM algorithm and degenerate forms of EM, because it’s so shockingly simple and seemingly cavalier in its approach: we make up for the missing data by just making new data up out of thin air.
Seriously. The approach I’ll describe reliably works and it works for two reasons that are obvious in retrospect once someone’s told them to you:
If we have an algorithm that will eventually reach the best solution to a problem from any starting point, then we can make up for missing data by randomly selecting values for what we’re missing and moving on from there. We don’t have to be paralyzed by the seemingly insurmountable problem of doubly missing data, because using arbitrary data is enough for us to get started. Now if that’s not data hacking, I don’t know what is. The first claim isn’t just hypothetical when there’s a finite number of possible classes each point could belong to: our algorithm really will eventually reach the best solution, because each step of the algorithm will always give us a better solution than before, and there are only finitely many steps the algorithm can take, because there is only a finite number of possible class label assignments it could use.
With that said, let’s go through the details for this problem with example code.
First, we have to make up imaginary class labels.
1 inferred. classes <- sample ( c ( 0, 1 ), N, replace = TRUE )
Then we’ll plot this assignment of classes to see how well it matches the structure we see visually:
1 2 3 png ( paste ('state_', 0, '.png', sep = '' ) ) qplot ( x, y, geom = 'point', color = inferred. classes ) dev. off ( )
This assignment doesn’t look good at all. That’s not surprisingly given that we made it up without any reference to the rest of our data. But it’s actually quite easy to go from this made up set of labels to a better set. How? By fitting a varying-slope regression, calculating the errors at each data point for both possible class labels, and then re-assigning data points to the class that makes the errors smallest. We can do that with the following very simple code:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 my. data <- data. frame ( Y = y, X = x, Class = inferred. classes ) lm. fit <- lm ( Y ~ X + X : Class - 1, data = my. data ) for ( i in 1 : N ) { error. zero <- ( y [ i ] - predict ( lm. fit, data. frame ( Y = y [ i ], X = x [ i ], Class = 0 ) ) ) ^ 2 error. one <- ( y [ i ] - predict ( lm. fit, data. frame ( Y = y [ i ], X = x [ i ], Class = 1 ) ) ) ^ 2 if ( error. zero < error. one ) { inferred. classes [ i ] <- 0 } else { inferred. classes [ i ] <- 1 } }
Here we fit a linear regression with two slopes, depending on the class being 0 or 1, and we’ve thrown out any intercept for simplicity. Then we determine which of the two classes would make the data more likely given the slopes we inferred using our imaginary classes. This actually makes a huge improvement in just one step:
Luckily for us, there’s only data point that’s not been assigned properly, so we can just loop over the steps we took one more time to clean up our model to near perfection:
And that’s it.
[EDIT: Fixed a typo in the example code that actually made the algorithm work faster, but only because it coincided with the structure of the problem.]CTV Montreal
A Chateauguay man plans to file a complaint with the police ethics commissioner after a run-in with police that ended with him being pepper sprayed in his car as his two young children sat in the back seat and watched.
John Chilcott says he was stopped last Monday for what he says amounts to driving while black. When he was pulled over, he said the police officer would not give him a reason for stopping him.
When Chilcott refused to identify himself because he didn't know what he had done, he says the officer pepper sprayed him.
“I was treated like an animal. There was no regard for my rights, my human rights,” he said, questioning why a police officer resorted so quickly, in his opinion, to the use of force.
“I didn’t resist arrest, I didn’t do [anything], I was just sitting in my car,” he said.
His children also came into contact with the pepper spray. They were treated in hospital.
In response to a request for comment, Chateauguay police issued a news release that doesn’t mention Chilcott by name but details an intervention that occurred Dec. 14, which was last Monday.
According to the police, an officer pulled over a person who refused to identify himself after committing “many” violations of the Highway Safety Code. The man refused to collaborate with the officer, who then pepper sprayed him.
Medical assistance was offered to the affected parties, but was refused, the statement says. Police brought the person who was pepper sprayed to the station for attention.
The statement says the interaction is the subject of an internal investigation, and points out that Chateauguay police adhere to the national use of force protocol, which advises officers to use the means |
had doubled to 20,000 and by January 2008 the membership doubled again to an impressive 40,000. By the end of June 2008, almost 70,000 members were registered at TextBook Torrents and more and more people were becoming aware of its existence.
On July 1st 2008, Jeff Young, a writer with The Chronicle of Higher Education, wrote an article entitled Textbook Piracy Grows Online, Prompting a Counterattack From Publishers. The article focused on TextBook Torrents and it quickly gained traction after being picked up by Slashdot and subsequently, many other mainstream publications. In this explosion of publicity the site’s membership grew rapidly, but almost inevitably, the anti-piracy hawks began to circle.
Within days, Textbook Torrents’ host and domain registrar received takedown requests. At the time, Geekman, the admin of the tracker told TorrentFreak: “We received a DMCA notice from Pearson Education a week or so prior, which we complied with, but it was a group of publishers that contacted our host.” On July 5th Dreamhost suspended Geekman’s account and refused to speak with him and it took a week to even transfer the domain. It took a month for the site to return.
“I want to see the textbook industry change such that we are no longer needed,” Geekman told TorrentFreak when we asked him in early August about his motivation to bring back the site.
Now, just 2 months later, visitors to the TextBook Torrents site this week were faced with the grim reality that the site has gone. “TextBook Torrents won’t be coming back,” Geekman told TorrentFreak. “I’ve been at it for two years and it has been an awesome two years, but i’m ready to step back and hopefully allow somebody else to rise up in our place.”
Geekman told us that he felt that when it became clear to the copyright owners that simple threats to the site and its host wouldn’t be sufficient to close down the tracker, he himself became the next logical target: “We got word from several credible sources that there was a lawsuit in the works against myself personally,” he explained.
Of course, when anyone invests a huge amount of work into a project, there will be some pain to endure when it comes to an end, and Geekman is no different. “It does hurt. Textbook Torrents was my baby and one of my proudest projects, both personally and certainly as Geekman. At the same time, running the site had become very demanding. Since the attention last summer the site nearly doubled in size in 4 months from 60,000 to over 100,000 members. In all honesty, it was all I could do to keep up with media interview requests.”
Geekman told us that he was sorry to have to shut down the site without notice, but in the absence of others immediately stepping up to take over the running of the site, he had no alternative. He also said that he was disappointed that nobody stepped in with a replacement site when TextBook Torrents was down for 3 weeks in August, but hopes that someone will do so now.
When asked if book publishers have learned anything from the whole affair, Geekman said he doubted that: “Intellectual property corporations are notorious for missing the point. Like I’ve said before, we were out to make a statement, to give out as much free stuff as possible, and I think we’ve made that statement – perhaps not as loudly as we could have given another few months and a little more perseverance – but certainly people have heard, and are talking. Piracy will never be sustainable for the textbook industry, but perhaps this is the first step towards a more sustainable model in the future.”
When a torrent site goes offline, especially when it’s quite a quick shutdown, it’s inevitable that users get nervous that somehow they could be implicated if the site’s logs fall into the wrong hands. However, ex-users of the site have absolutely nothing to fear in this respect: “Textbook Torrents files, including logs and backups, have been permanently removed from all servers where they were stored,” notes Geekman, “We no longer have any data on the site or its users.”
All donations made to the site have been secured for the possibility of mounting a legal defense, should the need arise. However, once it’s established that Geekman is in the clear, whatever money is left over will be donated to a textbook or education-related non-profit organization. For his part, Geekman says he will ceremonially take the last $12 for himself, to cover the only thing he ever paid for on the site – the domain registration.
“I’m an activist, I’ll freely admit it but I believe activism is about a lot more than parading around holding a sign,” Geekman told TorrentFreak. “There are far more effective ways to get peoples’ attention.”
There can be no denying that TextBook Torrents did just that.MIRAMAR, Fla. - Police are searching for a man and woman in connection with a shoplifting and battery at an Advanced Auto Parts store in Miramar.
The incident was reported about 7:45 p.m. Aug. 10 at 7979 Riviera Blvd.
According to police, the man distracted the clerk and then punched a customer who told the employee that he had witnessed the woman stealing Hello Kitty car mats.
Police believe the duo are also responsible for a similar crime at another Advanced Auto Parts store.
Police believe the couple left the store in a dark-colored, newer model Nissan Altima.
Anyone with information about the identity of the culprits is asked to call Broward Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS. A reward of up to $3,000 is being offered for information that leads to an arrest and conviction.
Follow Local 10 News on Twitter@WPLGLocal10
Copyright 2015 by Local10.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Word that Germany is host to a 20-foot tall Titanfall mech for the next couple of weeks left all of us here at Geek.com asking who built it and how. It turns out this creation is one of two made by Daniel’s Wood Land, and the company was nice enough to share with us how this hulking bot came to be.
Reaspawn and EA Games reached out to Daniel’s Wood Land a few months back with some artwork from Titanfall to see if they were up to the job. The larger of the two creations is the biggest creation the company has done to date. Originally named Gunslinger before it was delivered for use in countless gaming events, the Atlas mech that is now affectionately called Betty took the team four weeks to carve, paint, and assemble.
According to Theming Designer Cj Berg, Gunslinger is made almost entirely out of EPS foam, which was cut using a large format 4-axis router and a large format CNC hotwire from 3D models made from Respawn’s artwork. The steel base for the mech was fabricated in house and then covered in more of the EPS foam, which was then coated and painted while the rest of the build happened. It wasn’t until the very end of the build that they were able to assemble the mech and see how it all looked as a single unit.
Gunslinger is more than just foam and steel, there’s some animatronics going on in there as well. The torso has a few basic LEDs across the sides, but the head on the atlas is both posable and configurable, with LEDs that match the lights on the mechs in game. These are the only parts of the Gunslinger build that can be adjusted, but the addition of LEDs add just enough life to the build to make it even more menacing from a distance or in low light.
Take a look at our gallery for the whole picture, and see as this project grows from plain white foam to gigantic robot.
And, in case you were wondering, no actually asked “Why?” This was clearly something that needed to be done by someone.But that, not only happens with computing eras. That also happens with the software stack.
Chris Dixon just pointed that every era of computing creates platforms for innovation. In the PC era, a developer didn’t design and build the parts of a computer to develop a game. Today, you won’t build a datacenter to bring an app to the market, AWS is the default choice.
The increase in development speed is driven by the innovation of re-using existing blocks. Basically, developers don’t need to reinvent the wheel every day.
In my opinion, there are two key reasons for that:
Famously, “Software is eating the world”, and I would add: at a fast pace!
Nobody designs a new language for a new piece of software, we leverage what’s available.
The same happens with most critical parts of software development.
Unless you’re a database provider, you won’t consider developing a new database technology.
These platforms allow the modularization and continuous innovation in software development.
Everybody enjoys faster development processes building on top of somebody else’s efforts.
Open Source and its challenges
One of the most elegant ways of creating an open platform is open source. NOTE — I love open source, I’m writing this in atom.io from my ubuntu laptop.
Generalizing a bit, open source projects tend to be a collaborative effort of independent developers. Its result is a free “community edition” product, which has unique competitive advantages:
Efficient distribution due to “the power of free” of their “community edition”. Reduced R&D costs thanks to the altruism of the community of developers — who tend to be paid by somebody else ;-) Extensive roadmaps and more robust products because of the diversity of the community of developers and adopters.
Because of that, plenty of open source projects become winner-takes-most in their markets. No surprise, open source is key in the infrastructure of almost every tech company — operating systems, databases, languages, etc.
But one thing is getting adoption and a different one is making money.
The two prevalent open source business models have proven hard to crack. Until today, only a couple of companies did it.
Traditionally, in open source, you can make money by either:
a) Charging professional services, which usually have lower margins and don’t scale so well.
b) Charging enterprise licenses, which is challenging when most ‘community editions’ provide the core value and there’s so much info available on how to modify, implement and scale them.
As a result of that, when compared with other business models, few large businesses have been built on top of open source.
SaaS is solving some of these challenges
At first, comparing SaaS with open source might sound bizarre because in plenty of cases they are mutually exclusive.
But I think it’s relevant, since most of the infrastructure stack is getting SaaS-ified.
One example from our portfolio is pretty illustrative of that competition:
Today, the CTO of a company can spend engineering resources to build their search solution with Elasticsearch or buy speed with Algolia’s SaaS. The same could be said about contentful, keen.io, and many other API-first/-only companies.
Obviously, the SaaS product might be less customizable, but the benefits for its customers are also clear: shorter development time and more transparent costs. No more hidden costs in the form of maintenance.
If SaaS can be great for the customer, it’s even more attractive for the startup vendor and its early stage investors:
There’s more visibility over product-market fit because usage metrics are available
It’s easier to plan capital requirements because the revenues can be predictable
The company can be leaner because only one product is supported and no implementation teams are required
But in SaaS nirvana there are challenges too. The reliability and privacy of the cloud bring friction to move customers’ data and critical infrastructure into SaaS. That’s one of the obvious cases where open source wins. That said, in my opinion, we are in a transition phase until most of those concerns disappear — unless “somebody” breaks customer’s trust.
Even if it’s from 2012, it’s interesting data
Apart from that, we would agree that SaaS goes into the opposite direction of a building block for open innovation. SaaS has quite strong lock-in effects: it “owns” the customer data — and its code is closed. That means it’s hard to build something on top of a SaaS provider.
And that was true, until APIs came to the market…
APIs will win…
Again, comparing APIs with SaaS might sound counter-intuitive. In practice, most APIs are delivered in the form of a SaaS. But I think there are enough differences between both models to make a distinction.
Some of those differences, in my opinion, allow APIs to solve the key challenges of SaaS:
APIs are building blocks of software by definition
Compared with SaaS, by nature, they are platforms that allow development on top of them.
It brings back the nature of “building block” that open source has and SaaS lost.
API’s businesses focus on solving “smaller” problems but hard to crack
For that reason, there are higher chances that customers will trust an API provider for their core infrastructure.
“If this is the only thing those guys do, there’s high chances they will do it better than myself”.
Obviously, it’s still very early to tell if APIs will end up eating SaaS or just be a natural extension of it. I’m very bullish that the next building blocks of the software will be in the form of APIs, but that’s a topic for another post …
There are plenty of opinions in that post, I would love to hear yours.
Do you agree? Or disagree?
Please reach out at @DecodingVC.[+]Enlarge SALTY SANITATION Flushing toilets with saltwater could cause less damage to coastal food webs than previously thought. Credit: Shutterstock
In Hong Kong, about 80% of residents flush their toilets with seawater, thanks to a separate water distribution system set up in the 1950s. The approach conserves the city’s scarce freshwater resources, and has also been adopted by smaller communities like the Marshall Islands. As coastal populations and water demand rise, this idea may become more attractive elsewhere, though some researchers have worried about the release of potentially toxic by-products to coastal areas from treating seawater with chlorination. To the contrary, a new study suggests that the practice not only helps conserve freshwater but also may protect wildlife in marine ecosystems (Environ. Sci. Technol. 2015, DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.5b03796).
Chlorination during standard wastewater treatment can introduce toxic chlorinated disinfection by-products to coastal zones. Because seawater has higher concentrations of bromide and iodide than freshwater, however, treating it with chlorine can also produce brominated and iodinated by-products that may be more toxic to marine life than chlorinated ones, according to lab studies.
Xiangru Zhang of the Hong Kong University of Science & Technology wanted to understand how the chlorinated effluent, whether fresh or saline, affects the coastal ecosystem. So he and his colleagues, including Susan D. Richardson of the University of South Carolina, designed a study of two organisms at the base of the marine food web, a marine polychaete worm and the alga Tetraselmis marina.
The researchers collected effluent from two wastewater treatment plants in Hong Kong that process saline water and one that processes only freshwater. They chlorinated the effluent, removed residual chlorine, as is typically done in treatment, and added it to seawater at concentrations ranging from 0% to 100%. The researchers exposed worm embryos and algae to these samples for 12 hours and 6 days, respectively, and monitored their development and growth.
At 44% fresh wastewater, none of the worms developed normally, whereas it took higher concentrations of the saline effluents—56% to 63%—to have a similar effect. At 100% freshwater effluent, the embryos died within three minutes. The team found similar trends with the algae experiments.
These results together suggest that the chlorinated saline effluent was generally less acutely toxic to the organisms than its freshwater analog, a result Richardson calls “shocking.” Because of previous toxicity studies of disinfection by-products, “we were expecting the opposite,” she says.
The toxic by-products may be less important in this case than the problem of introducing freshwater into a marine environment. The team tested whether the shock of freshwater exposure on these marine organisms could explain the results. They incubated the worms and algae with pure water at various salinities. Embryos exposed to water with a salinity corresponding to that of both types of wastewater developed abnormally, in a similar fashion to the results of the wastewater experiments.
Seawater flushing might therefore contribute to both water and wildlife conservation by avoiding exposing marine life to high doses of freshwater near outlet areas. However, Zhang notes that it is also important to study the chronic effects of ecosystem exposure to disinfection by-products.PARMA, Ohio -- A woman is accused of running a brothel disguised as a massage parlor, police said.
Chameka Sherman, 27, of Euclid, is charged with a fourth-degree felony count of promoting prostitution. She is scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday.
Sherman ran the Creative Touch massage parlor out of a suite in a medical building in the 5500 block of Ridge Road, police say.
The city law department forwarded a complaint to the police department about the business being a front for a brothel.
Police found that Creative Touch advertised prostitution services via the online classified advertisement website backpage.com that is being investigated by the U.S. Senate.
Detectives conducted surveillance on the business. An undercover police officer went to the business and found Sherman running the business with four prostitutes working.
Police arrested Sherman on Oct. 2. She is free on $5,000 bond.
No one arrests were made during the investigation, according to police.
If you would like to comment on this story, visit Thursday's crime and courts comments section.FOR Brian Tapp, not even having a horror day could overcome his bowerbird instincts. Driving along Alison Road in Randwick last month, the 59-year-old florist was contemplating failure: evicted from his Clovelly shopfront that morning, he was transferring some effects to his base in Kingsford.
As he passed the entrance to Randwick Racecourse, Mr Tapp noticed something on the road. He pulled over. It was 10.15am. His day was about to change.
Good Samaritan... Brian Tapp, left, found Adam Morison’s wallet and passport and rushed them to the airport so he could catch his flight in time Credit:Dallas Kilponen
Adam Morison's day was about to change too, but he didn't know it yet. If anyone in eastern Sydney was feeling worse than Mr Tapp it was Mr Morison, who had arrived at Sydney Airport at 10am for a noon flight to Bali. As he got out of his car, he went into a panic: he did not have his wallet, his passport, his money or his itinerary. ''I was gutted,'' he said. ''The surfing holiday was over before it had started.''
Mr Tapp has been a self-described bowerbird for years. ''I just like picking things up. Sometimes they're things that you can't find their owner, like a silver Parker pen I found 30 years ago. But twice I've found mobile phones on the street and located their owners. One was very grateful. She'd been having a fight with her boyfriend and he'd chucked it out of the car.''As young college students, we are constantly reminded that our only true purpose in spending three or four years of our young, productive lives studying various fields of knowledge is simply to get a job. Though there still prevails among us a small coterie of brave souls who invest themselves in unpromising (at least financially) careers in the arts and sciences, most of us do not get the opportunity to devote ourselves to such interests. Instead, following the directives of our parents, teachers, and the market, we tend to pursue degrees that closely approximate our willingness to make money, earn salary, settle down, and, God willing, build a bayis ne’eman beyisroel (a faithful home among the Jewish people). Some of us may try to bridge the gap between profitable fields of study and self-fulfillment, but, as we all know, sometimes we’ve just got to work to survive. This theory of work and self-worth is deeply ingrained in our psyches. One can find such a persuasion in some halakhic discourse, but mostly it derives from what Max Weber categorized as the “Protestant Work Ethic.” This ethic, or value, strikes an average American (at least a privileged sort from the top of the pyramid) as self-evident, just like all the basic liberties laid out in the Bill of Rights of this country’s Constitution. We use this mode of thought as a way to ensure proper adherence to social custom, to keep the proletariat in check, and to reinforce the perennial ideal of the “American Dream.” If you’re dirt poor, according to most of America’s reasoning, you just haven’t worked hard enough to climb the ladder of American society.
Those who find lucrative, profitable positions in this economy presume to think of themselves as lucky. In fact, some are truly very lucky. CEOs and managers receive salaries that only the Rockefellers and the Carnegies could dream of, but even their underlings benefit from some of the pie. These jobs include accounting, financial services, management, marketing, computer programming, data management, IT, etc. They pay better than most other jobs, but they also demand a higher skill-set, more business and (usually) social acumen, and a sense of a dutiful work ethic. These higher-end service jobs are the contemporary manifestation of the American dream, and all who aspire to work in a clean, comfortable, stable environment dream to secure such an occupation.
But not all is as it seems.
Back in 2013, anthropologist David Graeber, a principal player in the Occupy Wall Street movement, penned a controversial essay in a relatively unknown magazine (Strike! Magazine) entitled “On the Phenomenon of Bullshit Jobs.” In this critique of the socio-economic structure of mid-to-high paying jobs, he outlines his argument that most of these jobs are quite meaningless and do almost nothing to help mankind progress. He invokes Keynes’s Economic Possibilities for our Grandchildren and chides society for not making room for the leisure expected, promised to us by Keynes on account of the automation of most of industry (e.g. manufacturing, mining, agricultural).
Graeber opens quoting a recent employment report, “over the course of the last century, the number of workers employed as domestic servants, in industry, and in the farm sector has collapsed dramatically. At the same time, ‘professional, managerial, clerical, sales, and service workers’ tripled, growing ‘from one-quarter to three-quarters of total employment.’”
Naturally, fewer jobs and less stress should translate to fewer hassles and more time to concentrate on the real virtues of life: purpose and meaning, and the pursuit of truth and beauty in the arts and sciences. But that did not occur. Graeber bemoans that “rather than allowing a massive reduction of working hours to free the world’s population to pursue their own projects, pleasures, visions, and ideas, we have seen the ballooning not even so much of the ‘service’ sector as of the administrative sector, up to and including the creation of whole new industries like financial services or telemarketing, or the unprecedented expansion of sectors like corporate law, academic and health administration, human resources, and public relations.”
Though Graeber admits the difficulty in determining the relative “value” of each job, he observes in people’s own regard for their jobs a lack of interest, purpose, and meaning. He does not call for a reintroduction of the terrible conditions and low pay of the industrial revolution factory wage labor, but he does see that in constructing a new, intangible commodity in the form of an office-job we have in a sense cut the laborer off from tangible purpose. When Thomas Jefferson romantically describes rural life and a connection to the land, he evokes a sense of belonging, and stability. Today, some people live their lives as Oompa-Loompas in this “world of pure imagination,” and Graeber observes that lots of them end up feeling unfulfilled and underutilized.
[caption id="attachment_6227" align="aligncenter" width="440"] ‘This is your last chance. After this, there is no turning back. You take the blue pill—the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill... and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes.’ (The Matrix)[/caption]
Additionally, he argues that this practice detrimentally affects the economy. Since no actual goods are being produced, economic productivity remains quite low. While some of this cost is offset by the profits accumulated from the overconsumption of goods (i.e. consumerism), and through the fact that by indirectly distributing wealth to more people the market gains fluidity (more people can buy things), the practice of paying workers for unnecessary labor is still incredibly wasteful and leaves Graeber convinced that the scheme mostly smells of a sociological mechanism by which a ruling class manipulates the working masses.
The Economist (8/21/13) unsurprisingly questions these conclusions. In a review of his essay, the writer claims that the jobs in question just reflect the loss of the tedious, horrendous jobs of industry that we have thankfully done away with. He sees it as just another step towards the utopian vision of Keynes’s world without work. He writes in the concluding paragraph that “there is a decent chance that "bullshit" administrative jobs are merely a halfway house between "bullshit" industrial jobs and no jobs at all.” This statement does not answer in any way to Graeber’s critique. Graeber claims that the jobs are inherently unnecessary and unproductive, not just uncomfortable, and asks what justifies this colossal waste of human skill and energy. It seems that the reviewer has missed the point entirely!
In analyzing Graeber’s argument, I would like to more concisely define his criticism. When he looks at the world, he imagines that there exist objects that contain inherent value. When a worker helps to create a car, he generates value—he adds to the quality of life of some consumer who will buy his handiwork. In contrast, one’s preoccupation with bureaucratic processes does not benefit any consumer other than the one directly involved in the intricacies of the capitalistic maze. The value of some jobs, therefore, exists solely within the confines of the closed system of capitalism. In other words, they serve only to keep the present capitalistic economy from collapsing, a noble and altruistic purpose entirely devoted to the notions of free-market capitalism—less so to the hopes and dreams of humanity. I believe it bothers Graeber that capitalism has redefined for humanity what is valuable. To a philosopher or anthropologist (and I hope to you as well), it seems very difficult to entertain the possibility that financial modeling, big data, and the management of complex financial information confer actual benefit to society as a whole. This system of economy has decayed to the extent that it takes monumental financial and human costs in order to glean just marginal real progress and I urge you against succumbing to the charms of this ill-gotten worth.
The question that poses itself through all of this, however, relates to the origin of this ill of society. Why doesn't capitalism self-regulate as the many Warren Buffets and Donald Trumps have led us to believe? A devout Marxian may instinctively respond that capitalism itself was doomed to fail sooner or later, and while he may correctly identify the long-expected demise of capital, he would not easily explain the actual mechanism of how this disruption of society came about. Graeber, as an ardent socialist, correctly identifies the ruling classes as beneficiaries of such a corrupt system, but fails to highlight the underlying reasons for its development.
Simply, in Marxian terms, profits must fall away when labor becomes either cheap or unnecessary. Marx argued that most of the profit of capitalism derives from the owners’ exploitation of the laboring masses. When technology deems the masses expendable, only a monopoly, or collusion of sorts, can help the owners of capital maintain a sufficient margin of profit. Otherwise, competition will tend to force owners to sell their products at-value (manufacturing costs, including labor), precluding any prospect of big financial gains. This theory of stagnation did not originate with Marx (David Ricardo, John Malthus, and even Adam Smith foresaw economic stagnation at maximum economic reach), but most modern economists have ignored such warnings (except during recessions/depressions). John Hobson, a Victorian-era economic thinker, realized the severity of the problem. He argued that this stagnation, or fear of it, contributed to the unprecedented push toward imperial expansion that swept through all major powers in Europe during the latter half of the 20th century. In order to stave off the death of capitalism, owners invested abroad, acquiring both new markets and sources of cheap labor/production.
This practice still occurs today. I should note that some jobs contribute to systems of oppression, such as colonialism and predatory lending. While I don’t blame each individual for the collective immorality of their occupation, I don’t disregard completely their complicity in such nefarious business dealings. In its wake, colonialism has left world wars, mass inequalities, and domestic unrest, but owing to the West’s economic exploitation of the global economy, capitalism has survived.
But just barely. Simply, when opportunities for further growth have been exhausted, and new markets do not open on command, the economy will begin to stagnate. What we see today constitutes a defense mechanism of capitalism. When no real jobs exist, we must then manufacture them in order to maintain social order and market fluidity. It is an implosion of the system itself, and corresponds to the slow but inevitable stagnation that Marx and others warned of. The economy will continue its downward trend (though it still grows, the rate of its growth declines), and these jobs will increasingly become unsustainable. A burgeoning economy can maintain significant inequalities, as a steady source of national income can satisfy the basic needs of even those less fortunate (including through this process of paying salaries for “fake” jobs). When that stream thins out, though, the economy of the country must restructure, or risk social tension. Sadly, the market does not respond well to logic, or to morality. Jobs are being cut and wages are declining! How, you may ask? Well, apparently the top 1% have successfully manipulated the system to effectively siphon off the dwindling profits into their bank accounts. Thus, a diminishing profit margin accompanied by increasing greed, has transformed a vibrant economy into a disaster waiting to happen. Along with these largely economic conclusions, we must also analyze the sociological implications of such a disturbance.
As one of the earliest economists to analyze the sociological expression of work as it relates to unemployment, John Maynard Keynes caricatures this kind of mindless accumulation in a sarcastic analogy. In his The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money (which he published during the Great Depression), he writes: “If the Treasury were to fill old bottles with banknotes, bury them at suitable depths in disused coalmines which are then filled up to the surface with town rubbish, and leave it to private enterprise on well-tried principles of laissez faire to dig the notes up again,… there need be no more unemployment and… the real income of the community, and its capital wealth also, would probably become a good deal greater than it actually is… the above would be better than nothing.” In Keynes’s vision, public funding serves the practical purpose of getting people off the streets. I find this utterly depressing and too conventional. In his world of ‘proper’ upbringing he valued order and structure over purpose and ideals. His solution does not inspire in us a feeling of purpose in our jobs, but rather reveals that sometimes work is but a game, an element of either governmental or private control. In this same way, private industry offers people jobs with little actual value (e.g. workers dig through the refuse of bureaucracy); they are fed, but none the better.
In perhaps one of the more inspiring, but depressing commentaries on the capitalist system, Joseph Schumpeter, an iconoclast Austrian economist, revives the sociological aspect in respect to the economy. In short, he posits that entrepreneurship, the creative ability, to innovate, drives most economic growth, especially after most natural resources (including population growth) reach their natural limits. But this entrepreneurship does not come cheap. It needs to be cultivated. Sociological and economic factors must combine to inspire new generations of inventors and investors to innovate and progress. Additionally, not all innovators grow out of the 1%, so improved social mobility allows for the efficient progression of society as a whole. However, in order to inspire those individuals, society needs to provide them with purpose. Robert Heilbroner in The Worldly Philosophers writes of Schumpeter’s claim that “it requires a faith—in its case, faith in the values and virtues of the civilization that capitalism produces and that in turn reproduces capitalism.” Thus, as people become more disenchanted with the system, their will to succeed and innovate gradually disappears.
In addition to economic stagnation Schumpeter warns of impending skepticism. He claims that “Capitalism creates a critical frame of mind which, after having destroyed the moral authority of so many other institutions, in the end turns against its own; the bourgeois finds to his amazement that the rationalist attitude does not stop at the credentials of kings and popes but goes on to attack private property and the whole scheme of bourgeois values.” Hence, capitalism dooms itself not only economically, but sociologically as well!
We are all witnesses to the mighty power this critique of society has unleashed. Traditional values have been eroded in short time, but, curiously, the idea of private property remains strong. We stand on the brink of social warfare, but the underclass still cowers at the idea of being labeled “thieves.” I can only surmise as to why this has occurred: The masses have used up all their political resources. Unions have lost their sting as a result of automation, and the Calvinist work ethic has shamed those suffering into silence. Therefore, the masses today do not see any system as viable and a purposeless dread pervades all. Currently, their one true goal is not the reallocation of power and wealth, but the dissolution of society itself (both sociologically and structurally). This errant, misguided populism is particularly dangerous, but I spare them judgement: they are desperate, and the current political situation offers them no better options.
—
“You need not finish the job, however, do not idle from it.”
(Ethics of our Fathers 2:16)According to author Kevin Kruse, the idea that America is a “Christian nation” was invented only recently, forged by an alliance between industrialists and conservative clergy who preached the connection between Christianity and capitalism.
In One Nation Under God, the Princeton history professor issues a twofold corrective: first, to the popular notion that the United States has always understood itself as a Christian nation; and second, to the conventional theory that the religious revival of the 1950s was born of anti-communist panic.
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Kruse recently spoke with The Cubit, RD’s religion and science portal, about the myth of the “Christian nation,” the marriage of Christianity and capitalism, and the failure that preceded it.
The Cubit reached out to Kruse to discuss the origin, and recent resurgence, of the ideological links between capitalism, Christianity, and American public religion.
Where do you locate the roots of America’s “Christian nation” ideology?
It’s true that many Americans thought of their country as a “nation of Christians” from the start, but that was decidedly different from establishing a formal and official “Christian nation.”
Though the Declaration of Independence refers to rights coming from the Creator, the Constitution only invokes God in its dating “in the year of our Lord.” The other references all keep the state out of religion: no religious tests for office holders, no established national religion, no interference from Congress with individual religious exercise.
More explicitly, the Founders made their feelings clear in the 1797 Treaty of Tripoli—begun by Washington, signed by Adams, passed unanimously by a Senate half-full of signers of the Constitution—that “the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion.”
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Over the nineteenth century, especially during the crisis of the Civil War, there were many Americans who insisted we should be (or already were) an officially Christian nation. So the idea of it began then, though the implementation of it wasn’t successful until the 1950s.
During the postwar religious revival, countless slogans and ceremonies that we now take for granted—the National Day of Prayer, the National Prayer Breakfast, the phrase “one nation under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance, the formal motto “In God We Trust”—were established in quick order.
Because all this happened in the 1950s, many assumed (at the time and since) that these revolutionary changes in American political culture came about because of the Cold War. But what I discovered in researching and writing this book is that the architects of these changes saw them as a challenge not to the Soviet regime in Moscow, but to the New Deal administration in Washington, DC. In the 1930s and 1940s, they popularized a new language of “freedom under God” (as opposed to what they saw as “slavery under the welfare state”), which finally took hold nationally in the 1950s.
You track the emergence in the 1940s and 1950s of “Christian libertarianism,” a blend of conservative religion, economics, and politics. How did this Christian libertarianism reconceive of the relationship between Christianity and capitalism?
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Capitalism and Christianity had been mixed by Americans before the New Deal, to be sure. (In the 1920s, the ad man Bruce Barton wrote a best-seller called The Man Nobody Knows that repackaged Jesus Christ as the most successful executive of all time.) These previous fusions of faith and free enterprise had always stressed their common social characteristics, but starting in the 1930s Christianity and capitalism were fused in a more political context.
With the New Deal state now looming large over business, the architects of this new Christian libertarianism placed Christianity and capitalism in joint opposition. Both systems reflected a belief in the primacy of the individual: in Christianity, the saintly went to Heaven and the sinners to Hell; in capitalism, the worthy succeeded and the inept went broke. Any system of government that meddled with this divinely inspired order, they argued, was nothing less than “pagan statism.”
Supported with ample funding from leaders of major corporations (Sun Oil, DuPont, GM, Chrysler, etc.) and leading business lobbies (US Chamber of Commerce, National Association of Manufacturers, etc.), these Christian libertarian groups popularized this new |
the question, are other “confederates” planning more terrorist attacks in Spain, did the confederates get away or are the confederates still in the area. Don’t believe me? Here’s the view of MSNBC calling the Islamic terrorist attackers in Spain confederates:
Watch: MSNBC calls Islamic terrorist in Spain a confederate MSM attempting to replace the word "terrorist" with "Confederate" get this out! @MarkDice @bakedalaska @AnnCoulter @TuckerCarlson Barcelona pic.twitter.com/cigm3nffOS — Sauceboy88 (@sauceboy88) August 17, 2017
I’d expect this more from CNN than MSNBC. We’ll see if later CNN pulls the same Bs and calls the terrorists a confederate. So with MSNBC blaming the confederates for the attack in Las Ramblas I wonder if CNN will later blame the ghost of Robert E. Lee for the attack. I mean, they have to think of something here. They never want to name Islamic terrorism by name. It has to be the ghosts of the condensates doesn’t it?Mifune's first films, "Snow Trail" (1946) and "These Foolish Times" (1947), were not directed by Kurosawa, but in 1948 they got together to make "Drunken Angel." It is, by all accounts, a splendid film, but I've never seen it, so let's jump past it to a few that I have seen. "Rashoman" (1950) was a breakthrough film conceptually and visually. It details an attack on a young woman and murder of her lover by a roughish bandit, played by our homeslice, Mifune. The catch is that the story is not told once, but four times through four different characters: the young woman, the bandit, the murder victim (through a medium) and by a passing woodcutter. Of course, this results in four different stories and the truth is never revealed. I was actually reminded of "Rashoman" recently, while watching Richard Linklater's animated foray "Waking Life." Both films argue that it's impossible for a person to know the absolute truth of any situation, because so much of what we see is filtered through our ego and biases. Heavy stuff. Mifune received rave reviews as the loutish bandit, putting to good use the rage he'd expressed in the Toho studios four years earlier. The next Kurosawa collaboration was "The Seven Samurai," mentioned above. This flick tells the adventures of a group of Samurai who come together to protect a farming village from an attack by forty bandits. (Echoing Ali Baba's tale of forty thieves?) Like "Rashomon," Mifune once again plays an oafish brute, though this time with a touch of comedy and tragedy. In one scene he rescues a child from a burning building in which the baby's parents have perished. Holding the child, Mifune's character breaks down, recalling that he too was orphaned in such a manner. (Hey, it's genuinely moving, y'all.) But what sets "The Seven Samurai" apart from most battle films is its pacing. The first hour and a half is relatively sedate, telling the story of how the villagers tracked down the samurai and assembled the team. When the bandits finally attack, they are repeatedly lured in to the center of the village, in groups of one or two, where the once timid villagers descend on them with disturbing savagery. Of course, the bandits finally manage one full-scale attack, which results in multiple deaths for both sides. The ending features a rather poignant moment, where one of the surviving samurai comments on the fact that while the villagers can forget these moments of bloodshed and go back to their simple ways, a samurai is destined to repeat them for the rest of his life and thus bare the sins of society. Kurosawa was using his films to present larger themes about life, and Mifune was becoming an important part of this presentation. Skipping ahead several years, we arrive at what is probably my favorite Mifune film, "Yojimbo" (1961). Also directed by Kurosawa, the story has since become a Hollywood cliché: A lone warrior with no past arrives in a town containing two warring factions. Using his wits, he plays both sides against each other, switching his allegiances at the drop of hat and eventually kicking serious ass! (This premise was used in the western "A Fistful of Dollars" and the vastly under-rated Bruce Willis vehicle, "Last Man Standing" which contained a writing credit for Kurosawa.) While "Yojimbo" does have some grander statements to make about the violent nature of man, its strength is that of a splendid action movie. In this film Toshiro really nails down his ability to play the ultimate tough guy - not some half robot dullard of the Van Damme or Stallone school of "acting," but a dude possessing serious pathos. A fighter who knows that while he may be destined to win every battle on the mortal plane, he is destined to lose the battle for his soul. The film also has one of the greatest tough guy lines ever uttered. Yojimbo, Mifune's anti-hero, has just had his ass seriously kicked by one of the rival gangs. Bloodied and dying, he staggers back to his hovel, which is in the center of town. His one accomplice looks at Yojimbo and pretty much figures the jig is up. "Are you going to die?" he asks Yojimbo. "No, I can't die yet." Yojimbo replies. "There are many men to kill." Is that not totally bitchin'? Staying alive solely to kill your enemies? That's dedication, baby! Of course there are a bundle of other films in which Mifune collaborated with Kurosawa, but I thought we'd take a look at some of the work Mifune did with other directors. Now a lot these films, to be kind, were schlocko, second rate action films, akin to anything that ever starred Dolph Lundgren. (Ever see "Army of One," where Dolph has a cliff hanger battle with "Just Shoot Me's" George Segal. It's like, "Gee, who's gonna win? The muscular, seven foot tall Russian dude or the pudgy old guy with a hairpiece?") These films may have helped cement Mifune's reputation as an movie star, but many can be ignored. Here's a few that can't: The Samurai Series: ("Samurai I, II, and III")
One of Japans biggest historical figures is Miyamoto Mushashi, a cat who went around in the 17th century having sword duels and generally gathering knowledge, which he eventually put down in a little manual called "The Book of Five Rings." (Available at your neighborhood Barnes and Noble.) The three "Samurai" films detail Mushashi's adventures with Mifune in the lead role. Watching these films, you really can see how much George Lucas* got from these flicks. The samurai is presented as a guy who is constantly disciplining himself to get a fuller understanding of the world, and he measures himself according to how well he performs in various sword battles. Same things as the whole Jedi Knight concept, or for that matter, the entire Highlander series. "Samurai II: Duel At Ichichoji," is probably the best of the bunch and has a great ending where Mifune hacks up about 50 attacking samurai, pretty much making clear that he's the bitch-master. These films also lay out and underlying theme of many of Mifune's films - The real battles aren't fought in the physical world, but in the realm of the spiritual. There's never any doubt that Musashi will win his various sword battles, the challenge is whether he will do so and maintain the way of the samurai. It's a theme you see echoed in a lot of modern flicks, such as "Desperado" or "Ghost Dog." The Crossover Films
In the sixties and beyond, Mifune managed to cross over into Western flicks and hold his own. One of the more outstanding was "Hell in the Pacific," where Mifune and Lee Marvin are downed fighter pilots in World War II, who must learn to depend on each other to survive. (This was later transported to space with the sci-fi film, "Enemy Mine." Fortunately, unlike "Enemy Mine," Mifune doesn't become pregnant and give birth to a lizard child.) Though I've never seen it, I've heard surprisingly good things about "Red Sun," (1972) in which Mifune plays a samurai in the Wild West (Similar to the "Kung Fu" television series, where David Carradine played a Kung Fu master in the wild west.) Mifune even parodied some of his earlier roles in Steven Spielberg's 1979 comedy "1941." (Perhaps most interesting about this is that he was playing across John Belushi, who had extensivly parodied Mifune in his various "Samurai" sketches for Saturday Night Live.) And Mifune's biggest crossover came in 1980 when he had a leading role in the TV mini series based on James Clavell's epic "Shogun." While I've never been a big fan of it, it was probably that role that established Mifune as an international name. There was enough excitement to Mifune's life that I could fill up a thousand Interesting Motherfuckers. Hopefully I've given you yahoos enough to start exploring his world. Mifune died in 1997 at the age of 77, but he could pretty much be content that he was regarded as Japan's leading thespian. (Not a bad feat for a guy who never even intended to become an actor.) He'd done over a hundred films, worked extensively with a man reputed to be the best director ever, and won a 1984 poll as the man who best represented Japanese film. Whenever some rock musician dies they always say that he's up in heaven jamming with Jimi Hendrix. Well, if I know Mifune, he's probably up there drinking sake with Miyamoto Mushashi and getting into bar brawls and then jamming all night with Jimi Hendrix! That's the way of Samurai, boo-yahhh! Oh, one more thing: There was one other noteworthy film Mifune did with Kurosawa called "High and Low." How was it? Well, I dunno because after seeing the display box in the local Blockbusters for several nights in a row I asked them when it would be returned only to find that they had lost their only copy. Can you believe that shit? I shoulda pulled a Mifune on them and gone in with a six foot long katana and when the dude told me they'd lost it I could've neatly swiped his head of with a the natural skill of a level 10 samurai. Then when that manager chick ran up to complain about me killing her dudes I coulda whipped around and cleanly sliced her in half. Then when the Blockbuster official security Ninjas arrived I could have finished them off, one by one, just like in "Samurai II: Duel At Ichichoji." Cuz if there's one piece of wisdom Mifune managed to impart of the world through his work, it's this: Violence solves everything. *Kurosawa's films also had a big effect on George Lucas and as such, Mifune ended up playing the prototype characters for a lot of "Star Wars" icons. But which ones was he? Luke? Obi-Wan? Han Solo? Truth is, parts of Mifune showed up in all those characters. Motherfucker even had a bit of Chewbacca in him!
Wil Forbis is the pen named shared by such noted authors as James Ellroy, Katie Roiphe, and Jim Thompson. E-mail him, I mean, them, at [email protected] View Wil's Acid Logic web log, a stirring endorsement of sex with pandas!
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Lookin' good, big guy! Additional Toshiro Mifune Material: Bio and Films:
This page has some good general bio info and filmography.
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Done by a guy who worked with Mifune in the 80's.Oct. 11 (UPI) — Andy Cohen will replace Kathy Griffin as Anderson Cooper’s co-host for CNN’s New Year’s Eve special.
Cohen, who hosts Bravo’s “Watch What Happens Live,” will join his friend Cooper for “New Year’s Eve Live with Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen” in Times Square on Sunday Dec. 31st
“Andy is the life of the party wherever he goes, and what bigger party is there than New Year’s Eve? It is going to be a blast!” Cooper said.
CNN terminated its agreement with Griffin, Cooper’s longtime co-host for the show, in May after she participated in a photoshoot that featured herself holding up a bloody, decapitated head resembling President Donald Trump.
Cohen and Cooper regularly tour together, hosting a night of conversation in various cities throughout the country.
“I’ve been friends with Anderson for twenty-five years. We’ve traveled the world together and performed in 30 plus cities with ‘AC2’ and it’s all led to this one huge night!” Cohen said.FREE FULL GAME – DOWNLOAD NOW! What happens when everyone's favorite fierce fowl get caged and shipped to Rio? They get very angry! OFF TO RIO! The original Angry Birds have been kidnapped and taken to the magical city of Rio de Janeiro! They’ve managed to escape, but now they must save their friends Blu and Jewel – two rare macaws and the stars of the hit movies, Rio and Rio 2. THE MIGHTY EAGLE! The Mighty Eagle is a one-time in-app purchase that you can use forever. If you get stuck on a level, this cool creature will dive from the skies to smash those meddling monkeys into oblivion. There’s just one catch: you can only use the Mighty Eagle once per hour! Mighty Eagle also includes all new gameplay goals and achievements. POWER-UPS! Boosting your birds’ abilities helps you complete levels with three stars so you can unlock extra content! Power-ups include the Sling Scope for laser targeting, Power Potion to supersize your birds, Samba Burst for dancing destruction, TNT for a little explosive help and Call the Flock for a blizzard of Macaw mayhem! 320 FUN LEVELS! Plus 72 action-packed bonus levels across 12 addictive episodes! SPECTACULAR BOSS FIGHTS! Put your bird flinging skills to the ultimate test! CALL THE FLOCK! Get some demolition help from your Macaw buddies! POWER POTION! Juice up your bird! Power Potion transforms any bird into a devastating giant! UNLOCK BONUS LEVELS! Find objects hidden throughout the game to unlock even more levels! ----- Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.angrybirds.com Become a fan of Angry Birds on Facebook! http://facebook.angrybirds.com Terms of Use: http://www.rovio.com/eula This application may require internet connectivity and subsequent data transfer charges may apply. Important Message for Parents This game may include: - Direct links to social networking websites that are intended for an audience over the age of 13. - Direct links to the internet that can take players away from the game with the potential to browse any web page. - Advertising of Rovio products and also products from select partners. - The option to make in-app purchases. The bill payer should always be consulted beforehand.Buyer's remorse is setting in quickly, according to Democratic pollster Greenberg Quinlan Rosner.
GQR polled 50 House districts currently held by Republicans which are expected to be major Democratic targets in 2012. The results indicate that the Republican House majority is already endangered, less than three months into Speaker John Boehner's regime.
From GQR's polling memo:
The Republican incumbents in these districts, 35 of them freshmen, remain largely unknown and appear very vulnerable in 2012 (depending on redistricting). In fact, these incumbents are in a weaker position than Democratic incumbents were even in late 2009, or Republican incumbents were in 2007 in comparable surveys conducted by Democracy Corps. These incumbents, identified by name, have an average approval rating of 35 percent across the 50 districts, with 25 percent disapproving. Another 38 percent were not able to give the candidates a rating, suggesting lack of visibility. This is about 10 points lower than the approval rating Democratic incumbents held in July of 2009 (with comparable disapproval rating). More importantly at this early point, just 40 percent of voters in these districts say that they will vote to reelect their incumbent (asked by name in each district), while 45 percent say that they "can’t vote to reelect" the incumbent. This leads to a congressional race that is dead-even in the battleground. After winning these seats by a collective 14 points in 2010, these Republicans now lead generic Democratic challengers by just 2 points, 44 to 46 percent, and stand well below the critical 50 percent mark. The race is dead even in the top tier of the 25 most competitive seats—46 percent for the Democrats versus 45 percent for the Republicans. In the next 25 seats, the Republicans have a slight 42 to 47 percent advantage.
You can find a list of the 50 districts polled here. House junkies will recognize most of the usual suspects there - IL-13 and IL-16 are probably the biggest surprises.
In the summer of 2009, the 40 vulnerable Democrats tested in this poll actually had a six-point lead; 36 of them wound up losing. And at this time in 2007, the 35 most vulnerable Republicans had the same six-point lead; 19 of them lost reelection.
Compared to that, a 2-point lead for GQR's 50 most vulnerable Republicans doesn't look very strong. And if even half these seats are lost, there goes the Republican majority.
Now, the Republican incumbents have a couple things on their side. One is time; a lot can happen in the next year and a half. Another is redistricting; while Republicans don't control the redistricting process for all these incumbents, they can make some of them safer, and they can also endanger a few of the remaining Democrats to balance out losses.
Still, these are bad early indicators for the new Congress. Voters don't know their new representatives very well, and they don't like them especially well, and they seem quite prepared to vote Democratic in 2012.The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government’s claim that it purchases onions at Rs 40 a kg and sells these to you at Rs 30 a kg has turned out to be a farce.
The AAP government, which came to power on the promise of eradicating corruption, has procured onions at a much cheaper price of Rs 18 a kg and sold these to Delhiites at Rs 30 a kg, according to RTI replies.
The move, the RTI replies state, is in stark contrast to the Cabinet decision that the government will sell onions at a no-profit-no-loss basis in the Capital.
The National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Limited (Nafed) has alleged that there is a huge difference between the procurement cost and the price at which the AAP government sold onions to Delhiites.
The Delhi government, however, ruled out any financial bungling on its part.
“If there is any irregularity, it is on part of the central government agencies Small Farmer Agri-Business Consortium (SFAC) and Nafed. The actual procurement cost is Rs 32.86 per kg.
"Owing to transportation and labour expenses, it shot up to Rs 40 per kg. The AAP government then decided to subsidise the onion price by another Rs 10 per kg and decided to sell them at Rs 30 per kg,” Delhi’s Food and Supplies Minister Asim Ahmed Khan told Mail Today.
He alleged that Nafed was politicising the issue even when it supplied onions at high prices to Mother Dairy and Safal.
RTI replies provided by the Delhi government’s Department of Food Supplies and Consumer Affairs, however, present a different picture.
The RTI documents accessed by Mail Today revealed that the government had purchased 2,511 metric tonnes (25,11,000 kgs) of onions through SFAC at an average price of Rs 18.57 per kg, which also includes cess and other local expenses.
The purchases were made from various markets of Nashik in Maharashtra and Indore in Madhya Pradesh.
However, when the onion crisis aggravated in the Capital, the government on August 5 decided to sell onions at a no-profit-no-loss basis through its vans.
The government had also declared that Rs 32.86 per kg as the procurement cost and Rs 7 per kg as the amount of additional surcharge, transportation cost and other local expenses.
The Delhi Cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal then decided to subsidise the price by Rs 10 per kg and sold onions at Rs 30 per kg.
The RTI documents also revealed that the government failed to supply adequate quantity of onions despite having a buffer stock of 5,000 metric tonnes.
The National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Limited (Nafed) has alleged that there is a huge difference between the procurement cost and the price at which the AAP government sold onions to Delhiites
This, according to Nafed, essentially kept the onion prices high even though the government had abundant stock of the multi-layered vegetable.
According to RTI replies, the Kejriwal government began the sale of onions on August 10.
However, it could only sell 575.32 metric tonnes of onions till September 2. This means that more than 4,400 metric tonnes of onions remained stashed in godowns while Delhiites were reeling under surging prices of the vegetable.
The price of onion skyrocketed to Rs 80 a kg in August and despite the government’s assurances the price never came down below Rs 60-per-kg mark.
“There is a huge profit margin in the onion sale. The Delhi government did not supply adequate quantity of onions to the market. Had it had done that the prices could have come down. The AAP government must reveal where the profit margin has gone,” said Ashok Thakur, director, Nafed.
He pointed out that the Delhi government had earlier refused to purchase onions even though Nafed wrote to it repeatedly.
This, he said, led to hoarding of onions and prices went excessively high. The BJP said it is the first major scam in the seven-month-rule of AAP in Delhi.
Senior BJP leader and Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Assembly Vijender Gupta sought a thorough probe into the matter. He said it is a clear case of financial bungling.
“The AAP government has not only resorted to financial irregularity, but also misled the people of Delhi by promising subsidy on onion prices. It is a shameful act.
"The government sought to befool the public by earning profit by selling onions. Where has the money gone? It needs to be investigated,” Gupta said.
The Kejriwal government ignored repeated alerts by Nafed to stock sufficient quantity of pulses and other eatables so as to meet the requirement in case of short supply
Kejriwal government ignored alerts to stock pulses
By Rakesk Ranjan
Blame it on the AAP government in Delhi for unabated rise in price of pulses and other essential commodities.
The Kejriwal government ignored repeated alerts by Nafed to stock sufficient quantity of pulses and other eatables so as to meet the requirement in case of short supply.
And all this happened at a time the Delhi government faced criticism for not procuring onions that resulted in cost escalation.
An RTI reply by the food and supplies department of Delhi government said it has not purchased pulses or any other grain and eatable products.
The Nafed, which is a Central Government agency, wrote four letters to Delhi government from April to June but the government chose to ignore them.
“Nafed offered arhar dal at Rs 54 per kg and chana dal at Rs 38 per kg. Despite four requests, the AAP government did not buzz.
"As a result Delhiites are forced to buy arhar dal at Rs 150 per kg and chana dal at Rs 70 to Rs 80 a kilo,” said Nafed Director Ashok Thakur.
The letters, copies of which are in possession of Mail Today, were written on April 8, May 1, June 5 and June 30. However, there was no reply from the Delhi government.
“Your department (food and supplies) had initially shown interest in purchase of arhar and chana dal available with Nafed in the states of Maharashtra and Rajasthan.
"The tentative cost of the purchase was also informed to the Delhi government but since then there has been no response. On directions of the Central Government, Nafed has restarted the sale of pulses from June 29,” read one of the letters written to Delhi government.
“Nafed is awaiting response from the Delhi government for purchase of pulses and other whole grains. Considering the present situation of pulses in the country, the Delhi government may assess its requirement as convey it to Nafed for purchase of commodities,” said another letter dated June 5.
Thakur alleged that non-procurement of commodities by the government resulted in hoarding by traders and black marketers as a result of which price of grains skyrocketed.
“No purchase of pulses has been done by the Delhi government. No other grain and other edible products were purchased by the food and supply department,” the Food and Supplies department said in the RTI reply.
Phoolka quits party posts
By Mail Today Bureau
The embattled Aam Aadmi Party took another hit on Saturday with senior leader H.S. Phoolka announcing his resignation from all party posts.
Phoolka cited his preoccupation with the 1984 anti-Sikh riots trial as the reason for quitting AAP. He was serving as spokesperson and legal counsel of AAP, having appeared for many AAP leaders in lawsuits against them.
Phoolka announced on his Facebook account in a long open letter: “After detailed discussions with (Arvind) Kejriwalji and with his approval, it has been decided collectively that I quit active politics and resign from party posts to entirely devote myself in getting justice for the victims....”
The embattled Aam Aadmi Party took another hit with senior leader H.S. Phoolka (centre) announcing his resignation from all party posts
In a bid to scotch murmurs of a rift with the party leadership over his decision, Phoolka said that he would remain an inherent part of AAP, which he said is standing on the cusp of winning the next Assembly polls in Punjab.
Later talking to reporters in Chandigarh, Phoolka said that he was of the firm belief that every person should espouse a social cause and take it to a logical end.
“I started doing their (riots) cases in 1984 as a young lawyer and am continuing to do these cases till today. It is extremely unfortunate that despite the passage of over three decades, even today we are fighting for the same thing we have been fighting for since 1984, i.e. to bring the real culprits to book..,” he said.
When asked that he could have been projected as the chief ministerial candidate by the AAP in the Assembly elections, Phoolka said that for him posts are not important.
He replied in the negative when asked if he felt sidelined over not being consulted when AAP was organising rallies in various parts of Punjab recently.
Talking about Punjab, he claimed that people are fed up of the Akalis and the Congress alike.
“They have been yearning for an alternative since long. That option has been provided to them in the form of an honest party, AAP.
"During the Lok Sabha elections when AAP reached Punjab, I myself joined the party. Due to the hard work and dedication of all the volunteers of AAP in Punjab, today the party has established itself and is on the top. Now it appears that the victory of AAP in the 2017 elections is inevitable,” he said.While having announced the purchase of a Riley Mk. 30 LMP2 car, Ben Keating has revealed that his 2017 racing plans have not yet been finalized, and could even include a return to the GT Daytona ranks.
The Texan, who is in the final year of racing the Dodge Viper GT3-R, has downplayed reports that he’s been confirmed for a full season Prototype effort in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
“There are a lot of reports that are not correct,” Keating told Sportscar365. “I bought a LMP2 car and there’s lots of options for next year.
“I can run in GTD, I can run the P car. The easiest way to win a championship would be in PC.
“It’s not set in stone and I’m not ready to make any kind of announcement yet. But it’s frustrating when other people have it all figured it out in their mind.”
Keating said he purchased the Riley LMP2 car with the focus around a planned four-year program at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
While ACO rules require that car and team to be entered in a full-season championship to be eligible for an invite, Keating is hopeful of gaining an entry via IMSA’s two auto-invites, one of which will be awarded to the Truman Cup winner in 2017.
It’s not yet determined how IMSA’s invites will be awarded for next year’s race, as they have previously been “at large” selections by the sanctioning body.
The ViperExchange.com owner said he’s ruled out running the Riley LMP2 car in the ELMS or WEC next year.
On the WeatherTech Championship side, Keating has been previously linked to a factory supported Mercedes-AMG GT3 program, which could debut as early as this year’s Petit Le Mans.
While not confirming or denying the reports, Keating said any decision on 2017 beyond their Le Mans intentions have not been made and could even hinge on possible changes made to the GTD class.
“The rules may be different next year than this year,” he said. “There’s been all this discussion over driver ratings and what’s going to happen for GTD next year.
“It’s a little hard to make a decision on what I want to do.”
The one thing that’s certain is Keating’s co-driver Jeroen Bleekemolen, who will return for a fourth consecutive season, and will be part of the initial development of his Riley LMP2 car as well.
As for the rest of the program, Keating said the speculation won’t get in his way of finalizing his plans.
“Some of them may be right, some of them may be wrong,” he said. “Regardless of that, I enjoy having the freedom to make my own choice on what I’ll be doing.
“When we’re ready to make the announcement, we’ll make the announcement. Until then, we’ll keep everybody guessing.”New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman lent his support to the controversial actions taken by the departing administration of President Barack Obama concerning the Israeli-Palestinian conflict (Dec. 29, 2016, “Bibi Makes Trump His Chump”). Friedman praises the last minute maneuvers by the President and Secretary of State John F. Kerry and castigates Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for lacking the political courage to defy his rightwing base. The facts and historical account offered by Friedman are worth examining.
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1) Friedman chides Netanyahu for his unwillingness to “confront the Jewish settlers, who relentlessly push Israel deeper and deeper into the West Bank.”
So what are the facts about the territory and population of Jewish settlements in the West Bank?
The Jewish population of Judea and Samaria has increased from 275,000 at the end of 2008 to 377,000 at the end of 2015 according to figures published by Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics. Over a seven-year period most of the population gain reflects the natural growth rate of the population. The total territory that has been built upon by Jewish settlers amounts to between two and three percent of the total West Bank land area (depending upon the source) and has changed little during Prime Minister Netanyahu’s eight year tenure.
While it is true that the built-up territory does not comprise the total land area that Israel controls or would control in any agreement, nevertheless, there is no evidence that Jewish settlers are “relentlessly” expanding the territory under their control, as Friedman contends.
2) Friedman accuses Netanyahu of always siding with the settlers. He does not mention the ten-month settlement freeze imposed by Netanyahu in 2010 at the request of President Obama in order to coax Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to the negotiating table. It didn’t work; Abbas stalled until the 10th month when time had run out.
3) Friedman criticizes Netanyahu for refusing to “show any imagination or desire to build workable alternatives… such as radical political and economic autonomy for the Palestinians in the majority of the West Bank, free of settlements, while Israel still controls the borders and the settlements close to it.”
Friedman’s vagueness leaves it unclear what he thinks Israel can do differently that it hasn’t done already. The Palestinian Authority governs the daily lives of the Palestinian population in the West Bank, while Israel controls the borders and polices the settlements. Friedman continues his critique contending that “Bibi never lays down a credible peace plan that truly puts the ball in the Palestinians’ court.” Friedman fails to consider the peace plans offered by Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and former President Bill Clinton in 2000 and former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in 2008. Both plans would have ceded to the Palestinians nearly the entire West Bank along with agreed upon land swaps. The plans were met with rejection. In the case of the former plan in 2000, the response was a wave of devastating suicide bombings that forced Israel to take more intrusive measures in the West Bank and build a separation barrier. In light of that history, it is fair to ask whether it is Bibi or Friedman who evidences a lack of imagination by suggesting Israel repeat what it already has done without success.
4) Friedman lashes out by accusing Netanyahu of calling Obama an “enemy” when Obama “exposes” the Prime Minister’s lack of initiative on pursuing peace.
An Internet search has turned up no evidence that Prime Minister Netanyahu ever called President Obama an enemy. He has criticized the outgoing President for his recent actions. A responsible columnist should not engage in irresponsible exaggerations or inflammatory rhetoric.
5) Friedman, however, does not hesitate to accuse American Jews who sympathize with Netanyahu and the majority of Israelis of exerting a nefarious control over American foreign policy. It takes more than a touch of hubris to insist that he knows better than the Israeli electorate what is good for the Jewish state. The Israelis have to live with the decisions made about their security and future. Friedman doesn’t.
6) Friedman is especially incensed over President-Elect Donald Trump’s choice for ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, whom the Times columnist derides as a “rightwing extremist, and I mean extreme.” He then misrepresents what David Friedman said, stating “David Friedman has compared Jews who favor a two-state solution to Jews who collaborated with the Nazis.”
That is not what David Friedman said. In David Friedman’s own words (Israel National News, June 5, 2016):
Finally, are J Street supporters really as bad as kapos? The answer, actually, is no. They are far worse than kapos – Jews who turned in their fellow Jews in the Nazi death camps. The kapos faced extraordinary cruelty and who knows what any of us would have done under those circumstances to save a loved one? But J Street? They are just smug advocates of Israel’s destruction delivered from the comfort of their secure American sofas – it’s hard to imagine anyone worse.
David Friedman compared J Street supporters to kapos, not all Jews who favor a two-state solution, a much broader category. The Times’ Friedman then claims “I’ve never heard such a vile slur fr
om one Jew to another.” Really? What about some far-left, anti-Zionist Jews who have on occasion equated rightwing Israelis to Nazis? Were the comments by Israeli professor Yeshayahu Leibowitz, British MP |
Media caption Ed Balls: "We've shown in a range of areas how we can save hundreds of millions of pounds"
Image caption Plaid want to use their influence in a hung Parliament to get more funding for Wales
"George Osborne and David Cameron want to spend the next six weeks going round the country saying you are better off. Election fight over living standards
"I say 'bring it on' because working people are really struggling in our country and we can do better than this."
Policy guide: Economy This issue includes the wider economy and deficit reduction but also employment and the role of business.
The second day of official campaigning has seen a flurry of pledges on jobs, tax and health, with the Lib Dems saying their manifesto would commit them to increasing total spend on mental healthcare to £3.5bn over the next six years.
This would include £250m over five years for new services for mothers suffering from depression and to help reduce waiting times for treatment.
Full BBC Election 2015 coverage
Equality for people with mental health issues is a "liberal mission", leader Nick Clegg said, adding the party would "make sure mental health is treated with the same urgency as physical health, with money to back that up, and challenge the stigma every day".
Pollwatch
David Cowling, editor, BBC Political Research
Image copyright Reuters
Following the flurry caused by YouGov's 4% Labour lead this Sunday, we had three polls on Monday telling a different story. Populus had Conservative and Labour tied on 34%; Ashcroft had a 2% Conservative lead (36% versus 34%) and ComRes had a 4% Conservative lead (36% versus 32%).
Among all four polls, the average Lib Dem rating was 8%, UKIP's was 13% and the Greens at around 6%. We've barely started our long road to 7 May but perhaps this campaign will develop into a battle of methodologies - telephone versus internet polls.
The two telephone polls (Ashcroft and ComRes) had the highest Conservative ratings - 36% each; and the two internet polls (YouGov and Populus) had the lowest - 34% and 32%. YouGov represented a 5.5% swing from Conservative to Labour, enough to give Labour a majority: ComRes suggested a 1.5% swing to Labour, barely a ripple on the election pond.
BBC Poll tracker
Conservative leader David Cameron set out a "positive vision" for two million more jobs by 2020, saying the UK could exceed independent forecasts predicting half that total.
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Joey Essex revealed that prior to meeting Nick Clegg he believed the deputy PM's party was called the "Liberal Democats"
"We have kept tax low for business, we have encouraged people to invest in our country, we have invested in skills, we have trained two million apprentices in this Parliament," he told BBC Breakfast.
However, Mr Cameron said he would not stop making Labour's tax and spending plans an issue, suggesting the opposition had "not even reached base camp" in terms of setting out their deficit reduction plans.
Labour has been highlighting its existing plan to cut business rates for small business properties and then freeze them by promising to take action in its first Budget.
The party says the measure would save businesses an average of £400 and would be funded by cancelling a planned cut in corporation tax for large companies planned by the Conservative-Lib Dem coalition.
"This is the right priority when money is tight," Mr Balls said.
"And it will mean that the tax burden on small businesses will be lower with Labour than under the Tories."
Subscribe to the BBC Election 2015 newsletter to get a round-up of the day's campaign news sent to your inbox every weekday afternoon.New Delhi: Late President A P J Abdul Kalam was a tad cautious about 'Make in India' campaign saying though it's "quite ambitious", it has to be ensured that India does not become the low-cost, low-value assembly line of the world.
On Digital India, he felt it has the potential to activate the knowledge connectivity needed in villages and remote areas and "we need to bridge the gaps of lower level of literacy, language and customised content, though".
These views are expressed in the soon-to-be published "Advantage India: From Challenge to Opportunity", one of the last books written by Kalam along with his aide Srijan Pal Singh.
The book, published by HarperCollins India, also has his unfinished speech of July 27 at IIM-Shillong where he collapsed only to breathe his last hours later.
The NDA government launched 'Make in India' in September last year. The programme aims at promoting India as an important investment destination and a global hub for manufacturing, design and innovation.
"Well, let us be clear on this. 'Make in India' is quite ambitious. But we need such high aspirations... I agree with the infrastructure concern.
"India has seen an unbalanced infra growth-variations are rampant across states and sectors. For instance, while the telecom and Internet sectors have made remarkable progress, many villages still are not connected with roads and power. Physical infrastructure cannot be ignored for manufacturing growth," he wrote.
He had a piece of advice: "We need to ensure that we do not become the low-cost, low-value assembly line of the world. If we go on that path, the growth will come at a great price and pain to the people."
His suggestion was that we need to do original research to design, develop and manufacture in India by using the ideas of the youth, the wisdom of the ages and the vibrancy of a democracy.
According to Kalam, there is a distinct feeling that politics is fast evolving into a game of musical chairs where the same set of leaders, or their favoured few, occupy the seats of power with huge entry barriers for others.
"Where this set of leaders lacks integrity, the baton passes from one corrupt leader to another who is part of this set. Politics needs streamlined processes for the people to pluck out and permanently discard the corrupted and also a mechanism by which fresh talent and creative leaders can find their way into the system, using ethical means," he wrote.
On the election process, he wrote that proliferation of parties has significantly added to the burden of elections on the nation, and also distorted the political equations post elections, leading to the spread of corruption.
"The debauchery of the political leaders perhaps hurts the citizens more than any other form of corruption... When the leadership turns indifferent, corrupt or callous, it is a breach of faith and a shattering of hope.
"But apathy and indifference was never, and will never be, an answer. It is not difficult to fathom that political corruption is easily the most dangerous of all forms. In any mature or emerging democracy, the quality of the political leadership can mean the difference between a welfare state and a bankrupt one," he wrote.
He, however, was optimistic. "While the fact that over time our political system has seen ethical decay is undisputed, yet there are ample of cases where political leadership has shown the capability and resolve to combat the menace of inefficiency and corruption."
PTI
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When it comes to the planet, it’s hard to get a great sense of what Mitt Romney would actually do as president. His campaign website includes a long list of issues—Puerto Rico, Medicare, Values—but environment doesn’t merit its own section. Anything on the subject is buried under energy, where he promises to make the US an “energy superpower” and calls the Obama administration’s green energy policies “nothing short of a disaster.”
1. States would oversee fossil fuel development on federal lands. Romney’s campaign has promised that as part of his plan to “dramatically increase domestic energy production,” states “will be empowered to control all forms of energy production on all lands within their borders, excluding only those that are specifically designated off-limits.” That could include some national parks.
2. Regulations would be weakened. Romney has pledged to “take a weed whacker” to federal environmental regulations. His plan lacks specifics, but calls for “streamlining” environmental review periods for energy development plans and “allowing state reviews to satisfy federal requirements.” (See Nos. 3 and 6 for more.)
3. Coal companies would get to do pretty much whatever they want. Romney has accused the Obama administration of waging a “war on coal,” and has pledged to reverse many of the administration’s regulations. As president, he would likely approve the most extreme anti-environmental bills offered in Congress—like the “Stop the War on Coal Act,” passed in September. The bill was a grab bag for coal interests, taking away the EPA’s ability to regulate mountaintop-removal coal mining, greenhouse gas emissions, coal ash disposal, mercury and air toxins.”I like coal,” Romney said at the October 3 debate. “I’m going to make sure we’re going to be able to burn clean coal.” However, he has offered few specifics on what he would do to make coal “clean” as president.
4. He would open new areas to drilling. Romney has pledged to open new areas to drilling off the coasts of Virginia and the Carolinas and in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. He also wants to ramp up drilling in already-available areas.
5. The Keystone XL pipeline will be approved. Romney has said he would approve this massive proposed pipeline running from Canada to Texas “on day one.”
6. Greenhouse gas emission regulations would be halted. Romney now treats climate change as a punchline, despite the fact that he at least pretended to care about it as governor of Massachusetts. Thus, he doesn’t see a reason that the EPA should be regulating carbon dioxide emissions at all. “I exhale carbon dioxide,” he joked at an event last November. “I don’t want those guys following me around with a meter to see if I’m breathing too hard.”
7. Say good-bye to new fuel-economy rules. Romney has pledged to throw out the new miles-per-gallon standards for cars and light trucks set by the Obama administration. “Gov. Romney opposes the extreme standards that President Obama has imposed, which will limit the choices available to American families,” according to his spokeswoman.
8. No more clean-energy loans. Romney has regularly attacked the Obama administration’s tax breaks and loans for the clean-energy industry, particularly the loan to now-bankrupt solar company Solyndra. He says he will end support for electric vehicle companies and clean-tech companies as president.The cover story of the latest Weekly Standard is a naturally adulatory profile of Paul Ryan. This passage about Ryan’s formative intellectual influences may not strike most readers as telling, and the author of the story didn’t delve into it, but it struck me:
Ryan reported to Cesar Conda, the Republican staff director. “Paul at age 19 was the exact same person he is today,” Conda recalls. “Earnest, personable, and hard-working, with an insatiable appetite for discussing policy ideas.” Ryan often popped his head into Conda’s office with questions about supply-side economics, interruptions that became so frequent Conda had to give Ryan books to keep him occupied. Among them: The Way the World Works, by one-time supply-side guru Jude Wanniski, and George Gilder’s seminal Wealth and Poverty. (Conda finally recovered his copy of Gilder in 2007, when he noticed it in Ryan’s office, heavily marked-up.)
I have harbored a long and controversy-provoking obsession with the two tomes that played such a formative role in Ryan’s intellectual development. Five years ago, I wrote a book about how anti-tax fanatics gained and kept control of the Republican Party (here’s an excerpt, and here’s the New York Times review.) One small point that appeared in both my book and the excerpt provoked particular ire from conservatives. That was a detailed description of the lunacy of Jude Wanniski and George Gilder, who wrote the two books that defined supply-side economics (Wanniski’s The Way the World Works and Gilder’s Wealth and Poverty).
My argument was that the economic arguments offered in both books is pure nuttery, but because they used economic concepts, and many people feel unqualified to judge economics, the nuttery is hard for non-specialists to spot. But it’s easy to see that they’re nuts because they have a host of beliefs on all sorts of subjects (Saddam Hussein never gassed the Kurds, E.S.P. is real, etc.) which make their general madness apparent to non-economists.
Some conservatives insisted their wide array of insane beliefs is irrelevant to gauging their economic arguments. (American Enterprise Institute’s Kevin Hassett dismissively wrote, “Even if one assumes that a theory has been put forward by an unbalanced person, that fact does not mean that the theory is incorrect.”) The more common objection was that I overstated the influence of Gilder and Wanniski. Megan McArdle went on a blogging tear on this theme, asserting that I wildly overstated the influence not only of Wanniski and Gilder but of the supply-side ideology as a whole. Ultimately she wrote a nasty review for a conservative publication, which spiked the entire thing because it refused to publish her to-be-sure observation that tax cuts don’t really increase revenue under present circumstances, after which she published a very brief note conceding she had been utterly wrong (headline: “I Take It All Back”) about the centrality of supply-side-ism within the conservative movement.ST. PAUL, Minn – As Garrison Keillor rehearsed for his final Prairie Home Companion show at the Fitzgerald Theater, his script was still a work in progress.
“In this line of work, it’s in never quite good enough,” Keillor said after singing at the piano.
For Keillor, that's how it's been for 42 years. Preparing for his last live show from the Fitzgerald Theater Saturday night, he’s crafting and editing a show that not only focuses on his farewell, but what’s still waiting to be written.
“It really is about what you do when you get up first thing in the morning, and what I do is to sit and write,” said Keillor. “It's very lucky to have work you love and there is no way not to love doing this, to do comedy and be able to sing duets and to talk about a small town. You stop because you want to do something else, want to live a different kind of a life.”
Keillor’s family will be in the audience as his show tributes many of the influences in his storied career, which began in 1974, which was then known as the World Theater. Many of the show’s earliest guests, like Vern Sutton, will be on the roster, along with another favorite Prairie Home blues musician, Taj Mahal.
The show will be based on a beloved old broadcaster coming back home and being invited in the theater.
“Here are all of these old characters from radio and I’m saying, 'No, no, no I’m not ready, no please no.' I hope it’s funny,” said Keillor. “Then we will do Donald Trump because he’s irresistible and how can you help it?”
What's brought Keillor most joy on this stage over an era is by far the good company.
“Singing with tall women, singing with any women, short or tall, singing duets with women,” he said. “And that's the honest truth, the rest I can do, you know?”
So Keillor’s last show at the Fitzgerald will indeed feature duets.
Many of his faithful wonder what will happen to the News from Lake Wobegon, which he’s delivered for 41 years. Keillor says he’s writing a screenplay to take the small town to the big screen, but of course, is leaving more mystery of the fate of the town.
“It’s up near Little Falls not near far from Brainerd in the center of the state. I don’t know what will happen to it, I hope they will keep the Lutheran church in business, and our Lady of Perpetual Responsibility, and I wish them well,” said Keillor.
Keillor said the magic of the mythical town and all the success that has come from it can be attributed his earliest influences, his beloved teachers.
“I went to Anoka High School, these teachers, I can remember them, exactly what happened, on a particular day. The rest is a blur, but I remember these things they told me and the encouragement of teachers is what changes your life. Suddenly you think you can do something,” said Keillor. “They don’t realize how magical they are, but it’s true.”
Now the boy from Anoka forever changes the story of Minnesota. Next perhaps, he'll work on a musical and a weekly column.
“I grew up reading columns in print, now that's gone by the wayside but I don't care,” he laughed.
A fabled career, but far from goodbye, as Keillor eagerly turns the page. Next season, musician Chris Thile takes over as host while Keillor stays in an executive producer role. Keillor applauded Thile’s performance at a recent show.
“A huge crowd of much younger people on average than would come to my show, wildly enthusiastic. It was a very different show than the show I do, but was very intense and has great possibility. He is a really a genius not only musically, but has a big heart and loves music,” said Keillor.
Keillor has added a May 21 broadcast from the State Theatre, and will continue to travel the country, heading to cities like Milwaukee and New York City, until his last show Friday, July 1 at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, California.
Tickets to the State Theater show go on sale March 18 at hennepintheatretrust.org.As the self-appointed writer-in-residence of Victoria Coach Station, I often wonder what new arrivals to England make of our fair capital: the vague smell of pine-fresh urine, the hobbling pigeons, the golden pasties, the screaming children, the flickering lights, the heavily accented tannoy announcements, the punch-hole seats, the grey tiles and greyer faces. It is, without a hint of irony, the most honest arrivals gate we can hope to offer. It’s awful. It’s perfect. It’s exactly right.
I should say unofficial writer-in-residence, but it can surely only be a matter of time until my true office is recognised by the authorities. In the past month alone I have easily spent at least 10 hours resting my Lycra-clad buttocks on the various hard surfaces of Victoria Coach Station. I’ve drunk the Upper Crust coffee and eaten the £1.20 flapjacks. I’ve stared mindlessly at the fossilised wall of departure boards and spent lavishly at the 30p-per-wee bogs. I’ve met passengers from across Europe, chatted to Welsh women waiting for a hip replacement, stared at mud-covered festival prats trying to get back to their semi- detached house in Reading and shared a bench with tooth-shatteringly bored mothers waiting for a delayed coach back to Newcastle.
Until you’ve spent £3.20 on a three-week old samosa, a cup of diluted wood varnish posing as tea and a coin-operated piss, you haven’t really seen London at its most honest, most affordable, most true. Victoria Coach Station is what happens when literally nobody gives a shit. It doesn’t ‘pop up’; it doesn’t have free pianos; there’s no children’s story set on an imaginary platform; it doesn’t have a champagne bar (it doesn’t even have a Wetherspoon’s); there’s no first-class lounge and there are very few signs. It’s a collection of benches, erratically operating glass doors, a few bakeries and a constantly revolving set of coaches that are really the only affordable way to travel since our government sold off British Rail. I don’t know about you, but I haven’t been able to afford an on-the-day train ticket since I grew out of my Young Person’s Railcard.
Something of a siege mentality comes over the passenger waiting in Victoria Coach Station. A sort of fatalistic, jolly sense of doom. In such circumstances – unlike, say, the departures terminal at City Airport – you will talk to the people sitting around you. You’ll roll your collective eyes, laugh at the pigeon trying to eat a bottle top and offer up your seat to the woman apparently moving house to Leeds via National Express. I once heard a girl dressed in a full ice- hockey outfit tell the man next to her that she’d come home unannounced from studying in the US to surprise her mother on her birthday.
There may have once been some romance to railway stations, giddy excitement about airports and an elicit fags ’n’ fingering appeal to bus stops. But Victoria Coach Station is London in all its unglamorous, transient, metropolitan, multicultural, affordable, hilarious, half-baked glory. It’s precisely as it should be. If they’d only make the toilets free.
By Nell Frizzell who’s thinking of hanging out at Victoria Coach Station for the foreseeable future.
'Leave gigs to the young', says Joshua Burt.A report citing Clinton campaign aides and surrogates suggests that Hillary’s team is actively pressuring the mainstream media not to cover her ailing health, but to instead dismiss any questions over her coughing fits and stumbling as ‘a bunch of baloney’.
Following three major coughing spells in public over the last week, the mainstream media began to report on Hillary’s health, mostly spinning the situation in her favor, but still acknowledging the questions being raised about her physical fitness.
Speaking with The Hill, Clinton surrogate Jim Manley said that Hillary’s campaign is engaged in pressuring the media to back off reporting on the matter.
“They’re trying to work the refs a little bit as they try to push back on the mainstream media’s willingness to pick up on some of this stuff that’s usually left to the fringes,” Manley declared, adding that Democrats are worried about the coverage “bleeding to the mainstream media” in recent weeks.
“They’re trying to stop it,” Manley continued. “I think they learned a long time ago that you can’t just ignore these things. There’s always a fine line between react or not, but in this day in age, to say nothing is often not the best way to go.”
NBC reporter Andrew Rafferty wrote a short article merely covering the coughing fits earlier this week, saying that the “frog in Clinton’s throat on Monday was one of the most aggressive she’s had during her 2016 run.”
Rafferty, who was just reporting what every American saw happen to Clinton on stage, had Hillary’s attack dogs set upon him immediately, with campaign staff taking to Twitter to slam the report and telling Rafferty to “get a life.”
Clinton apologist and a former Obama speechwriter Jon Favreau demanded to know if “anyone on NBC, or anywhere else,” was willing to stand up for the report.
Is there anyone at NBC, or anywhere else, who's willing to defend this story? https://t.co/cJ4pNRBTsR — Jon Favreau (@jonfavs) September 6, 2016
Joan Walsh, former Salon editor, also slammed CNN for covering the “coughing attack”, saying this is how “right wing smears get into the MSM bloodstream”:
Washington Post reporter Chris Cilizza also ran defense for Clinton, with a piece stating that “the questions about Hillary Clinton’s health are absurd”:
Both Cilizza and Walsh were immediately called out as hypocrites, as it was revealed that they ran multiple stories questioning John McCain’s health at the height of the Presidential campaign in 2008.
According to The Hill report, another former Clinton aide called questions over Hillary’s health a “complete farce, and the only way to handle it is to say in no uncertain terms that Donald Trump is full of it.”
The aide also admitted that Clinton’s campaign has a strategy to pressure the media into not reporting on the matter.
“I think that the fact that any mainstream publications would do anything but make this is a story about Donald Trump is completely out of the mainstream and why these claims have gotten worse,” the former aide said. “Some reporters have taken these claims at face value, and it’s the reason this story is still out there.”
Despite the fact that scores of doctors and medical experts have all questioned Hillary Clinton’s health, including President Obama’s former personal physician Dr. David Scheiner, Rutgers University Professor of Medicine Bob Lahita, and board-certified medicine specialist Dr. Drew Pinsky, the Clinton campaign claims that “there is no truth or factual evidence to debunk.”
“She is perfectly healthy. The only way is to challenge [Trump] to a pushup contest at the first debate.” the Clinton aide is quoted as saying.
“I think the media deserves to be beat up on this because I think it’s ridiculous. I really doubt that any American really cares about this,” Democratic strategist Brad Bannon added.
“This is as trivial as you can get. The media deserves pushback for giving so much coverage to this thing,” he told reporters.
Bannon clearly ignored the recent Rasmussen poll that found a whopping 59 percent of Americans think that major Presidential candidates should publicly release their most recent health records.
If the articles questioning Hillary’s health were physical objects, her campaign staff would no doubt be smashing them to bits with hammers.
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Steve Watson is a London based writer and editor for Alex Jones’ Infowars.com, and Prisonplanet.comPublic Health: Now that Ebola has arrived in the U.S., Americans should ask why. After all, our government knew that the outbreak in Africa was severe but has done little to keep the disease from reaching our shores.
Sure, the medical professionals involved — doctors, nurses and epidemiologists — are working hard and bravely to contain an outbreak, which so far includes a Liberian man in Dallas and as many as 100 people he came in contact with.
But the government's response, as is too often the case, has been far less than competent and remains so.
The Ebola victim, Thomas E. Duncan, slipped into the U.S. from Liberia despite assurances from the very highest levels that the disease wasn't something we should worry about. Duncan remains in critical condition in Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas.
"The chances of an Ebola outbreak here in the United States are extremely low," President Obama said recently. But he was wrong. We wonder: Was he repeating a considered medical opinion, or just offering his own?
For the record, 7,138 Africans already have contracted the disease, and 47% of them have died. We've sent 3,000 troops to Africa to help out, and are "screening" people who enter our country.
How's that going? "There were no signs of any disease when (Duncan) boarded the flight," said Dr. Tom Kenyon, director of the Centers for Disease Control's Center for Global Health. So much for "screening."
Just as frightening, the CDC forecast that as many as 1.4 million people could be infected by the deadly virus by year-end if the outbreak doesn't come under control.
That's 1.4 million. With a near-50% death rate, Ebola is more deadly than even the Black Plague. That could mean 700,000 people dead, if it's not controlled.
Given the clear danger to the U.S., why hasn't the White House imposed travel limits on those flying in from Liberia, Guinea, Sierra Leone and other nations in West Africa where the disease has broken out?
That would seem a minimal response to containing this deadly hemorrhagic fever that causes many victims to suffer a horrible, lingering death.
Both France and Britain immediately halted flights from the afflicted countries in West Africa. Why not us?
We're not counseling panic here. The U.S. should be able to control an outbreak. But the White House's blase and even lackadaisical response isn't reassuring.
As of now, Ebola has no cure, which is why it must be stopped. You can treat the symptoms and, hopefully, keep those with the disease alive long enough to survive it. But given that Ebola causes massive internal bleeding as the victim's organs basically start to liquefy, survival is iffy at best.
There are promising new treatments, including the experimental drug ZMapp. Unfortunately, we've run out of it. The reason? A two-year delay by, you guessed it, the federal government in issuing a contract to make the stuff. Yet again, more government incompetence.
The administration's feeble response to the threat of Ebola poses a danger to Americans' health. We'll be lucky indeed if no one dies from it.By: Associated Press
November 20, 2015
NAPLES, Fla. (AP) -- A southwest Florida man who claimed he was sleepwalking when he broke into a neighbor's house has been sentenced to five years in prison.
The Naples Daily News reports that 56-year-old Mark Nowak was sentenced Thursday. He was convicted last month of burglary, theft and resisting arrest.
Prosecutors say Nowak deliberately cut through the neighbor's lanai, forced open a sliding door, disabled an alarm and rummaged through the house. Authorities say Nowak barricaded himself in a laundry room and tried to escape in the neighbor's vehicle when police arrived. Investigators reported finding burglary tools inside the home.
Nowak testified at his trial that he accidentally mixed medications before the burglary, causing him to lose all memory of a five-hour period.Image caption Yang Jiechi's visit will be watched for any shift in allegiances after South Sudan's independence
China's foreign minister has arrived in Sudan, the first high-level visit by Khartoum's key ally since South Sudan became independent in July.
Yang Jiechi will then travel from Khartoum to South Sudan on Tuesday.
China has been a strong supporter of Sudan and its President Omar al-Bashir, despite allegations of Sudanese war crimes in Darfur.
The visit comes after Sudan released a cargo of South Sudanese oil it had blocked in a row over custom duties.
South Sudan has to export oil via the north because it has no port or refineries of its own. However, the two sides have so far failed to agree on transit fees, or how to share oil revenue.
Chinese companies are heavily involved in Sudanese oil extraction.
The BBC's James Copnall in Khartoum says that since three-quarters of the reserves now lie in South Sudan, Mr Yang's visit will be closely followed for any possible signs of a shift in China's loyalties.
In a sign of continuing north-south tension over oil, Sudan blocked a 600,000 barrel oil shipment from South Sudan on Friday.
Khartoum said South Sudan had failed to pay the north customs duties for the use of its pipeline, refinery and port.
Southern officials confirmed on Saturday that the shipment had been released.
An official told Reuters that Juba had rejected the $32 (£19) a barrel fee demanded by Khartoum and said that the African Union (AU) had been asked to find a compromise.
Relations between the two states remain tense. South Sudan's independence follows decades of north-south conflict.COLUMBUS, Ohio – As Ohio State's recruiting class came together over the winter, there was one evaluation of the group that mattered more than any other. The Buckeyes had to see what star rating they got from safety Vonn Bell.
The Georgia defensive back, with offers throughout the SEC, liked what he saw. Throw in the comprehensive recruiting tactics from Ohio State, and Bell decided on National Signing Day he'd be heading north. Now that he's been part of OSU's preseason camp, he has an even greater understanding of why the rest of the class mattered to him.
“That's your brothers, man. You're really trying to go in a big group and make something special,” Bell said. “You're trying to make a stand and become part of that family, so it's a really big part. And I'm just proud of this class.”
With that Bell started ticking off the names of his fellow freshmen, from offensive playmakers like Dontre Wilson, Ezekiel Elliott and Jalin Marshall to defenders like Chris Worley, Eli Apple and Cam Burrows.
“You've got numerous names that are great players,” Bell said, “and I'm just proud to be part of it.”
For now, Bell has been pushing redshirt freshman Tyvis Powell at the star position, and acting like a freshman.
“He's had good periods and bad periods. That's what freshmen do, they're up and down like a roller coaster,” safeties coach Everett Withers said. “But he's a competitor. I know he loves football.”
Ohio State's coaches made it clear that they loved Bell. Just his presence in camp is a reminder of that win for the Buckeyes – snagging a five-star recruit from SEC country. And while recruiting ratings don't win national championships, that kind of victory on the recruiting trail doesn't go unnoticed, regardless of what Bell does as a Buckeye.
“They recruited their tails off, I can tell you that,” said Bell, who thought Withers and fellow assistant Stan Drayton must have visited him about twice a week near the end of the recruiting season. “I thought Coach Withers lived in my house sometimes. I'm very proud to be part of Buckeye Nation.”
That win was big. Helping the Buckeyes get 14 more victories this season would mean even more.
“We all go hard every day to compete for spots,” Bell said. “Competitive excellence, that's what Coach Meyer tells us. Challenge your brother and challenge everyone on the field every time.”After heavy rains overnight and more precipitation to come, the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority has placed the city under flood watch until Saturday, warning that flooding along waterways could cause hazardous conditions.
As of Friday morning, the south end of Bayview Avenue is closed and part of the Richmond Hill GO Train line is shut down after between 20 and 40 millimetres of rain fell in just a few hours overnight.
Bayview Avenue is closed between River Street and King Street East.
Flooding on the Richmond Hill GO Train line has also led to a portion of track being closed, with the GO Transit webpage listing the following service impacts, which they say could add 30-45 minutes to the usual travel time:
GO Transit says that track closures on the Richmond Hill line will add 30-45 minutes to commute times. (Tony Smyth/CBC)
The Gormley GO 07:15 - Union Station 08:13 train will only serve Gormley GO, Richmond Hill GO and Langstaff GO stations where it will then take an alternative route to Union Station.
The Gormley GO 07:45 - Union Station 08:43 train will only serve Gormley GO, Richmond Hill GO and Langstaff GO stations where it will then take an alternative route to Union Station.
The Gormley GO 08:15 - Union Station 09:13 train will only serve Gormley GO, Richmond Hill GO and Langstaff GO stations where it will then take an alternative route to Union Station
Passengers at the Old Cummer and Oriole GO stations may use their GO Tickets or Presto Card on the TTC at a staffed entrace at the Finch, Sheppard or Leslie subway station(s).
More rain coming
The TRCA release warns that another rain system is headed for Toronto, with 20-25 millimetres of rain expected around 8 a.m.
"The water levels in many of TRCA's watercourses are still rising and have yet to peak, including the Don River," reads the release.
High river levels, combined with the already-high lake levels, could result in flooding along low-lying roads and trails, including the Don Valley Parkway, it said.
The TRCA is recommending that people exercise caution around bodies of water and "avoid driving in low-lying areas and roadways, particularly at underpasses, as well as the shoreline."
The rain is expected to subside by Friday night, and Saturday is expected to be mainly sunny.Do you have any artistic skills? Despite the fact my mother was an extraordinary painter, I did not inherit her artistic genes. But I took the subject of visualization as a challenge, and the more I researched it, the more I came to the realization that it is not a gift or a gene. The skills required for most effectively displaying information are not intuitive and rely largely on principles that can be learned. Anyone can learn data visualization.
Data analytics alone is not all that is needed. While some may think of it as cosmetic, strong visualization can help convey messages more effectively. There is a big difference in acceptance and understanding when analytics results are delivered as visual dashboards rather than in spreadsheets. Additionally, there is just as much science supporting data visualization as there is behind analytics.
My two-part Journal article summarizes experiences involving visualization and also contains some tips that readers can use immediately.
Read Karina’s recent Journal article:
“The Art of Data Visualization: A Gift or a Skill?, Part 1,” ISACA Journal, volume 1, 2016.Wildlife and Forest Crimes can be better understood in their complexity and disastrous effects through stories and case studies.
We’d like to share some of these stories with you, so you can have a better idea of what we are trying to stop and how crucial is your support is to our mission.
We hope that these stories will highlight the importance of the role of private citizens and government officials who anonymously denounce these crimes, and whenever possible, help us or the relevant law enforcement agencies prevent them.
RHINO
Rhinos were once abundant throughout Africa and Asia with an approximated global population of 500,000 in the early twentieth century. However, despite conservation efforts, poaching is dramatically increasing, pushing the remaining rhinos closer and closer toward extinction. The global population fell to 70,000 by 1970 and to just 29,000 in the wild in 2013 (with about 25,000 in Africa and the rest in Asia).
In South Africa, home to 83% of Africa’s rhinos and 73% of all wild rhinos in the world, the number of rhinos poached in 2017 was lower than 2016’s, according to South African Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs Edna Molewa. In 2017, 1028 rhinos were killed compared to 1054 in 2016, a decrease of 26 animals (2.5%). Prized for its status as well as its alleged medicinal value, ground up rhino horn is sold in Asia, especially Vietnam and China, as a cure for everything at prices up to $100,000 per kilogram. Rhino poaching is surging across the African continent, although it is difficult to assess the losses since rhino states do not regularly publish poaching statistics. Poaching is also a serious threat to the smaller rhino populations in Asia (India, Sumatra and Java).
Click here to read |
. Also, keep in mind Le Batard and his radio show have spent years establishing an audience during the drive-time hours in Miami. That’s something that group might not want to screw around with. It also seems inconceivable that Le Batard would make any move that has a negative impact on the television show he does with his father, Gonzalo. As for Jones, he does a lot of spots on Around The Horn (which tapes at 1:30 p.m.) so that’s also a factor with him.
The reported choice of Le Batard seems like the most logical option for ESPN Radio. He’s a popular, established name, and seems to be a perfect fit for the timeslot. Hopefully this doesn’t effect Highly Questionable all that much – it’s one of the highlights among ESPN’s studio programming.
[Miami Herald]“Ai dil hai mushkil jeena yahan, yeh hai Bombay, yeh hai Bombay, yeh hai Bombay meri jaan” (It’s tough to live here, it’s Bombay, my dear) —Johnny Walker
singing Majrooh Sultanpuri’s lyrics in CID
Going by his floppy-comic caper, the traipsing Johnny Walker is clearly enjoying his lot; his song a humorous, romantic resignation leavening the manifold hardships of the newly arrived. But numerous Bollywood movies have taken a grittier, grimier approach—from Shree 420 (1955) through to Deewar and Satya, Nayakan, Diksha, Daman and the recently released Citylights. A character in the latest film echoes hundreds of screen protagonists when he says Mumbai gives you enough, but only at a high price.
Contrarily, many Mumbaikars now feel that the city claims too much, while the returns are diminishing at a furious pace. Diana Mascarenhas, for instance, has been a pucca Bandra girl all her life. She married a fellow Catholic from Bandra, had four children and settled down to a busy home-maker’s life. But a few years ago, Diana and her husband Royston started worrying about their children’s future in this crammed city with crumbling infrastructure. After considering moving to another Indian city, an opportunity to migrate to New Zealand came their way and they shifted to Auckland a year ago. Their eldest daughter, Wendy, is a medical student at Mumbai’s Sion Hospital and will join them shortly.
Why did they take the drastic step of leaving Mumbai altogether? “Where do I start? Everything has become such drudgery. Even coming from Hill Road to my house, which is about five kilometres and should take 15 minutes by car, sometimes takes an hour at peak traffic,” says an exasperated Diana, who was here on vacation when she met Outlook. “But what really mattered was what we were giving our children—polluted air, cramped space in the house, no place to play and not many opportunities when they grow up.” This may seem like the post-modern angst of an ambitious mother set on a natural-chic way of life. But Diana represents one of the many families who, in search of a better quality of life, are choosing to schlep it from Mumbai. They are leaving the city they love inordinately because of a litany of urban woes—the impossible commute in overcrowded trains, unending traffic, pollution, shrinking open spaces and unaffordable housing. Some even feel the city is also losing its famously cosmopolitan nature.
Photograph by Sanjay Rawat
“Most of my time would be spent travelling to and from work. You know what an evening is only once you get out of Mumbai.”
Subhada Surve
Moved to Gurgaon
Things have come to such a pass that many Mumbai-born urban professionals in their 30s and 40s just can’t take it anymore, and are heading to Bangalore, Hyderabad, Delhi, Pune, even abroad. “Mumbai is fast, furious, crowded. People are constantly running after something. The weather is hellish, there is misery on the streets. We would spend three hours on the road daily with no time for ourselves or our daughter, coming home from work frustrated and depressed,” recalls Sujata Parab, who with her husband Rajesh decided to move to Pune and now are in Hyderabad with a better job. “From Chembur to Peninsula Towers in Lower Parel it would take at least an hour at 8.30 am. My daughter’s schoolbus would come at 6:45. We never saw the children. It was a difficult life, despite our earning well and buying a house,” echoes Ramya Venugopal, a media professional, a south Indian and a Mumbaikar all her life. Their shift to Bangalore afforded them a hitherto unknown pleasure—watching their children grow up. “After getting back home in Mumbai, venturing out again is unthinkable. It drains everything out of you. Kids adjusted quickly to Bangalore. Social life was taken care of in the building complex—swimming, tennis, dance.”
Apart from a frenetic nature and crumbling infrastructure, intolerance and environmental degradation force many to leave.
Debates and friendly sparring over which is the better city, Delhi or Mumbai, are a well-known parlour game in India. At one point, proud Mumbai would dismiss Delhi as an overgrown village. Diehard Mumbaikars Shubhada Surve and Feroze Talwar have flipped from that hardline position. Even Gurgaon, with its problems, seems more attractive than maximum city. From a rented, two bhk house in Powai, they have moved up to a huge, spacious house with all modern amenities of a housing society, including a club, gym, swimming pool, children’s park and tennis courts. And all for the same rent. Shubhada used to work in the mills land in central Mumbai, the city’s new business hub. It took her 30 minutes by cab to get to the nearest station. After letting go many fearfully crammed trains, and if lucky, she would find herself squashed inside a women’s compartment. To avoid this torture, she’d often take a very expensive, two-hour taxi ride all the way to her office. In Gurgaon, her office is adjacent to their house. “You know what an evening is only once you get out of Mumbai,” she says.
Photograph by Amit Haralkar
“There is space for everyone in our new house, something unimaginable in Mumbai. It’s hard to go back when you’re used to a better life.”
Kedar kulkarni
Moved to Bangalore
Poems and eulogies have been written about Mumbai’s energy, its undying spirit, and generations have paid grateful homage to the city that never sleeps. Such totemic encomiums ring hollow to many who live, and desperately struggle to get by, in the city. “I no longer have the emotional curiosity for Mumbai because I lived there long enough. That star attraction to love Mumbai doesn’t hold anymore,” says Kedar Kulkarni, who has settled in Bangalore with his wife Shalaka and daughter. What’s more, Kedar’s parents too have moved to their new house—something they would never have been able to afford in Mumbai—in Whitefield in Bangalore. “There is enough space for everyone, something you cannot imagine in Mumbai. And once you get used to a better quality of life it is harder to go back,” says Shalaka.
The concrete jungle finally presses down upon you, says psychiatrist Harish Shetty. “Any human being is eventually driven to nature or a semblance of nature. The levels of insensitivity has reached never-before depths in Mumbai. Indifference cannot be called ‘spirit of Mumbai’. This city is crumbling, both physically and morally.” Insensitivity stalks matters of crucial interest, like conservation of environment and the city’s cosmopolitan nature.
Photograph by Amit Haralkar
“What mattered was what we were giving our children—polluted air, cramped living and playing space, no opportunities when they grow up.”
Diana
Moved to Auckland
Apart from its frenetic nature and infrastructure barely containing millions, environmental degradation and a rising intolerance have played a part in many people’s decision to leave. There are five trees per person in New York; there are 20 people per tree in Mumbai. Ask Uma Asher, a decades-long Santacruz resident, and she laments the destruction of old neighbourhoods. “Santacruz used to be green and shady, full of heritage houses and villas. Now there are hideous towers. The Bandra creek is full of garbage,” she sighs. “For me, it started when I stopped eating fish because it contains high levels of mercury,” says filmmaker Rakesh Sharma, who is now settled in Goa. “And the decision was hastened because of the changing nature of the city with the growth of the Shiv Sena.”
A concern for open spaces, the protection of mangroves, taking care of the city’s parks and gardens along with a census of its trees—these feature regularly in environmental activists’ protests and well-meaning pils. Residents, drained of energy and starved of time, are rarely willing to fight for these issues, and end up giving up on the city for other alternatives. Some are hopeful still. Prof Bhagat, a lifelong Mumbaikar, points at infrastructure projects such as the monorail and the Mumbai metro and says that the metropolis, India’s commercial capital, will retain its centrality and importance. “The state has to provide basic amenities such as housing, sanitation and potable water. But the city is not dying, Mumbai will come back to its old glory.”
That optimism, reminiscent of the original spirit of Mumbai, still beats apace among its many devoted lovers. But Mumbai better take note. If the trickle of Mumbaikars leaving the city they love—only because of its sheer, infuriating, life-sapping unlivability—is a sign, that famed spirit may soon be broken.
Top 10 International Cities
Mercer’s Quality of Living Report 2012 covers 221 cities, ranked against New York as the base city according to which the top 10 cities in the world are:
Vienna Zurich Auckland Munich Vancouver Dusseldorf Frankfurt, Geneva Copenhagen Bern
Other important international cities were ranked by the Index as:
Singapore: 25
Paris – 30
London – 38
Chicago -42
New York -44
Tokyo – 44
Hong Kong 70
Dubai -73
Shanghai – 95
The Indian cities were ranked as follows:
Bangalore -139 Delhi -143 Mumbai -146 Chennai 150 Kolkata 151
The Institute for Competitiveness recently analysed the Liveability index 2013 according to which the most liveable city of India in 2013 is Mumbai which was placed at 3rd position last year. Mumbai has performed well on the demographics and business indices. The model is based on eight core indicies that are demographic, education, health and medical standards, safety, housing option, socio-cultural-natural environment, economic environment, and planned environment.
The next two cities, Chennai and Hyderabad have moved down one position each and are placed at 2nd and 3rd rank respectively.
Bengaluru has taken a jump of 6 places and is at 4th rank on the liveability index 2013. It has moved upwards on indices such as safety, housing options and planned environment.
Likewise, Delhi has grabbed the 5th rank on the index and has proved that it indeed should be included in the list of top ten liveable cities.
The other two entrants in the list of Top 10 liveable cities are Noida and Gurgaon which are placed at 7th and 8th rank respectively.
Contrarily, Pune and Nagpur that were in the list of top ten have reached the 12th and 13th rank respectively in the liveability index 2013. The cities scored low on housing options and natural environment.
The bottom five cities on the liveability index 2013 are:
Agra Raipur Asansol Kanpur and Patna.
Open Spaces: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation officials put the number of gardens to little over 800 but say the numbers could be more. Of the seven swimming pools, only three are functional and open to public.
As per UDFPI guidelines open space per person should be 11 square meters. In Mumbai it is 0.88 sq meters.
As per chief minister Prithviraj Chavan’s admission in December 2010, Mumbai has 0.2 hectares of open spaces per 1000 Mumbaiites in the island city and 1.2 hectares in the suburbs constituting a mere 20% of the required open space.
Of the 28-odd exclusive clubs and gymkhanas in the city, none cater to non-members. Of the seven BMC-run swimming pools, only three function.
The suburban rail network ferries 75 lakh commuters daily. Last year more than 1500 cases of people falling off the trains due to overcrowding.
Vehicles: Mumbai increased its vehicular population by 1.7 lakh in 2013-14, which is 44,000 vehicles more than what was added in the previous financial year. The total number of vehicles in the city is now 23.3 lakh, a 55% increase in seven years, according to data released by the transport department.
In the private cars category, the number of vehicles has increased from 4.6 lakh in 2006-07 to 7.21 lakh today. In 2013-14, 50,000 cars and 94,000 two-wheelers were added. While two-wheelers and four-wheelers have a vehicle share of about 86% (about 17.45 lakh), they carry only 13% of the total trips across Mumbai. At the same time, just 40,600 buses account for 26% of the modal share of trips in the city.”
Crimes against women: As per the latest NCRB report, Mumbai has been listed second, after Delhi, for 2946 incidents of crimes against women (24895 in Maharashtra).
Also it ranks after Delhi for highest incidence of rape, with 391 reported cases in 2013. The state had the highest incidents, 3063 in 2013.
Mumbai and Maharashtra also rank second for offences of outraging a woman’s modesty with 1163 and 8132 molestation cases respectively.
Top Indian Cities
A recent opinion poll conducted for The Times of India by leading market research firm IMRB across the country’s eight biggest urban agglomerations ranked Indian cities thus:Astronomers say they’ve found many of the universe’s missing atoms
If you get frustrated when you can't find your keys, imagine how astronomers feel. For years they’ve been unable to locate roughly half the atoms they think the universe must contain. Now, researchers have tracked down a lot of that missing matter using radiation from the early universe that acts a bit like a laser illuminating billowing smoke. The finding helps solidify our understanding of how the universe has evolved over time.
Cosmologists know roughly how much hydrogen and helium was created during the first 20 minutes after the big bang. These numbers are corroborated by studies of the afterglow of the big bang—the so-called cosmic microwave background (CMB)—which suggests that our universe is made of roughly 70% dark energy, 23% dark matter, and only 4.6% of ordinary, or baryonic, matter. However, stars and galaxies account for only about 10% of the inferred ordinary matter, and all told researchers cannot account for up to half of atoms they think should exist.
“This is embarrassing, as you can imagine,” says astronomer Renyue Cen of Princeton University, who was not involved in the new work. “Not only do we have most of matter which is dark, and most of energy which is still darker; but of the 5% which is normal atoms, most are missing.”
Researchers think they know where the baryons are. According to the standard cosmological model, which predicts how the universe has grown and changed since its earliest days, the universe is filled with enormous strands of dark matter, and the galaxies are embedded in this so-called cosmic web. Scientists hypothesize that the missing atoms lie in diffuse clouds of highly ionized gas stretching between the galaxies. Known as warm-hot intergalactic matter (WHIM), that million-degree gas glows in x-rays, but is so thin it’s very hard to see. Using observatories that can see ultraviolet radiation, like the Hubble Space Telescope, astronomers have spotted enough WHIM to account for about 50% to 70% of the missing baryons—still leaving a significant fraction unaccounted for.
In the new work, a team from the University of Edinburgh tried to tease out the WHIM in filamentary networks using an entirely different source of illumination: the CMB itself. As the universe expanded, photons in the CMB stretched to longer wavelengths and cooled to a few degrees above absolute zero in the modern day. When these photons hit electrons in the cosmic web, they can gain energy and their wavelengths shorten by a tiny amount, in a phenomenon known as the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (SZ) effect. So by looking for the SZ effect, researchers can trace the WHIM in the cosmic web.
The SZ effect is extraordinarily weak, shortening the photon’s wavelength by about one part in 10 million. In order to get a strong enough signal to see it, the researchers took 1 million pairs of galaxies found in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, all separated by a similar distance, and stacked their images together. Sure enough, they were able to discern the SZ effect in the amalgamated images, providing an estimate for the amount of hot baryonic matter modifying the frigid microwave photons, as they report in a paper posted to the arXiv preprint website on 29 September.
The results suggest that matter in the cosmic web is about six times more dense than the universal average, enough to comprise about 30% of the missing mass. An independent study posted to arXiv on 15 September using the SZ technique on 260,000 galaxy pairs reached a similar conclusion.
Some experts have reservations about the findings. “There’s some assumptions they’ve made that worry me,” says astronomer J. Michael Shull of the University of Colorado in Boulder. “They’ve assumed all the gas in the filaments is right along the line of sight between the two galaxies; and that’s probably not right.” A more complicated 3D arrangement of material is more likely, he notes.
It will probably take a large next-generation x-ray telescope to finally identify all the missing baryonic matter. Once that happens, the SZ effect technique could provide an independent way to confirm its findings, Cen says.[JURIST] The UN Committee Against Torture [official website] released a report [text, PDF] on Friday that found the US has fallen short of full compliance with the Convention Against Torture international treaty [text]. Police brutality [JURIST report], detention facilities, military interrogations and the criminalization of torture itself were several of the top concerns. The committee raised particular concern regarding the Guantanamo Bay [JURIST backgrounder] detention facility, urging the US to cease the indefinite holding of suspects of terrorism-related activities without official charge or trial, to “appropriately prosecute those responsible” for detainee mistreatment and to “ensure effective redress for victims.” The panel called on the US to abolish unreasonable sleep deprivation during military interrogations as well as the practice of sensory deprivation, as scientific studies have shown that it induces psychosis. The committee also urged the US to federally criminalize torture:
Notwithstanding the State party’s statement that under U.S. law, acts of torture are prohibited by various statutes and may be prosecuted in a variety of ways, the Committee regrets that a specific offence of torture has not been introduced yet at the federal level. The Committee is of the view that the introduction of such offence, in full conformity with Article 1 of the Convention, would strengthen the human rights protection framework in the State party.
The panel recommended the re-introduction of the Law Enforcement Torture Prevention Act [text, PDF], a bill previously proposed to Congress in 2012 that defines torture and criminalizes acts of torture by law enforcement officers and others acting under the color of law.
Last month the UN discussed changes [JURIST report] made to the original Convention Against Torture since its 1987 adoption and urged universal ratification. Torture remains a human rights issue worldwide despite a call from UN officials [JURIST report] in June to end torture in celebration of International Day in Support of Victims of Torture. In October the Supreme Court of Canada ruled [JURIST report] that citizens cannot sue foreign governments for torture as a result of the country’s State Immunity Act, which gives foreign states immunity from the jurisdiction of any Canadian court. Also in October the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights [official website] warned [JURIST report] that, despite the fragile ceasefire in eastern Ukraine, abuses such as abductions, torture and ill-treatment still affect local civilians daily.CARSON, Calif. -- Coming up on two months since Wade Barrett stepped in as interim head coach of the Houston Dynamo, a quick glance at the Western Conference table suggests not much has changed.
The Dynamo (4-9-6) is still last in the West, with fewer than half the points of its El Capitan rivals up in Dallas, some 11 points out of a playoff spot, and with just one win in its last eight outings, a stretch that reaches to the end of Owen Coyle's tenure. Only Columbus Crew SC has won fewer games, and with just 15 more to go and a thicket of clubs to carve through in search of the postseason, maybe it's time to start working toward the future.
That’s part of the story. Gaze closer, and the Dynamo look less like the club that nose-dived after setting a league record with 11 goals in its opening three games. Under Barrett, Houston has taken a workmanlike approach to the game, solved some pesky defensive issues, and started to find a rhythm among a deep and talented group of attackers.
If they were scoring goals, it would seem so clear. But they're not, not yet, and so their best efforts in seven MLS encounters since Coyle stepped down May 25 have added up to just one win, at home earlier this month against Philadelphia, and four draws.
The perception: The Dynamo are in a “funk.” Barrett was even asked about it during his postgame news conference following Houston's 1-0 road loss to the LA Galaxy last weekend.
“I've been in charge since the Vancouver game [at the end of May],” responded the former MLS defender, just a little irked. “I think we've gotten some great results on the road, so I don't think there's any kind of funk. I don't think any kind of results that happened at the beginning of the year are affecting the group right now.... I don't think this team is in a funk.”
Results still lacking
The league results have been middling, yes, but they've picked up three points in five away games -- draws with Vancouver, FC Dallas and Orlando City -- and in the other two played tough in one-goal defeats. They've not conceded at home under Barrett and have been impressive in two U.S. Open Cup victories, leading to Wednesday night's quarterfinal at BBVA Compass Stadium against Dallas.
There's much work still to do, but there's been progress, whether or not you see it.
“The biggest thing is we're hard to play against,” defender Sheanon Williams noted after the Galaxy loss. “I think if you ask the teams we've played since Wade has taken over if they've had an joy against us, I think they'd say no. The biggest part for us now is to step over the hump and start to move forward and pick up points.”
Barrett, 40, can see it coming. The native Virginian has a history with this club -- he arrived when the San Jose Earthquakes moved to South Texas after the 2005 season, captained the Dynamo to two MLS Cup titles, then joined Dominic Kinnear's staff after he retired in 2009 -- and has been there as fortunes tumbled following back-to-back MLS Cup defeats to the Galaxy in 2011-12 and a trip to the Eastern Conference final in 2013.
The Dynamo will miss Beasley. (Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports)
The Dynamo lost a franchise-worst 17 games, conceding 58 goals and finishing eighth in the West, in Kinnear's final campaign in Houston two years ago. Houston was eighth again last year under Coyle, a Scotland-born Irishman with extensive coaching experience in Britain, but there was optimism at the start of this season after a 5-0 rout of the archrival followed a 3-3 draw with New England in the opener.
Then things turned sour.
Houston lost five of its next six games, sandwiched around a home draw with Seattle, and seven of its next 10 to bring Coyle's run to an end. Barrett was officially designated the interim boss on June 7, 15 days after assuming the duties. The mood immediately lightened in the clubhouse and on the training field.
“Once Wade took over, it was kind of a start to a new season, almost. You can start fresh,” Williams said. “Obviously, we've put ourselves in a poor situation leading up to that, and it leads to him taking over -- nobody likes to see [Coyle lose his job] -- and once that happened, everybody jumped on board right away and wanted to move forward in a positive note, and I think we've done that.”
Focusing on defensive issues
Barrett, one of MLS' best left backs during a 12-year career that included a two-year stint in Scandinavia, focused first on defense; the Dynamo had conceded 20 goals in the dozen games under Coyle, allowing at least three on four occasions. Barrett swapped Coyle's favored 4-2-3-1 alignment for a 4-1-4-1 that allowed for tighter defensive lines and enabled holding midfielder Collen Warner to work unimpeded.
“We started playing a different formation that I thought complemented the current group that we have, and that was my first task, to get the most from this group,” Barrett told FourFourTwo. “We've done that now for a number of weeks. I think anybody that watches the games sees it. I think we look more organized, we look like we play like a team.”
GRAHAM PARKER Targeted Allocation: The many views of MLS fans
Warner, who was sidelined the first six games of the season with a hamstring injury after arriving in an offseason trade from Toronto FC, was a pivotal piece to the puzzle, and Barrett emphasized a consistent back four -- Jalil Anibaba, David Horst, Raul Rodriguez and DaMarcus Beasley -- between him and goalkeeper Tyler Deric. Ricardo Clark and Alex Lima had struggled to find a workable partnership as the holding tandem in the 4-2-3-1, but Barrett preferred them a little farther ahead, inside wingers Oscar Boniek Garcia and Andrew Wenger in support of Will Bruin or, now that he's back from the Copa America Centenario, Giles Barnes up top. Cristian Maidana, Houston's best playmaker, has become a weapon off the bench.
Barrett demanded superior effort. The Dynamo would not be outworked on his watch. But what the team still needs is better attacking precision.
“Getting that next little bit, that next level on top, we have to build it one brick at a time,” Barrett said. “Got to make sure that first brick is set before we move on to the next one.”
The first brick is set.
“[Defense] definitely has been the focus since we changed [coaches], and we've been a really good defensive team,” Warner said. “Offensively, it's been a little bit of a change, too. When you're playing a bit more defensive with your shape, the chance creation and the type of chances that we're creating is a little bit different that what we were at the beginning of the year.”
Goals still at a premium
Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
The English-born Barnes' return at the beginning of July from duty with Jamaica's national team has provided another dimension for the attack, either wide or up front. He stretched the Galaxy's defense on Friday night and seems the best choice up top, with Bruin hit and miss this season and Erick “Cubo” Torres, who hasn't seen much action, off to prepare for the Olympics with Mexico's U-23 team.
“Giles provides something different than some of the other players on the field,” Barrett said. “We do have guys who can play in multiple spots. So [Maidana] can play out wide left, he can play underneath, he can play in a couple different formations. He's a very creative player, and every time he's been in a game recently, he's made a positive impact. It's on me to figure out what the right balance is for each particular game, but even the games we haven't scored a ton of goals or only got one, I still think we're creating good looks. We're dangerous.”
Houston is creating chances. The final touch or final pass is wanting, but the opportunities are there.
“I hear some of the questions about us not creating more chances going forward,” Barrett said. “Well, we've played five of seven on the road. And, yeah, I want to score more goals, but the No. 1 thing I wanted was to make us disciplined and harder to play against and that it was going to take a really good performance to break us down. We've been in every single game we've competed in, and I'm proud of that.
“We still have a lot of work to do... but I'm encouraged by what I see.”
Will the work accomplished and to come impress general manager/vice president Matt Jordan enough to drop the “interim” tag from Barrett's title? That's the hope in the locker room, and Barrett, of course, wants it, too.
“I don't have time to think too much beyond tomorrow,” he said, “but I believe in the team, I believe in what we're doing, and I'm proud of the work we've done. I'm excited about what the future holds, and the chips will fall where they may. But I'm all in.”
More features at FourFourTwo.com/us/
Scott French is a reporter for FourFourTwo. Follow him on Twitter @ScottJFrench.The European Union has explored cross-border economic initiatives in recent years as officials work toward establishing a single EU economic market. Easing barriers to cross-border payments, commerce and lending are all centers of focus for the European Commission, which revealed last week proposals for new rules to streamline cross-border transactions.
New reports released Tuesday (May 12) have revealed a new strategy for EU officials. The Euro Banking Association has reportedly published a new report on crypto-technologies at its EBAday conference held in Amsterdam. Reports said the paper, one of two released Tuesday, was produced by the Association’s Working Group on Electronic Alternative Payments.
The findings, however, were not definitive, and instead called for more investigation into how crypto-currencies can be utilized by the payment and banking sectors. “Crypto-technologies are a key subject for further study or transaction banking and payment processionals, especially against the background of evolving financial infrastructures,” said Vincent Brennan, EBA deputy chairman and chairman of the working group.
According to Brennan, the working paper offers an introduction to crypto-technologies and explores practical implementations for such currencies in both the short- and medium-term.
While the findings are intended to consider how the financial sector could use crypto-currencies to adapt to a changing landscape, some industry experts have championed the use of such currencies like bitcoin in cross-border payments.
In a interview with PYMNTS, entrepreneur and Align Commerce CEO Marwan Forzley explained how bitcoin could ease cross-border friction.
“Cross border is particularly painful for both payers and receivers and one interesting thing about bitcoin is that it is designed from the ground up to be global in its construction. The existing payments schemes were created a long time ago with the understanding that the payments are going to be domestic,” he said. “Bitcoin, on the other hand, was designed to be a global payments system or a global rail – there is no concept of a boundary or a country so it works really well for cross border settings and it’s designed in a way where you can move the money from point A to point B without that money necessarily needing to be domestic.”A trade group representing US manufacturers is digging in its heels over its opposition to US LNG imports, formally lodging its opposition to a pending project.
US trade group America’s Energy Advantage (AEA) has filed a motion to intervene in the Department of Energy (DOE) proceeding with an application by Freeport LNG to export liquefied natural gas.
An initial stage of the project has already been cleared by the US regulator but more authorisations are pending.
"DOE is making decisions that will have far-reaching and potentially irreversible impacts on consumers, our economy, and America's manufacturing renewal based on 30-year-old guidelines for natural gas imports, not exports,” AEA chair Jennifer Diggins said.
She added that more than 120 manufacturing projects valued at nearly $110 billion had been announced as a result of affordable gas in the US.
“Our country cannot afford to lose these job-creating investments or hurt consumers by driving up the cost of utility bills. We have a right to be heard in this debate,” Diggins said.
The DOE is currently reviewing the application which, AEA says, if authorised will raise the cumulative volume of authorised exports of LNG to more than 8.3 billion cubic feet of gas per day.
The AEA argued this would go beyond the "low export scenario" level identified in a NERA report the DOE used to grant three previous LNG export applications, including the initial Freeport export application.
Freeport LNG was the second US liquefaction project to receive federal approval to export LNG to nations without free trade agreements with the US.
The approval covered an initial two train development, however last week Freeport signed two 20-year binding dealswith Toshiba and SK E&S LNG for a further 2.2 million tonnes of LNG per annum.
Freeport had already signed tolling agreements with Osaka Gas, Chubu Electric Power and BP which met the 4.4 million tpa capacity of the first two trains, meaning a third would be needed to meet the demand of the latest deals.
AEA said it was seeking a more formal rulemaking process based on current data and assessments of today's supply and demand environment, adding applications were being granted based on guidelines developed for gas imports in the 1980s.
“No matter where one stands on this issue, surely we can agree that exports and imports are different, and that DOE needs to make rules based on the 21st century, not the 1980s,” the AEA added.
In its motion AEA also argued that the legal standards that DOE used to analyse the public interest in two previous grant applications were not "adequate, appropriate, or sustainable”.Barolo, a restaurant serving Italian food in Soho (398 West Broadway) for almost 25 years said “Ciao!” closed in February 2013. There were rumors of a greedy landlord and suffering business in the neighborhood prior to the final decision to close. Ciao! Barolo; Bonjour Maison Ladurée and Bonpoint
One rumor was that the landlord sued in 2012 for the difference of the discounted rents granted to Barolo after the 9/11 attacks. Another rumor from Grubstreet in June 2012, stated that Maison Ladurée, a French Macaron Company, had taken over Barolo’s leased space referring to it as “defunct Barolo”. Shortly after the Grubstreet posting, Barolo was removed from the Zagat Restaurant Guide. Business suffered further.
Side note: I TRE MERLI, a restaurant owned by the same operator as Barolo up the street also closed Memorial Day, 2013, after almost 30 years (opening in 1985).
Walking past West Broadway, two new storefronts have taken shape…low and behold the aforementioned Maison Ladurée…and Bonpoint.
Maison Ladurée was founded in 1892 and are one of the worlds most well-known makers of macarons. Barolo was known to have a very large, extensive outdoor patio, and there are talks of a very large Tea Room (both indoors/outdoors) for events.
Next to Maison Ladurée is the Bonpoint storefront.
Bonpoint is a French childrens store that sells clothing, shoes, gifts and skin-care.
Both stores should be fun for a mother-daughter day out in Soho!
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GoogleYou’ve seen them out there: winter runners bundled up in layers, jumping over snow banks and slush piles, faces swaddled in balaclavas and you’ve wondered: why? Why would anyone want to go for a run in the winter?
The answer? Because it’s fun. In fact, as many runners will tell you, winter running can be some of the best kind of running there is. The air is crisp, the paths are clear, and the scenery is terrific.
If your New Year’s resolution is to exercise more this year, there’s no easier sport to learn than running, and no better time to start than right now. Here’s what you need to know to get started.
Running in winter is rewarding
Lacing up shoes to run over snow-packed sidewalks or trails might seem crazy, but Kim Lavender, the national director of team training at GoodLife Fitness, says she loves it.
“For me, running outside in the winter is a lot better than running in the heat of the summer,” she told CTVNews.ca in a telephone interview.
“And there’s something so rewarding about it. it’s like your own inner battle. It’s a rage against the storm. You overcome obstacles, which then gives you evidence that you can overcome any obstacles.”
Don’t let the thermometer intimidate you, she says. As boarders, snowshoers and cross-country skiers already know: there is no such thing as bad weather, just bad preparation. In fact, the influential American College of Sports Medicine says “exercise can be performed safely in almost all cold-weather environments without the risk of injury |
estimation (Berridge et al., 2009). Interestingly, the latter is dependent on the OFC, which was positively correlated with avoidance in both tasks. However, our data do not dissociate possible roles of OFC in avoidance prior to extinction vs. after extinction. Other studies have shown that avoidance could be extinguished independently from fear (Lolordo and Rescorla, 1966; Riccio and Silvestri, 1973), suggesting that fear and avoidance circuits are dissociable.
Avoidance is a core symptom of anxiety disorders (Kashdan et al., 2006) and a prominent feature of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD; Friedman et al., 2011; American-Psychiatric-Association, 2013). Prolonged exposure therapy is based on fear extinction and it is the standard of care for PTSD (Davis et al., 2006; Foa, 2006; Kearns et al., 2012). However, extinction-based therapies often do not reduce avoidance behaviors (Sripada et al., 2013). Therefore, avoidance can occur independent of fear, suggesting that therapies that reduce fear may not be useful in reducing persistent avoidance behaviors.
Human neuroimaging studies of active avoidance are beginning to emerge, and recent findings implicate a prefrontal-cingulate-striatal circuit (Delgado et al., 2009; Aupperle et al., 2015), consistent with the involvement of PL and VS in active avoidance (Bravo-Rivera et al., 2014b; Lee et al., 2014). Distinguishing extinction of fear from extinction of avoidance could help identify substrates of persistent avoidance in humans, and may help guide treatments for avoidance-related disorders such as PTSD.
Conflict of Interest Statement
The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
Acknowledgments
This work was supported by NIH grants MH102968 to CB-R, MH092912 (ENDURE) to MM-C, MH058883, MH086400 to GJQ, and the University of Puerto Rico President’s Office.
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Sierra-Mercado, D., Padilla-Coreano, N., and Quirk, G. J. (2011). Dissociable roles of prelimbic and infralimbic cortices, ventral hippocampus and basolateral amygdala in the expression and extinction of conditioned fear. Neuropsychopharmacology 36, 529–538. doi: 10.1038/npp.2010.184 PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google ScholarWASHINGTON -- In his opening remarks at the Full House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform hearing on the heroin epidemic, Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) slammed the pharmaceutical company that makes the overdose antidote naloxone for profiting off the crisis.
“We can no longer allow drug companies to keep ripping off the taxpayers for life-saving medications,” Cummings said. “Cities all around the country have recognized the need to equip their first responders, police officers and public health officials with naloxone -- a drug that can reverse opioid overdoses in a matter of minutes.”
Because of those life-saving properties, the medication has become essential in the public health response to the rise in overdose deaths. State after state -- including places like Kentucky and New York -- have passed laws making naloxone available without a prescription. Chains such as Kroger and CVS recently announced that they would be selling it essentially as an over-the-counter medication.
Cummings said Amphastar Pharmaceuticals Inc., which makes naloxone, has jacked up prices for the antidote as demand has increased. Evidenced-based public policy, he said, has been “undermined by corporate greed.”
“As more first responders began using this drug, the company that makes it, Amphastar, began to increase its prices by staggering amounts,” Cummings said. “In May 2014, a 10-dose pack cost the Baltimore City Health Department roughly $190. Guess what? Today, it costs more than $400 for a life-saving drug.”
In October, Dr. Leana Wen, Baltimore’s health commissioner, issued a blanket naloxone prescription for all 620,000 residents; Baltimore has more than 20,000 active heroin users. “We have to save lives," she told the House committee. “Naloxone should be part of everyone’s medicine cabinet.”
Amphastar has certainly profited off of this demand. In press releases, the company reports millions in earnings from naloxone sales. In the last quarter ending on Dec. 31, 2015, the company had net revenues of nearly $77 million, “an increase of 38 percent from $55.9 million for the fourth quarter of 2014.” One reason they cite: naloxone sales.
Other finished pharmaceutical product revenues were $46.2 million for the fourth quarter, an increase of 66% compared to $27.9 million for the fourth quarter of 2014, primarily due to an increase in sales of naloxone to $10.7 million from $7.6 million, as a result of increased unit volumes at higher average prices.
In the previous quarter, Amphaster reported similar profits due to sales of the overdose antidote. Again, sales shot up from from $3.7 million in naloxone sales during the previous year's third quarter to $10.5 million in sales “as a result of increased unit volumes at higher average prices.”
Amphaster did not return a request for comment.
The company has agreed to rebates with public entities in Ohio and New York following complaints of price increases. Cummings said the company hasn't adequately responded to a document request he made last May over the price increases.
When asked about Cummings’ complaint, Michael Botticelli, the director of the White House's Office of National Drug Control Policy, admitted it was an issue. “We are tremendously disserved by the dramatic increase,” he said during a conference call this afternoon with reporters.
Botticelli stressed that his office and other federal agencies were working to address the issue through federal grants for naloxone purchases. He added that the Food and Drug Administration recently approved a nasal-spray version of naloxone as way to spur competition among pharmaceutical companies.
Amphastar need not be worried about sluggish sales.Next week Amazon Echo and Amazon Dot owners will be able to ask “Alexa” about upcoming city council meeting times and agendas, as well as receive newsflashes from the city. Next month device owners will be able to ask Amazon’s digital assistant about events at nearby libraries and parks. Someday you may even be able to request 311 services and information (such as fixing potholes and erasing graffiti). It’s all part of the Information Technology Agency’s ongoing efforts to connect the government and its citizens using new technology.
While many of us were receiving Echoes and Dots as gifts over the holidays, the city, as reported by Venturebeat, enabled an Amazon “skill” (which is a techie way of saying a specific set of abilities enabled in a product) that allowed Angelenos to ask Alexa about official city holiday events.
“The Holy Grail is city services,” Los Angeles Information Technology Agency CIO Ted Ross told Los Angeles magazine. “From the comfort of your living room, to be able to make a service request without making a phone call or even pull up the mobile app, which are also great services.” Ross said his office is working with other platforms as well, including Microsoft’s Cortana and Google Assistant, but Alexa’s popularity is what caught the staff’s attention, and so it’s where they’re dedicating their time.
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If the idea of having city councilman Bob Blumenfield’s biography just a voice command away does not thrill you, have patience. City council info is a first step towards cooler offerings, which could help bridge the large gap between citizens and their local government. If you use something, and if you like a service, you’ll value it, and you’ll be more apt to value the people who provide the service. That’s a win-win. The fact that it may take a digital being to give local government a human face just happens to be kind of hilarious. But since the city launched its MyLA311 app, 24 percent of its 1.5 million service requests now come in through the app, making the app the face of the city for many of us.
“We have a vision for Los Angeles to be a true digital city, a city that uses digital services to connect all of its residents regardless of your location or socioeconomic factors, etc., we believe it’s a powerful way to engage them,” Ross said. “There will always be the traditional ways, community town halls, and our council members work passionately to interact with people face-to-face, but when you have four million residents, you can’t have enough town halls to talk to everybody. People are going about their busy lives. We want to be a government that is readily available to them.”
Los Angeles is currently one of the few cities to offer a “skill.” Las Vegas does, too. To activate yours, go to the LA City Skill on Amazon. The words “Ask L.A. City” will activate local features, which, as we said, will be added soon.One of the more fertile areas of research in medieval philosophy today falls under the broad umbrella of moral psychology. Although no one can say for sure, one of the reasons for such interest presumably has something to do with the perennial relevance of questions about the freedom of the will, the role of the emotions in the moral life, the nature of the virtues, and the question of moral weakness, all issues that received serious treatment during the medieval period. Hence, since about the mid-1990s, there has been a real resurgence of interest in this area of medieval philosophy, the work of Bonnie Kent (1995), Risto Saarinen (1994), F.-X. Putallaz (1995), and many others immediately coming to mind. Moreover, interest in the topic shows few signs of abating.
Now one might think that John M. Connolly’s monograph would represent a contribution to this ongoing area of research, putatively treating as it does "the medieval concept of will" that was "critiqued" by the German theologian Meister Eckhart (ca. 1260-1328). But that it does so, or indeed that it is even intended to do so, is not entirely clear. And a major reason for this is that there is, despite the title of Connolly’s monograph, no such thing as "the" medieval concept of "will". Rather, there are several such conceptions. For Augustine (if one counts him as a medieval thinker) will (voluntas) is not a capacity of the soul as it was for those who embraced a faculty psychology. Instead, for Augustine, will is conceived as the entire soul as active and therefore the seat of human freedom. St. Anselm would later think of the will in similar terms. Thomas Aquinas, by contrast, did adhere to a faculty psychology of the soul. For him, the will is a rational appetite, or inclination towards objects that are apprehended as good. Accordingly voluntas for Aquinas is, at least in his earlier works, a passive power that requires reduction from potency to act by the rationally appetible object. Several major contemporaries and near contemporaries would bitterly contest Aquinas’s "intellectualistic" picture of the will and human action from a "voluntaristic" perspective, viewing the Thomistic account as a version of cognitive determinism that was insufficient to guarantee moral responsibility. In response, voluntarists such as the Franciscan Peter John Olivi (ca. 1248-1298) and the secular master Henry of Ghent (ca. 1217-1293) argued that the will was a self-moving power for opposites that was essentially autonomous with respect to the intellect. Unlike Augustine, however, they defended this radically free conception of the will within a faculty psychology that saw voluntas as a distinct power of the soul.
Now even within these broad categories of "voluntarism" and "intellectualism" one will naturally find different shades of emphasis. The intellectualist Godfrey of Fontaines, for example, arguably defended an even more passive conception of the will than Aquinas, since the former held the intellect to move the will after the manner of an efficient cause, while the latter merely attributed to the intellect’s determination of the will final and formal causation. How did Godfrey ground freedom? Through the immateriality of the soul. In contrast to Henry of Ghent and Olivi, on the other hand, Giles of Rome (ca. 1243-1316) defended a more moderate version of voluntarism according to which the will, although necessitated to choose the final end as apprehended by the intellect, nonetheless has formal freedom with respect to the means to happiness. In this way Giles attempted to preserve both the rationality of choice as well as the freedom and autonomy of the will. And these are just a few of the better known examples of the various conceptions of the will that were in play during Eckhart’s lifetime, as Kent and others have shown.
Connolly has nothing to say about any of this. To a specialist in the field this will seem odd, if not confusing. But in fact Connolly has something quite different in mind by "the medieval concept of will" than reference to metaphysical worries about whether voluntas was free or not. Rather, his concern is predominantly ethical, "the medieval concept of will" essentially being shorthand for the tradition of teleological eudaimonism. According to this tradition, the good life for human beings consists in making choices that will lead to human flourishing or happiness (eudaimonia; beatitudo; felicitas). Such a purposive, goal-directed life specifically involves the practice of the virtues. Moreover, it places the will at its centre, according to Connolly, because voluntas (in the Latin tradition; boulesis in the Greek) is the rational desire that directs rational agents towards their final end -- the "why" of their existence.
There is some debate over whether Aristotle has a concept of the will in the medieval sense, or even anticipates such a conception. Connolly nonetheless devotes a background chapter to Aristotle’s teleological eudaimonism, as he does to Augustine’s, who also conceived of human life as directed toward a final end, although, in contrast to Aristotle, regarded this end as only truly achieved in the hereafter. Now for all that Connolly devotes a fair bit of attention to Aristotle and Augustine (17-41 and 42-85, respectively), the principal representative of the tradition of teleological eudaimonism that Connolly argues Eckhart will reject is that of Eckhart’s illustrious Dominican predecessor, Aquinas. For Connolly, Aquinas’s action theory, which is treated in Chapter 3, is nothing less than "a kind of zenith of Christian teleological eudaimonism" (98), according to which the will plays the role of an inherent power that inclines humans to choose in all of their actions, whether they are conscious of this or not, their final end of happiness (beatitudo), understood as an uncreated good that is external to the soul, namely the Beatific Vision (visio Dei). Hence, Eckhart’s "critique of the medieval concept of will" is really for Connolly a dissatisfaction with the Thomistic version of Christian eudaimonism, which represents "the very acme" of "living with a why" (97). Aquinas’s eudaimonism turns out to be a sort of moral instrumentalism in which virtue becomes a tool for happiness, as opposed to being constitutive of it, as it was for Aristotle.
What precisely did Eckhart find objectionable about Aquinas’s eudaimonistic ethic? Not that it was eudaimonistic as such, according to Connolly, but that, to the extent that it was oriented toward an external reward -- the Beatific Vision -- it was mercenary. In being motivated by "profit" or "reward", these "spiritual merchants" (134) mistake both what they are, as well as their relationship to God. That is, "They take themselves to be ‘servants and hirelings’ (servi et mercennarii) who are ‘beneath God’ (sub deo), when in fact they are by nature ‘Sons’ who are ‘with God’ (apud deum)" (171). Moreover in being moved by self-interest, their motives are far from pure (134).
Eckhart therefore contrasts Aquinas’s "spiritual merchant", who is motivated by reward for his virtuous efforts, with the "just person" (der Gerehte) who "lives without why". As Eckhart puts it, as quoted by Connolly, "[The just person] wants and seeks nothing, for he knows no why. He acts without a why just in the same way as God does; and just as life lives for its own sake and seeks no why for the sake of which it lives, so too the just person knows no why for the sake of which he would do something" (135). How is all of this accomplished? Through a life of "detachment" (abgescheidenheit) or "going out of oneself" (136) when practicing the virtues. In this way the just agent is "one with God", the latter of whom also acts without why, that is, simply from motives of justice for its own sake, rather than out of consideration for external reward. Eckhart is no mystic, then, who advocates withdrawal from the world. Rational agents must engage with the world and practice the virtues, though without, as mentioned, any thought of reward. To be motivated in this way is to act "divinely" (207), and ultimately to dissolve into "absolutely unified being," (164): the state in which true happiness consists. Eckhart does not so much reject the eudaimonistic tradition as such, although his eudaimonism is admittedly, according to Connolly, a "somewhat peculiar" (168) one.
On the whole, Connolly’s book is well written, if synoptic at times, and offers readers a useful overview of Aristotelian, Augustinian, and Thomistic ethics. Moreover, it generally does a good job of analysing the subtle and not-so-subtle variations amongst these theories. That it focuses on the ethical work of Meister Eckhart, an important medieval thinker, though one who is too often neglected in the literature, is salutary.
If I have a complaint it is that Connolly’s choice of Aquinas’s theory of ethics and human action to represent "the medieval concept of will" seems a bit ad hoc. He tells us that he employs Aquinas’s intellective appetite conception of the will to represent the entire tradition because "it is widely recognised for its comprehensive and definitive character" (9). But this needs to be seriously qualified given that Aquinas’s views on the will as a passive potency are generally agreed to have been implicated in the condemnations of 1277 at Paris. By Eckhart’s time, indeed, arguably the dominant conception of the will was not the Thomistic "intellectualistic" picture, but a more "voluntaristic" conception according to which the will is able to act in an autonomous fashion, as noted above. Indeed, one of the most prominent representatives of the voluntarist line was undoubtedly Eckhart’s contemporary, the Franciscan John Duns Scotus (1265-1308), who posited, following Anselm, two fundamental inclinations within the will: the "affection for the advantageous" (affectio commodi) or natural inclination towards self-perfection, which was more or less equivalent to Aquinas’s understanding of the will as a rational appetite, and the "affection for justice" (affectio iustitiae), an inclination towards the good in itself, which Scotus associated with the "innate freedom of the will."
If this thumbnail sketch of Scotus’s theory of the two affections of the will is accurate, then one has to admit that Scotus’s theory rather resembles Eckhart’s distinction between spiritual mercantilism, or the inclination to act out of self-interest, and the capacity or inclination to act for the sake of justice itself. But one might wonder what exactly the psychological mechanism is for this dual motivational structure in the case of Eckhart and, indeed, what sort of implications such an account might have for his ethical theory as a whole. For Scotus’s part, Anselm’s two affections theory is invoked to ground his account of the radical freedom of the will. Moreover, Scotus’s embrace of a two-affections theory had consequences: it meant that he was required to separate morality from happiness and therefore break with the eudaimonistic tradition, in contrast to Aquinas on whose account of the will rational agents are necessitated to choose the final end. Eckhart, on the other hand, despite his similarities to Scotus, appears to have maintained a basically Thomistic, rational appetite view of the will (181), as well as a (admittedly peculiar) form of eudaimonistic ethics. One might well wonder, in short, whether Eckhart’s implicit embrace of a two affections theory leads to tensions within his ethical system, a possibility that might have been worth exploring.
Connolly concludes his monograph by likening Eckhart to Kant (210-212), who is also well known for having separated morality from happiness. It would have been a bit more historically accurate, perhaps, to have compared Eckhart to his contemporary Scotus, at least on the relationship of the will to human happiness.
REFERENCES
S. D. Dumont (2000). "Did Scotus Change His Mind on the Will," in Miscellanea Mediaevalia 28: After the Condemnations of 1277. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter, 719-794.
P.S. Eardley, "Happiness," in The Oxford Guide to the Historical Reception of Augustine. Eds. K. Pollmann et al. 3 vols. Oxford: Oxford University Press: 2: 605-609.
--- (2003). "Thomas Aquinas and Giles of Rome on the Will," Review of Metaphysics 56, 835-862.
R. Hissette (1977). Enquête sur les 219 articles condamnés à Paris le 7 mars 1277. Louvain: Publications Universitaires.
B. Kent (1995). Virtues of the Will: The Transformation of Ethics in the Late Thirteenth Century. Washington, D.C.: The Catholic University of America Press.
F.-X. Putallaz (1995). Insolente liberté. Controverses et condamnations au XIII siècle. Paris: Éditions du Cerf.
R. Saarinen (1994). Weakness of Will in Medieval Thought: From Augustine to Buridan. Leiden: Brill.
T. Williams (1995). "How Scotus Separates Morality from Happiness," American Catholic Philosophical Quarterly 69, 425-445.It had been my intention today to inaugurate a new feature called "Slow News Day Tuesday," but, after yesterday, I didn’t want to tempt fate. Fortunately, I had an alternate topic about which to write; viz., since I recently promised to begin previewing the 2011 college football season, it’s high time I got down to business, even though a comprehensive preview is available through Maple Street Press, whose Georgia Bulldogs annual should be on newsstands now! Nevertheless, I am duty-bound to bring you all the data and insights at my disposal in both printed and digital form, so we now turn to the Classic City Canines’ opening opponent, the Boise St. Broncos.
What would you like to know about Boise State? Well, for one thing, the Broncos’ fans really, really, really want to win this game!
In a way, of course, I understand that; after all, this game probably is more important for Georgia than it is for Boise State, which Bulldog Nation recognized from the moment the game was scheduled. However, if I put up a poll question here asking fans to rank the games on the Red and Black’s 2011 slate in order of importance, there’s no doubt in my mind that fans would rather beat a seven-win Florida Gators outfit than a twelve-win Boise State club. Heck, as badly as I want to win the opener in the Dome, beating the South Carolina Gamecocks is significantly more important for the course of the season.
I mention that not to minimize the significance of the September 3 showdown, which likely will set the tone for the entire autumn for both contestants, but to put it in context, and, thus, in perspective. Viewed in that light, I have a tough time seeing why the Bronco faithful are so fixated on this game. All right, I know, we beat BSU like a yard dog in 2005, but, since then, Boise State has done the following:
At this point, a Boise State fan attaching outsized significance to a win over Georgia to avenge a 2005 loss is akin to a Georgia fan attaching outsized significance to a win over the USC Trojans to avenge the Bulldogs’ setbacks in Los Angeles in the 1930s. It’s ancient history; we respect the Broncos; let’s not treat this game like it’s a bigger deal than it is, because it’s plenty big enough as it stands.
Certainly, the boys in Bristol are hyping heavily the marquee matchup of the season’s first Saturday night, but, when I was asked to identify the most underreported angle on the game, I replied:
Clearly, the most under-discussed aspect of the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Classic is the fact that Georgia actually intends to field a team in this game. I understand that Boise State will be, and by all rights should be, favored in this game, but, to hear ESPN tell it, the most compelling storyline of this contest is whether the Broncos will squeak by with a mere 30-point victory or whether they really will put a whipping on the Bulldogs. If I didn't know any better, I'd think the Worldwide Leader was predicting the outcome of an outing between the Denver Broncos and the Yale Bulldogs.
That’s not to say the commentators are unjustified in favoring Boise State to win; it was reasonable to forecast a BSU victory even before the Bulldogs’ depth at tailback became as thin as, well, the Athenians’ depth on the offensive line and in the defensive secondary. Chris Petersen, while enjoying his success in a highly specific context, nevertheless has lost fewer times in his head coaching career than Mark Richt lost in the 2010 regular season. Coach Petersen has guided the Broncos from the sideline in 32 home games, and he has never walked off of the blue turf after a Boise State loss. "Coach Pete" is 3-0 against top ten teams and 6-1 against squads from automatically-qualifying BCS leagues. He hasn’t lost a game at an even nominally neutral site or against an out-of-conference opponent since suffering a one-point setback to eleventh-ranked Texas Christian in the 2008 Poinsettia Bowl.
Fortunately, even the Broncos are not without their flaws, and SB Nation’s Boise State weblog has provided a helpful overview of BSU’s question marks heading into the 2011 campaign. These are they:
Replacing Austin Pettis and Titus Young at wide receiver
Complete lack of experience in the kicking game
Losing Bryan Harsin
A void at strong safety
Starting two newbies on the right side of the O-line
Playing in a brand new conference against brand new teams
That last one, obviously, benefits the Bulldogs not at all, but a few of those potential holes offer some intriguing opportunities for the Red and Black. We all know that the battle between Georgia’s experienced yet thin offensive line and Boise State’s undersized yet underrated defensive line represents one of the key matchups of this game, but we in Bulldog Nation may not have been paying adequate attention to the war in the trenches when the Broncos have the ball.
Despite returning the lion’s share of the starters on offense, Boise State will be fielding sophomores Jake Broyles and Spencer Gerke at right guard, alongside sophomore Charles Leno and redshirt freshman Greg Dohmen at right tackle. Here is where having Justin Houston back would have come in damned handy, but junior Abry Jones, who sits atop the depth chart at left end, will get the chance to make his mark against the underclassmen on the right side of the Bronco line. Jones, you may recall, capped off the 2010 regular season with 16 tackles and a |
conomic departments found best balance with a 4.5:1 ratio in favor of registered Democrats, but history departments skewed 33:5:1 for Democrats. A significant number of departments had no registered Republicans at all.
Other well-respected universities include:
Boston University 40:1.
John Hopkins University 35:1.
Tufts 32:1
Columbia 30:1
Princeton 30:1
Boston College with a moderate 22:1 ratio in favor of registered Democrats.
Since assistant professors are more likely to be registered Democrats, as the generational transition moves forward many more top positions in academia are filled by progressives who self-identify with their peers within a set of “sacred values”. As the quest for tenure is allocated via “departmental majoritarianism”, “excessive concurrence-seeking” produces a psychological “other” into which they box their conservative peers.
In any rational quest for diversity, such numbers would not be acceptable. The problem, however, isn’t only the lack of diversity when it comes to ideologies fueling the minds of those teaching our children, but the outright hostility presented to their conservative peers, and the environment on campus to which conservative students are exposed.
In a study published in Perspectives on Psychological Science, Yoel Inbar and Joris Lammers found significant evidence for open hostility in academia directed towards conservatives, generating an environment where both conservative academics and students “fear negative consequences of revealing their political beliefs to their colleagues”. They additionally found evidence that progressive academics tilt paper reviews against colleagues known to harbor conservative ideologies, hamper their hiring, and “discriminate against openly conservative colleagues” with a correlation suggesting that “the more liberal respondents were, the more they said they would discriminate”. In support of this data, the study found that the more conservative respondents were, the more they reported experiencing a hostile academic environment.
One would expect this discrimination to be hidden, masked in the corners of their ivory towers but it appears this is not the case. Rather, discrimination takes place openly, with peer approval, in an environment not dissimilar to the gossipy hallways of your local high-school.
Writing on the problem of leftist ideological hegemony in academia, Robert Maranto offers baseball as an analogy: “In baseball, fans of different teams can agree on general issues concerning rules, umpiring, and performance evaluation because such matters are separable from support for a specific team. In academia, however, we find that rules and standards for performance are not separable from support for specific beliefs. Ideological sensibilities and commitments in academia tend to be bound up with notions of the whole academic enterprise. That is, one’s positions on how performance should be umpired or evaluated and one’s support for a certain “team” are not separable.”
The oft-heard retort to the progressive flavor of academia is that “reality has a well-known liberal bias”, at least according to Stephen Colbert. Inbar and Lammers suggest this mantra of the left may be the result of conservatives not being invited to the discussion, and ostracized when they dare to make their voice known. This is disheartening, they say, because political and moral beliefs cannot be judged against empirical evidence in the hard sciences, and scientific reality is not dictated by political leaning. The speed of light remains constant when measured by both conservatives and liberals.
One would expect critical thinking, true objectivity, balanced reason, and clarity of expression free from groupthink and dogma to be found in the storied halls of our great institutions of learning. While this may once have been true, this growing collection of studies demonstrate that not only are universities becoming more dominated by the ideology of the left, but that openly displaying any sort of conservative leaning is often met with outright hostility and the potential stunting of your academic career.
College campuses have become islands of totalitarianism & intolerance Check out my segment w/ @DonaldJTrumpJr @EricTrump & @seanhannity pic.twitter.com/vpPYmlWsaT — Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) February 3, 2017
This climate of hostility is not limited to academic professors, it’s now a near unanimous experience of conservative students on campus, and conservative youths residing in typically liberal neighborhoods now fear to publically expose their identities:
Originally published at: http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2017/02/study_liberaltoconservative_faculty_ratio_in_academia_will_blow_your_mind.html
AdvertisementsKing Abdullah wants to wipe Israel and Iran off the map
Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah probably refrained from expressing at least half this sentiment in his meeting today with President Obama: On June 5, he reportedly told French Defense Minister Hervé Morin that "There are two countries in the world that do not deserve to exist: Iran and Israel."
The scoop comes from Georges Malbrunot, a French journalist with Le Figaro. Malbrunot, a respected Middle East correspondent who spent four months as a hostage of the Islamic Army in Iraq, goes on to report that two sources, from diplomatic and military circles, have confirmed the story. He suggests that the anger directed as Israel was the result of the IDF raid on the Gaza-bound flotilla, which occurred just days before this outburst. (Hat tip goes to the eagle-eyed correspondents at Friday Lunch Club).
Update: Of course, the White House statement following the Obama-Abdullah meeting reaffirmed both leaders’ sincerest hope that the current round of proximity talks will lead to "two states living side-by-side in peace and security."Story highlights Xinjiang region has history of friction between Han Chinese and Uyghurs, a Muslim people
China has blamed recent spate of attacks in Xinjiang on separatists
Uyghurs complain of discrimination and harsh treatment by security forces in Xinjiang
Nine terror suspects were killed and another was captured in the volatile northwestern Chinese region of Xinjiang on Friday, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported, citing police.
No details were immediately available about the deaths in Xinjiang's Hotan prefecture, who the suspects were or what they were accused of doing.
Chinese authorities have stepped up security measures in Xinjiang following several recent attacks in the region, which has been the scene of ethnic strife between the indigenous Uyghurs, a mainly Turkic-speaking Muslim population, and Han Chinese.
On Monday, a gang wielding knives and axes killed and injured dozens of people in southern Xinjiang, Xinhua reported. Police shot and killed dozens of suspects in that incident, according to Xinhua.
JUST WATCHED Xinjiang attacks shifting to civilians Replay More Videos... MUST WATCH Xinjiang attacks shifting to civilians 02:41
JUST WATCHED Tensions in western China Replay More Videos... MUST WATCH Tensions in western China 02:17
A suicide bombing in May killed 39 people at a street market in the region's capital, Urumqi. Another apparent suicide bombing left three dead in April at an Urumqi train station.
The Chinese government has blamed recent violent incidents in Xinjiang on Uyghur separatists seeking to establish an independent state.
Waves of Han Chinese have flocked to the resource-rich region, fueling tensions with the Uyghurs, who regard themselves as culturally and ethnically closer the people of nations bordering western China, such as Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Xinjiang is now home to more than 8 million Han Chinese, up from 220,000 in 1949, and 10 million Uyghurs. Unemployment among Uyghurs is high, and they complain of discrimination and harsh treatment by security forces.OTTAWA—Canada’s soon-to-be-announced peace mission to Africa will attempt to tackle “root causes of conflict” because going to fight is not justification enough for deployment, says Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. “Canada has an awful lot to offer other than just stopping people from shooting at each other,” Trudeau said Thursday, though he added that is “an important and one of the first things that we want to do” in any engagement.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and 18 of his cabinet ministers held a forum with students from Ottawa-area high schools on Nov. 3, 2016. ( Bruce Campion-Smith / Toronto Star )
However, Trudeau said Canadians expect a “layered approach” to any United Nations mission that will “create the conditions for longer-term stability and security.” Trudeau’s Liberal government is weighing where to dispatch up to 600 Canadian troops and 150 police officers on an African peace mission. Trudeau told reporters that a decision is expected “in the coming weeks.” Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan suggested the “peace operation” will include the goal of countering the radicalization of youth in impoverished countries.
Article Continued Below
At a news conference and at an earlier town hall session with 300 high school students to mark a year since the Liberal government took power, Trudeau and Sajjan articulated some considerations in the government’s looming decision. “It’s not just about going out and fighting and trying to solve conflict,” said Sajjan. “We need to start looking at the root cause and preventing it in the first place.” That means looking at a problem “not just from a national defence perspective, it’s going to be looking at a whole-of-government perspective, of having an impact for the youth that are out there,” Sajjan told the students. Sajjan referred to the strikingly youthful population of most African countries, where 50-60 per cent of people are aged 24 or younger. “Instead of them being radicalized and going into other groups” Canada will aim to empower them, he said. However, when later asked how Canada can resolve entrenched sources of conflict such as ethnic and tribal rivalries, corrupt mining industry practices, or the actions of government leaders with weak democratic or unconstitutional mandates, Trudeau referred only broadly to Canada’s recognized strengths “whether it’s in terms of corporate social responsibility, whether it’s regarding our justice system or our governance systems, whether it’s the understanding that diversity can be a plus for a country and not a wedge or a point of weakness.”
The “town hall” event featured for the second time this week Trudeau interacting with students drawn from high schools in the Ottawa-Gatineau region. Like an earlier encounter that highlighted Canada’s Olympic athletes, it had a celebratory and self-congratulatory tone. Trudeau asked 18 cabinet ministers seated behind him to list their proudest moments of the past year. Some touted policy moves like the Canada Child Benefit changes, the admission of Syrian refugees, or aid to Fort MacMurray after the devastating forest fire. Others said it was being included in a gender-balanced and diverse cabinet.
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However, Sajjan said his proudest moment came when Trudeau “had the courage” to say the mission should not be just a deployment of military muscle. Sajjan is headed to Mali and Senegal next week on a fact-finding mission, his second to Africa this year. In August, he travelled to the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, all against the backdrop of the Liberal pledge to commit troops to an African mission. “Canadian Armed Forces has a role to play,” said Sajjan Thursday. But he emphasized the need for broader solutions because Canadian soldiers are “asked to do some tremendous work that has an impact but has also a tremendous toll on them as well.” Meanwhile, at defence headquarters, military staff are crafting the options that Sajjan and Gen. Jonathan Vance, the chief of defence staff, will take to cabinet for deliberation and a decision in the weeks ahead. Unlike the haste that marked the military’s early deployment to Afghanistan, defence officials say the Liberals are taking a slow and deliberate approach to this mission. “We’re being given the time and space to develop some options,” one official told the Star. Asked what those options might be, the official pointed to the military’s recent deployments to Iraq and Ukraine, which each had a focus on training, and suggested that would be the emphasis of the Africa deployment as well. It’s likely the Canadian deployment will include equipment as well, such as helicopters, to assist local and allied forces. Even when a decision is made, the logistics of mounting the deployment means it will be months yet before troops actually hit the ground. “It’s complicated to put a regular-sized force in Africa,” the official said.
Read more about:There really can't be any adult in this great big world that has never tried coffee. It's consumed everywhere, and judging by the amount of Starbucks locations in the United States alone, (in 2012, there were 10,924!) we love our caffeine.
And that's fine. In fact, there are many advantages to being one of the 54 percent of Americans over 18 who drink coffee everyday. Coffee can be pretty amazing for your brain, your skin and your body. Read on to discover 11 reasons you should wake up and smell the coffee...
Americans get more antioxidants from coffee than anything else.
Just smelling coffee could make you less stressed.
Researchers at the Seoul National University examined the brains of rats who were stressed with sleep deprivation and discovered that those who were exposed to coffee aromas experienced changes in brain proteins tied to that stress. Note, this aroma study doesn't relate to stress by itself, only to the stress felt as a result of sleep deprivation. Now, we're not entirely sure if this means you should keep a bag of roasted coffee beans on your nightstand every night, but feel free to try!
Coffee could lessen the symptoms of Parkinson's disease.
ScienceDaily reported in 2012 that drinking coffee may help people with Parkinson's disease control their movement. Ronald Postuma, MD, the study author, said, "Studies have shown that people who use caffeine are less likely to develop Parkinson's disease, but this is one of the first studies in humans to show that caffeine can help with movement symptoms for people who already have the disease."
Coffee is great for your liver (especially if you drink alcohol).
A study published in 2006 that included 125,000 people over 22 years showed that those who drink at least one cup of coffee a day were 20 percent less to develop liver cirrhosis -- an autoimmune disease caused by excessive alcohol consumption that could lead to liver failure and cancer. Arthur L Klatsky, the lead author of the study, told The Guardian, "Consuming coffee seems to have some protective benefits against alcoholic cirrhosis, and the more coffee a person consumes the less risk they seem to have of being hospitalised or dying of alcoholic cirrhosis."
Studies have also shown that coffee can help prevent people from developing non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). An international team of researchers led by Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School revealed that drinking four or more cups of coffee or tea a day may be beneficial in preventing the progression of NAFLD.
Coffee can make you feel happier.
A study done by the National Institute of Health found that those who drink four or more cups of coffee were about 10 percent less likely to be depressed than those who had never touched the java. And apparently it's not because of the "caffeine high" -- Coke can also give you a caffeine high, but it's linked to depression. Study author, Honglei Chen, MD, PhD, told Prevention.com that the proposed reason coffee makes you feel good is because of those trusty antioxidants.
Coffee consumption has been linked to lower levels of suicide.
A study done by the Harvard School of Public Health determined that drinking between two and four cups of coffee can reduce the risk of suicide in men and women by about 50 percent. The proposed reason is because coffee acts as a mild antidepressant by aiding in the production of neurotransmitters like serotonin, dopamine and noradrenaline.
Coffee could reduce your chances of getting skin cancer (if you're a woman).
Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School followed 112,897 men and women over a 20-year period and, apparently, women who drink three or more cups of coffee a day are much less likely to develop skin cancer than those who don't.
Coffee can make you a better athlete.
The New York Times reports, "Scientists and many athletes have known for years, of course, that a cup of coffee before a workout jolts athletic performance, especially in endurance sports like distance running and cycling." Caffeine increases the number of fatty acids in the bloodstream, which allows athletes' muscles to absorb and burn those fats for fuel, therefore saving the body's small reserves of carbohydrates for later on in the exercise.
Coffee could reduce your risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.
Drinking coffee could help keep your brain healthier for longer.
Researchers from the University of South Florida and the University of Miami found that people older than 65 who had higher blood levels of caffeine developed Alzheimer's disease two to four years later than others with lower caffeine. Dr. Chuanhai Cao, a neuroscientist at the USF, and co-author of the study, said, "We are not saying that moderate coffee consumption will completely protect people from Alzheimer's disease. However, we firmly believe that moderate coffee consumption can appreciably reduce your risk of Alzheimer's or delay its onset."
Coffee may make you more intelligent.
You usually drink coffee when you are sleep-deprived, right? Well, that much-needed jolt not only keeps you awake, it makes you sharper. CNN reports that coffee allows your brain to work in a much more efficient and smarter way. TIME reporter, Michael Lemonick, says, "When you're sleep-deprived and you take caffeine, pretty much anything you measure will improve: reaction time, vigilance, attention, logical reasoning -- most of the complex functions you associate with intelligence."CLOSE 18 correctional officers, 35 inmates and 27 outside “facilitators” were charged in a prison conspiracy to smuggle and sell drugs. Video by Ralph Musthaler
Buy Photo Stephen T. Moyer, Secretary of the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services, speaks to the press about an operation which indicted 80 people at Eastern Correctional Institution at the US Attorney's Office in Baltimore on Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2016. (Photo: Staff photo by Ralph Musthaler)Buy Photo
The Eastern Correctional Institute is the site for the largest case ever brought to a federal grand jury in the U.S. District Court of Maryland, U.S. Attorney Rod Rosenstein announced Wednesday.
Eighty people have been charged in the indictment with smuggling drugs, cigarettes, cellphones and pornographic DVDs inside the Westover facility for sale. Eighteen correctional officers, 35 inmates and 27 smugglers on the outside have been named in the two indictments, which were returned on Sept. 29 by the grand jury.
The smuggling ring, unlike the take over of the Baltimore City Detention Center by the Black Guerrilla Family in the late 2000s and early 2010s, was not the act of one gang, nor one man, Rosenstein said at a news conference Wednesday.
"There were various leaders and various gangs working here," Rosenstein said. "It was a conspiracy because every member of it could foresee the scale of it.... As far as the correctional officer corruption is concerned, this was on the lowest of levels. These were entry level correctional officers operating here."
But even members of the conspiracy could see parallels to the Black Guerrilla Family smuggling ring, according to the indictment. In a communication intercepted by federal authorities, a former correctional officers accused of working as a "facilitator" — someone on the outside that delivered goods to the correctional officers to smuggle inside the facility — likened the ring to it.
"It's crazy," said the woman in the intercepted communication. "I hope it ain't nothing like, remember did you see on the news what happened down BCDC out here? Over at City Jail. Bout a year maybe 2 years ago, it was a BGF dude he was pretty much doing the same thing, the whole time like somebody listening on the conversation, somebody was telling pretty much."
READ MORE: List of those indicted in ECI smuggling ring
The details
According to the indictments, ECI is the largest state prison in Maryland, operating since 1987 in Somerset County. ECI is a medium-security prison for men built as two identical compounds (East and West) on 620 acres, and housing more than 3,300 inmates.
The East and West Compounds are further divided into Housing Units, 1 through 4 in the West and 5 through 8 in the East. The grand jury split the indictments between the East and the West compounds, with nine COs, 17 ECI inmates and 13 outside suppliers charged in connection with activities in the West side compound and nine COs, 18 ECI inmates and 14 suppliers being charged on the East side compound.
The outside suppliers would deliver contraband — most popularly Subboxone and cigarettes — to the COs who would then smuggle it inside on their persons, according to the indictment. Once inside the facility, the COs would deliver the goods to the inmates who would in turn resell it, the indictment states.
Cellphones, according to Rosenstien, fueled the ring.
"The presence of cellphones allowed for the inmates to place orders for contraband to the outside facilitators," Rosenstein said. "Some people assume prisons are like an island, where we can lock up people and they won't have contact with the outside. It doesn't work that way — you have three shifts of correctional officers coming through, you have delivery men and repair men and inmates coming in and out."
The smuggling scheme was busted open in 2013, after a correctional officer took his or her concerns to the warden, according to Rosenstein. Originally, the Somerset County State's Attorney Office received the case, but it decided to pass it over to federal prosecutors due to a lack of resources, Rosenstein said.
"Early on, we worked closely with the office and they gave us a lot of information to get this case off the ground," he said. "This case, like any case, started with a tip."
Stephen Moyer, secretary of the Maryland department of public safety and correctional services, said his department teamed up with federal investigators to look into the allegations. He said currently there are cases pending "all over the Maryland prison system."
"We're working tirelessly to root out corruption within the prison system," Moyer said. "We will find any body who is corrupt, we will prosecute you and send you to prison."
According to the indictments, although COs and other ECI employees were required to pass through security screening at the entrance to ECI, defendant COs were able to hide contraband on their persons. Further, COs took breaks during their shifts and returned to their cars to retrieve contraband.
Once the COs had the smuggled contraband inside the facility, they delivered it to: inmates in their cells; clerk’s offices, which were private offices within each housing unit where an inmate clerk worked; the officer’s dining room where officers could interact with inmate servers and kitchen workers; and pre-arranged “stash” locations like staff bathrooms, storage closets, laundry rooms and other places where contraband could be hidden and then later retrieved by inmates. COs and delivered contraband to inmates.
The affidavits filed in support of the search warrants discuss an inmate who admitted paying COs $3,000 per week to smuggle. According to the West compound indictment, another inmate said he aimed to make $50,000 before he was released.
The indictment alleges that defendant inmates who had jobs that allowed them to move throughout the housing unit and elsewhere in the prison, commonly referred to as “working men,” took orders for contraband from inmates, provided orders to corrupt.
READ MORE: ECI library an escape for prisoners
According to court documents, the conspirators rented post office boxes to send drugs and bribe payments to the COs.
The indictment alleges that COs warned inmates when the prison administration was planning cell searches so that the inmates could hide contraband or pass it to other inmates whose cells were not being searched. The COs also monitored inmates to determine if they were providing information to the prison administration about contraband smuggling. When the COs learned that inmates were providing information to the prison administration, they would allegedly try to prevent them from doing so or would alert defendant inmates so that they could retaliate against these inmates, sometimes violently.
According to the indictment, defendants used violence to obtain contraband once it was smuggled into the facility, to ensure that contraband paid for by an inmate was delivered to that inmate, and to retaliate against inmates that provided information, or attempted to provide information, to the prison administration about corrupt COs and contraband smuggling, or that otherwise interfered with their contraband trafficking activities.
For example, the West Compound indictment alleges that an inmate was stabbed at the direction of a defendant CO after the inmate filed a complaint against the CO which caused the CO to be removed from the housing unit. At the time of his removal, the CO owed several inmates contraband that he had been bribed to smuggle into ECI.
Buy Photo Rod J. Rosenstein, US Attorney for the District of Maryland, speaks the press about an announcement about an 80 member indictment of a drug smuggling ring at Eastern Correctional Institute on Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2016. (Photo: Staff photo by Ralph Musthaler)
Aftermath
Each defendant faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for the racketeering conspiracy, and for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute drugs. Two correctional officers and two inmates charged in the indictment covering the West Compound at ECI also face a maximum of 10 years in prison for deprivation of rights under color of law for allegedly participating in the stabbing of two inmates in separate incidents. Initial appearances for the correctional officers and facilitators arrested today are being held in U.S. District Court in Baltimore. The inmates charged in the indictments will have initial appearances at a later date.
Gov. Larry Hogan released the following statement in response to the announcement of federal indictments of 80 defendants involved in a racketeering conspiracy at the Eastern Correctional Institution in Westover:
“The indictments announced today are a clear victory in the fight against corruption, and I want to thank all the hardworking federal and state law enforcement officers whose tireless dedication and sacrifice made it possible. This morning, I spoke with Maryland U.S. Attorney Rod Rosenstein and personally commended him for his work and partnership with our state investigators to successfully execute this complex operation.
“While running for office, I made it clear that the systemic corruption that had been allowed to take hold in our state prison system was unacceptable, and I promised Marylanders that our administration would combat it head on. Today, together with our federal partners, we have taken decisive action to make good on that promise.
“I hired Secretary Stephen Moyer with the directive to aggressively root out corruption in our state correctional facilities, and that is exactly what he has done. From closing the notoriously dangerous Baltimore City Men’s Detention Center to the many actions taken over the course of this investigation, our administration has been and will remain steadfastly committed to stopping this kind of illicit criminal behavior.
“I want to publicly thank U.S. Attorney Rod Rosenstein, the FBI and other federal authorities, Secretary Moyer and the Maryland Department of Corrections, and the Maryland State Police, all of whom worked tirelessly, and at great personal risk, to see justice done.
“Under this administration, Maryland will remain unafraid to target corruption and criminal behavior of all kinds.”
Read or Share this story: http://www.delmarvanow.com/story/news/local/maryland/2016/10/05/80-people-indicted-two-eci-drugs-racketeering/91603354/One the of the main advantages of the new WebExtensions API is that it is less likely to cause security or stability problems for users. This means we can review these add-ons faster, and we have adapted our review flow accordingly. For the past few months we have reduced review wait times for add-ons written using the WebExtensions API. Today we’re taking another big step in that direction.
Add-ons built on the WebExtensions API will now be automatically reviewed. This means we will publish add-ons shortly after uploading. Human reviewers will look at these pre-approved add-ons, prioritized on various risk factors that are calculated from the add-on’s codebase and other metadata. This change is now live, and we plan to continue augmenting it in the coming months.
These changes give developers a much improved upload and publishing experience, but also comes with more responsibility on their end. Issues that arise during review can still lead to rejection of a version or a whole listing. This will now happen after publication, rather than before. We’re in the process of editing a new Review Policy that will make the rules, exceptions, and consequences clearer for everyone.You probably noticed that lately I haven't been blogging as frequently as I used to. Today I'm letting you in on my little secret:
I wish I could share the actual cover of the book featuring a cool animal, but for now the front page will have to do since the cover hasn't been designed yet.
So now you know. I'm writing a book on Flask. But what does that mean? How will the book be different from the Mega-Tutorial series?
When I wrote the first Mega-Tutorial article I didn't know how many articles the entire series would have, nor the specific topics I was going to cover. I just went with the flow and wrote about what I found interesting at the time. It was a learning experience for me.
Writing a book is much more difficult. I have to make sure that there is consistency (both in technical content and writing style) between all the chapters. It's like writing a single very long article that is published all at once and that must be as polished as possible from the start, since making corrections after publication, while possible, is a more complicated process than editing a blog post.
I expect there will be some similarities between the Mega-Tutorial and the book. The book will feature a web application, but it will not be microblog. The structure of the new application will be better than that of microblog, which grew organically as I developed it. I will make this new application available online as a demonstration at some point in the future. This is, of course, a dirty strategy. I will be showing you the eye candy to tempt you to go get the book!
Some of the topics I covered in the tutorial will also appear in the book, but there are a number of topics I did not feature in the series that will receive attention in the book. I haven't determined what the final structure of the book is yet, but I know the following topics are among those that will be covered in detail:
Databases
User authentication
Ajax and RESTful APIs
Administration pages
Hosting
I'm also interested in having some information on Web Sockets in the book, but haven't found a way to fit it with the rest yet. If it ends up not making the cut this will be material that will appear here in my blog.
I'm sure you now want to know when the book will be available. Since I'm working with a publishing house the schedule is not entirely up to me. I still have a lot of writing to do, but assuming things go as I have planned the book should be available both in print and as en e-book in Q1 of 2014. I believe the folks at O'Reilly Media are likely to make an early release available online for people to review and provide feedback, so I'll let you know when and if that happens.
If you want to stay informed about the developments around this book I invite you to visit http://flaskbook.com, the book's official website. There isn't much right now, but you can subscribe to receive notifications (this site is owned and operated by myself).
Alternatively you can connect with me in the usual ways:
These are exciting times for the Flask community. If the rumors I'm hearing are correct I expect in the following months you will have not one but several books to choose from!
MiguelTomorrow is International AIDS day. Thirty years ago, in 1981, when Dr. Michael Gottlieb began working at the University of California Los Angeles Medical Center, the young doctor could not have imagined that within six months he would identify the first five patients with a disease later known as AIDS. Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome quickly became an international epidemic and the disease has changed the world. Sixty million people have been infected, and 30 million of them have died.
The first AIDS medication, AZT, hit the market in 1987. Twenty years later, a combination of drugs, called a cocktail, was used to defeat the disease. Over the last decade, drugs so effective that patients achieve near normal life expectancy with a high quality of life have been available.
AIDS testing at a clinic of the Israel AIDS Task Force in Tel Aviv, Jan. 15, 2008. Nir Kafri
HIV carriers today can give birth to children who are disease-free, they can work and even serve in the armed forces, and they may enter the U.S. (One of Barack Obama's first steps as U.S. president was to remove the ban on entry for HIV carriers ).
Nevertheless, while the Western world makes vast strides forward, Israel is still treading water and in fact lagging behind.
Individually tailored drugs needed
Drawing by Adam Glassman, reading 'lifesaver' on display at Dizengoff Center in Tel Aviv for International AIDS Day. Adam Glassman
One of medicine's aspirations is individually tailored treatment, which insures consistent use, safety and a high rate of effectiveness. While in other areas, doctors may merely dream of this, in the AIDS field today there are genetic screenings and drugs which can make the dream come true. Such treatment is of the utmost importance, because a lack of adherence to treatment protocol is highly dangerous, as it is likely to cause the virus to become drug-resistant. In order for patients to stick to their regimens, the treatment must be tolerable, and not cause difficult side effects.
Since each patient responds differently to drugs, individually tailored treatment reduces side effects to a minimum.
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The age of patients has been declining in recent years. Some of them are 22 or younger, and some carriers have been identified during army service. They will need drug treatment for many years. Yet, while other developed countries have begun using the new, more effective and safer drugs, in Israel they are not included in the first line of drugs covered by health insurance, following cutbacks in health funding.
In order to receive a new drug, the patient must first try an old one, suffer the side effects or discover that the virus has developed immunity to the drug, and only then receive the new one, which, if he had received it in the first place, would have saved him much suffering.
One of my friends, a doctor, was forced to cope with the cocktail's side effects for a month, after he was jabbed by an HIV carrier's needle. The immediate side effects include nausea, gas, diarrhea and difficulty concentrating, and long term effects such as metabolic disturbances, increase in lipids and malfunctions of the liver and kidneys.
One of the most disturbing effects is lipodystrophy, the degeneration of fatty tissues on the face, buttocks and limbs and their migration to the back and stomach. The phenomenon creates an aesthetic problem, as well as deficiencies in resistance to insulin and blood lipids which increase the danger of heart attacks and other circulatory system diseases.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently approved use of the new drug Tesamorelin to treat the problem of stomach fat, which improves the quality of life and apparently leads to a decrease in heart disease as well.
The stigma remains
If all this wasn't enough, while in the Western world, AIDS stepped out of the closet a long time ago, in Israel it is still a disease that many suffer in private. The stigma has hardly lifted and many carriers prefer to avoid exposure.
In France three months ago, a dentist who refused to treat an AIDS patient was brought to trial. In Israel many dentists, like many other doctors, refuse to treat carriers and there is no one to bring them to court.
Today it is clear that early detection increases the chances of slowing the epidemic, and so health departments the world over encourage AIDS testing. In Israel, however, many difficulties block the way. Recent research shows that early location of carriers and early treatment with antiretroviral drugs prevents 96 percent of the spread of the infection. All over the world the approach of treatment as prevention is being developed and is likely to save many from the disease.
Even if it is relatively expensive, it prevents more infections and therefore justifies itself in terms of effectiveness. Israel refuses to institute such a policy.
In addition, while the rest of the world (including poor countries ) encourage pregnant women to have an AIDS test as government policy, our government is blind. The declared policy in Israel is that there is no need to test women who do not belong to a high-risk group. And so, every year in Israel five children are born HIV carriers whose infection could easily have been prevented.
While until three years ago it was possible to say that Israel stood at the forefront of science and treatment, I am sorry to say today that this is no longer true. And since AIDS patients in Israel are anonymous, they will not go out into the streets and won't erect protest tents. It is our obligation as human beings, as a country, to change this policy. As Nelson Mandela said, our approach to AIDS reflects who we are as people.
The writer is chairman of the Israeli Association for AIDS Medicine and director of the AIDS and sexually transmitted disease clinic at the Sheba Medical Center.Hello and welcome to the 113th installment of the SWD.
Military events/news are listed below by the governorates:
Aleppo:
Another wave of Syrian Arab Army’s advances took place south of Maskanah. SAA captured Rasm Falah, Al-Jawim, and Mushirfa Kabira. The village of Al-Jawim is administratively part of Raqqa governorate, meaning that SAA now has, even though limited, presence in the governorate.
According to Amaq’s statement, IS’ destroyed SAA ‘s tank with an anti-tank guided missile in the village of Muftahih, south of Maskanah.
Situation around Maskanah. Source: Emmanuel
Raqqa:
Syrian Democratic Forces cleaned half of the IS’ pocket created yesterday northwest of Raqqa. SDF captured Rabia, Al-Adnaniyah, Al-Sakoura, and Bir al-Hashim, while the clashes with IS are still ongoing in Hawi Hawi, Yaarub, and Abu Sous. In the battles for the pocket, IS reportedly lost 36 fighters.
Situation around Raqqa. Source: Syrian Civil War Map
Al-Hasakah:
Amaq Agency claimed IS’ improvised explosive device destroyed a vehicle carrying |
the 13th-man meltdown of 2009.
But, just as quickly, Pura mentions the Grey Cup victories of 1966 (the year in which he was born), 1989, 2007 and 2013.
Even in 1997, when the Roughriders lost 47-23 to the Toronto Argonauts in the CFL’s championship game, there was something to savour. Pura made the trip from Grande Prairie to Edmonton for that game and was awestruck over the sea of green — without the gold — at Commonwealth Stadium.
One has to marvel at fans such as Pura, who are seemingly everywhere due to the seemingly limitless expanse of the Rider Nation.
A considerable distance may separate Pura from the home base of his favourite football team but, as sports franchises go, the Roughriders will always be closest to his heart.
“They’re just a part of your life,” Pura says. “There’s no such thing as having enough Rider gear.”
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twitter.com/robvanstoneAh, country living—fresh air, wide-open spaces, a slower pace of life. What's not to love? (Once you get used to those really quiet wide-open spaces, that is.) Yet in spite of all those vast acres just waiting for homeowners to stake a claim, country folks are a diminishing breed.
Recent U.N. statistics predict that the percentage of Americans living in rural areas will plummet from its current 46% to 34% by 2050. This exodus is largely tied to following the money (aka job opportunities), but those who do commit to life in the sticks will reap plenty of scientifically proven benefits.
Check out these reasons why country living rules.
Benefit No. 1: More 'vitamin G'
"Vitamin G" stands for greenery—trees and plants, which the country has in spades. Not merely pretty, they also come with serious benefits that science is just beginning to understand. Scientific studies have shown that when humans are deprived of greenery, they can suffer in a variety of significant ways.
For instance, a University of Michigan study found that when humans spend even a few minutes on a crowded city street, their brain is less able to retain information or control impulses. (Note to New Yorkers: This explains a lot.) Another study found that residents of apartments with views of concrete/asphalt reported higher levels of aggression and violence than did their counterparts living in identical buildings with tree views.
There's also air quality: People living around more trees and grass generally experience lower levels of air pollution, which has been linked to conditions associated with asthma and heart disease).
Benefit No. 2: Fewer psychological problems
Feel like the city is making you crazy? It actually might be. According to the journal Schizophrenia Bulletin, at least 10 studies have shown that people in urban areas are more likely to develop psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia. The available evidence suggests that more than one-third of all schizophrenia cases may be related to (or greatly exacerbated by) environmental factors in an urban setting.
Additional studies have shown that rural residents are less likely to have anxiety disorders. Scientists examined the prevalence of extreme anxiety in more than 345,000 residents of the Netherlands—male and female of all ages—and found substantially lower rates of disorders among those living in relatively green regions. In residential areas with 90% green space, the annual prevalence was 18 per 1,000; in areas with only 10% green space, the rate increased to 26 out of 1,000.
The same study found that green environments can also relieve sadness and depression. That's definitely something to smile about.
Benefit No. 3: You're less likely to get mugged
According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics' annual National Crime Victimization survey, violent crime rates in rural areas are nearly one-third lower than those in urban centers. In 2012, the rate of violent victimizations reported in metropolitan areas was 3.2%, as opposed to 2.1% in rural areas. Rape, murder, and property crime rates per capita are also substantially lower in rural areas. But it's worth noting that country dwellers should install home security systems, since the stats do indicate that home burglary rates are slightly higher in rural areas (probably due to the isolation and space between properties).
Benefit No. 4: You're more likely to own your home
Most people dream of owning, rather than renting, their own home some day, and it seems that possibility gets exponentially higher the farther into the country one is willing to venture. Recent National Census Bureau Statistics show that homeownership is higher in states with more rural communities such as West Virginia (76%), Michigan (74%), Vermont (74%), and Mississippi (73%) than in states with big urban centers such as Washington, DC (41%), New York (52%), and California (54%).
"There is no doubt that many of my clients find they get more for their money and are actually able to buy instead of rent when they move to more rural locations," says mortgage broker Heather Garriock with The Mortgage Group. "The only caveat is whether or not they'll be able to find enough work in those areas to support those mortgages. But on the whole the square footage per dollar is exponentially less expensive in the country."
Benefit No. 5: Lower cost of living
Many people cite a lower cost of living as a reason for making a rural move, and there's undisputed truth to this argument. While your basic food shopping trip might clue you into this ($12 for a box of Cheerios in Brooklyn?!), studies support it, too. For instance, research in the International Regional Science Review found that in Pennsylvania the average urban resident pays 6% more for all six major categories of goods—groceries, housing, utilities, transportation, health care, and miscellaneous goods and services—with the greatest difference (13%) occurring for housing costs.
"It is no secret that living outside of the city is more economical on many levels," says Kathryn Blaze, a real estate agent for Sotheby's International Realty who just relocated with her husband and son from New York City to central New Jersey for that reason. "That can become especially important when raising a family."
Not convinced that rural life is for you? Don't panic, urban dwellers! Tomorrow, we report on the awesome scientific benefits of metropolitan living. Read both to learn the good, the bad, and the ugly of calling each place home. But mostly the good.Although I was not surprised that my article (The IQ Gap is no Longer a Black and White Issue) attracted a lot of interest, I was actually shocked that it also impressed the Google Search algorithms. It became a top “authority” not only on topical searches like “black white IQ gap”, but even on very generic short search terms like “black IQ” or “white IQ”, proving once and for all that Google is indeed the wisest search engine!
In that article, I proposed that the academic performance of black immigrant children should have already sealed the debate on the black-white tested IQ gap in America, particularly on the question of whether it is a function of global racial evolution (Sub-Saharan African genes versus European genes), as most hereditarians believe, especially those who identify with the Human Biodiversity or HBD intellectual movement (generally known as “scientific racism” in academic circles, but we are avoiding such unkind terms). After going through many of the readers’ comments and all the response articles, I believe I have identified where the misunderstandings were (there were also a lot of educative comments). I will address the reactions (both from the comments and the articles) in a two or three part series of articles before giving my final position on what I believe is the true explanation of the mysterious black-white IQ gap in the US (I disagree with both environmentalist and hereditarian conclusions as presently conceived).
WHICH MEAN DO WE MEAN?
One of the biggest problems I had with the commenters were readers who apparently were only exposed to the statistical concept of Regression to the Mean from outside the IQ debate. Perhaps because they do not know exactly how it has been used as an empirical tool in hereditarian arguments, they understood my argument as being as follows: “Black African immigrants to the UK and the US are supposed to have children who have the same average IQ as everyone else in Africa through Regression to the (African) Mean; since they do not, I have just falsified all of hereditarian science since Francis Galton.” This made them immediately think it was an easy task to correct me by simply explaining (repetitively) that “that’s not how regression works,” or “those immigrants are not representative”, and so on, until they beat the poor straw man to its grave.
My actual argument was a bit less simplistic than that (and my goal was specifically to falsify the hereditarian conclusions on the question of the cognitive potential of blacks globally – it was not to “disprove” the validity of heredity or human population genetics as such; I’m not a “blank slatist”). The problem is not that the black immigrant children were not regressing to the point of equaling their source population mean IQ (that’s also not what hereditarians predict either), but that they were clearly not even moving (or being pulled) towards that extremely low IQ, as hereditarians predict. If the parents only barely survived the UK cognitive environment because they were a highly select group, then any such expected steep regression towards the black or African mean would ensure that their children would absolutely fail to survive in that complex environment, but it appears they do just as well as white children, if not better. Which means that either the regression to the mean principle has suddenly stopped working, or their source population genetic IQ potential average is much higher than what has been estimated by hereditarians; and these “impressive” parents were in fact not far above that average to begin with, which falsifies the models that led to such low genetic estimates.
The data indicates that the mysterious cognitive gap between blacks and whites in America would persist even if the whites were replaced with black Africans.
BLACK AMERICAN REGRESSION
Psychologist Arthur Jensen’s genetic hypothesis predicted that children of black elites with good incomes and attending fairly good schools would have a much lower mean IQ than children of white elites of equal IQ because the former come from a population with an IQ that is depressed by genes rather than just environment, relative to whites (after all, such high-income educated black elites are unlikely to provide a very harmful environment to their children).
The academic performance of American blacks indeed seemed to bear Jensen out. The children of high income black elites were scoring even lower than children of low IQ, poor whites on academic tests!
And this wasn’t just “racist” Arthur Jensen lying for some secret eugenicist cause. His reports have been confirmed in more recent times by none other than the Journal of Blacks in Higher Education (JBHE) and their data is probably even more damning than Jensen’s, even though their aims for reporting these astronomical gaps were obviously different.
This table is so disturbing that every IQ environmentalist should have been honest enough to acknowledge that it was a very strong point for the Jensen side, no matter what their motives may be. It does indeed appear as if black children are regressing toward a mysterious lower mean intelligence when a child of black parents making 200,000 dollars a year scores lower than a white child from a less than 20,000 dollars a year home – probably living in much worse neighborhoods and going to much worse schools. Almost all the excuses I have seen for this strange pattern do not hold up under scrutiny. The fact that a black family at 200,000 dollars income has less total wealth than a white family at the same income level is not a convincing explanation to me for this extreme SAT score gap. Africans in the UK who have both low income and low wealth have children performing at the white average or even above (and as I will definitively prove in part 2, this is certainly true of African immigrants in America too).
Neither is the supposed pervasive white racism argument too convincing. It’s just hard for me to see how racism can make black children of over 200,000 dollar income parents perform below 20,000 dollar whites (what’s that about?). The fact that these high income blacks live in good neighborhoods with high quality schools should have indicated to policy makers that the solution for black children underachievement is not more spending on education or taking poor blacks to schools in better neighborhoods (since the ones already living in good neighborhoods still perform badly); it is not even about improving their incomes, clearly. But that would be in a world where policy is driven by cold logic and data rather than hot sentiments and ideology (from the left or the right).
Instead of arguing directly against Jensen or rejecting his data (after I saw such numbers), my task was simply to show that these trends are not quite true for black African immigrants anywhere in the developed world, which means that hereditarians are also wrong on at least the racial factor in their explanation of black American underachievement. Hereditarian literature is full of extrapolations of these American social “experiments” to the whole world of blacks, which has led to the development of a number of evolutionary models on global racial intellectual potential differences that are creative but empirically indefensible, as our data is clearly showing when properly understood.
I actually know that the average African immigrants to the UK from any nation or tribe are not from the African elite class, economically or intellectually (even if there is a small segment from the super-professional class), as many people on both sides of the debate assume, but even if we granted that they are elites in this analysis, it can not be denied that their children do not “experience” anything close to the regression observed in children of confirmed black American elites in the US, regardless of parental income or wealth.
To make this totally clear, we can perform a short thought experiment. Let’s say we took a number of black American elites to the UK as expatriate workers, selected only from those professionals who make 200,000 dollars a year in their homes. Would their children perform significantly above the white average in the UK on academic tests? No. It is the same children who perform below the poor white children in America; a plane ride would not suddenly make them smart. This means that there will also be a gap between black American children and black African children (especially the English-speaking ones) in the UK that is similar to (or even larger than) the persistent gap between blacks and whites in America, thus confirming that their regression in America has nothing to do with racial IQ genetic potentials (it’s not a black and white issue).
If, on the other hand, these children of expatriate black American elites did somehow perform as well as children of black Africans (thus also closing the gap with whites), unlike their regressed performance in America, then the racial hereditarian case would still be falsified: it would point to something in the American environment that specifically affects native blacks rather than a simple genetic issue. Either result falsifies the HBD case: it’s one of those rare genuine cases of heads I win, tails you lose!
What this says is that it does not even matter if it is assumed that the black immigrants from Africa are highly select elites – even as highly select as the 200,000 dollar a year native blacks – because the performance of their children still defies the Jensen prediction of strong regression by performing way above where children of highly select black American elites perform.
This means that the genetic hypothesis is empirically falsified by black Africans even if it was validated by black Americans, despite the fact that the latter are supposed to even be helped by the presence of more white genes in them, as the same hereditarians have always argued!
Does this make sense so far?
THE BREEDER’S EQUATION
HBD blogger Jayman-from-Jamaica introduced the Breeder’s Equation counterargument into the discussion, which he apparently learnt from geneticist Gregory Cochran, as a model that he believes explains away all this data very easily. The basic idea is that the black immigrants are not only a highly select group, but that they basically form a new “breed” of people by marrying among themselves, rather than taking partners from the source population. This means that the children of such immigrants ultimately do not regress toward the mean IQ of the source population, but rather to the mean of the new higher-IQ parental sub-population, and it should thus easily explain away our “mystery.”
Not so fast. The regression to a higher bred population does not start with the first offspring population, according to the same Cochran article that Jayman linked to. These first ones should still regress toward the mean of the source population where their parents came from, and my article made clear that these were the main subject of our analysis, especially since substantial African immigration is a relatively new phenomenon. It is only their children (the grandchildren of the original immigrant parents) who would possibly stop regressing toward the source population mean if they married exclusively among fellow immigrants.
Jayman’s argument would probably be valid if this discussion was limited to the academic performance of multigenerational descendants of immigrants. But it applies to new immigrants (as stated in the article). For example, those children who speak African languages were likely born in Africa themselves before their parents migrated; they were certainly not born to UK-born parents. In fact, my examples of super-achieving Jamaican children like those at the gifted school in New York, were also actually born in Jamaica. Similarly, among the black African children who have been making news for their impressive school scores, all of them were either born in Africa before their parents migrated or they were born to recently migrated parents. The principle to remember (again) is that a plane ride does not change genes.
Interestingly, Jayman decided to quote some of the words of Cochran in a suspiciously selective fashion. He wanted to demonstrate that, contrary to my assertion, regression among self selected immigrants should only be “slight” or “a bit”, and therefore there is no “mystery” with our failure to observe a steep regression. In order to show this, he decided to quote Cochran’s words with an example that was actually inapplicable to our context and curiously omitted Cochran’s example that precisely confirmed my argument.
From Jayman in the comments section:
Now let’s look at the source link to see what words from Cochran’s article he replaced with those first three dots (see the omitted second paragraph, beginning “Do the same thing…”):
Cochran’s original post, in short, shows that there should indeed be a large regression for blacks (whether immigrants or not), at least in that first offspring generation. Jayman conveniently left out the only relevant example and Cochran’s words explicitly confirming that the regression from a population of IQ 85 should “regress to a lower mean” – as I said. It should regress even lower for those from Africa.
He further omitted a few more words that again emphasized how steep this regression should be and introduced another three dots at the precise point where Cochran explicitly states this, which indicates that he was probably doing this quite intentionally (see omitted second sentence below, beginning “The 120-IQ parents…”):
The sentence indicating that they “drop 17.5 points” is missing from Jayman’s quote above. This is apparently because he was preparing to say that his black immigrant family from Jamaica regressed from the migrating parents only “a bit,” as the Breeder’s Equation supposedly predicts. Except that if he truly believes that he is black (which is what our discussion is about), then the example with the 100 IQ mean population that he selected is obviously the wrong one since that is the IQ for white populations from Europe, not blacks from Jamaica. The much more appropriate example, using a population mean IQ of 85, had a regression amount that absolutely contradicts his claims of a slight regression. In short, Jayman’s own family life history, if it’s true that he is black and that his family regressed only “a bit lower,” is a data point that precisely refutes the empirically untenable HBD positions that he has apparently chosen to defend by any means necessary – including prevarication.
Giving him the benefit of the doubt at first, I assumed that Jayman just hadn’t read my article before rushing to comment and I told him as much. But after I noticed his selective pasting of Cochran and later, his comments on Karlin’s response article, I realized that the problem may be a bit bigger than that: The reason many of the super-confident pseudonymous HBD bloggers find reasonably complex issues to be “not a mystery” or “too easy” to explain, is probably because they do not understand them enough to appreciate their complexity or implications.
Anatoly Karlin’s response article, which Jayman praised for confirming that black immigrant IQ should be just “slightly regressed” (like his family’s), was actually built on a conceptual misunderstanding of the breeder’s equation. Karlin produced a breeder’s table showing how much African immigrants will regress to the mean before stopping to regress, thus forming a sub-population that is effectively white (like Jayman’s family!).
Putting aside the glaringly obvious fact that these regressions are anything but “slight” (from the 115 IQ parent), the fatal mistake in Karlin’s calculations is that he is working with “genotypic” IQs. These are IQs sans the “luck,” in Cochran’s formulation of regression to the mean through the breeder’s equation. The parental averages of such “real” IQs would have to be passed on to the offspring without any downward regression, contrary to Karlin’s calculations and Jayman’s endorsements.
The reason Karlin found himself in this conceptual trap was that, unlike Jayman, he understood that any calculation that puts the black immigrants at around 3 standard deviations above their source population mean is completely unrealistic (120 IQ immigrants in Jayman’s Cochran example would be over 3 SD above the African mean!). He found a creative way of going round this problem by proposing that they were only 2 standard deviations selected (which is actually also very unrealistic, as I later explain), but that they were robbed of 15 IQ points by their environment. It solves that one problem, but it is a Pyrrhic victory because you can’t regress after you declare a genotypic IQ. In short, his calculations without that conceptual mistake would show that these economic migrants would intellectually be like Jews or like the high-IQ Indian immigrants, a conclusion that he explicitly rejects.
Karlin also acknowledged the special insight of another HBD blogger, Pumpkinperson, who also confidently asserted that “it is very easy” to explain away all this data, before twisting himself in all kinds of conceptual problems.
The thrust of Pumpkin’s counter depended on an assumption that is astonishingly misguided. Whereas most experts find it quite difficult to estimate the quantity or even direction of immigrant selection, Pumpkin believes he has found the easy way to do this: you can merely compare the incomes of the immigrants in their rich host country with the average incomes in their poverty-stricken source populations and you have an IQ differential that tells you how select the immigrants were since IQ and income are correlated!
No matter how much I pointed out to him that there is no logical correlation between nominal individual incomes of people from such vastly different economies with IQ (no one has even claimed that), Pumpkin insisted that he had a useful tool that solves the problem. In short, he sincerely believes that African nurses who migrate to the UK have a higher real IQ than African surgeons who remain in Africa since such nurses are getting much more money in the UK compared to the surgeons!
I also have doubts on his mathematical application of “the parent-child IQ correlation” in these calculations, which looks like a non sequitur since that correlation doesn’t necessarily imply that the children should have a lower IQ than the parents. If this is what he is using for regression to the mean, it is very confused, not to mention that Karlin or Jayman should have jumped on him for contradicting the breeder’s equation since this is being applied after “several generations” of immigration, when regression should have already stopped.
At the end, Pumpkinperson even threatens to add more points to the immigrants’ estimated IQ since there are many other social benefits of being in the UK besides their nominal incomes (he already factored in their education levels in the UK after “several generations”, also compared between vastly different environments with incomparable educational opportunities).
With such liberally adjustable estimates of important quantitative variables available for your calculations, without the need to be firmly grounded in reality, you have the makings of a pseudoscience, in the truest Popperian sense: you can never be wrong no matter what the data says!
THE “WILLINGNESS TO MIGRATE” INSIGHT
How about the now-common argument that immigrants have higher intelligence since they have a willingness to migrate to a rich country? Both Pumpkinperson and Jayman had this idea in their arsenal of easy explanations. In Jayman’s words: “at the very least, there’s usually going to be selection for willingness to migrate vs. staying put ”.
I do not really know how it works in Jamaica, but I am quite confident that realizing that life is better in a very rich country than in your poor country is never exactly the most g-loaded epiphany among Africans. The immigration problem exists in Western countries precisely because just about everyone in the poor world has that “willingness to migrate” virtue; it is why there are no open borders. And if you know anything about the popularity of things like the green card lottery, you would probably suspect that it is not just a select few people at the top who possess this special insight.
In fact, as I claimed before, this sort of argument wasn’t always a hereditarian argument. But don’t take my word for it. We can quote from a book that is not generally considered a liberal environmentalist screed:
How about the idea that people who are willing to pack up and move to a strange place in search of a better life are self-selected for desirable qualities such as initiative, determination, energy, and perhaps intelligence as well? Given this plausible expectation, why not assume that the mean for immigrants is significantly higher than average for their ethnic groups? Here, the NLSY provides a snapshot of the effects on the distribution of intelligence of the people coming across our borders, insofar as we may compare the IQs of those who were born abroad with those who were born in the United States… Think back to the immigrant at the turn of the century. America was the Land of Opportunity – but that was all. There were no guarantees, no safety nets. One way or another, an immigrant had to make it on his own. Add to that the wrench of tearing himself and family away from a place where his people might have lived for centuries, the terrors of having to learn a new language and culture, often the prospect of working at jobs he had never tried before, a dozen other reasons for apprehension, and the United States had going for it a crackerjack self-selection mechanism for attracting immigrants who were brave, hard-working, imaginative, self-starting-and probably smart. Immigration can still select for those qualities, but it does not have to. Someone who comes here because his cousin offers him a job, a free airplane ticket, and a place to stay is not necessarily self-selected for those qualities. On the contrary, immigrating to America can be for that person a much easier option than staying where he is. From The Bell Curve, p 360 – 361.
Notice how rightly cautious scientists like Murray and Hernstein are about their claims here. They can not say for sure that intelligence was selected for even at the time in the past when it was extremely challenging for an immigrant to settle in the US. They knew that even then it was merely a plausible proposition (unlike more sure traits like initiative, determination, energy, bravery etc). Contrast this with the new intellectuals who are fully certain that intelligence is obviously being highly selected for today (among immigrants from everywhere), despite the fact that the challenging obstacles that would have made this claim merely plausible have largely dissipated, especially with the growth of the welfare state.
The bottom line is that all those extra intelligence points being thrown at the black migrants (to explain why their children are so smart) have very little basis in reality. There is probably more evidence for a negative selection than a positive one (generally), as the Bell Curve itself implied. There is certainly no evidence for the extremely high selection estimates from Africa asserted by the new HBD hereditarians.
Their common mistake of comparing the number of university degree holders in the immigrant group with those in the source population as a way of estimating selection is also based on faulty reasoning. We already know the IQ of students at an “elite” African university to be 85 or 1 standard deviation above the environmentally depressed African mean (according to the same hereditarian scholars like Rushton and Lynn). So, how can your calculations tell you that the immigrants are 2 or 3 standard deviations above the mean when they even have a much smaller number of university graduates? How can a full sample of university students be lower in intelligence than a sample containing only 20 per cent university degree holders or 50 per cent in the best cases (I even have reason to doubt this high degree-holder estimate for some African country migrants)? It would be remarkable if these largely uneducated migrants (25 percent of whom migrated through the green card lottery in the case of the US) just equaled the selection of a full sample of elite university students by also being as high as a full standard deviation above the African mean. And yet most HBD bloggers estimate them at twice that level of selection or more!
HBD blogger and scholar, Chuck, apparently knew that such estimations of immigrant selection were unrealistic about three years ago (according to a link to his defunct WordPress blog that he shared with me), and it appears he was actually on the verge of falsifying the HBD position himself despite calling his blog “occidental ascent”. Instead of searching for more decisive data on the matter, his biases apparently finally got the better of him and he instead found some clearly weak counter-data that only worked to rationalize his faith in the guiding tenets of racial HBD. But apparently he also now wants to have his cake and eat it:
[Chuck]: “...But I think that it’s reasonable to posit that Black Africans are at least 1 SD selected in IQ.. Nigerian/African emigrants fall around at least the 84% percentile in cognitive ability relative to the Nigerian/African mean.” “Generally, assuming that emigrant Black Africans are at least 1 SD selected relative to the mean and assuming that the h2 (narrow heritability) + c2 (shared environment) in Africa is ~0.6, the data is consistent with a proposed African “genotypic IQ” — a confused concept, but one everyone seems to employ — of 85. This is precisely what I deduced 3.5 years ago!”
Understood. But is this what he “precisely” deduced 3.5 years ago? No. He actually rejected what he is now arguing for in the comments section to my article, because he resolutely believed (correctly) that it was not so reasonable to have such high estimates of African immigrant selection.
Let’s paste his precise words from 3.5 years ago, from the same link he gave me:
“A more reasonable scenario, to my mind, is that they [African immigrants] represent no more than the 70th percentile of the g distribution or are no more than 0.55 SD above the phenotypic mean.”
So, only 3.5 years ago, it was “more reasonable” to estimate that the immigrants were “no more than 0.55 SD” selected, but now “it’s reasonable to posit” that they are “at least 1 SD selected” and those deductions are “precisely” the same?
As I said, this ability to adjust your “selection” estimates means that even if the African immigrant children scored a standard deviation above the white mean IQ, this would not be empirical proof of anything since these HBD intellectuals can just retroactively push up that immigrant self selection estimate until the math can work, which makes the science unfalsifiable by empirical means.
POLITICS?
My analysis on this issue has no political agenda, not even on the immigration question. If anything, I too do not believe that the current US or UK immigration system mostly selects for the best people from places like Africa (as it probably used to do very long ago). So, I am actually with the right wingers on this. The problem is that the right wingers are not with themselves. They want to have their cake and eat it. They say the immigration system is so broken that it does not select for the best. When the topic changes to the question of intelligence and it is pointed out that the immigrants’ children appear to be very smart, then suddenly many of the same people start saying “oh, what do you expect when Africa is just sending their PhD’s and doctors and engineers?”
Accepting that their children are smart would mean rejecting the idea that they are genetically lower since they are not regressing as expected; so, it must be that their parents are just super-selected. But accepting that their parents are super-selected means accepting that the immigration system is still working just fine. Which is it?
CONCLUSION
It is very important to remember that my argument does not actually depend on immigrant selection being absent or negative (it is the hereditarian defence that depends on it being absurdly high, just to have any chance of surviving the cruel data). The racial hereditarian case is so weak that even if we grant that these immigrants are highly selected for intelligence, all the way up to something as ridiculous as 2 standard deviations above the African mean (because that’s what you supposedly need to realize that the UK is better than Nigeria and to borrow some air ticket money from family and friends already there), the hereditarian predictions are still even then defied.
Remember our reason: the African children do not perform anywhere near as badly as the children of much more highly selected black American elites (the 200,000 dollar family income kind – all degree holders from Western universities) relative to white children, when hereditarians predict that they should perform much worse or similarly bad, at best. Their actual performance is so opposite of that prediction that there is now even a discussion of whether some of the African ethnicities in the UK have sometimes beaten the infamously “testocratic” Chinese students themselves on average (see part 2 for more convincing data on that question) when the discussion should really have been on whether they can beat the Irish Travelers who, according to hereditarian estimates, are supposed to have a higher average IQ than the elites of Africa!
That’s as falsified as a system of models can get, and if you think it is super easy to explain all this away without contradiction or concession, trust me: it is because you do not understand it. Yet.
Chanda Chisala, originally from Zambia, has been a John S. Knight Visiting Fellow at Stanford University, a Visiting Fellow at the Hoover Institution, and a Reagan-Fascell Fellowship at the National Endowment for Democracy.WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — Sociology and Criminology Professor Mike Adams has folks talking again at UNCW.
A group of students feels that Adams has gone too far with remarks on his Facebook and blog. Students say that Adams’s remarks on women, the mentally ill and the LGBT community have made them very uncomfortable on campus.
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In one blog post, Adams refers to student protestors at a recent abortion demonstration on campus as “animals” who need to be caged.
Students say this sort of environment is not one they wish to experience at school.
“We were really insulted by being called animals,” said Hannah Gilles, the Feminist Student Alliance Secretary. “Especially by a UNCW professor, because we figure he’s supposed to be held to a higher standard.”
University spokesman Janine Iamunno says several administrators in Student Affairs meant with a group of students Monday night to talk about rumors the school’s LGBT office may be closed. They also discussed their concerns about Adams’s comments.
“Our Student Affairs team also clarified the university policies regarding harassment to illustrate that while the comments made on a faculty member’s personal website may have been upsetting, they likely would not qualify as violating the university’s harassment policy and are typically considered protected speech under the US and NC constitutions,” Iamunno said. “They also shared resources for the students to utilize if they did feel their personal safety was at risk.”
But that may not be enough for some students.
“I want to know when does freedom of speech end and harassment begin?” asked Mikaela Flemming, a UNCW student. “For them, does that mean we have to wait until there is a direct threat?”
We spoke with Dr. Adams Tuesday. He said he didn’t know students were bothered by his posts, and wasn’t informed of a meeting last night.
Editor’s note: A video version of this story incorrectly applied a university spokeswoman’s statement to several comments posted by Dr. Adams, but the statement was directed only to specific comments that she was shown. We apologize for any confusion, and as a result have removed the video to prevent further confusion.Cincinnati Archdiocese bulking up morality clause in teacher contracts At the top, it reads "Teacher-Minister" and the morals clause has grown from a line or two to an entire paragraph. Share Shares Copy Link Copy
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WEBVTT into work saying, 'Hey, guesswhat, that story of Jesus, it'sa fairy tale, don't believe it.Or hey, guess what, you shouldreally have sex before marriage,or you know what, you shouldprobably be gay."MAKING THE RULES CLEAR.. ORTAKING THE RULES TOO FAR?THE CINCINNATI ARCHDIOCESE ISNOW SPELLING OUT... WHAT'SEXPECTED OF ITS TEACHERS.... ANDWHAT HAPPENS IF THE TEACHERSDON'T PLAY BALL.WLWT NEWS 5'S JOHN LONDON ISLIVE.... WITH A DETAILED LOOKAT THE NEW MORAL CLAUSE BEINGWRITTEN INTO CONTRACTS.START RIGHT AT THE TOP. IT NOWREADS: TEACHER-MINISTER... AND WHERE THEMORALS CLAUSE WAS PREVIOUSLYBASICALLY A LINE OR TWO... IT'SNOW A CLEARLY SPELLED-OUTPARAGRAPH YOU EITHER AGREE TOABIDE BY OR RISK LOSING YOURJOB.The new teacher contracts aresix pages instead of two. Andthe language of the moralsclause has been expanded.Teachers will be required torefrainfrom any conduct or lifestylethat contradicts Catholicdoctrine or morals. Improper useof social media... Publicsupport of or publicly livingtogether outside marriage...Same for sexual activity out ofwedlock... Public support of orhomosexual lifestyle...(Dan Andriacco - CincinnatiArchdiocese) ("We found that anumber of our teachers weren'treally clear on what would beoutside of Catholic teaching.So, we consider this to be afavor to them, it's fairer tothem...") The litany of explicitprohibitions goes on to includeabortion... Public support of oruse of a surrogate mother...Public support of or use of invitro fertilization orartificial insemination... |
" was, in fact used in conjunction with scalp hunting in the 19th century. In 1863 a Winona, Minnesota, newspaper, the Daily Republican, printed an announcement: "The state reward for dead Indians has been increased to $200 for every red-skin sent to Purgatory. This sum is more than the dead bodies of all the Indians east of the Red River are worth."[35] A news story published by the Atchison Daily Champion in Atchison, Kansas, on October 9, 1885, tells of the settlers' "hunt for redskins, with a view of obtaining their scalps", worth $250.[36] In his early career as the owner of a newspaper in South Dakota, L. Frank Baum wrote an editorial upon the death of Chief Sitting Bull in which he advocates the annihilation of all remaining Redskins in order to secure the safety of white settlers, and because "better that they die than live the miserable wretches that they are."[37]
When Hollywood westerns were most popular, roughly 1920–1970, the term "redskins" was often used to refer to Native Americans when war was imminent or in progress.[38] In the Washington Redskins trademark dispute, the main issue was the meaning of the term in the period when the trademark registrations were issued, 1967–1990. The linguistic expert for the petitioner, Dr. Geoffrey Nunberg, successfully argued that whatever its origins, "redskins" was a slur at that time based upon passages from books and newspapers and movie clips, in which the word is inevitably associated with contempt, derision, condescension, or sentimental paeans to the noble savage.[39] John McWhorter, an associate professor of linguistics at Columbia University, had compared the evolution of the name into a slur to that of other racial terms such as "Oriental" which also acquired implied meanings associated with contempt.[40]
Current use [ edit ]
The Redskin Theater in Anadarko, Oklahoma. The town proclaims itself to be the "Indian Capital of the Nation", and its population is 41% Native American.
In the United States, "redskin" is regarded as a racial epithet by some,[41] but as neutral by others, including some Native Americans.[42] The American Heritage style guide advises that "the term redskin evokes an even more objectionable stereotype" than the use of red as a racial adjective by outsiders,[43] while others urge writers to use the term only in a historical context.[44] In modern dictionaries of American English it is labeled "usually offensive",[2] "disparaging",[3][4] "insulting",[5] or "taboo".[6]
Use among Native Americans [ edit ]
Three predominantly Native American schools use the name for their athletic teams, two of which serve reservations: Red Mesa High School in Teec Nos Pos, Arizona where the student body is 99% Native American.[45] and Wellpinit High School, Wellpinit, Washington.[46] The principal of Red Mesa said in 2014 that use of the word outside American Indian communities should be avoided because it could perpetuate "the legacy of negativity that the term has created."[47] In 2014, Wellpinit High School, located on the Spokane Indian Reservation, voted to keep the Redskins name.[48] Native American writer and attorney Gyasi Ross compares Native American use of variations of the word "Redskin" with African-American use of variations of the word "Nigger". Use of these terms by some members of minority communities does not mean that these words may be used by outsiders. Ross also notes that while activism on the issue may be from a minority of Native Americans, this is due to most being concerned with more immediate issues, but also says "The presentation of the name 'Redskins' is problematic for many Native Americans because it identifies Natives in a way that the vast majority of Natives simply don't identity ourselves."[49]
Sports teams [ edit ]
Numerous civil rights, educational, athletic, and academic organizations consider any use of native names/symbols by non-native sports teams to be a harmful form of ethnic stereotyping which should be eliminated.[50]
Washington Redskins [ edit ]
The controversy regarding Native mascots in general, and use of the name Redskins, is most prominent in the name of the Washington Redskins, a National Football League team. Public protest of the name began in 1968, with a resolution by the National Congress of American Indians.[51] Native American groups and their supporters argue that since they view the word "redskin" as offensive, it is inappropriate for an NFL team to continue to use it, regardless of whether any offense is intended.[25][52][53] A claim by Pete Hegseth on May 26, 2014 in a segment on "Outnumbered" that Redskins is "used historically" as "a term of respect" was deemed to be "Mostly False" by PolitiFact.[54]
Opinion polls [ edit ]
In a 2004 poll by the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania, 90% of those who identified themselves as American Indians answered that they were "not bothered" by the name "Redskins" being used for the Washington football team.[55] However, in a commentary published soon after that poll, fifteen Native American scholars collaborated on a critique that stated that there were so many flaws in the Annenberg study that rather than being a measure of Native American opinion, it was an expression of white privilege and colonialism.[56] In August 2015, the Glushko-Samuelson Law Clinic at American University published the text of a memo written by Chintan Turakhia, Sr. and Courtney Kennedy, both vice-presidents and senior researches at Abt SRBI, the survey organization responsible for collecting the data for the 2004 survey. The memo had been prepared at the request of Ken Winneg, Annenberg's Managing Director of Survey Research. The memo made it clear that the survey should not be taken as an accurate reflection of Native American attitudes at the time, since the methods used to survey the general population are not effective for generating representative samples for all possible subgroups that may be of interest. Some subgroups, including Native Americans, have unique characteristics (e.g., multiple languages, unusual residential patterns) that require specialized survey designs if they are to be measured rigorously.[57]
An alternative method to standard opinion polls was used by the Center for Indigenous Peoples Studies at California State University, San Bernardino. A survey of 400 individuals, with 98 individuals positively identified as Native Americans, found that 67% agreed with the statement that "Redskins" is offensive and racist. The response from non-natives was almost the opposite, with 68% responding that the name is not offensive.[58][59]
In May 2016, The Washington Post asked the same question from the Annenberg survey in its general opinion poll when a respondent identified themselves as Native American, producing the same results, that 90% of the 504 respondents were "not bothered" by the team's name.[60][61][62] While taking steps to address some of the issues in the earlier survey, many of the conditions remained the same, and the results were immediately criticized by supporters of a name change. NCAI Executive Director Jacqueline Pata stated "The survey doesn't recognize the psychological impacts these racist names and imagery have on American Indian and Alaska Natives. It is not respectful to who we are as Native people. This poll still doesn't make it right."[63] The Native American Journalists Association (NAJA) issued a statement calling the publication of the poll, and the reporting of its significance, as not only inaccurate and misleading but unethical. "The reporters and editors behind this story must have known that it would be used as justification for the continued use of these harmful, racist mascots. They were either willfully malicious or dangerously naïve in the process and reporting used in this story, and neither is acceptable from any journalistic institution."[64]
Trademark case [ edit ]
On June 18, 2014, the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) cancelled the six trademarks held by the team in a two-to-one decision that held that the term "redskins" is disparaging to a "substantial composite of Native Americans", and this is demonstrated "by the near complete drop-off in usage of'redskins' as a reference to Native Americans beginning in the 1960s".[65][66] Evidence of disparagement submitted by the petitioners in the TTAB case include the frequent references to "scalping" made by sportswriters for sixty years when reporting the Redskins loss of a game,[67] and passages from movies made from the 1940s to the 1960s using "redskin" to refer to Native Americans as a savage enemy.[68] A linguistics expert for the team unsuccessfully argued that the name is merely a descriptive term no different than other uses of color to differentiate people by race.[69] The linguistic expert for the petitioners, Dr. Geoffrey Nunberg, argued that whatever its origins, "redskins" was a slur at the time of the trademark registrations, based upon the passages from books and newspapers and movie clips, in which the word is inevitably associated with contempt, derision, condescension, or sentimental paeans to the noble savage.[39] Although the USPTO decision was upheld upon appeal,[70] on June 19, 2017 the Supreme Court of the United States ruled in another case, Matal v. Tam, that the disparagement clause of the Latham Act violated the First Amendment's Free Speech Clause.[71] Both the Native American petitioners and the Justice Department have withdrawn from any further litigation now that the Supreme Court has rendered the legal issue moot.[72]
College and secondary school teams [ edit ]
College teams that formerly used the name changed voluntarily:
As of early 2013 the Capitol News Service (CNS) in Maryland listed 62 high schools using the Redskins name. Twenty-eight high schools in 18 states had dropped the Redskins name during the prior 25 years, either voluntarily or as a result of a combination of state legal action and protests from Native American groups.[45] Since the CNS list was compiled, this trend has continued, with an additional thirteen high school teams having changed, plus one closed,[73] leaving a total of 48 high schools continuing to use the name.
See also [ edit ]
References [ edit ]Please enable Javascript to watch this video
SACRAMENTO --
Hundreds of people were in Howe Park in Arden on Friday night to search for hidden cash.
The same man behind last year's search at the Capitol Building in downtown Sacramento, as well as dozens of other locations in Northern California, also put on this event.
"That's why people say, ‘Why don't you give to charity,’ and I said ‘Yeah I give to charity, too,’” said Jason Buzi, the man who foot the bill for the event. “But when you do this, you bring people together in a fun way,"
Last year, he gave away around $60,000 of his own money at several hidden cash events, advertising where and when on Twitter, using the account @HiddenCash.
"I don't need, like, a bigger car or a newer car. I'm happy to do this. This is great," Buzi told FOX40.
Friday night's hidden cash is just the third one Buzi's done this year.
"People say, ‘Are you running out of money?’ No, I didn't run out of money. I was just running out of time," said Buzi.
Buzi said he hid about 26 containers all over Howe Park Friday night before 6 p.m., totaling more than $2,000. He knows his money is going to good causes.
"Somebody just told me they're going to give to a mental health charity," Buzi said.Tens of thousands of people protested in Dublin city centre this afternoon against water charges.
The Right2Water Campaign is calling for the charges to be scrapped and is backed by left-wing opposition parties as well as several trade unions.
The turnout for this march was far higher than had been expected.
A garda source estimated the attendance at 30,000, however, the organisers claim it was considerably higher.
The marchers came from all over Ireland, with many of those present in the city centre today having been involved in local protests in their own areas.
Some of the platform speakers called for people not to pay their water charges, but the official position of the Right2Water Campaign is that each householder must make up their own mind.
The message the organisers wanted to send to the Government was that water is still a live issue and they still believe they can get the charges abolished.
Protesters assembled at Parnell Square before marching down O'Connell Street towards Dáil Éireann on Kildare Street.
They then returned to O'Connell Street for speeches outside the GPO.
Traffic diversions were in place in the area and Luas Red Line services were restricted during the march.
Meanwhile Tánaiste Joan Burton was asked about water charges relief, she said people who get their household benefits package in their social welfare payments on a quarterly basis will also receive the €25 relief payment.
Ms Burton said she also hopes Irish Water will provide an easy pay option for older people.
She said her officials have been discussing that with Irish Water because she wants to make it easy for people to comply.Breathtaking design and practical, clean technology are merged to give us the greenest skyscrapers the world has seen.
Clean technology and green design have both resulted in numerous innovations that continue to push the boundaries of energy generation and efficient resource consumption. Today, urbanization and the increasingly dense populations of the world’s largest cities are pushing architects to reach for new heights in green skyscraper design.
Because of the enormous energy needs of the traditional skyscraper, designing modern skyscrapers to be a little cleaner and more environmentally friendly is a big deal. McKinsey and Co., a global management consulting firm, estimates that China alone will be building upwards of 50,000 skyscrapers within the next two decades.
Today’s architects and builders are charged with the task of setting trends that will emphasise ecologically imaginative aspects for the skyscrapers of today and beyond; modern “eco-scrapers” are no doubt bridging the gap between breathtaking building design and clean technological ingenuity. Here are ten modern and green skyscrapers that are changing the landscape and pushing the envelope on behalf of the modern “eco-scraper”.
1. Dynamic Tower (Dubai, United Arab Emirates)
This rotating tower designed by architect Dr. David Fischer on behalf of Dynamic Architecture presents fearless design elements with renewable energy concepts that are sure to impress even the most eco-friendly structure builders. When finished, the structure will stand at nearly 420 meters tall and feature 80 rotating floors, 79 horizontal wind turbines (one between each floor), and photovoltaics on the rooftop.
Dynamic Architecture claims that only a fraction of the wind turbines will be needed to sustain 100% of the energy needs of the tower itself, and that the rest of the turbines would be able to produce enough energy to power nearby skyscrapers of a similar size. This structure’s concept is described by designers as “the world’s first skyscraper in motion”; the revolving floors and wind turbines means the shape of the building will constantly be changing.
The Dynamic Tower is scheduled to break ground soon, and is supposed to be finished by the end of 2010. This project marks the first time a skyscraper will be built in stages utilizing pre-fabricated sections. With over 4,000 hours of wind annually in Dubai, wind enthusiasts are exited about what this tower really means for green architecture.
2. World Trade Center Towers (Manama, Bahrain)
The World Trade Center Towers in Bahrain are an exquisite architectural and technological wonder designed by South African architect Shaun Killa. Featuring three behemoth 96-foot wide wind turbine blades between the towers, over 1100 megawatts of electricity will be generated per year for the structure.
The triangular design of the towers themselves is suppose to optimize the airflow between the towers, thus really giving the turbines an opportunity to generate the most power. This skyscraper was the first one built with wind turbines integrated into the design of the building itself.
3. The Pearl River Tower (Guangzhou, China)
Designed by American architect Gordon Gill, this nearly 1000-foot tall structure is designed with a few zealous environmental goals in mind. Not only is the structure planned to be the world’s first “zero-energy skyscraper”, but it’s also slated to generate excess electricity that it would then insert back into local power grids.
The Pearl River Tower will have internal tunnels built into two of the building’s 71 stories. The structure itself is going to be shaped like one giant wing that will serve to funnel wind into the tunnels. Along with utilizing wind power, the tower will also integrate radiant slabs, geothermal heat-sinks, vented facades and integrated photovoltaics.
4. Bank of America Tower (New York City, US)
The Bank of America Tower in New York City was designed by Cook + Fox Architects; they really set the tone for future skyscrapers that will be built in the US. This is also one of the first skyscrapers that was built using largely recycled and recyclable material as well as being LEED Platinum certified.
Natural gas fuel cells will generate on-site electricity as well as supplement the 4.6 megawatt cogeneration plant that will mitigate a lot of the base-load energy concerns for the skyscraper. A sophisticated rain water capture system is also in place, as well as windows that maximize sunlight along with smart and efficient LED lighting.
5. Okhta Tower (St. Petersburg, Russia)
Designed by UK architecture firm, RMJM, the Okhta Tower is slated to become the new headquarters of Gazprom, the monolithic Russian Gas Company. Situated right nearby the River Neva in St. Petersburg, the structure will emphasise new levels of ecological design.
The double layered outer shell of the needle-like tower is designed in such a way so as to maximize the amount of sunlight that penetrates the interior of the building, and it helps ensure that most of the heat energy stays within the structure during the harsh and cold winters.
6. 340 on the Park (Chicago, US)
Chicago’s 340 on the Park was designed by Solomon Cordwell Buenz and is the first residential tower in Mid-western America to attain the silver LEED certification. Featuring high tech insulation and rainwater capture systems, this structure really sets the environmental benchmark for residential skyscrapers in the US.
340 on the Park was designed with the energy consuming human in mind, and thus integrates only the most efficient of technologies within the living and common spaces; there’s even a two story winter garden starting on the 25th floor that makes great use of the special windows designed for optimal sunlight dispersion throughout the building.
7. The Lighthouse Tower (Dubai, United Arab Emirates)
The Dubai International Financial Center plans on inhabiting this skyscraper dubbed “The Lighthouse Tower”. Designed by Atkins Middle East, the 66-story tower boasts a proposed amount of 4000 solar panels that will be integrated into the south facing facade, as well as three huge 225 kilowatt wind turbines.
It’s estimated that the tower design along with integrated technologies will knock off 65% of the overall energy needs. Developers in Dubai are touting this strucutre as just one of many planned “eco-scrapers” that will bring carbon emissions to new lows in terms of the building’s overall impact to the local environmental landscape.
8. CIS Tower (Manchester, England)
The Co-operative Insurance Solar Tower in Manchester, England set a new benchmark by retroactively installing renewable energy technology onto the service tower during a renovation in 2006. Boasting over 7000 solar panels and 24 wind turbines, the CIS tower no doubt represents a stunning achievement in what be accomplished when you combine skyscrapers and clean technology.
Currently, the structure can generate more than 10% of the energy it needs, but it’s still a technological marvel that serves as a great example of integrating renewable energy technologies into pre-existent architectural design.
9. The Hearst Tower (New York City, US)
The Hearst Tower was New York’s first skyscraper to receive the gold LEED certification. Nearly 80% of the steel used to create this structure was recycled, as well as much of the interior’s flooring and ceiling materials. The diamond-like shape of the steel support beams allow for less material to be needed in order to achieve the same level of structural integrity; the unique shaping of the structure also ensures copious amounts of sunlight are being taken advantage of.
The Hearst tower also makes excellent use of rainwater; there’s a 14,000 gallon tank in the basement of the building that serves as a starting point that enables the tower to shave off 50% of its water needs by treating and redirecting resources to irrigate plants and provide for a nifty water sculpture at the entrance of the building.
10. Gwanggyo (Seoul, South Korea)
Probably one of the most unique designs to ever see the drawing board, a Dutch architectural design firm named MVRDV won a bid to design a “self sufficient city” called Gwanggyo that would be established 35 kilometers south of Seoul, Korea. The buildings will resemble tall hill-like structures that emphasizes the maintenance of a more “organic landscape” that integrates itself seamlessly into its surroundings.
Built with population density in mind, this “eco-city” could house over 77,000 people and provide enough commercial and public space to satisfy all the needs of the community. At the heart of the site would be a power plant that utilizes the most sophisticated of technologies for clean power generation and streamlined resource consumption. Currently, this project stands to completed by the end of 2011.Imagine something crazy for me, quickly.
What if you peered into a fortune ball right now – this very second, today – and saw with indisputable clarity that you were never going to meet the love of your life?
That’s a sad thing that I’m asking you to think of, I’m aware. You’ve been hoping to meet “The One” for a while now – or at least someone half-decent who you can deal with for the rest of your life. I know, I know. You’re not fanciful like everyone else. You don’t believe in soul mates. But you were expecting to meet someone you liked a fair amount. Someone to curl up next to at the end of a long day, who would take care of you when you got sick and listen to your stories every evening after work. We all hope that. We’re human.
But imagine for a second that you knew – with 100% certainty – that you were never going to meet that person. What about your life would that knowledge change?
Because here’s the thing about finding love – it affects us constantly. And we all loathe admitting it. But love is on the forefront of our actions even when it’s not on the forefront of our minds. It’s the reason you bought those new jeans last week. It’s the reason you went to that barbeque that you didn’t want to go to last weekend. It’s the reason you sometimes feel cripplingly insecure and inadequate and scared about everything that’s coming next. Love’s what inspires most of your greatest changes.
So if you knew, with indisputable certainty, that love was never going to be yours, how would you live your life differently? What about your daily routine would you alter? What about your long-term plans?
Your first inclination may be to say “Nothing.” After all, you’re a smart person. You have plans that don’t involve someone else’s influence. We all do. But ponder it a few moments more. Because here’s what we don’t want to admit about love: it is a crutch that we use all the time. The idea that someday somebody will love all our flaws is a subtle excuse not to work on them. The principle of two halves making a whole restrains us from becoming our own better half. We want someone to swoop in during our darkest hour and save us, but what if we knew they never would? We’d have to start doing everything differently.
If you knew that love would never be an option for you, what would be? How would you structure the rest of your life? Would it have a heavier focus on career, a stronger inclination toward success? Or would you use the time to invest in yourself – go on a few more vacations, travel further outside your comfort zone? If you knew that you would never again feel the rush of budding romance, where would you turn to for your thrills? How would you get your blood pumping?
And what about your other relationships – would they suddenly take on more weight? Would you spend more time appreciating your family, if you knew that they are the people who will have loved you the most strongly at the end of your life? What about your friendships? Would you nurture and care more for the people who love you platonically if you knew that nobody would ever love you romantically? Would you show up a little more often, share a little more of your life?
My inclination is to believe that never finding love would be a game-changer for most of us. One we’d initially consider to be devastating but may eventually realize is the ultimate liberation. Without the fear of ending up alone, the opportunities open to you would become endless. You could live on every continent. You could scale the corporate ladder. You could go back to school and get that degree you’ve always felt interested in, without worrying about the financial burden your debt may place on somebody else. Love holds us back in an infinite amount of subtle ways that perhaps we do not even realize. And the guarantee of its absence may just be the ultimate sense of liberation.
Because if we didn’t have to search for the love of our lives, we would finally be free to realize that we are allowed to be the loves of our own. That we can spend our lives developing ourselves, challenging ourselves, pampering ourselves and building ourselves up to be bigger, more capable people than we ever once hoped to become. We could become everything we’ve been searching for. We could construct our soul mates in ourselves.
If there’s one thing we all need to stop doing, it’s waiting around for someone else to show up and change our lives. Just be the person you’ve been waiting for. Live your life as if you are the love of it. Because that’s the only thing you know for sure – that through every triumph, every failure, every fear and every gain that you will ever experience until the day you die, you are going to be present. You are going to be the person who shows up to accept your rewards. You are going to be the person who holds your own hand when you’re broken. You are going to be the person who gets yourself up off the floor every time you get knocked down and if those things are not love-of-your-life qualities, I don’t know what are.
We have to start appreciating all that we bring to our own lives. Because the ironic truth is, you are most attractive when you’re not worried about who you’re attracting. When you’re living your life confidently, freely and without restraint, you emit the kind of energy that it just isn’t possible to fake. The kind of energy that’s capable of transforming not just your own life, but the lives of people around you.
So stop looking for The One to spend the rest of your life with. Be The One.
And let everybody else come searching for you.Performed at the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, hyped in a Tweet by Big Machine label boss Scott Borchetta, added by several major market pop radio stations and already confirmed as a top 40 single on the Mediabase pop airplay chart, “Style” was very clearly positioned as the official follow-up to “Blank Space.”
But just in case doubt did exist, the Republic Radio promotions team opted to formally confirm that “Style” is the next single.
The third official release from Swift’s blockbuster “1989,” “Style” is due to officially go for radio adds on February 10. Like its predecessor “Blank Space,” however, it will likely have been added by a plethora of stations prior to its scheduled impact. The revelation of that adds date, therefore, primarily serves to cement the fact that “Style” is the next “1989” single.
(Update: Unwilling to wait until the official impact date, powerhouse pop stations Z100 and 97.1 AMP–and at least eleven more stations–added the song this week.)
As of Monday, “Style” ranks at #38 on Mediabase’s rolling pop radio chart and #47 on the rolling hot adult contemporary chart. It seems destined to continue soaring and become another smash hit for the singer-songwriter.Ancient and benevolent founders of the Galactic Council and rulers of the galaxy for over 24,000 years, the mighty Lazax could not, for all their knowledge, foresee the Sol incursion that would herald their final days. Nevertheless, the established power of the galaxy and the masters of Mecatol Rex are not easily forced aside. Leaderless, under siege, their forces in disarray, the Lazax still claim substantial advantage in exploiting the influence and loyalty of their capital city. But will their considerable wealth and remaining influence over their own city prove enough to repel this assault and reaffirm their power?
In August, we announced the upcoming release of Rex, a board game of negotiation, betrayal, and warfare for three to six players. Set 3,000 years before the events of Twilight Imperium, Rex tells the fateful story of once-proud Mecatol City in the months and years following the death of the last Lazax emperor.
Although the ferocity and swiftness of the Sol assault took them by surprise, the well entrenched Lazax were able to muster considerable political and military support for a subsequent resistance. Today’s preview will examine some of the core mechanics of Rex, and how its warring factions struggle to acquire much-needed influence in the midst of a chaotic urban conflict. And while Rex’s six unique races feature special abilities that make each a viable candidate for victory, we will focus on the benefits of the Lazax. Their centuries-old mastery of the city makes them the faction best suited to accumulate and wield influence, even as they desperately cling to power.
The support of a city
Influence is a game currency that represents hidden weapons caches, political support, and other resources (both tangible and intangible) as found in Mecatol City. In the context of the game’s mechanics, influence is essential; it is used to “purchase” a wide range of necessary assets:
Early in each round, players bid influence to acquire Strategy cards. These weapons and tactics provide a variety of bonuses and are often used during battle.
Given the Hacan-enabled blockage in the airspace over Mecatol City, troop deployment demands a considerable commitment of resources. Influence must be spent whenever a player wishes to move units from his reserve onto the board.
Over the course of the game, dozens of destroyed leaders and units will be sent to the casualty pool. Influence can be spent to recruit their replacements.
Future previews will provide details on Strategy cards, combat, and troop deployment. For now, suffice it to say that influence is a vastly important element of Rex. Players will want to acquire it whenever possible, as running out will bring a faction’s military endeavors screeching to a halt. But how does one go about accumulating the most influence?
The spoils of war
The moment the dust from the Sol fleet’s opening salvo settled and the bleak recognition of its implications set in, the savviest leaders in Mecatol City started planning. In the confusion, which of the city’s remaining locations would be safest? Most profitable? Most politically vital? With each faction seeking to further its own agenda, the struggle ensued for dominance of the city.
Gaining influence in Rex is a matter of controlling influential locations. The icon to the right indicates an influence-producing area, which can potentially generate these all-important tokens based on the results of a card draw at the start of each round. By maneuvering into an area in which influence has been placed (then surviving any subsequent battles against contenders for the area), a faction can lay claim to two influence per unit controlled in the area, per round.
But beware! The Sol dreadnought fleet continually sweeps Mecatol Rex from orbit, systematically bombing entire sectors of the city and annihilating unprotected armies and influence alike with impunity (Check back to learn more about this relentless bombardment in a future preview). This creates a unique challenge: how can a faction collect the most influence while simultaneously avoiding the fiery wrath of the orbiting attackers? Leaders must maneuver their forces out from under the protection of shielded districts, engage their enemies in combat, lay claim to whatever resources they can, and escape back to safety, all before grim death rains from above!
Influence cards like the one on the left are drawn at the start of each round, instructing players to place Influence tokens on one or more of the board’s areas, like the one on the right.
Paying them their due
Given these obstacles to wealth, it is helpful to have additional means of income. The Lazax maintain substantial political clout, as exemplified by a special ability that ensures that they seldom lack influence. Whenever another player wins a bid for a Strategy card (a process we will examine more closely in our next preview), he must pay the Lazax player rather than returning the spent influence to the influence pool.
The Lazax Empire’s Race sheet. Click to enlarge.
Not only does this mean a healthy influx of resources, but it gives the Lazax player plenty of leverage when bidding for new technologies or tactics. The wealthy Lazax player can confidently “bid up” the price for a Strategy card, satisfied in the knowledge that his position is win-win. Either he wins the card he was after, or he loses the auction... but collects valuable influence from the winner.
As the Lazax race sheet also indicates, these ancient leaders of the galaxy have access to another unique asset: Mechanized units. With double the combat effectiveness of standard units, Mechanized units provide a indisputable advantage on the battlefield, and with the resources to field them quickly, the Imperial Lazax remain a forced to be reckoned with.
Check back for more on Rex in the coming weeks, and look for it to bombard your local retailer in the first quarter of 2012!The creator of a fake news site says there's nothing wrong with what he does.
Chief Reporter (CR), as he calls himself, is being forced to defend the Southend News Network after Facebook announced it was going to do more to tackle made-up news appearing in people's News Feeds.
But he insists people are entertained by his style of news and thinks some media sites are guilty of publishing stories which border on fabrication.
"People read a headline and then don't even bother to check the content before they share it," he's told Newsbeat.
CR says he set up Southend News Network as "a bit of a joke" and as a reaction to the way local stories were covered in his area.
He then says he went further, making up stories on whatever were the hot topics of the day.
"It ended up with up to two million views per month. Half the people fall for the stories, the other half are genuinely entertained by what they read," says CR.
It doesn't take much to spot some of the fakes...
But some stories sound incredibly convincing and people share them, spreading what they believe to be the truth.
CR's spoof site, unlike others like the Daily Mash and News Thump, deliberately sounds like it could be a genuine news service.
Anything wrong with that?
"It encourages the reader to really look at what they're going through and think, 'Is this real, is this not real?'" says CR.
"If enough of an electorate are in a frame of mind where they will believe absolutely everything they read on the internet, to a certain extent they have to be prepared to deal with the consequences."
This is a reference to the suggestion that fake news stories may have helped Donald Trump win the US presidential election.
And CR clearly isn't impressed....
CR believes genuine news sites are just as much to blame.
"They print actual news stories but put such ridiculous spin on them that they border over into fake news," he says.
"If Facebook is going to penalise fake sites, they should also penalise real news sites who I think are guilty of far worse crimes than me."
CR says he's actually helping spark a debate.
"For too long, people have been prepared to accept whatever's been fed to them in terms of news.
"If I put a flashing banner at the top of every story with a warning saying 'this is not real, don't take it at face value', people would still share it and get absolutely outraged. So I don't know what else I could do."
CR admits few things are more satisfying than when a fake story really flies.
His favourite recent example is an article about Southend Pier being sold off to a Chinese shipping company.
The plan involved the pier being demolished to make way for bigger ships.
"I put so many clues in there for people to realise it wasn't real, even down to calling the company Xi Ping Shipping.
"But people just ignored them. It started a massive debate on Facebook."
Then he got a call from a local councillor.
"They told me the amount of interest the story was generating for Southend pier and Southend as a destination meant, in his mind, Southend News Network could only be a good thing for the town."
Find us on Instagram at BBCNewsbeat and follow us on Snapchat, search for bbc_newsbeatNoella Yvonne Fay faces criminal charges after police say she drove her SUV through the aisles of a Safeway grocery store shortly after midnight when the store didn’t accept her $2,200 check payment for gift cards earlier in the day. (SBG/Gary Sherman; Lane County Jail mugshot)
SPRINGFIELD, Ore. (KVAL) – A woman drove her SUV through the aisles of a Safeway grocery store shortly after midnight when the store didn’t accept her $2,200 check payment for gift cards earlier in the day, Springfield Police officials said.
"It goes without saying that we are just grateful that no customers or employees were harmed in our Springfield Safeway this morning," said Jill McGinnis, communications manager with Safeway. "We are currently working diligently to open our doors later this afternoon."
Employees at the store at 1891 Pioneer Parkway East told police that 43-year-old Noella Yvonne Fay came into the store around 4 p.m. Tuesday trying to buy several gift cards totaling $2,200.
They said she left the store angry when her check didn’t clear.
Fay returned to the store around 12:20 a.m. Wednesday and parked her Chevy Tahoe in front of the doors.
According to police, Fay was “yelling about wanting her cards" when an employee told her to move her car so they could discuss the transaction.
Police officials said Fay drove through the west doors, turned down an aisle towards the back of the store, |
ity and wit of the witches is evident in the ever-changing acronym: the basic, original title was Women's International Terrorist Conspiracy from Hell [...] and the latest heard at this writing is Women Inspired to Commit Herstory."[10]
With all the royalties from her anthology Sisterhood Is Powerful, Morgan founded the first feminist grant-giving foundation in the US: The Sisterhood Is Powerful Fund, which provided seed money to many early women's groups throughout the 1970s and 1980s. She made a decisive break from what she described as the "male Left"[12] when she led the women's takeover of the underground newspaper Rat in 1970,[13] and listed the reasons for her break in the first women's issue of the paper, in her essay titled "Goodbye to All That." The essay gained notoriety in the press for naming specific sexist men and institutions in the Left. Decades later, during the Democratic primaries for the 2008 presidential race, Morgan wrote a fiery sequel to her original essay, titled "Goodbye To All That #2", in defense of Hillary Clinton.[3] The article quickly went viral on the internet for lambasting sexist rhetoric directed towards Clinton by the media.[13]
In 1977, Morgan became an associate of the Women's Institute for Freedom of the Press (WIFP).[14] WIFP is an American nonprofit publishing organization. The organization works to increase communication between women and connect the public with forms of women-based media.
Morgan has traveled extensively across the United States and around the world to bring attention to cross-cultural sexism. She has met with and interviewed female rebel—army fighters in the Philippines, Brazilian women activists in the slums/favelas of Rio, women organizers in the townships of South Africa, and underground feminists in Iran.[8] Twice––in 1986 and 1989 she spent months in the Palestinian refugee camps in Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt, Syria, West Bank, and Gaza, to report on the conditions of women. Morgan has also spoken at universities and institutions in countries across Europe, the Caribbean, and Central America, as well as in Australia, Brazil, China, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Nepal, New Zealand, Pacific Island nations, the Philippines, and South Africa.[5]
Over the years, Morgan has received numerous awards for her activism on women’s rights.[8] The Feminist Majority Foundation named Robin Morgan "Woman of the Year" in 1990; she received the Warrior Woman Award for Promoting Racial Understanding from The Asian American Women's National Organization in 1992; in 2002 she received a Lifetime Achievement in Human Rights from Equality Now, and in 2003 The Feminist Press gave her a "Femmy" Award for her "service to literature."[5] She has also received the Humanist Heroine Award from The American Humanist Association in 2007.[15]
Limbaugh FCC incident
In March 2012 Morgan, along with her Women's Media Center co-founders Jane Fonda and Gloria Steinem, wrote an open letter asking listeners to request that the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) investigate the Rush Limbaugh–Sandra Fluke controversy,[16] where Rush Limbaugh referred to Sandra Fluke as a "slut" and "prostitute" after she advocated for insurance coverage for contraception.[17] They asked that stations licensed for public airwaves carrying Limbaugh be held accountable for contravening public interest as a continual promoter of hate speech against various disempowered and minority groups.[18]
Sisterhood anthologies [ edit ]
Sisterhood is Global at Lincoln Center
In 1970, Morgan compiled, edited, and introduced the first anthology of feminist writings, Sisterhood is Powerful. The compilation included now-classic feminist essays by such activists as Naomi Weisstein, Kate Millett, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Florynce Kennedy, Frances M. Beal, Joreen, Marge Piercy, Lucinda Cisler and Mary Daly, as well as historical documents including the N.O.W. Bill of Rights, excerpts from the SCUM Manifesto, the Redstockings Manifesto, historical documents from W.I.T.C.H., and a germinal statement from the Black Women’s Liberation Group of Mount Vernon.[19] It also included what Morgan called "verbal karate": useful quotes and statistics about women.[20] The anthology has been widely credited with helping to start the contemporary Women's Movement in the US, and was cited by the New York Public Library as "One of the 100 Most Influential Books of the 20th Century".[1] Morgan established the first American feminist grant-giving organization, The Sisterhood Is Powerful Fund, with the royalties from Sisterhood Is Powerful.[21] However, the anthology was banned in Chile, China, and South Africa.[21]
Her follow-up volume in 1984, Sisterhood Is Global: The International Women's Movement Anthology, compiled articles about women in over seventy countries. That same year she founded the Sisterhood Is Global Institute, notable for being the first international feminist think tank. Repeatedly refusing the post of president, she was elected secretary of the organization from 1989 to 1993, was VP from 1993 to 1997, and after serving on the advisory board, finally agreed to become president in 2004.[22] A third volume, Sisterhood Is Forever: The Women's Anthology for a New Millennium in 2003, was a collection of articles mostly by well-known feminists, both young and "vintage," in a retrospective on and future blueprint for the feminist movement.[8] It was compiled, edited, and with an introduction by Morgan, and Morgan wrote "To Vintage Feminists" and "To Younger Women", which were both included in the anthology as Personal Postscripts.[23]
Journalism [ edit ]
Morgan's articles, essays, reviews, interviews, political analyses, and investigative journalism have appeared widely in such publications as the Amazon Quarterly, The Atlantic, Broadsheet, Chrysalis, Essence, Equal Times, Everywoman, The Feminist Art Journal, The Guardian (US), The Guardian (UK), The Hudson Review, the Los Angeles Times, Ms. magazine, The New Republic, The New York Times, Off Our Backs, Pacific Ways, The Second Wave, Sojourner, The Village Voice, The Voice of Women, and various United Nations' periodicals, etc. Articles and essays have also appeared in reprint in international media, in English across the Commonwealth, and in translation in 13 languages in Europe, South America, the Middle East, and Asia.[24]
Morgan has served as a contributing editor to Ms. magazine for many years, receiving the Front Page Award for Distinguished Journalism for her cover story titled "The First Feminist Exiles from the USSR" in 1981.[25] She also served as the magazine's editor-in-chief from 1989 to 1994, re-launching it as an ad-free, international bimonthly publication in 1991. This earned her a series of awards,[6][26] including the award for Editorial Excellence by Utne Reader in 1991, and the Exceptional Merit in Journalism Award by the National Women's Political Caucus.[5] Morgan resigned her post in 1994 to become Consulting Global Editor of the magazine, which she remains to this day.[27]
Morgan has written for online audiences and blogged frequently. Among her best known articles are "Letters from Ground Zero" (written and posted after the September 11 attacks in 2001—which went viral), "Goodbye To All That #2", "Women of the Arab Spring," "When Bad News is Good News: Notes of a Feminist News Junkie," "Manhood and Moral Waivers," and "Faith Healing: A Modest Proposal on Religious Fundamentalism." The last five and other examples of her online work are hosted in the archives of The Women's Media Center.[24]
Authorship [ edit ]
Robin Morgan has published 21 books, including works of poetry, fiction, and the now-classic anthologies Sisterhood Is Powerful, Sisterhood Is Global, and Sisterhood Is Forever.[24] Well before she was known as a feminist leader, literary magazines published her as a serious poet.[28] According to a 1972 review of her first book of poems, Monster, in The Washington Post: "[These poems] establish Morgan as a poet of considerable means. There is a savage elegance, a richness of vocabulary, a thrust and steely polish..... A powerful, challenging book."[24] In 1979 Morgan received a National Endowment for the Arts Creative Writing Fellowship in poetry,[28] then held a writing residency at the arts colony Yaddo the following year.
Morgan’s poetry collections include A Hot January: Poems 1996–1999 (W. W. Norton, 1999), Depth Perception: New Poems and a Masque (Doubleday, 1994), Upstairs in the Garden: Poems Selected and New 1968–1988 (W. W. Norton, 1990), Death Benefits (Copper Canyon Press, 1981), Lady of the Beasts (Random House, 1976), and Monster (Random House, 1972). Of the book A Hot January, Alice Walker wrote: "Morgan proves that exquisite poetry can be the most surprising gift of grief. A volume as proud, fierce, vulnerable, and brave as the poet herself."[29] A review of Upstairs in the Garden, noted: "As a vindication and celebration of the female experience, these inventive poems successfully wed feminist rhetoric with vivid imagery and sensitivity to the music of language."[30] Two books of poems, Lady of the Beasts and Depth Perception, earned reviews in Poetry Magazine with critic Jay Parini stating that "Robin Morgan will soon be regarded as one of our first-ranking poets."[31]
Morgan had published three books of fiction as of 2015. Her debut novel was the semi-autobiographical Dry Your Smile (published by Doubleday & Company,1987), followed by The Mer-Child: A Legend for Children and Other Adults (published by The Feminist Press at City University of New York, 1991). Her most recent work of fiction is a historical novel titled The Burning Time (Melville House Books, 2006), set in the 14th century, based on court records of the first witchcraft trial in Ireland.[32] The Burning Time was placed on the Recommended Quality Fiction List of 2007 by the American Library Association,[33] in addition to being the 2006 Paperback Pick by Book Sense (The American Booksellers Association).[32]
Morgan has compiled, edited, and introduced several influential anthologies: Sisterhood Is Powerful: The Women’s Liberation Anthology (1970), Sisterhood Is Global: The International Women’s Movement Anthology (1984), and Sisterhood Is Forever: The Women’s Anthology for a New Millennium (2003). She has herself written non-fiction, including Going Too Far (1978), The Anatomy of Freedom (1984), The Demon Lover: On the Sexuality of Terrorism (1989), The Word of a Woman (1994), and Saturday’s Child: A Memoir (2001). One of the most widely translated of Morgan’s books and a best-seller, The Demon Lover is a commentary on the psychological and political roots of terrorism, and New York Times Book Review called it "Important...compelling....[Morgan] is intense and at times magnificent."[34] Her most recently published book of non-fiction is Fighting Words: A Tool Kit for Combating the Religious Right (2006).[35]
Organizations [ edit ]
The Sisterhood Is Global Institute [ edit ]
In 1984, Morgan, together with the late Simone de Beauvoir of France, and women from 80 other countries, founded The Sisterhood Is Global Institute (SIGI), an international non-profit NGO with consultative status to the United Nations, which has for three decades functioned as the world’s first feminist think-tank. The Institute has played a leading policy-formulation, strategic, and activist role in the evolution of the international Women’s Movement. SIGI has also developed a global communications network through which an umbrella of NGO interest, advice, contacts, and support is collectively mobilized to empower the global women’s movement.
Among its many activities, the Institute pioneered the first Urgent Acton Alerts regarding women’s rights; the first Global Campaign To Make Visible Women’s Unpaid Labor In National Accounts; and the first Women’s Rights Manuals For Muslim Societies (in 12 languages). Its most recent project is Donor Direct Action (donordirectaction.org), which links front-line women’s rights activists around the world to money, visibility, and popular support: minimum bureaucracy, maximum impact In 2005, Morgan co-founded the non-profit progressive organization, The Women’s Media Center with her friends actor/activist Jane Fonda, and activist Gloria Steinem. The focus of the organization is to make women powerful and visible in the media.
Women’s Media Center [ edit ]
In 2005, Morgan co-founded the non-profit progressive organization, The Women’s Media Center with her friends actor/activist Jane Fonda, and activist Gloria Steinem. The focus of the organization is to make women powerful and visible in the media.
Lectures and Professorships [ edit ]
An invited speaker at numerous universities in North America, Morgan has traveled—as organizer, speaker, journalist—across North America, Europe, and the Middle East to Australia, Brazil, the Caribbean, Central America, China, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Nepal, New Zealand, Pacific Island nations, the Philippines, and South Africa.[27] She has also been a Guest Professor or Scholar in Residence at a variety of academic institutions. She was Guest Chair for Feminist Studies at the New College of Florida in 1971; a visiting professor at The Center for Critical Analysis of Contemporary Culture at Rutgers University in 1987; a Distinguished Visiting Scholar in Residence for Literary and Cultural Studies at the University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand in 1989; a Visiting Professor in residence at the University of Denver, Colorado in 1996; and Visiting Professor at the Center for Documentation on Women at University of Bologna, Italy, in 1996.[5] She was awarded an Honorary Degree as a Doctor of Humane Letters by the University of Connecticut at Storrs in 1992.[5] The Robin Morgan Papers, a collection that documents the personal, political, and professional aspects of Morgan's life, are archived at the Sallie Bingham Center for Women’s History and Culture at Duke University.[5] They date from the 1940s to the present.
Controversial stands [ edit ]
Robin Morgan has been arrested, and has received death threats from both the Right and the Left because of her activism.[36] According to a New Yorker magazine article published in the aftermath of Morgan's essay "Goodbye to All That" (#2) going viral on the Internet, "At five feet tall Morgan is, not for the first time, the little woman who has started a big war." In her original essay, "Goodbye to All That" (1970), Morgan bade adieu to "the dream that being in the leadership collective will get you anything but gonorrhea," referring to the "male Left." She also asserted that Charles Manson was "only the logical extreme of the normal American male’s fantasy."[37]
Two years later, Morgan published the poem "Arraignment", in which she openly accused Ted Hughes of the battery and murder of Sylvia Plath.[38][39] There were lawsuits, Morgan's 1972 book Monster which contained that poem was banned, and underground, pirated feminist editions of it were published.[28]
As the leading organizer of the 1968 protest of the Miss America Pageant, "No More Miss America!", Morgan attacked the pageant’s "ludicrous 'beauty' standards and also accused the pageant of being racist, since at that time no African American woman had been a contestant. In addition––according to Morgan––in sending pageant winners to entertain troops in Vietnam, the women served as "death mascots" in an immoral war. Morgan asked, "Where else could one find such a perfect combination of American values -- racism, militarism, capitalism -- all packaged in one 'ideal' symbol, a woman."[40]
Morgan famously walked off The Tonight Show in 1969 when it screened vintage footage of her as a child actor while she was trying to speak seriously about the first national march against rape. Of the incident, she has been quoted as saying: "Imagine talking about such a subject and having it trivialized like that."[36] In 1974, with her phrase "Pornography is the theory, and rape is the practice" (from her essay "Theory and Practice: Pornography and Rape"), she became a central figure on one of the divisive issues in feminism, particularly among feminists in Anglophone countries: pornography.
In 1973, Robin Morgan gave the keynote speech at the West Coast Lesbian Conference, in which she criticized Beth Elliott, a performer and organizer of the conference, for being a transgender woman.[41] In this speech she referred to Elliott as a "transsexual male" and used male pronouns throughout, charging her with being "an opportunist, an infiltrator, and a destroyer-with the mentality of a rapist."[42] At the end of her speech she called for a vote on ejecting Elliott, with over two-thirds voting to allow her to remain, however the minority threatened to disrupt the conference and Elliott chose to leave after her performance to avoid this. The event demonstrated the high tension surrounding transgender women's involvement in the women's movement of the 1970s.[43][44][45]
In an article published in the Jewish Women's Archive, Morgan identifies her religion as Wiccan and/or atheist. She is quoted as saying, "I am deeply opposed to all patriarchal religions, including though not limited to Judaism."[46] Morgan continues to tackle topics such as religion, politics and sex in fiery commentaries on her radio show "WMC Live with Robin Morgan."[47]
Personal life [ edit ]
Robin Morgan grew up in New York, first in Mount Vernon, and later in Manhattan, on Sutton Place. She graduated from The Wetter School in Mount Vernon, in 1956, and was privately tutored from that to 1959.[5] She published her first serious poetry in literary magazines at age 17.[3]
Today Robin Morgan lives in Manhattan.[5] Blake Morgan, her son with ex-husband Kenneth Pitchford, is a musician, recording artist, and founder of New York-based record company ECR Music Group.
In 2000 Norton published Morgan’s memoir, Saturday's Child, in which she wrote candidly about "the shadowy circumstances of her birth; a lifelong, impassioned, love-hate relationship with her mother; her years as a famous child actor and her fight to escape show business to become a serious writer; her marriage to a fiery bisexual poet and how motherhood transformed her life; her years in the civil rights movement, the New Left, and counterculture; her emergence a leader of global feminism; and her love affairs with women as well as men," according to BookNews.com.[48] In her book, "her passion for writing, especially poetry, is vividly conveyed, as is her love and respect for her son, born in 1969," according to The New York Times Book Review.[49]
In April 2013, Morgan announced publicly that she had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, discussing the diagnosis on her radio show WMC Live with Robin Morgan,[50] revealing that she had been diagnosed in 2010, but that her quality of life was thus far "normal."[51] Since her diagnosis, Morgan has become active with the Parkinson's Disease Foundation (PDF), completing training to become part of the organization's Parkinson's Advocates in Research initiative.[52] In 2014 she was the catalyst and took a leadership role in PDF's new Women and PD initiative, which will seek to better serve women impacted by Parkinson's disease by understanding and resolving gender inequalities in PD research, treatment, and caregiver support.[53] Morgan has also written new poetry inspired by her battle with the disease, and performed a reading of some of the poems as a TED Talk, at the TEDWomen 2015 conference.[54]
Birth and parents [ edit ]
Her mother, Faith Berkeley Morgan, traveled from her New York residence to Florida to give birth, in order to avoid public scrutiny for her unmarried status.[3] Robin's father, a medical doctor named Mates Morgenstern, did not accompany pregnant Faith on her trip.
Until Robin Morgan was 13 years old, her mother Faith claimed that Robin's father had been killed in World War II.[3] However, Robin overheard conversations between her mother and aunt suggesting her father was alive. When she confronted her mother, Faith changed her story to assert that Robin's father had escaped from one Nazi concentration camp after another, and that she had saved his life by sponsoring his immigration to the United States where he had no family.[3] Not until several years later, did Robin get proof that this was also a lie.[3]
Robin Morgan learned the truth, both about her father, who was still alive, and how old she really was, early in 1961.[3] Now a young woman, no longer working in show business, Robin found a listing for the medical practice of an obstetrician Dr. Mates Morgenstern in the New Brunswick, New Jersey telephone directory. Suspecting this might be her father, she had sought a meeting with him, without her mother's knowledge, and ultimately paid a surprise visit to his New Jersey office in January 1961.
Dr. Morgenstern revealed that he was aware of Robin's fame as a child actor, but had remained firm in his decision to avoid contact with Faith Morgan, after choosing not to see her again the only time he visited her and the infant Robin.[3] He also told her that she in fact was born on January 29, 1941, exactly one year earlier than she thought, and disclosed the copy of her original birth certificate, that he had stored in his office. In order to conceal the out-of-wedlock birth, Faith Morgan had asked her Florida obstetrician to sign an affidavit stating that the birth took place on January 29, 1942.[3]
During the conversation in his office, Morgenstern told his daughter that he first met her mother after his arrival in the United States, more than a year before the United States entered World War II, and that she had had nothing to do with his immigration. He added that he had known Faith only briefly and claimed that she had fantasized their relationship as more important than it was.[3] By the time Robin Morgan met her father he had married and had two sons with a woman he had known since they were both children in Austria. Having been separated by the war, they resumed their relationship after she arrived in the United States not long after Robin was born, which probably also added to Morgenstern's decision to abandon Faith and their daughter.[citation needed]
Morgan only met her father once more, in February 1965 when he invited her and her husband to his New Jersey home.[3] Morgenstern did not want his sons to know that they had a half-sister and Morgan acceded to his request that they tell his two sons that she was "the daughter of an old friend."[3] She refused to do so again, however, and never met him or her two half-brothers again.[3]
Morgan describes the two encounters that she had with her biological father in her autobiography, Saturday's Child: A Memoir.
When Faith Morgan developed Parkinson's disease, in her early 60s,[3] Robin telephoned her biological father to let him know. When she asked if he wanted to say goodbye, he declined.[3] During Faith's illness, her life savings, which consisted of the money Robin had earned in her radio and television career – by then a six-figure sum that had accumulated in the bank – was stolen, by her two elderly home-caregivers.[3] Robin Morgan discovered this but ultimately chose not to press charges.[citation needed]
Filmography [ edit ]
1940s
Citizen Saint: The Life of Mother Cabrini (playing Francesca S. Cabrini as a child)
(playing Francesca S. Cabrini as a child) The Little Robin Morgan Show as herself (WOR radio show)
as herself (WOR radio show) Juvenile Jury as herself
1950s
Other
Publications [ edit ]
Poetry [ edit ]
Nonfiction [ edit ]
Fiction [ edit ]
Anthologies [ edit ]
Essays [ edit ]
Plays [ edit ]
"Their Own Country" (debut performance, Ascension Drama Series, New York, December 10, 1961 at 8:30pm, Church of the Ascension, reception immediately following.)
"The Duel." A verse play, published as "A Masque" in her book Depth Perception (debut perf. Joseph Papp's New Shakespeare Festival Public Theater, New York, 1979)BREAKING: FOX News Contributor & Far Left Loon Ryan Clayton Frogmarched From “Hating Breitbart” Premier
BREAKING REPORT:
Last night at the premier of Hating Breitbart in Washington DC, FOX News contributor and Huffington Post writer Ryan Clayton was escorted from the theater.
This was after he got up and started screaming in the middle of the film.
Far left activist Ryan Clayton has appeared several times on FOX News.
His blog is 100 Proof politics.
The dude is 100 proof loon.
More… Ryan Clayton actually appears in the Hating Breitbart documentary where he talks about the need for civil discourse in society… And then is seen viciously attacking Andrew Breitbart.
Unreal.
You can even see Ryan in one of the movie trailers attacking Andrew Breitbart.
These hateful loons just can’t help it.
It’s who they are.
UPDATE: Ryan Clayton was heard telling others he was in the film before he got booted.Somehow, some way, at some time the Mission Valley land where Qualcomm Stadium sits is going to be redeveloped. The most recognizable plan at the moment is Soccer City, the proposal from FS Investors with a Major League Soccer stadium (and hopeful expansion team) as the lynchpin.
That plan has created plenty of chatter about whether or not San Diego should become a soccer town. NFL proponents don’t seem to think so. But there is now hard evidence showing San Diego is one of the most active soccer cities in America.
According to data provided by Esri, a national demographics company, the San Diego market consumes soccer at a rate even greater than many cities that already have MLS franchises.
Esri did a 12-month study of both current MLS markets (with the exception of Minnesota and Atlanta, which both just began play; and Toronto because Canadian data was not equivalent with US data) and the markets attempting to lure a Major League Soccer expansion franchise. They looked at three main areas of comparison:
- Active Soccer Participation (playing soccer)
- Watching MLS games on TV
- Watching World Cup games on TV
The 12 cities currently hoping to be awarded an expansion team are San Diego, Charlotte, Cincinnati, Detroit, Nashville, Phoenix, Raleigh/Durham, Sacramento, San Antonio, St. Louis and Tampa. In all three categories San Diego measures as far and away the most soccer-rabid market.
In fact in all three categories San Diego ranked ahead of the average of current cities with MLS franchises by at least 12%.
That means more people in San Diego, which does not even have a Major League Soccer team yet, already watch MLS games on TV than places that have teams to root for.
It stands to reason that the viewership will only increase when America’s Finest City has a club to call its own, another reason San Diego is right near the top of the list of the 12 markets trying to secure a new MLS franchise.Add This Group To Obama's Winning Coalition: 'Religiously Unaffiliated'
Enlarge this image toggle caption Jacquelyn Martin/AP Jacquelyn Martin/AP
The big demographic story out of the 2012 presidential election may have been President Obama's domination of the Hispanic vote, and rightfully so.
But as we close the book on the election, it bears noting that another less obvious bloc of key swing state voters helped the president win a second term.
They're the "nones" — that's the Pew Research Center's shorthand for the growing number of American voters who don't have a specific religious affiliation. Some are agnostic, some atheist, but more than half define themselves as either "religious" or "spiritual but not religious," Pew found in a recent survey.
They are typically younger, more socially liberal than their forebears, vote Democratic, and now make up nearly 20 percent of the country's population. Exit polls suggest that 12 percent of voters on Election Day were counted as "religiously unaffiliated."
"This really is a striking development in American politics," says Gregory Smith of the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life. "There's no question that the religiously unaffiliated are a very important, politically consequential group."
The religiously unaffiliated voters are almost as strongly Democratic as white evangelicals are Republican, polls show.
Their overwhelming support of Obama proved crucial in a number of swing states where the president lost both the Catholic and Protestant vote by single and low-double digits, but won the "nones" by capturing 70-plus percent of their votes.
Big And Growing Formal Religion Gap
Election analysts have hashed over the gender gap and the marriage gap. They talked about Hispanic voters and gay voters. But it was the religiously unaffiliated voters, says Iowa-based pollster J Ann Selzer, who gave her one of the election season's big "aha" moments.
Selzer tells us that in her last Iowa poll before Election Day, data she had compiled for the Des Moines Register showed that Obama was losing to GOP nominee Mitt Romney among both Protestant and Catholic voters.
Those voters make up 88 percent of the state's electorate, yet her final numbers still had Obama leading Romney by 5 percentage points.
"I see this in the data, and give a shout out to Michelle," Selzer says, referring to her research assistant, Michelle Yeoman.
"How is this possible?" Selzer recalls saying. "I was pretty much awestruck."
What Selzer found was that though her polling showed Romney leading among Catholics by 14 points and among Protestants by 6 points, Obama was winning the "nones" by a 52-point margin.
It defied conventional wisdom, she says, but Election Day largely bore out her numbers (though Romney's advantage with Catholics in the states was actually only 5 points) and the dynamic was replicated in a slew of other swing states the president carried.
-- In Ohio, Obama lost the Protestant vote by 3 points and the Catholic vote by 11, but he won the "nones" — 12 percent of the state's electorate — by 47 points.
-- In Virginia, Obama lost Protestants by 9 points and Catholics by 10 points, but won 76 percent of the "nones," who were 10 percent of the electorate.
-- In Florida, Obama lost Protestants by 16 points and Catholics by 5 points, but captured 72 percent of the "nones." They were 15 percent of the electorate.
Similar results were seen in states including Michigan, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania.
"It was hard to think this was just Iowa," Selzer said. "And it wasn't. One of the reasons Barack Obama won was that he had the 'no religion' vote by a huge margin."
Nationally, Obama lost the Protestant vote by 15 points, won the Catholic vote by 2 points, and captured 70 percent of the "nones."
"My question is what is it about having no religion that makes you align so dramatically with the Democratic Party," Selzer says. "Sociologically, how fascinating is this?"
Some Answers
Pew took a deep dive into this dynamic earlier this year, and came up with some answers.
"One of the things that really jumped out at us in our analysis was that this is a group that's quite socially liberal," says Smith, of Pew's Forum on Religion & Public Life.
More than three quarters of them say that abortion should be legal in most or all cases, and a similar number support the legalization of same-sex marriage.
The growth in their numbers as part of the electorate is driven in large part by generational change, and generational replacement, Smith says.
"Young people just now entering adulthood are not only significantly more religiously unaffiliated compared with their elders today," he says, but they are also more religiously unaffiliated than previous generations of young people.
He cautions, however, against conflating the "nones" with nonbelievers.
"Those two things are not the same," Smith says. The "nones' are certainly less religious than those who say they belong to a religious group, but many are also believers.
"The absence of a connection to an organized religion is not the same as the absence of a religious belief or practice," he says.
Pew has tracked their growth, and found that in 2010 about a quarter of those in the "millennial generation" defined themselves as religiously unaffiliated. That's up from the 20 percent of Gen X-ers who said they had no religious affiliation, and 13 percent of baby boomers who said the same.
The slow, but inexorable, growth of religiously unaffiliated voters is certainly a phenomenon political parties are watching, but Smith offers at least one word of caution about where the dynamic is going.
"Religious switching is a very common thing in the United States," he said. "People go in and out of the unaffiliated column, and it's always possible that if more people switch, it could have a countervailing effect on the trends."
This presidential election, however, and the one four years ago, suggest that Democrats have a firm hold on a not-inconsequential voting bloc, one that was among the reasons Obama is in the White House for four more years.
"They will be a big piece of what we are thinking about as we look forward," Selzer says, a sentiment no doubt shared by political strategists in both major parties.Each quarterback threw the ball on and off for roughly an hour and a half Monday morning in between instruction and coaching from the coaches and the counselors.
We will have a much better feel for who the best of the best is come Friday evening, but after session one, here are some that stood out.
Shane Buechele, Arlington (Texas) Lamar Much like Shea Patterson, Buechele uses a compact and quick throwing motion to get the ball out in a hurry and lays it in where he needs it to be. One of the more steady performers. Effective. He is committed to the in-state Texas Longhorns.
Jacob Eason, Lake Stevens (Wash.) Eason really passes the eye-ball test and physically he has the look of a future NFL type of player. His release is a bit low, but he does not need to reach back to put anything extra on balls. This Georgia commit throws with easy power.
Malik Henry Henry is a very smooth passer. This Florida State commit is long and lean but actually gets the ball out quickly and with some accuracy. He spins it consistently and has a repeatable motion.
SHEA PATTERSON, Shreveport (La.) Calvary Baptist Patterson was basically what most expected him to be - consistent. He was constantly jumping up to the front of the line to get reps and more times than not, he put the ball when it needed to be put. Showed his lightening quick release that he is known for and he really spun the ball well all morning. The Ole Miss commit throws a very catchable ball.
Brandon Peters, Avon (Ind.) Was one of the most consistent passers all morning. Was just hot from the get-go on day one. Looked athletic and threw the ball with very little effort. The Michigan commit really dropped the ball into the basket for receivers and it looks like the Wolverines have a lot to be excited about.
Anthony Russo, Warminster (Pa.) Archbishop Wood Strong start for this Rutgers commit. It seemed like every time you looked up, he completing a pass. He was sharp today and when he took his time, and set his feet, he delivered a good ball. Russo was not one of the most talked about quarterbacks entering this event, but after session one, he looked strong.
Recruiting analyst Greg Powers contributed to this content.Haris Vuckic: Newcastle midfielder set for lengthy spell on sidelines
The Slovenia international midfielder suffered the injury playing for the club's reserve side on Monday against Aston Villa.
And he has now confirmed that he has sustained cruciate ligament damage.
"I immediately knew that something is very wrong and I suspected that it could be cruciate ligament and the medical examination proved that," he told Ekipa.
"Now I have to wait for the swelling in the knee to go away. Than I will have surgery and four to six months of rest.
"It is very difficult, especially mentally. But I know, that I will be okay, I know that doctors will take care of me, but it will require time and a lot of patience."
Although hugely disappointed, Vuckic is adamant he will return stronger.
"I'm very sad," he said. "I was very close to the first team, I was getting a chance in Europa League and after long time I felt really great. But injuries are part of sport and football.
"I could feel sorry for myself, that would be easier, but I won't. I'm not like that so I will do everything in my power to come back even stronger."
Backing
Newcastle boss Alan Pardew has asked the club's fans to get behind the 20-year-old.
"I think Haris knew straight away it was a serious injury," Pardew said.
"If our fans want to send him any messages, I think that would be appropriate, because he is hurt."Updated 5:05 p.m. ET
FLORENCE, S.C. -- Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney said Tuesday that he pays taxes "close to the 15% rate" and that most of his income comes from investments.
Romney made the comments after a town hall meeting here and the day after a contentious debate in Myrtle Beach. In that debate, Romney said he "probably" would release his income tax return in April if he is the GOP nominee.
STORY: Sharper tone at GOP debate
Romney's concession at the debate about releasing his tax returns comes after GOP rivals Rick Perry and Newt Gingrich -- along with the Democratic National Committee -- have pressed him for transparency on his taxes. Gingrich said he would release his tax returns Thursday.
Before he ran for elected office, Romney made a fortune as a venture capitalist. He has a net worth of $190 million to $250 million, according to his personal financial disclosure report.
The acknowledgment by Romney that he "overwhelmingly" makes much of his |
the Protestant Reformation. He was present at the diet of Augsburg in 1518, and one of his woodcuts represents Luther in quasi-saintly guise, under the protection of (or being inspired by) the Holy Spirit, which hovers over him in the shape of a dove.
Selected works [ edit ]
Hans Baldung - Mater Dolorosa (detail)
Two altar wings (Charles the Great, St. George), Augsburg, State Gallery.
The birth Christ, Basel, Kunstmuseum Basel, 1510
The crucifixion of Christ, Basel, Kunstmuseum Basel, 1512
Death and the Maiden, Basel, Kunstmuseum Basel, 1517
The crucifixion of Christ, Berlin, Gemäldegalerie, 1512
The Lamentation of Christ, Berlin, Gemäldegalerie, 1516
Pyramus and Thisbe, Berlin, Gemäldegalerie, around 1530
The Mass of St. Gregory, Cleveland, Cleveland Museum of Art, 1511
Christ as a gardener, Darmstadt, Hessen State Museum, 1539
The Adoration of the Magi, Dessau, Anhalt Art Gallery, 1510
Adam and Eva, Florence, Galleria degli Uffizi - Uffizi
Frankfurt am Main, Städel The Baptism of Christ. 1518
Portrait of a youth, Hampton Court, Royal Collection 1509
The unlikely couple, Liverpool, Walker Art Gallery, 1527
Portrait of a man, London, National Gallery, 1514
The Three Ages of Man and Death, Museo del Prado, Madrid
The Holy Trinity, London, National Gallery, 1512
Venus with Cupid, Otterlo, Rijksmuseum Kröller-Müller, 1525
Phyllis and Aristotle, Paris, Louvre. 1503
Stockholm, National Museum Mercury as a planet God. for 1530-1540
Vienna, Paintings Gallery of the Academy of Fine Arts The Rest on the Flight into Egypt. 1513
See also [ edit ]
Notes [ edit ]
References [ edit ]
Attribution:
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Ashby, Thomas (1911). "Grün" Encyclopædia Britannica. 12 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 329–640.
Further reading [ edit ]I first discovered 8-BITchin’tendo on MySpace (of all places.) His jams picked me up by my heart and brought to a place full of funky Nintendo riffs. The only thing that hurt was the quality of the MySpace stream, but thanks to NoiseChannel.org, you can download NINETEEN of his tracks for free in any of Bandcamp’s high-quality audio formats! Awesome!
The opening track, Princess Toadstool, is one of those tracks I just can’t shake from my head. When I first heard it, I played it on repeat for over an hour. The whole album is an exceptionally programmed NES masterpiece, with quality recording and an authentic chiptune sound. Released for free under Creative Commons, 8-BITchin’tendo’s Lo-Fi World is not to be missed!
NC016: Lo-Fi World by 8-BITchin’tendo
Like this: Like Loading...In a famous series of experiments conducted in the 1970s, social psychologist Henri Tajfel asked how little it would take to persuade one group of people to discriminate against another. The answer was almost nothing. Having assigned boys to two groups based largely on random criteria, he asked them to play a game. Each boy had to decide how many pennies to give to members of his own group and to members of the other group. Tajfel found that the boys were more generous toward their own group, even though the groups had been defined almost arbitrarily. Thus was born the concept of the “minimal group.”
Tajfel’s research informs a new, temporary exhibit at the Musée de l’Homme in Paris. Titled “Us and Them,” the exhibit explores the science of racism and prejudice. The question at its heart is why, when biologists have swept away the rationale for categorizing humans by race, does racism persist? TheMalcolm Turnbull calls it a ‘gigantic foundation stone for our future prosperity’ but we’ll have to take his word for it until full text of the deal is released
Australia and the Trans-Pacific Partnership: what we do and don't know
The prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull, calls it a “gigantic foundation stone for our future prosperity”, but what does the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) mean for Australia?
The short answer is that we don’t know for sure, because the full text of the deal has yet to be released.
We simply have assurances from the government and various industry groups about the elements of the 12-country trade pact finalised in Atlanta in the US on Monday. Those details form the basis of this summary.
Big picture
The TPP includes the US, Australia, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, New Zealand, Singapore, Vietnam and Brunei. Together these countries represent about 40% of global gross domestic product. China – a key strategic rival to the US – is not part of the deal.
The government says the TPP will eliminate 98% of tariffs (import penalties designed to protect local suppliers) across a range of sectors, improving access for Australian goods exports, services and investment.
The trade-offs
It is not clear what Australian tariffs the government has agreed to cut in the deal, because the government media release focuses on implications for Australian exporters rather than the impacts on local businesses (such as manufacturers) that may face greater competition from overseas companies selling cheap goods to Australians. Turnbull says Australia “is an open economy with relatively low tariffs anyway, so for us to eliminate or lower our tariffs is not giving up a lot”.
The trade minister, Andrew Robb, says electronic and white goods coming into Australia will be cheaper for consumers. Robb says existing manufacturers “may have to transition and change the focus of their business, or increase their investment to become more efficient”. But he argues that high-end manufacturers in Australia could become more competitive because of falling input costs (parts they use in their products could be brought in more cheaply).
Guardian Australia is seeking more details from Robb’s office about Australia’s commitments.
Pharmaecutical sticking point
Australia – with several other countries – resisted a US push to patent rules for new medicines. Big pharmaceutical companies wanted their new biologic medicines to be protected from cheaper, generic competition for longer, which would have driven up the cost of Australia’s pharmaceutical benefits scheme.
Andrew Robb: Australia and US close to drug patent compromise for TPP deal Read more
Robb, who had described it as a red-line issue in negotiations, says: “The government has delivered on its promise not to change Australia’s existing five years of data protection for biologic medicines or any other part of our health system, including our pharmaceutical benefits scheme. Concerns that the price of medicines would increase have proven to be absolutely unfounded.”
The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America says it is disappointed ministers failed to secure 12 years of data protection. Political parties and health groups in Australia have vowed to scrutinise the full text against Robb’s assurance.
The US government’s summary is oblique: “In addition, the [intellectual property] chapter contains pharmaceutical-related provisions that facilitate both the development of innovative, life-saving medicines and the availability of generic medicines, taking into account the time that various parties may need to meet these standards.”
Dispute mechanism
The TPP includes an investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) mechanism that allows companies to sue governments. The full details have yet to be released, but the Australian government says the mechanism “contains safeguards to protect legitimate government regulation in the areas of health and the environment”.
Penny Wong backs fight against free-trade clauses that let companies sue Australia Read more
“Australia will be able to ensure that tobacco control measures are never open to challenge, an issue on which we have been a leading voice,” Robb says.
Australia remains in the middle of a dispute with Philip Morris, which has brought a case against Australia under a previous trade deal with Hong Kong. The case relates to the plain packaging legislation introduced by the former Labor government.
Critics of ISDS provisions argue they undermine sovereignty and give far too much power to big corporations to subvert democratic decision-making.
The US government insists there will be “strong safeguards to prevent abusive and frivolous claims and ensure the right of governments to regulate in the public interest, including on health, safety, and environmental protection”.
Australian beef exports
Robb says tariffs on beef into Mexico and Canada will be eliminated within 10 years and there are further gains in Japan. The Australian meat and livestock industry says the tariffs levied on Australian beef entering Japan will be reduced from those negotiated under the recently completed Japan-Australia trade deal (JAEPA).
“The tariff on both frozen and chilled beef will fall to 9% over 15 years, as opposed to the end point of 19.5% for frozen beef and 23.5% for chilled beef secured under the JAEPA,” the industry says, but points out that all TPP member countries supplying beef to Japan will be similarly advantaged by the TPP tariff cuts.
Sugar exports
The government says there will be a further levy reduction for high polarity sugar into Japan; elimination of the tariff on refined sugar into Canada; elimination of tariffs on raw sugar into Peru; wholesale licensing arrangements for supply of refined sugar to the food and beverage industries in Malaysia will be liberalised.
Bill Heffernan vows to block any US beef imports under Trans-Pacific Partnership Read more
Robb says Australian sugar exporters will also have an extra quota of 65,000 tonnes of the base allocation of the US market, as well as a 23% share of additional allocations – triple the previous amount. Australia’s average annual exports of sugar to the US are 107,000 tonnes.
The sugar industry had wanted to rectify the US-Australia free trade agreement, negotiated a decade ago, which excluded sugar.
The Australian Sugar Industry Alliance describes the finalisation of the TPP as “bittersweet”, saying it is disappointed that “the US sugar lobby was successful in blocking all but a small amount of additional market access for Australian sugar”.
“The increase in access for Australian sugar is welcome but it must be recognised that it comes from a very low start, with an annual increase of 65,000 tonnes, for a total of 152,000 tonnes,” says the chairman of Canegrowers, Paul Schembri. “In today’s market, that extra access translates to approximately $13m per year benefit for the Australian sugar industry.”
Other agricultural exports
The government says Australia will be able to export more rice to Japan and it has reached agreement on administrative arrangements to facilitate trade, while rice tariffs into Mexico will be eliminated.
In Japan, tariffs are to be eliminated on a range of cheeses and there will be a new quota access for Australia on butter and skim milk powder, the government says. “Australian exports to Japan of mozzarella for processing use will be duty free when blended with Japanese cheese.”
Australia says it has also won access for 9,000 more tonnes of cheese to the US and tariff elimination on milk powders and Swiss cheese, and it will gain preferential access into Mexico and the highly protected Canadian market.
Tariffs are also to be eliminated on wheat and barley exports into Mexico within 10 years, and Canada when the deal takes effect, along with reductions of the mark-ups applied to wheat and barley in Japan.
Wine tariffs are to be phased out for products going to Mexico, Canada, Peru, Malaysia and Vietnam. There is also movement on seafood, with the government saying tariffs into Canada and Peru will be eliminated straight away, whereas this will occur in Japan within 16 years and Mexico within 15 years.
Energy exports
The government says the TPP will deliver immediate elimination of tariffs on iron ore, copper and nickel to Peru; elimination of tariffs on butanes, propane and liquefied natural gas to Vietnam within seven years; elimination of Vietnam’s 20% tariffs on refined petroleum.
Manufacturing exports
The government says Australia will benefit from the immediate elimination of tariffs on iron and steel products exported to Canada, and to Vietnam within 10 years; the elimination of ship tariffs in Canada over six to 11 years; the elimination of tariffs on pharmaceutical, machinery, mechanical and electrical appliances, and automotive parts to Mexico within 10 years; the elimination of tariffs on pharmaceuticals to Peru over 11 years.
Labor, Greens and crossbenchers concerned at Trans-Pacific Partnership Read more
Australian exporters are also being told to expect the elimination of duties on paper and paperboard to Peru over 11 years and the scrapping of tariffs on automotive parts to Vietnam over 10 years.
“Australian businesses will now be able to bid for tenders to supply goods (such as drugs and pharmaceutical products, electronic components and supplies) used for government purposes in Brunei, Canada, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru and Vietnam,” the government says.
A ban on local content requirements
The US government’s summary says the TPP provides investment protections including “prohibition on ‘performance requirements’ such as local content or technology localisation requirements”. This is likely to be of interest to unions.
Foreign investment in Australia
The screening threshold, at which private foreign investments in non-sensitive sectors are considered by the Foreign Investment Review Board, will be increased from $252m to $1,094m for all TPP countries.
Trans-Pacific Partnership taking shape behind closed doors, Andrew Robb says Read more
“Under the TPP, Australia has retained the ability to screen investments in sensitive sectors to ensure they do not raise issues contrary to the national interest,” the government says. “All investments by foreign governments will continue to be examined and lower screening thresholds will apply to investment in agricultural land and agribusiness.”
When will the TPP be released?
Unions and numerous other stakeholders have suggested that if the deal is so good, the details would not remain a secret. The Australian government says the TPP parties will finalise arrangements for the release of the text “and it will be released well in advance of signature”.
Each country will have to take steps to bring the deal into effect. “For Australia, this will involve tabling the treaty text in parliament along with a national interest analysis and a review by the joint standing committee on treaties to which all interested parties can make submissions.”[[wysiwyg_imageupload:5243:]]Robotech has been in development at Warner Bros. for seven years and it finally looks to get underway with Nic Mathieu on as director.
THR compares the big-budget adaptation of the popular Japanese anime series to be on the scale of Transformers with an exhaustive search conducted for a director that would bring a modern and cutting-edge approach to Robotech.
Nic Mathieu is an up-and-coming feature film director known for his commercial takes and use of CGI. He's also attached to a couple other sci-fi projects at Warner Bros. with The Wind and The Story of Your Life, so this shows how much faith Warner Bros has in Mathieu.
Akiva Goldsman, Matthew Plouffe, Joby Harold, Tory Tunnell and Tobey Maguire are listed as producers. Maguire was previously said to be attached to the role of Rick Hunter; whether that sticks is unknown as there are no new updates on any of the casting and many writers are said to have worked on scripts.
Robotech was first introduced to the U.S. back in 1985 with an 85-episode run, adapted from three Japanese television series. The show centered on alien technology that crash landed on Earth leading to the development of powerful mechs that were used to battle alien invasions.
The announcement of a Robotech movie comes at an interesting time as another mech movie is coming from Warner Bros. with Pacific Rim by Guillermo Del Toro. In Pacific Rim, mankind is under siege by giant monsters known as the Kaiju, with humanity building gigantic robots in response, the Jaegers, to defend themselves. Previous reports seemed to indicate that Warner Bros. was extremely excited and happy about Pacific Rim, which may have opened the door for Robotech.
Back in June, we featured a Robotech casting call article with our very own Lawrence Napoli listing his picks for the Robotech movie. Some of his favorites were: James McAvoy for Rick Hunter, Michael Fassbender as Roy Fokker, Liam Neeson as Breetai, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Maximillion Sterling.Dear China,
I feel like a bit of a traitor just taking off and leaving you like that but rest assured, while I’ve reached out to greener (fresher) pastures, you will not be forgotten.
I want to thank you for taking me into your arms two and a half years ago when I was wide eyed and let’s face it, more than a little petrified as I stood in the rain, peering up at your famous 1300 year old Pagoda, opposite our new home (the hotel), trying to understand its significance.
Your world looked anything but familiar to me, and that was (surprisingly) despite having lived in the oriental harbour city of Hong Kong for four years.
I smiled through clenched teeth and fought back tears as I tried to stay calm for my excited but nervous three and a half year old, who was yet to comprehend why her old world had been replaced by this new, raw version of the Orient.
Back then it felt like English was rarely spoken, even in the confines of the hotel, a conversation was, at best, challenging. I remember finding that one single foreigner working there and clinging to his words like bees to honey.
Outside of the hotel bubble, those early months felt like I was treading water, desperately trying to stay afloat. Routine was everything, yet we had none. A trip to two “international” schools set up for those few expats in town and wealthy Chinese had me anxious when I learned five full days in class was the norm for my Small Person, one of the few Westerners on the block.
A trip to my local hairdresser for an attempt at colouring my blonde hair had me in tears. Not because I’m vain (ok, maybe a little) but because it was then I realised I was completely alone and had no clue how to communicate my thoughts to a group of people looking at me like I really was an alien.
Our first visa run had me in shock as we were shoved this way and that, poked and prodded in full view of a very inquisitive audience.
A bizarre visit to the local doctor who asked me for advice on which drugs I needed and then wanted a photo together!
It was all indicative of everything we attempted to do in a bid to set up a life in China, in those early days.
Back then, I didn’t realise that while you boast the world’s second biggest economy and churn out much of the world’s goods not to mention the world’s most travellers ….. essentially much of you is still developing, still learning and still adapting to life in the 21st Century.
I soon found out that you are a nation full of contradictions.
Xi’an may have been your capital for 13 dynasties, but her lack of exposure to the modern world meant for the most part, you were still learning much of what the Western world had already conquered.
I learned that despite how far you’ve come, authoritarian rule is still your preferred mode of governing. Censorship is par for the course. A quick Google soon confirmed that, as did watching my television go to black regularly, simply because it was something your government wanted to shield us from.
Controls over things that involve people’s safety and livelihoods though seem minimal.
Smoking is still in force like it’s the 1970’s… when it comes to the roads, rules are few and far between and riding motorbikes without a helmet, with phone and at least three or four passengers (including children) is completely normal.
Pollution during those winter months is literally off the radar, at least north of the Yangtze River.
When you walk outside and it smells and tastes like an incinerator and pollution levels are ’20 times’ the healthy limit, you have no choice but to shrug, put your mask on and get on with it — as much as your head tells you, it’s a ludicrous way to live (and some locals will tell you to “go for a run, it’ll strengthen your lungs”)!
I’ve learned to strategically avoid those small wet patches of spit that litter the ground; and not to bat an eyelid when I see small (and big people) relieving themselves, mid squat in the middle of a busy footpath.
Fast forward almost three years and like a toddler emerging into childhood, I can appreciate you’re changing and developing at a rapid pace, perhaps unparalleled in world history.
English doesn’t seem as hard to come by, both spoken and written… but perhaps that’s just because I’ve added a little bit of my own Chinese into the mix to help with our communication. Those things that seemed incredibly hard are still incredibly hard, but perhaps our indifference or constant exposure to it, has made it all the more bearable.
They are now just “China moments.”
A city of nine million that had very few restaurants and bars outside those local watering holes overflowing with spicy noodles and bbq skewers now has an abundance of new hotspots of every flavour on every corner.
There is an element of the West weaving its way into society, rightly or wrongly and the nouveau riche are dividing classes like never before.
Despite the hairdresser telling me I’ve got “farmers hands” one day and am a little “alien” like the next, as he rifles through my shopping bags to see “what she buys”, we have become firm friends. That day I cried, clearly still etched firmly in his mind he tells me, as he bids Small Person and I farewell with bear hugs and promises to visit Australia.
Those hairy car rides to school no longer have me in a state of shock…. Frank (the driver) and I have settled into a comfortable daily routine. Every morning, come rain, hail, shine (or snow) he waits downstairs, standing at the car door, ready to greet us with a smiley “Zao Shang Hao” (Good Morning), helps to buckle Small Person in as she squirms and fidgets, and off we roar into the morning chaos…
Despite never having spoken a word of English bar “Ok” – he quite possibly knows more about us and vice versa than either party would care to. We know he likes to put on the morning talkback shows in Chinese while he fiddles with his beads all the way to school, weaving in and out of tuk tuks, two wheelers, and overcrowded busses, beeping the horn with gusto.
We know that after dropping us off, he’ll usually sneak in a cigarette at the bus stop until he sees me coming back and then does a six point turn in the middle of a crowded school street – traffic banks up, while I wait awkwardly at the side of the road, pretending it’s all completely normal. And it is.
We have reached an ‘unspoken understanding’ and perhaps an appreciation of each other. That’s evident when my girl draws him a goodbye picture and we give him some new beads.
Then there’s the security guards at the school gate that greet me with a big hello and goodbye every day, proudly in their few English words… and once in an unexpected downpour, run out to the car with me holding an umbrella over my head…yet still won’t let me inside the school gates unless my I.D is hanging around my neck.
My last week in China was no different to the entire two and a half years… unpredictable and challenging! If nothing else China, you are consistent in that nothing is ever straightforward!
A book interview with an American-English teacher in the north of the city; a lunch with school mums from China, America and Brazil at a kitsch Chinese restaurant, overflowing with statues, local red wine, a warm drink made from dates, Peking Duck and spicy noodles. All followed by a twenty minute wait in zero temperatures (outside the school gate) and then a regular school pick up that unexpectedly becomes the end of the school term, closing abruptly due to extreme pollution levels! This also unexpectedly makes it my Small Person’s last day, ever, so I’m forever grateful her teacher has the foresight to run out at the eleventh hour and get her a goodbye cake!
Then a farewell night out that ended at a “Gentleman’s Club” which isn’t as risqué as you might think!
Curious to see what it was all about…we enter the shiny, new establishment (one of many that has sprung up in our local neighbourhood) all in the name of checking out the “competition!” Chandeliers, leather sofas and karaoke (China’s other love). In the spirit of a ‘proper’ Chinese night out, we find ourselves agreeing to hit up the microphone with a few tunes. A dozen beers are delivered and then… as an added bonus, we’re treated to a line up of suitable men of all ‘shapes and sizes’ to choose from (including the token ‘foreigner’ who hails from Kazakstan)!! All for ‘company’ we’re told…or as we soon find out in between giggles, a university student to sit amongst our group, make strained conversation, drink our beer, smoke cigarettes and sing the odd Chinese pop song!
China, you will forever have me bamboozled by your extremes – from the overwhelming poverty that envelopes you, to the ever-increasing number of Rolls Royces cruising the streets; to the intense effort given to academic education yet lack of life guidance; to the seemingly selfish public acts yet incredible acts of kindness, to the strict censorship but overly flexible road rules; the human trafficking and domestic violence but feeling of peace and safety on the streets, to the emphasis on Guanxi (networking) and family but the inability to lose face…and those layers upon layers of ‘bureaucracy!’
China, both your complex and simple personality traits have made it possible for me to love you, yet loathe you – all in the same breath.
But just as you’re changing, I hope that I am too. Still fresh out of your grip, it’s too soon to tell how you’ve changed me. Only time will tell.
One thing’s for sure, you’ve taught me to be more open and tolerant and definitely not to sweat the small stuff.
I’ve learned that trying to understand cultural differences, nuances and a country’s history is not always easy but it is the key to understanding a nation and every thread that intertwines to makes up the fabric of your society is to be appreciated.
Your spirit and strength in overcoming a recent history of oppression and poverty is admirable.
As different as China can at times seem from the world in which we know, and as much as that old mantra, ‘survival of the fittest’ still rings true for many of you….there is no mistaking, you have a nation of people only too willing to show an outsider kindness.
And that for me, has counted for a lot.
(If only someone had told us what’s in the tap water sooner!) 😉
It’s not goodbye, it’s see you later!
This is China …. and you’ve stolen a little piece of my heart.
Enjoyed that post? If so, why not sign up to Mint Mocha Musings so you don't miss a thing! Updates, Tips and Freebies EmailZE:A’s Hwang Kwanghee is the new model for carbonated soft drink, Fanta.
Coca-Cola Company expressed, “Coca-Cola Korea released Frozen Fanta on May 1st 2016. It’s only available in Korea currently. For our model, we picked Kwanghee since he has been active in the entertainment business with his energetic and bubbly charms. We feel that Kwanghee’s image fits in perfectly with Fanta’s image which is to bring enjoyment and thrills to boring everyday life. So we decided to get Kwanghee to be our drink’s new model. Kwanghee will definitely bring a tinge of positive energy to everyone in this summer.”
The concept of this CF is Bruce Lee, and he shows lots of hilarious actions.
Here enjoy Kwanghee’s funny acting!
Do you want to try Frozen Fanta? Check out here!Though we’re still a couple months away from the start of summer, the weather is already warming up in many parts of the country, which means that the familiar jingle of the ice cream man will soon be heard. In fact, he’s been driving around my town for the past several weeks, and you better believe I’ve flagged him down on a few occasions.
Yes, it is indeed ice cream season once more, and today I wanted to share with you guys a fun little project that’s sure to whet your appetite for some tasty dessert treats.
A couple years back, artist Frank Browning and I partnered up and created a series of Ben & Jerry’s horror movie ice cream flavors, which were posted on my blog Freddy In Space. We had a whole lot of fun coming up with clever flavors as well as eye-catching carton designs, and I think it’s time that art is given a second life here on the web.
So, what would it look like if Ben & Jerry’s turned movies like Child’s Play, The Shining, Halloween and Army of Darkness into ice cream flavors? Dig in below to find out!
Click on page 2 for “The Human Centi Peach”!Sacramento, the capitol city of California, has decided that it is silly to expect people to not just kill each other, and will now pay $1.5 Million to gang members to not kill people. Sounds like a sweet gig, so where can one sign up to get free money for not doing what they are not allowed to do anyway? Well, first you have to sign up with a gang, and then you have to have already gotten away with murder!
“The funding for the payments to the criminal gang members will come from the city’s general fund. The money will go to 50 men who are suspected of killing people, but there’s not enough evidence to prosecute them.”
That’s right, the city is handing over a million and a half dollars to actual killers in the hopes that a little payout will convince them to not get caught killing again.
So rather than protect the public, the city has opted to subsidize gang thugs who they believe have killed the public, all in the hopes that by paying this DaneGang-Geld, they’ll eventually get rid of the DaneGang.
A little mood music:
TweetIn a world where ‘penguins pop’, there are bald-headed minions standing in assembly lines, hot-air balloons floating up into a blue sky, Japanese geishas, multi-colored umbrellas and a voracious, roaring Lannister lion.
Customized shoes are a great way to set yourself apart from the crowd
It takes about a thousand painstaking brushstrokes to create these images, transforming staid white canvas shoes into something special, quirky and utterly fashionable.
‘Penguin Pop’, journalist Saadia Gardezi’s brainchild, is a true labor of love where orders for customized shoes are taken and then diligently created. The artwork is all done by Saadia herself, in the evenings when she returns home from her day-job and over weekends.
These Adventure Times tennis shoes are sure to make an otherwise blah outfit pop
“Things just took off by sheer accident,” she recalls. “I had some old canvas shoes lying about and I decided to paint them for myself. Some of my friends admired them and I made similar shoes for them. Then, friends of friends began to place orders and before I knew it, things had taken off.”
Just a year old, Penguin Pop’s success can easily be attributed to Saadia’s flair for art. With a seasoned gimlet eye she may create a rendition of Van Gogh’s ‘Starry Nights’, an Avengers comic strip, a menagerie of Disney characters or an endearing Cookie monster on a pair of shoes.
Van Gogh shoes
“Orders are fulfilled within two to four weeks and I prefer painting canvas shoes because they are durable. I use fabric and acrylic paints treated with varnishes that allow the shoes to be scrubbed clean without damaging the paint. On special order, I have painted wedged heels and even constructed a very tricky paper collage on shoes. Canvas, though, works best. I paint the shoes myself because I can’t trust anybody else to follow my vision to the tee,” says Saadia. “It often takes as long as 15 hours to create a single shoe."
Some of the heels Saadia has painted
This means that only about a maximum of 30 orders can be accepted per month and prices rise high, beginning at about Rs 5000 and rocketing to Rs 12,000. “It is hard grueling work and my customers appreciate that their shoes are uniquely their own. Most of them don’t mind the high prices.”
Sales are undoubtedly augmented thanks to the vestiges of social media, when happy clients or popular blogs post images of Penguin Pop shoes on Instagram.
Prices range from Rs 5000 and can go up till Rs 12, 000
“Orders definitely filter in right after an image is posted on Instagram. Suddenly, there are about a hundred e-mails in my inbox,” laughs Saadia.
In this era of paid online content, how often does a fledgling brand like Penguin Pop pay bloggers to boost its popularity? “Not once,” says Saadia, “although I have had bloggers calling me up, asking for free shoes in return for online advertising. I have had to tell them that it doesn’t work that way; that many hours are invested into creating a single pair and I can only invest that kind of effort into an actual order. Fortunately for me, online magazines and bloggers that I don’t even know personally have liked my work and posted repetitively about it.”
Each shoe is a labour of love for Saadia
It’s almost a beatific fairy tale; amidst the unnecessary online lauding of mediocre designers and copycat fashion, a small-scale but exceptionally creative concept like Penguin Pop gets appreciated on the merit of its design.
“A few days ago, actor Osman Khalid Butt called me, placed an order and told me that he was a huge fan of my work. I was completely taken aback because I am a big fan of his. I had never expected this to happen!” relates Saadia.
Where does she see the penguins popping to in the future? “I am just going with the flow,” she says. “I am a journalist and a professional cartoonist and this is the most I can do at the moment. Let’s see where it goes.”Scientists have woken up and smelled the coffee — and analyzed its DNA.
They found that what we love about coffee — the caffeine — is a genetic quirk, not related to the caffeine in chocolate or tea.
"It's an accident that has been frozen in place very likely by the influence of natural selection," said University of Buffalo evolutionary biologist Victor Albert.
He and more than 60 other researchers from around the world mapped out the genetic instruction book of java. Their results were published Thursday in the journal Science.
Albert says researchers discovered that caffeine developed separately in coffee, tea and chocolate because it is in different genes in different areas of plants' genomes.
Pollinators [of coffee plants] come back for more — just like we do for our cups of coffee. - Victor Albert, evolutionary biologist
But once coffee mutated to have caffeine — not just in the bean, there's even more in the leaves — it turned out to be a good thing for the plant, Albert says. Bugs don't chew on the coffee plant leaves because they don't like the caffeine, but pollinators like bees do.
"So, pollinators come back for more — just like we do for our cups of coffee," Albert says, admitting he also likes the buzz.
"It wakes me up every morning. I wouldn't be able to do all this fabulous work on coffee if it weren't for the coffee itself."
University of North Carolina plant genomics professor Jeff Dangl, who wasn't part of the study, notes "natural selection to help coffee plants deter insects turned out so well for us." But he adds, "Unfortunately, coffee is now under epidemic attack by pathogens that are not deterred by caffeine, and we need all the clever genetics and genomics to save it."
The research will be presented next week at the 25th International Conference on Coffee Science in Colombia.I’ve recently needed to add disk usage quotas to a server in order to limit how much data users can store so as not to affect the quality of service for other users.
Linux has a method called quota which can help you do this.
Ubuntu provides some packaged tools which let you manage quotas
apt-get install quota
To enable quotas on a partition the first step is to edit the /etc/fstab entry for the partition and append usrquota to it so the kernel knows to manage that partition using quotas.
/dev/sda1 / ext4 defaults,usrquota 0 0
We then need to create 2 files that manage the quota levels in the root of the partition in question
sudo touch /quota.user /quota.group
sudo chmod 600 /quota.*
To make the setting take affect we then need to remount the partition, we can either do this with a reboot or
sudo mount -o remount /
to check that it worked, investigate /etc/mtab, it should look similar to
/dev/sda1 / ext4 rw,usrquota,usrquota 0 0
remounting didn’t work for me, so i issued the reboot command!
When the disk is mounted to support quotas, the next step is to configure how the system is going to manage them!
I’m going to be managing quotas on a per user basis, each user is going to be allowed to store up to 5Gb of data! To configure a user we use the edquota command which will open up an editor
edquota -u idimmu -f /
then edit the config like so
Disk quotas for user idimmu (uid 1000):
Filesystem blocks soft hard inodes soft hard
/dev/sda1 0 5242880 5242880 0 0 0
you can see how I’ve set the hard and soft limits to be 5Gb in kilobytes! (5 * 1024 * 1024)
We can confirm the change with the quota command
root@crisps:~# quota -u idimmu
Disk quotas for user idimmu (uid 1000):
Filesystem blocks quota limit grace files quota limit grace
/dev/sda1 5242872 5242880 5242880 20 0 0
You can see that it’s also done some math to work out how many blocks to limit the user to as well!
Now we need to test it.. can the idimmu account create more than 5Gb in his home directory?
idimmu@crisps:~$ dd if=/dev/zero of=filename1 bs=1024 count |
“The nature of things betrays itself more readily under vexation than in its natural freedom. Science is not merely a gentle guidance over nature’s course. We have the power to conquer and subdue her, to shake her to her foundations.” And that the purpose of doing this is, “to create a blessed race of heroes who would dominate both nature and society.”
So these are the roots of the scientific method upon which CDF justifies clearcuts.
Another of the really worst was Descartes’ “Cogito Ergo Sum,” “I think therefore I am.” He arrived at that by trying to prove that he existed without referring to anything around him. The very concept of that shows a separation between self and nature. But he did a pretty good job of it, and I thought it was pretty interesting. But he went beyond that. He also said, “Well I can doubt this room exists. I can doubt that you exist. I can doubt that I exist. The only thing I can’t doubt is that I am doubting. AHA! I think, therefore, I am!” So that was pretty smart, but it was still very narrow and very self-centered. I always said that only an oldest child could have come up with this kind of solipsistic view of the world. Descartes also named the scientific method that we learned in science class “scientific reductionism.” The idea is that in order to understand a complex problem, reduce it to its simpler form to know it, in order to “render ourselves the masters and possessors of nature.” So the very concept of “scientific reductionism” is really the problem with science and illustrative of why it’s not a neutral objective path to knowledge. This is the methodology that we’re going to look at a little piece at a time, in order to understand something complex.
One more example is a statement from Bacon to James I, who was involved in the inquisition at the time. The rise of the scientific method, of this masculine method of knowledge, emerged during the same time period as the very violent suppression of the women’s knowledge of the earth, herbal ways etc. So this wasn’t just, “Oh, we have a better way, you women stand aside.” It was “we’re going to burn you at the stake,” so it was certainly not neutral. It was a very aggressive and violent imposition of a masculine system of knowledge. In this context Bacon said to James I, “Neither ought a man to make scruple of entering and penetrating into those holes and corners when the inquisition of truth is his whole object — as your majesty has shown in your own example.” The only way they can perpetuate the myth that the scientific method is objective is to remove it from the context of the social conditions from which it arose. It’s not objective at all. It’s not the only method of knowledge. It’s not the only path to truth. And it’s not value-free. It’s openly masculine and it openly presupposes the separation of humans from the earth, and it presupposes that the purpose of science is to dominate nature.
What did the more feminine methods of knowledge that were being suppressed at the time involve? The “feminine” methods were based on observation and interaction with the earth in order to increase the fertility cycles in a way that’s beneficial to all. For example, we learn that if we bury a fish with the corn, the corn grows better — those kind of things. The women’s knowledge of the earth was passed down generation to generation — and was dismissed as mere superstition by the rising scientists with their reductionist methods.
However, reductionist science has indeed had a lot of success. It’s created nuclear bombs, plastic shrink-wrap, Twinkies, Highway 101, all kinds of wonders of the earth! But it has not led us to a true understanding of nature or the earth, because nature’s parts are not separate, they are interdependent. You can’t look at one part without looking at the rest, it is all inextricably interconnected. The way that reductionist science has looked at the world has brought us antibiotics that create super bacteria, and flood control methods that create huger floods than ever existed before and fertilizers that leave us with barren soil. These are all examples of the defects of a reductionist kind of science.
Contrary to this masculine system of separation and dominance, eco-feminism seeks a science of nature. And this science of nature is a holistic and interdependent one, where you look at the whole thing and the way that everything interacts, not just the way that it can be when you separate it. And also it presupposes that humans are part of nature, and that our fates are inseparable; that we have to live within the earth’s fertility cycles and we can enhance those fertility cycles by our informed interaction.
In India, where Chipko began, the women were the keepers of the forest and the keepers of agriculture, as well. So when the women brought the cows up to the trees (probably savannas rather than forests), the cows fertilized the trees, and nibbled at the limbs and branches, helping to trim them so they would produce more nuts or fruit. This kind of interaction enhanced the fertility cycle of nature. So rather than trying to conquer it, or subvert it, or disrupt it, the feminine method is based on interacting and enhancing the fertility cycle. And this is exactly what is supplanted when the colonial powers come in.
The holistic and interdependent eco-feminist view in which humans are inseparable from nature, is not any different than deep ecology or biocentrism. This is simply another way of saying the same thing. And so, to embrace biocentrism or deep ecology, is to challenge the masculine system of knowledge that underlies the destruction of the earth, and that underlies the justification for the way our society is structured.
Eco-feminism, however, does not seek to dominate men as women have been dominated under patriarchy. Instead, it seeks to find a balance. We need both the masculine and the feminine forces. It’s not that we need to get rid of the masculine force. Both of them exist in the world but must exist in balance. We need the conquering and the dominance as well as we need the nurturing. Eco-feminism seeks find that balance.
Because this society is hugely out of balance, we need a huge rise of the feminine. We need a rise of individual women, and also a rise of feminist ideology among both women and men. Fortunately, I have seen quite a few changes in that direction. I think I’m more impressed with the teenage boys than I am with the teenage girls. It’s really neat to see them being able to hug each other and want to grow gardens and things like that. That wouldn’t have happened in my generation.
Without this balance between the masculine and the feminine, I don’t believe we can make the changes that we need to come back into balance with the earth. For those reasons, I think that deep ecology/biocentrism contradicts patriarchy, and to embrace deep ecology/biocentrism is to challenge the core belief of this masculine, scientific system.
What This Means For The Movement
The fact that deep ecology is a revolutionary philosophy is one of the reasons Earth First! was targeted for disruption and annihilation by the FBI. The fact that we did not recognize it as revolutionary is one of the reasons we were so unprepared for the magnitude of the attack. If we are to continue, Earth First! and the entire ecology movement must adjust their tactics to the profound changes that are needed to bring society into balance with nature.
One way that we can do this is to broaden our focus. Of course, sacred places must be preserved, and it is entirely appropriate for an ecology movement to center on protecting irreplaceable wilderness areas But to define our movement as being concerned with “wilderness only,” as Earth First! did in the 1980s, is self-defeating. You cannot seriously address the destruction of wilderness without addressing the society that is destroying it. It’s about time for the ecology movement (and I’m not just talking about Earth First! here) to stop considering itself as separate from the social justice movement. The same power that manifests itself as resource extraction in the countryside manifests itself as racism, classism, and human exploitation in the city. The ecology movement must recognize that we are just one front in a long, proud, history of resistance.
A revolutionary ecology movement must also organize among poor and working people. With the exception of the toxics movement and the native land rights movement most U.S. environmentalists are white and privileged. This group is too invested in the system to pose it much of a threat. A revolutionary ideology in the hands of privileged people can indeed bring about some disruption and change in the system. But a revolutionary ideology in the hands of working people can bring that system to a halt. For it is the working people who have their hands on the machinery. And only by stopping the machinery of destruction can we ever hope to stop this madness.
How can it be that we have neighborhood movements focused on the disposal of toxic wastes, for example, but we don’t have a worker’s movement to stop the production of toxics? It is only when the factory workers refuse to make the stuff, it is only when the loggers refuse to cut the ancient trees, that we can ever hope for real and lasting change. This system cannot be stopped by force. It is violent and ruthless beyond the capacity of any people’s resistance movement. The only way I can even imagine stopping it is through massive non-cooperation.
So let’s keep blocking those bulldozers and hugging those trees. And let’s focus our campaigns on the global corporations that are really at fault. But we have to begin placing our actions in a larger context — the context of revolutionary ecology.Patients in Wales will benefit from stronger services and more expertise in genetic medicine, under a new strategy.
The £6.8m plan has been designed to ensure Wales is able to offer treatment plans revolutionised by better understanding of human DNA.
It is hoped patients will have faster access to genetic tests and targeted treatment could be offered.
There have been warnings the Welsh NHS risks being left behind unless these services were developed.
Humans have about 20,000 genes - bits of DNA code or instructions that control how our bodies work - but tiny errors in the code can lead to a range of different illnesses.
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Dr Rachel Butler: "We are able to use our genetics technologies to reach far more patients"
Dr Rachel Butler, head of the Cardiff-based All Wales Genetics Laboratory, said "precision" medicine provided targeted treatment.
She explained that for certain types of cancer, for example, treatments were being developed based on particular genetic errors that can cause the disease.
Genomics for Precision Medicine Strategy proposals include:
Make sure patients in Wales have easier and quicker access to genetic tests
Develop more precise and personalised treatments for a range of diseases, on the basis of clinical need
Develop a single genetics service for Wales, including building a new genetics laboratory
Recruit more genetic experts and data analysts, provide more training for existing NHS staff, improve IT and data-sharing systems to deal with vast amounts of information
Enhance Wales' capability for research and work more closely with drugs companies and other industries in developing new treatments
Raise public awareness about developments and innovation in genetics
Engage in conversations about issues such as data protection, consent and confidentiality
In the strategy, fears were raised that "the current and future potential" of genetics are "poorly understood beyond the specialist field".
It said this "limits the ability of the NHS to fully exploit the possibilities and creates risks for the international competitiveness of Welsh Health Services in future".
The strategy called for "stronger arrangements" to be put in place to prevent Wales from falling behind.
It also said that, up until now, much of the infrastructure for genomics research in Wales has developed "opportunistically" based on efforts of individual institutions and smaller units.
According to the strategy, a "higher level approach" was now needed which, if implemented, will ensure a "bright future for the application of cutting edge genomic technologies in Wales".
Image caption Dr Rick Greville: "Really important" Wales plays its part
Dr Rick Greville from ABPI Wales, the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry, said the "vast majority" of medicines being developed were using genomics as a component.
"Through genomics we will be able to identify the best medicine for the most appropriate patient," he said.
Dr Greville said the strategy was important because it brought together everyone needed to play their part.
"It's really, really important for the NHS in Wales to be at the forefront of that science... and data collection and analysis."
Thursday's strategy launch by Health Secretary Vaughan Gething comes two days after England's chief medical officer, Prof Dame Sally Davies, said cancer patients should be routinely offered DNA tests to help select the best treatments for them.
Background: Benefits and concerns
Image copyright Inpho
Genetic illnesses like Cystic Fibrosis occur because a person inherits genetic defects from their parents and mutations can be passed on through the generations.
Understanding the exact nature of those alterations can help scientists develop more effective treatments, and help them to identify new and more rare genetic illnesses.
Most alterations are harmless, but if they happen in key genes they can can cause diseases like cancer.
Understanding the exact errors can help tailor treatments to the individual, or small groups picking the drugs mostly likely to be effective.
This is known as personalised or precision medicine.
'Tread carefully'
Unlocking the genetic code can also help doctors better investigate outbreaks of infectious diseases and tackle issues like how some bacteria become resistant to antibiotics.
More than 15 years ago, scientists first demonstrated the entire genetic code that made up the entire human genome.
It took more than a decade and cost a hundreds of millions of pounds.
But by now a person's entire DNA can be sequenced in a matter of days at a cost of just several hundred pounds.
Ultimately, experts predict genetic tests might become commonplace "at the point of care", for example in GP surgeries.
But the advances in this field have led to concerns about data security and patient confidentiality. Patients may also not want to find out about errors in their genetic code.
That is why many experts believe that in a rapidly evolving field of medicine, there is a need to "tread carefully".Two new polls show that Rand Paul continues to hold a lead over his Democratic opponent in the race for Kentucky’s Senate seat.
In the Bluegrass Poll, Paul has a six point lead over Jack Conway:
Republican Rand Paul leads Democrat Jack Conway by 6 points in Kentucky’s closely watched U.S. Senate race, according to a Courier-Journal/WHAS11 Bluegrass Poll. The new poll — in which 569 likely voters were questioned by telephone — found Paul would beat Conway by a margin of 51 percent to 45 percent if the election were held today. Paul’s lead, however, falls within the poll’s margin of error, which is plus or minus 4.2 percentage points. Only 4 percent of likely voters said they were undecided in the poll, which was conducted May 25-27 by SurveyUSA.
The other poll released last week, a Daily Kos/Research 2000 Poll, showed Paul leading Conway 44% to 41% with 15% undecided.
Arguably, these polls indicate that Paul has taken a hit from the Civil Rights Act controversy considering that the first post-primary poll showed him with a 25 point lead (although its worth noting that comparing polling results from different pollsters isn’t really a good idea).
In any case, though, it seems clear that whatever harm that controversy caused him, Paul remains the leader in this race.It's a good time for resolutions, and mine is to get a grip. Write with focus. Unfortunately this column's often become so absorbed in the detail occurring around us that it's missing the big trends. A New Year offers an opportunity to change that; frame objectives; and achieve them. But if we're going to accomplish anything it's necessary to understand our environment first. So some predictions for the year ahead.
Malcolm Turnbull will go. Not immediately perhaps, but even he's clever enough to realise it's been more than a decade since a prime minister who led a party to victory has been given the opportunity to lead his colleagues to the subsequent election. He's finished. The only issue still to be determined is the manner of his going. Personally, I think he'll grow bored as soon as he understands his impotence to achieve anything.
Bill Shorten will go. His party won't give him the credit for destroying Tony Abbott or Turnbull: they think both were demolished by their own flaws. Now Labor realises its next leader will become PM, the manoeuvring has already begun. Nothing's firm, yet, however Shorten's prolonged run of poor polling (despite the government's incompetence) condemns him.
The deficit will remain untouched. Although economic issues – and particularly spendthrift governments – have been at the centre of our political disillusionment since the crisis of 2008 became apparent, neither party will be willing to make the bold calls necessary to deal with these. Yet until this occurs the country will continue drifting. Politicians will be too afraid to risk the wrath of the electorate to take the vital decisions that are urgently necessary if people are to believe Australia offers an inclusive future for everyone.Catholic hospitals may sidestep advanced care directives for unconscious patients and mandate artificial nourishment, even if a patient has expressed reluctance to prolong life. In 2009, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops issued the directive to more than 1,000 Catholic hospitals and nursing homes, as well as to all Catholic doctors.
The controversial Terri Schiavo case influenced the Catholic Church’s stance on artificial nourishment and end of life care, eventually directing policies in Catholic hospitals.
The Terri Schiavo effect
After a seven-year, high profile legal battle, 41-year-old Terri Schiavo’s feeding tube was removed in 2005. Doctors determined she had been in a persistent vegetative state for fifteen years, after cardiac arrest led to debilitating brain damage. Her husband, Michael Schiavo, petitioned for her feeding tube to be removed. However, her parents contested she was conscious and should be allowed time to recover. Michael Schiavo asserted he was honoring his wife’s wishes not to be kept alive artificially.
The case eventually made it to the Florida Supreme Court. “Terri’s Law,” which had given Florida Governor Jeb Bush the authority to intervene and reinsert the tube, was found to be unconstitutional.
The tendentious decision to pull the feeding tube from Schiavo would inspire the Church to reevaluate its doctrine and policies regarding end of life care.
Two years after Terri Schiavo died, The New York Times’ Patrick J. Lyons wrote about the fallout from the case. “The ethical and moral dilemmas surrounding the end of life can be some of the most difficult,” Lyons writes. “Ms. Schiavo’s long coma and the struggle over who should decide what to do about it attracted huge attention and sent off political and social shock waves that still reverberate.”
Even the Vatican was urged to issue a statement affirming a position on end of life and artificial nutrients in 2007. Lyons writes, “The Vatican had to deliberate for two years over how to answer a request for guidance on cases like Ms. Schiavo’s that was posed by American bishops after she died in 2005.”
Advanced directives may not matter
The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which oversees Catholic doctrine and investigates crimes against the Church, determined that a patient in a “permanent vegetative state” must receive the administration of water and food, even if through artificial means.
As a result of the Congregation’s order, Catholic hospitals may now invalidate advanced directives declining artificial nutrition. Even so, Catholic hospitals still continue to receive billions in federal Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements.
Sally Quinn, religion writer for The Washington Post, describes how her ailing 89-year-old mother does not wish to be kept alive through artificial means if she has little hope of recovery. “She drew up a living will decades ago, and it specifies that no extraordinary measures, including artificial hydration and nutrition, be taken to prolong her life if there is no reasonable hope of recovery.”
“I would not dream of countermanding my mother’s decisions about end-of-life care, but, if she were unlucky enough to be taken to a Roman Catholic hospital in an emergency, the church of her girlhood would,” Quinn writes. “The relatives of unconscious patients who have specified their opposition to artificial nutrition will have a fight on their hands-and may have to transfer their loved ones to another hospital-to carry out the patient’s wishes.”
According to the Conference, “The free and informed judgment made by a competent adult patient concerning the use or withdrawal of life-saving procedures, should always be respected and normally complied with unless it is contrary to Catholic moral teaching.”
Catholic hospitals number close to 600 in the U.S, and they provide about 12 percent of the nation’s health care. Quinn asserts that Catholic hospitals once adhered to patient wishes at the end of life. “That changed with the Terri Schiavo case, in which Pope John Paul took the side of those who insisted that forced nutrition and hydration was a ‘natural’ means of preserving life and must always be used.”
Barbara Coombs Lee is the president of Compassion and Choices, a non-profit dedicated to enhancing end of life choices. She writes in an article for The Huffington Post: “A little known but far reaching aspect of the Church’s organizational structure requires every hospital, nursing home, assisted living center, etc., with a Catholic charter to abide by a set of rules called ‘Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services.’ “
These 72 directives, Coombs Lee explains, itemize how the services patients receive conform to Catholic doctrine.
According to directive 58: “In principle, there is an obligation to provide patients with food and water, including medically assisted nutrition and hydration for those who cannot take food orally. This obligation extends to patients in chronic and presumably irreversible conditions (e.g., the ‘persistent vegetative state’) who can reasonably be expected to live indefinitely if given such care.”
According to Sister Carol Keehan, executive director of the Catholic Health Association, “Advance directives are held in great respect in Catholic hospitals. Some might like to say there’s a terrible problem, but there isn’t.”
Learn more about Catholic hospitals at Kaiser Health News and NPR NewsWith Halloween 2017 drawing ever closer, we thought we’d check in with Red Barrels Games, the Canadian indie team behind the survival horror Outlast franchise. Co-founder and Senior Game Designer Philippe Morin, an industry veteran who’s worked with companies like Ubisoft, Naughty Dog and Electronic Arts before going indie, was kind enough to take some time to answer our questions.
We talked about Outlast II, of course. The game launched in late April and is now 40% off on Steam as part of the Halloween sale, a bargain for what’s a pretty damn good horror game according to Kai.
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Morin also revealed that Outlast II will run at native 4K resolution and 60fps on Microsoft’s upcoming Xbox One X console, a massive increase compared to PlayStation 4 Pro’s dynamic 1440P resolution that should translate into a much crisper image. Keep reading for our full conversation.
Are you happy with how Outlast II performed commercially and critically?
We’re getting close to 1 million units sold, so yes we are happy. We knew the game would be polarizing, but what’s the point of being an independent developer if you’re going to play it safe?
In hindsight, what would you have done differently (if anything) during development?
There’s always a ton of things you’d like to change once a game comes out. If I could go back in time, I would find a way to spend more time on balancing the game, in order to avoid having to release a patch a couple of weeks after the game launched. We’re a small team (20 at the end of production), so finishing the game was extremely intense.
Related Black Friday 2018 Roundup: Best Deals on PS4, Xbox One X, Switch, and The Year’s Top Games
We’ve recently reported a comment by a former Visceral Games developer who mentioned that horror games are expensive to make and hard sell since many customers like them, but don’t buy them because they’re too scary. Do you agree with this assessment and if so, how should developers try and work around such an issue?
It does make things trickier if you approach a horror game like you’d approach an AAA Blockbuster title. Horror fans are dedicated and passionate, but the horror genre is a niche. The bigger your budget, the more you need to reach a wide audience. Obviously, I’m not familiar with Visceral’s detailed situation, but for us, it makes sense to make horror games.
Many fans have asked you to incorporate VR support in your games for the ultimate horror experience. Is there still a chance to see VR support added to Outlast II or perhaps you’ll wait for the next game now?
Like I mentioned previously, we’re a small team, so we have to focus our resources where it makes the most sense. VR is super cool, but it’s a limited market at the moment.
You’ve said on Twitter that you’ve been considering whether to port Outlast II to the Nintendo Switch. Do you have any further update to share on that?
Not yet 🙂.
Your game is listed among the official titles supporting the Xbox One X console. What was it like developing for this new console? Can you tell us the technical specifications of the port (native resolution, frame rate, graphics enhancements etc.)?
Outlast 2 will support native 4K and run at 60 FPS on the Xbox One X, but it won’t support HDR and Dolby Atmos. The process was pretty straightforward for our programmer. The patch is already live, by the way!
Some developers have argued that the Xbox One X, despite its high price, is actually cheap for its hardware components. Do you agree?
I’m a game designer and not familiar with the tech involved. All I can say is that I will buy one.
Going forward, should we continue expecting horror games in the vein of Outlast from Red Barrels Games or would you like to branch out at some point and try other genres?
I don’t think we’ll ever abandon the genre, but stretching different muscles could be nice once in a while.
Similarly, is there any particular setting you’d like to tackle after having nailed ‘rural Americana’?
To be honest, we haven’t made any decisions yet. We have a few options on the table and will soon make a decision. But we won’t make any announcements before things are locked on our side.
Finally, what do you think of the recent loot boxes debacle that’s spreading through the AAA industry?
I had to do a search on the Web to find out what the question was about 🙂. So, you can guess what we think about it as developers and gamers. I hope we can avoid having to rely on this solution.
Thank you for your time.Welcome back to LWOS 2016 MLB Draft Coverage, the column that brings you player profiles for the next crop of professional baseball players that are likely to be selected in the upcoming draft. Be sure to bookmark the site, follow us on Twitter, and spread the word for the site that will bring you analytical profiles and scouting reports. Click here to check out our complete coverage of the 2016 MLB Draft. Last Word On Sports is your new headquarters for all things 2016 MLB Draft!
Overview
School: Shawnee Mission East (Prarie Village, Kansas)
Position: LHP/1B
Height: 6’5”
Weight: 205
Bats: Left
Throws: Left
Joey Wentz 2016 MLB Draft Profile
Joey Wentz is a large left handed pitcher who, before this year, was known more for his hitting prowess than his arm. With a fastball that has gained velocity, and continual power at the plate, Wentz has asserted himself as a top prospect in this year’s draft. Wentz is teammates and good friends with another top draft choice, Riley Pint. Wentz has committed to the University of Virginia but will likely skip college if he gets drafted as high as expected.
Strengths:
Fastball around 93 mph with 2-seam action
Curveball around 76 mph with a 1-7 break
Changeup around 81 with circle-change action.
Great hitter with power
Large frame
Repeatable motion
Weaknesses:
He doesn’t have many well developed secondary pitches
MLB Comparison: Lefty version of Bronson Arroyo or Adam Wainwright
Projected Pick Range: 10-20
Most Likely Landing Spot: Los Angeles Angels
Bottom Line
Wentz’s draft stock has dramatically increased over the last 6-8 months. He’s been projected as high as a top ten talent, and as low as a mid 30s draft pick. Ultimately, his vast improvement as a pitcher, and steady improvement with secondary pitches, is enough to get scouts to bite on him. He’s a young pitcher with time and ability to improve rapidly, which makes him pretty enticing to teams picking 10-20. The Angels need pitching prospects, and he would fit perfectly.
Sources: Prospect Junkies, Baseball America
Main Photo Via USA Today SportsJohn Grosvenor Rowland (born May 24, 1957) is an American politician, author, and convicted felon who served as the 86th Governor of Connecticut from 1995 to 2004. A Republican, he served two nonconsecutive prison terms on various corruption charges.[1] Rowland previously served in the United States House of Representatives from 1985 to 1991, representing the state's 5th district. In 2004, Rowland resigned from office during a corruption investigation, and later pleaded guilty in federal court to a one-count indictment for conspiracy to commit honest services fraud, mail fraud and tax fraud.[2][3] He was the first Connecticut governor to be elected to three terms since 1784.
He served ten months in a federal prison until February 10, 2006, followed by four months' house arrest at his home in West Hartford, Connecticut, until June 2006. His lieutenant governor, M. Jodi Rell, replaced him as governor.
On April 10, 2014, Rowland was indicted on seven counts for his role in an election fraud case where former congressional candidate Lisa Wilson-Foley, current Vice Chair of the Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts and her husband, Brian Foley, pleaded guilty in federal court on March 31, 2014 to illegally paying Rowland $35,000 in campaign consulting fees.[4] He was charged with two counts of falsifying records in a federal investigation, one count of conspiracy, two counts of causing false statements to be made to the FEC, and two counts of causing illegal campaign contributions.[5] He was convicted on all seven counts in September 2014,[6] and was subsequently sentenced to 30 months in prison on March 18, 2015.[7]
He is married to Patty Rowland, his second wife, and the couple has five children between them.
Political career [ edit ]
John G. Rowland 1989 congressional photo
Rowland's political career began in 1980 when, at age 23, he was elected to the Connecticut State House of Representatives. He held his seat until 1984, when he was elected to represent Connecticut's 5th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives and was reelected in 1986 and 1988.
After losing the 1990 gubernatorial race to Lowell P. Weicker Jr., Rowland worked as a consultant for United Technologies Corp. He was later elected governor in 1994 at age 37 (the youngest governor in Connecticut history) and later defeated two Democratic opponents: former US Congresswoman Barbara Bailey Kennelly (63%–35%) in 1998 and former State Comptroller Bill Curry (56%–44%) in 2002.
Rowland resigned abruptly as Governor, July 1, 2004 as he faced impeachment and investigation for corruption. Lieutenant Governor M. Jodi Rell served out the remainder of his term. Rowland is the first Connecticut governor to have ever faced impeachment and he is the only Connecticut governor to have served prison time.
Tenure as Governor [ edit ]
In 2003 Governor Rowland dismissed 2,800 state workers thus violating their union contracts. The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York City ruled in 2013 that the former Republican governor's administration had violated the workers right to freedom of association. Many workers were eventually rehired or otherwise partially compensated. "They lost benefits, they lost pension, they lost health insurance," creating "real interference" with people's lives, said Union Attorney David Golub.[8]
The Adriaen's Landing project, the most ambitious capital city development project in decades in the state, continued to progress during Rowland's time in office. College campuses were moved, which brought thousands downtown in Hartford, Stamford, Bridgeport and Waterbury. New London's waterfront was thriving as of 2004, with a new global research facility and rebuilt pier. Theaters and museums in all major cities were revitalized, from the Palace Theater in Waterbury to the New Britain's Museum of American Art.[citation needed]
In 1998, Rowland implemented the HUSKY Plan (Healthcare for UninSured Kids and Youth) to provide health insurance to uninsured Connecticut children. During his tenure, the budget for the Department of Children and Families more than doubled. Rowland supported addition to government of the state's first Child Advocate.[9]
Rowland was a strong proponent of a tough stance against violent crime as governor. The prison population grew rapidly during his term, which caused the state to send inmates to prisons in Virginia to deal with overcrowding. Legislative opponents of this policy such as Representative Michael Lawlor urged more rapid release of nonviolent offenders.[10] After Rowland left office the Virginia inmates were returned to Connecticut and more criminals were paroled.[11] This approach was criticized after the 2007 Cheshire home invasion murders committed by two "nonviolent" inmates paroled from Connecticut prison.[12]
Before investigation into his conduct as governor started, Rowland was viewed as a rising star in the Republican Party, and was mentioned as a future presidential or vice-presidential candidate.[13]
Corruption as Governor [ edit ]
Impeachment [ edit ]
In the first year of Rowland's third term (2003), rumors began circulating that contractors doing business with the state, paid for and made improvements to his private weekend home. He also benefited improperly from the sale of a condominium in Washington, D.C. at an inflated price, took bribes from subordinates in state government and took partial ownership in businesses immediately before they were granted state contracts. These eventually led to federal investigations and then indictments of some of Rowland's close aides, who then cooperated with federal investigators. Rowland publicly denied the allegations.
However, in December 2003, Rowland abruptly appeared on television and admitted that work had been done by contractors on his vacation home at no charge, and that his earlier statements to the contrary were untrue. Matters were exacerbated when his wife, Patty Rowland, wrote a satirical poem deriding the media for investigating her husband's wrongdoing.[14]
He claimed that, since the work was done, he had paid the contractors in full; but in January 2004 an official investigation began into charges of corruption and whether he should face impeachment.
On June 18, the Connecticut Supreme Court required Rowland to appear before the investigative panel seeking his testimony, which could have resulted in him giving evidence against impeachment in the ongoing criminal investigation. On June 21, Rowland resigned, effective noon on July 1, 2004.
Conviction [ edit ]
On December 23, 2004, Rowland pleaded guilty to depriving the public of honest service. Rowland was sentenced on March 18, 2005, in New Haven, Connecticut, to one year and one day in prison, four months' house arrest, three years' probation and community service. On April 1, 2005, he entered Federal Correctional Institution, Loretto, in Pennsylvania. His federal inmate number was 15623-014.[15]
Post release after first incarceration [ edit ]
On February 10, 2006, Rowland was released from federal prison with the stipulation that he serve four months' house arrest with an electronic ankle bracelet monitor.
On July 1, 2006, Rowland spoke to an association of scholar athletes in Kingston, Rhode Island, about the lessons he learned. A "sense of entitlement" and the "arrogance of power" were two of the biggest things that ended his political career, The Hartford Courant quoted him as saying.[16]
He warned that the arrogance is very easy when you're put on a pedestal, and you "start to believe your own press releases.... It [becomes] all about me. You start to block out what else is around you."[16]
The Courant quoted Rowland as saying that "when you start to find yourself only concerned with yourself" that's the point when you need to find a "grounding force." That should be faith, ideally, he said, or at least "something within yourself"—not just other people.[16]
"I found in my career that a lot of people will tell you how great you are—especially when you're the boss. But there will be that time when that career will be over... and then it's down to the three F's—faith, family and friends – real faith, real family and real friends."[16]
Rowland, now a resident of West Hartford, told the audience his future is still uncertain. He owes the Internal Revenue Service more than $35,000 and another $40,000 in fines. He said he's a volunteer counselor and hoping to find a publisher for a book he wrote called Falling Into Grace.[17]
In September 2006, local TV station WTNH, reported that Patty Rowland had purchased a house in Middlebury, Connecticut, and the Rowland family would be moving to that town.[18]
Rowland discussed his life after politics in a Washington Post article published June 17, 2007. Rowland discussed his work on the lecture circuit and the factors leading to his political demise. He also expressed disappointment that his successor, Governor M. Jodi Rell had "thrown him under the bus" and distanced herself from him after taking office.[19] Rell declined to criticize Rowland over these remarks.[20]
In January 2008 Waterbury Republican Mayor Michael Jarjura announced that he would hire Rowland as an economic development advisor for the city.[21] Rowland began work in February and received an annual salary of $95,000 as the city's economic development coordinator.[22] Rowland's stint as Waterbury's economic development coordinator ended in 2012.[23]
Life after politics [ edit ]
Radio show [ edit ]
From 2010 |
, with about half also being cut.[18]
The Phantom Episode 51: Kingdom of the Flies was going to be included in the game and even had 30% of its cutscenes rendered, although it was cut before release. Nonetheless, it is shown on a special Blu-ray Disc.
Owing to Ground Zeroes originally being planned to be released around the same time as The Phantom Pain, there was data text for the game in the coding.[19][20]
There are unused images and textures in the game including an image for a third chapter called "Peace", textures for a skinless human and upper half of a female buddy with a scar on it. The female buddy featured at least two scars, one featuring a "V" mirroring Paz's scar post-incision, and the other featuring a snake-like scar, mirroring that of The Boss.[21] The former was also commented upon by Kojima in three Twitter posts.[22] Similarly, Reddit also uncovered a reference to VOL3 and LET.[23][24]
An ending was uncovered in the PC version involving Diamond Dogs playing a large role in eliminating nukes from the world.[25] In addition, at least four audio files were uncovered in the same source. One file was apparently meant to take place right after Eli hijacked Metal Gear Sahelanthropus, where Miller relayed to Snake the hijacked pilot's retrieval, as well as XOF becoming involved in the search for the stolen Metal Gear and Eli.[26] The second had Ocelot describing the functions of Battle Gear.[27] The third one had Miller giving various comments about attack dogs, their role, and how to avoid them (implying that they were to appear in the game as an enemy).[28] The last one, presumably taking place after the mission where Quiet leaves permanently, has Ocelot trying to tell Snake to let it go.[29] In addition, the PC files revealed that there were intended to be twelve uniforms, six base colors, thirty weapons colors, at least six camouflage fatigues, eight faceplates, four blueprints for weapons, and roughly 31 emblem pieces, not counting the Venom Snake emblem, plus the emblem for No Alert.[30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39] Some of these were later released via the Event Points update. Similarly, after the May 10 update came out, dummied text indicated that there were to be at least thirty new uniforms (not counting Night Splitter), and images were uncovered depicting the various uniforms.[40][41]
The player data text implied that Eli as Liquid Snake would have been playable at some point. It also had camouflage names such as Panther and Real Tree, and indicated that there would have been customization options for the MGS3 wear, including an unused DLC pack for D-Horse called "Horse Rage Cone".[42][43]
Although not in the game disc itself, some dummied data relating to the game was also found in the Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain Companion App. Among these were coding that implied that there would have been a mission involving Chico (who was originally intended to survive the helicopter crash) on at least one part of the game, as well as data that was presumably related to the United States Naval Prison Facility in Cuba, and references to a tape called "Diamond Dogs Anthem." Leftover Battle Gear part names and LangIds indicate that it was intended to act as a customizable buddy, with a 30mm gatling gun, missile launcher, and rail-gun as weapon options.[44][45]
Content on the disc relating to soldier profiles implied that the commander of the rogue Mbele child soldiers was intended to be an actual staff member for Diamond Dogs.[46] In addition, further content unveiled that, aside from Combat, R&D, Support, and Medical Teams as well as non-specific skillsets, the skillset icons would also have included those specific to the Security Team, Base Development Unit, and Intel Team, plus a speech bubble skillset (implying that the interpreter skillsets were originally going to be their own category rather than simply part of the Support Unit).
Mother Base was planned to have at least three vehicle side ops. They were called Driver's Ed and had in-game descriptions explaining that were going to be checkpoint-based time trials.[47]
The Elephant codename was also found inside the data for The Phantom Pain, hinting it was initially going to be a codename in the game, but was discarded and found use in Metal Gear Online 3 instead. Several unused textures for weapon camouflage patterns can be found in the game's texture0.dat file.
D-Dog was originally going to have an additional two outfits; one themed for Miller and another for Ocelot. They have similar descriptions to the one for Quiet's Sniper Wolf outfit. [48]
There were also going to be various other equipment as well, like an alternate version of the INT Scope with lights.
Dummied data for the August 2017 update indicated that they would have released the grade 10-12 wormhole generators as blueprints similar to the first version, but by the time of the Skulls Attack event on September 19, the wormhole blueprint was the same as the initial version.
Notes and referencesGeorgia Democratic congressional candidate Jon Ossoff continues to lie about his national security credentials. Ossoff is running against Republican Karen Handel in Georgia’s sixth congressional special election to fill the vacancy left by Republican Tom Price, who is now health and human services secretary. The number of candidates who ran was absurd; 11 Republicans tossed their hat into the ring. If no one got 50+1 percent, a runoff would occur on June 20 between the two top vote getters. That turned out to be Handel and Ossoff, the latter of which said his not winning outright was a “victory for the ages.” Guy mentioned how Ossoff has never even bothered to vote in any of the state’s other runoff elections in the past, and he also doesn’t even live in the district he’s running to represent. Ossoff has been bolstered by heaps of cash from outside the state. Yet, back to the national security clearance issue.
Ossoff has tried to position himself as a candidate with years of experience in this field, boasting about his top-secret clearance he obtained while working as an aide to Rep. Hank Johnson (D-GA). Ossoff claimed to have had that clearance for five years when it was really five months. Yet, he has repeated this claim and in a recent local interview with Fox 5 Atlanta’s Russ Spencer, he’s adamant that he hasn’t oversold that aspect of his campaign.
RUSS SPENCER: “You had that top secret security clearance. It’s true, but for about 5 months. Have you oversold that at all, do you think?” JON OSSOFF: “Never. Not once.”
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution published Ossoff’s timeline with Rep. Johnson:
— January 2007: Ossoff starts in Johnson’s office as a part-time legislative correspondent, working 25-30 hours a week while attending Georgetown University. — May 2009: Ossoff graduates from Georgetown University. — Summer 2009: Ossoff spends time traveling before he returns to work as Johnson’s legislative assistant in Aug. 2009. — January 2010: Ossoff is promoted to senior legislative assistant. — April to July 2010: Ossoff runs Johnson’s re-election campaign. — September 2010: Ossoff returns to Johnson’s Capitol Hill office. — March 2012: Ossoff receives a top-secret security clearance and staffs Johnson for work related to the National Defense Authorization Act. — Mid-August 2012: Ossoff leaves Johnson’s office.
I think we can all agree that five years is very different than five months. Yet, the district is loaded with highly educated Republican voters who are not Trump supporters. Right now, Ossoff is in the lead, up seven points over Handel. It’s already the most expensive House race in history. George Will added that should Ossoff pull of a win later this month, President Trump and the Republicans could be facing a brutal 2018 midterm season. We surely will hear the end of the GOP talk from the liberal media. At the same time, the midterms are roughly 500 days away.
BONUS: If you’re wondering about Rep. Johnson, he’s the congressman who thought Guam could capsize if it became overpopulated.CLOSE Detroit Red Wings forwards Henrik Zetterberg and Justin Abdelkader and coach Jeff Blashill talk to reporters Friday, March 24, 2017. Video by Helene St. James / DFP Videolicious
Wings captain, considered a Hall of Famer by Bowman, perseveres to reach career milestone
Henrik Zetterberg of the Red Wings celebrates a goal against the Stars in the first period at American Airlines Center on January 12, 2017 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo: Ronald Martinez, Getty Images)
As he finds rejuvenation at home and at work, Henrik Zetterberg also has found philosophy.
The captain of the Detroit Red Wings is playing stellar hockey at what he describes as his fossil age, demonstrating what inner drive can accomplish. It can, for example, mean a seventh-round draft pick not known for his skating can last 1,000 games, a milestone Zetterberg, 36, is on track to reach in the April 9 finale at Joe Louis Arena. Zetterberg does so having just reached his 900th career point.
“He is a Hall of Fame player,” former Wings coach Scotty Bowman said. “He is such a good two-way player. It's so reliable as a coach to have a guy like him, because you could play him against anybody. In 2008, he was going head-to-head against Sidney Crosby. Z was able to neutralize him.”
It speaks to Zetterberg’s perseverance and dedication that nearly one decade and one back surgery later, he remains a dominant player.
“He is the most consistent player I have ever played with,” teammate Frans Nielsen said. “He just doesn't have bad games. He has had a lot of points this year, but even when he is not on the scoreboard, he still brings a lot to the team the way he plays defensively.”
Related:
Zetterberg is the Wings’ go-to answer. Forward in a slump? Put him with Zetterberg and watch the points come -- see Gustav Nyquist, Tomas Tatar and Anthony Mantha as examples. In trouble with the puck? Get it to Zetterberg.
“When our D have the puck and they see him, they are always looking to give it to him and then when he gets it, he slows the game down to the speed he wants,” Dylan Larkin said. “He is good east-west, but he is not the fastest north-south, but you never see other guys catch up to him and take the puck right off him. He is so good at protecting, it holding it. He finds guys on the back side, open guys who put it in the net. He controls the pace of play and a lot of times, he controls the game itself.”
Red Wings left wing Henrik Zetterberg (40) eyes a loose puck after being knocked to the ice by Bruins right wing David Backes (42) during the second period of the Wings' 4-3 loss in overtime in Boston. (Photo: Winslow Townson USA TODAY Sports)
The Wings drafted Zetterberg at 210th overall in 1999, a year after drafting Pavel Datsyuk in the sixth round, at 171st overall. Soon after Zetterberg joined Datsyuk in Detroit in the 2002-03 season, Kris Draper nicknamed the pair “Euro Twins” for their effortless chemistry on the ice and charming friendship off it. Now Zetterberg and Niklas Kronwall are the team’s elders, and Zetterberg is about to become the seventh player in club history to log 1,000 games, joining Gordie Howe, Nicklas Lidstrom, Alex Delvecchio, Steve Yzerman, Kris Draper and Tomas Holmstrom.
“When you come into the league like I did, you don’t have that much expectation,” Zetterberg said. “You are just happy to be here, to get a chance to play over here. I hoped I'd last for a bit, but I didn’t have a thousand games in mind. I'm thrilled about it and looking forward to that game.
“It’s gone really fast, I can tell you that. When I came into the league, you thought that some of the guys on the team were really old. And now me and Nik are the those guys. The fossils.”
Rising star
Zetterberg first caught the eyes of chief of European scouting Hakan Andersson and then-Wings assistant general manager Jim Nill while playing in Zetterberg's native Sweden. He played in the Swedish Elite League from 2000-2002, where he did so well he ended up on the 2002 Swedish Olympic team at age 22.
“When the Swedes selected him to play at Olympics, we knew we had a tremendous young player on our hands,” general manager Ken Holland said. “He ended up being second in voting for the Calder (Trophy for NHL rookie of the year).
“During the work stoppage in 2004-05, he went back and played in Sweden and led the Swedish league in scoring. When he and Pav came back, that’s when they really took the torch from Stevie.”
Related:
Yzerman and Zetterberg met as opponents when Yzerman’s Canada played Sweden in the Olympics. “It was my first look at him live,” Yzerman said. “He was really good. Made a great play on his backhand on a two-on-one. From that moment on, it was just, this guy is really good.
“He has never, ever looked back.”
Zetterberg was named alternate captain in 2005, and went on to produce what was then career highs with 39 goals and 85 points in 77 games. Two seasons later saw him deliver what still stands as his best career numbers with 43 goals and 92 points in 75 games. He followed that up with 13 goals and 27 points as he helped lead the Wings to the Stanley Cup championship, earning the Conn Smythe as the playoff MVP.
Zetterberg not only excelled offensively, he was so adept at both ends of the ice that then-Wings coach Mike Babcock often used him on the penalty kill, including 5-on-3s.
“He is an unbelievable player with unbelievable determination,” Babcock said. “Hockey sense, determination, the drive to win. The ability to bring it every day. Z is doing everything he can to push the team.”
Red Wings left wing Henrik Zetterberg celebrates his goal against the against the Coyotes with Darren Helm during the third period Thursday, March 16, 2017 in Glendale, Ariz. (Photo: Ross D. Franklin, AP)
Whatever it took, Zetterberg delivered.
“From the day that he came into the organization, he was very mature and professional in the way he conducted himself on a daily basis,” Yzerman said. “He has special qualities as a leader. He is a tremendous all-around player. From Day 1, he had all those abilities, which I really admire, because a lot of us had to learn all that stuff. And he knew it as a young man.
“He has just been a fantastic leader for the team. And he is what, 36 now? He’s having a quietly tremendous season for the team.”
Zetterberg’s season is all the more remarkable considering that three years ago, he was in such bad shape he had to pull out of the 2014 Sochi Winter Games. His back hurt so much that as he carried his backpack onto the plane back to the U.S., Bruins defensemen Zdeno Chara grabbed the bag from Zetterberg and carried it for him.
Zetterberg underwent surgery, and remarkably returned for the last two games of the first round, which saw the Wings lose to Chara’s Bruins in five games.
Henrik Zetterberg and his son, Love, next to a picture of the Red Wings captain. (Photo: Courtesy of Henrik Zetterberg)
“Many players would have said, wait till next year,” Holland said. “Z did what he could to help our team in the playoffs.
“There is a reason he has accomplished what he has. He’s competitive, leads by example. He’s got a burning desire for success.”
When Lidstrom retired in 2012, Zetterberg was the natural choice to take over as captain, officially named so on Jan. 15, 2013, after the NHL returned following another stoppage. Like Yzerman and Lidstrom, Zetterberg is an example-setting, speak-softly leader.
“He’s got an elite hockey mind and competitiveness,” Carolina Hurricanes head coach and former Wings assistant coach Bill Peters said. “Just a good pro, really, really a good pro. Learned from good leaders before him and he continues that tradition.... Whoever is on his line, you are going to get some scoring opportunities because he gets you the puck.”
Henrik Zetterberg holds the Stanley Cup after the Red Wings defeated the Penguins in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup finals in Pittsburgh on June 4, 2008. (Photo: Gene J. Puskar, AP)
Unbelievable determination
This spring will see the Wings miss the playoffs for the first time in 26 seasons, but not for lack of Zetterberg trying to get them there. A year after he spoke of his own disappointment in how quietly he’d finished 2015-16 and vowing to do better, Zetterberg stands as an example of backing up his words with his play. With 64 points after 77 games, nine of his goals and 27 of his assists had come after the season’s midpoint.
“Even now, the team is not as strong as it used to be, but he shows up every game,” Bowman said.
Mike Modano, the Livonia native who played the last 40 of his 1,499 career games with the Wings in 2010-11, noted “not too many guys can say they played 1,000 games with the same team. That makes it cool.
“I think when you get to his age and you have had that success, there is a lot of pride to be able to take it as far as you can. There are always outside variables that come into play, but Z has always seemed to prepare well, he takes great care of himself, has a great routine to get ready. He has an expectation level of himself, and he wants to maintain that. But it does get harder as you get into your late 30s.”
Zetterberg will become the 54th player in NHL history to log 1,000 games with one franchise. That his milestone is tracking to fall on the same night Joe Louis Arena hosts its final hockey game adds to what will be a historic night.
“Henrik is a high-profile player, a big part of the organization,” pro scout and former Wings forward Kirk Maltby said. “He has always been a real smart player. That his health still stands up after he had back surgery is a tribute to what he has done off the ice.
Henrik Zetterberg skates off the ice after the Red Wings' 4-3 loss to the Devils on Jan. 31, 2017 at Joe Louis Arena. (Photo: Paul Sancya, AP)
“He’s never been a fast skater but he puts himself in positions so he doesn’t have to get in a foot race. Physically he is not a big guy. He’s lean. But the way he is able to control the puck, he is almost like Jaromir Jagr, who is a big, thick heavy guy. It’s amazing Hank can do that against bigger, younger guys. We couldn't have asked him to have a better year.”
Teammates often refer to how Zetterberg carries the team, how he makes little plays that change a game, like when he created a last-second scoring chance March 3 at Calgary by having amazing time-awareness.
“He plays the game at his speed and controls the game when he is out there,” teammate Justin Abdelkader said. “His smarts for the game are some of the best ever. He doesn’t panic with the puck. His awareness of the game, and with the puck on his stick, he makes the right play all the time.”
Related:
Head coach Jeff Blashill likes to tell how coming into the season, he was prepared to cut Zetterberg's minutes because of his age.
“I let it play out, and he has demanded more minutes,” Blashill said. “It sure looks like he is at the top of his game.
“Greatness doesn’t happen by happenstance, it happens by work, and he puts an unbelievable amount of work in. He is a great example for young guys of how hard you work every day. His fierce competitive level every single game – he just refuses to lose puck battles - is a real lesson for guys. He has defied odds since he was drafted because of that competitive level.”
Fossil fuel
Zetterberg cherishes both the older and younger players that surround him in the locker room. Kronwall understands him, Larkin and other young players such as Andreas Athanasiou and Mantha rejuvenate him. Perhaps Zetterberg's biggest inspiration is Love, the son he and his wife, Emma, welcomed in August 2015.
“That was a big moment in our lives and it definitely keeps you a little younger,” Zetterberg said. “Having a chance to bring him down to the locker room and practices and games, that is something I did when I was a kid, followed my dad to practices and games, and that meant a lot to me when I was younger.”
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When he is on the road, Zetterberg kills time by watching Game of Thrones and reading books in Swedish. Something in which he can lose himself and pass time. He and Kronwall are regular dinner companions, sharing laughs and memories.
“I think one of the reasons he is playing as well as he is is that he is really taking everything in and enjoying it,” Kronwall said. “I can tell how much this means to him, to get to 1000 games. It really is amazing what he has done.”
Zetterberg has four years left on the 12-year, $73 million contract extension he signed in January of 2009. He parries questions about how much longer he will play because who can possibly predict that? So long as his health holds up, there’s little reason to contemplate retirement. Zetterberg was never a swift skater, and smarts don’t deteriorate.
Henrik Zetterberg, A-plus: 17 goals, 51 assists, 68 points, plus-15 in 82 games. Leads way for teammates in scoring and every other respect. Turned 36 as season began, played every game. His 19:43 average ice time was first among team forwards and third among skaters. Had a goal and an assist in his 1,000th career game in last game of season. Makes his wingers better, can change a game with one shift. (Photo: Rick Osentoski, USA TODAY Sports)
“You stay in the moment, see how your body feels and react,” Zetterberg said. “It has been a challenging season because in the past we have been in the playoff hunt. The last month here, when you start to realize how many games we’d have to win and when we didn’t do that – even though it wasn’t officially set that we would not make the playoffs, you saw the hill was too hard to climb.
“I’ve learned to not look too far ahead. Enjoy the moment. I am looking forward to the games left and then a turn-around season next year. Even though it has been a rough year, this is still the thing I love to do the most. You just try to find the positive things.”
Zetterberg takes great pride in what he does, it’s why he has been able to do it for so long. When it looked like his career might be hampered by his back, he altered his workouts and his game preparation.
“When you get older, you realize you are getting closer to the end and you want to take advantage of the days you have left,” Zetterberg said. “This is special. You want to keep going and you want to do it well.
“Me and Nik talk about that a lot. You have to find the positive things, even in rough times. We are still doing the thing we love the most.”
Zetterberg has turned his love into longevity, and is now on the cusp of turning in 1,000 games. A decade and a half has yielded membership in the Triple Gold Club, as Zetterberg has a Stanley Cup title, world championship gold and Olympic gold. As his career heads towards twilight, reflection brings pride and perspective.
“It has gone fast,” Zetterberg said, “but it has been an unbelievable journey.”
Contact Helene St. James: [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames. Check out our Red Wings Xtra app on Apple and Android!I’ll confess I nearly canceled my scheduled workday appearance Monday because of what we’ll call “security concerns.”
It was another weekend when I’d received an “onslaught of personal attacks,” including one accusing me of chuckling when Christina Aguilera blew her lines singing the national anthem at the Super Bowl.
Usually, I shrug these things off as part of the job. Besides, I rarely chuckle, although sometimes I do guffaw, but that’s another story.
But this time was different. It’s not every day when Sarah Palin — the mama grizzliest of the mama grizzlies, the man uppiest of the man uppers — has had a Colorado event canceled in fear of Palin’s safety.
From what I’ve been able to piece together, the Sharon K. Pacheco Foundation announced on Friday that Palin would keynote a gala in Glendale in May and then announced the very next day that the appearance was off because of “safety concerns resulting from an onslaught of negative feedback received by the organization.”
I was shocked. In one day, there’d been an actual onslaught — and it was a Saturday, too. I don’t know about the rest of Colorado liberals, but I spent my Saturday sleeping late, going out for brunch, hitting the grocery store before the snow in preparation for a long Sunday of Super Bowl watching. I didn’t have time for an onslaught. I barely had time to pick up the beer.
And, besides, this is Colorado, where people tend to spend their Saturdays on the ski slopes, not on the slippery slope to a hatefest.
But I’ve had to reassess, particularly after reading John Hayward’s report in Human Events, a historically important source of conservative thought. The piece ran under this subhead: “The Climate of Hate dumps an ice storm on Colorado.” In it, Hayward wrote of the event that was to celebrate military families: “It’s a shame the needs of those families and children must be sacrificed on the altar of liberal hate.”
I needed to find out more. Does Colorado actually have an altar of liberal hate? Was Colorado the only place in America where Palin — who surely leads all non-Obama categories in nasty comments received — not safe to speak? I just saw her at DU last year and the most dangerous part was crossing University Boulevard.
But what really struck me was the idea that Palin would ever back down to any number of nasty e-mails. After Tucson, she had pretty much dismissed the idea of ugly rhetoric leading to violence.
And this is the Palin, remember, of don’t-retreat, reload fame. Had she turned into Sarah “Lock and Scamper” Palin when no one was looking?
We’ve seen her in action, taking down a caribou. Sure, it took her six shots. But if you can handle yourself with a caribou, how much trouble could an effete latte-sipping liberal pose? Is someone saying that if the caribou had sent a blast e-mail, Palin would never have left the house?
I called Leo Pacheco, who runs the Sharon K. Pacheco Foundation. I wanted to ask him about tickets — it seems that two days before the event was officially announced, the $185 tickets already had been discounted by 50 percent. Was there not an, uh, onslaught of buyers? There were also reports, in my own newspaper, of tax records showing the organization had raised only $1,000 in 2008 and $2,204 in 2009. Did Pacheco really have the money to afford Palin?
Pacheco didn’t call back. I called his spokesperson. She didn’t call back either. I e-mailed them both. They didn’t e-mail back.
I could only assume that because of the onslaught, they had moved to an undisclosed location.
They did, however, take the time to update their website. In the original press release, the foundation said no “direct threats” had been made against anyone, but rather the issue was an increase of “negative rhetoric” against Palin, presumably a one-day increase. But the update cites people who “attempted to berate our namesake, volunteers, and others in a very brutal and personal way, which has raised personal safety concerns....”
A Post reporter tried the local police, who hadn’t heard of any threats. I tried to reach Palin’s people to ask what they knew of this, if Palin had anything to say about the rhetoric, whether I could write this column without using the trademark sign next to her name.
I got back an e-mail from SarahPac and thought I’d finally gotten somewhere. Until I read it. My request, it said, was “under consideration.”
As of deadline, no word. Scary.
E-mail Mike Littwin at [email protected] leading conservative intellectual thoughtfully critiques Obama, but he's drowned out by the talker's egregious, laughable straw men.
In the widely discussed clip above, President Obama makes the case for raising tax rates a few percentage points on Americans making more than $250,000 per year by arguing that successful people in this country didn't get there on their own. They benefited from the provision of public goods, though some of them deny it. "If you were successful, somebody along the line gave you some help," he said. "There was a great teacher somewhere in your life. Somebody helped to create this unbelievable American system that we have that allowed you to thrive. Somebody invested in roads and bridges. If you've got a business--you didn't build that. Somebody else made that happen. The Internet didn't get invented on its own. Government research created the Internet so that all the companies could make money off the Internet."
What fascinates me are two reactions to the speech, both from conservatives. Juxtaposing them sheds some light on today's conservative movement and the unacknowledged fissures within it. The thoughtful critique comes from Yuval Levin, whose arguments are always worth taking seriously. He quotes the president a bit more broadly, including his line that " You didn't get there on your own. I'm always struck by people who think, well, it must be because I was just so smart."It’s tricky for a city like London to clean up its act, but little ideas can lead to big changes. Meet the company turning coffee cups into furniture
Why coffee cups?
Newsflash! London is a city of coffee addicts. Between us we gulp down most of the 7 million mugs drunk daily in Britain. Unfortunately we’re playing fast and loose with the cups we slurp it all from: less than 1 percent of the 3 billion paper cups thrown away each year are recycled.
Why so few?
The plastic-and-paper make-up of disposable cups means they are extremely difficult to break down. Enter the project team of Professor Edward Kosior and Dr Jon Mitchell. They’ve concocted a resin, called NextCupCycle, which combines the layers into a strong material that can be moulded into everything from trays to clocks, notepads and picnic benches.
Brilliant! How is it being used?
The process has been taken up by Simply Cups, the country’s only coffee-cup recycling service. One of the problems they face is that used cups are extremely hard to collect. Most of us throw our cups away after leaving coffee shops and even then we don’t separate the plastic lid from the cup itself and pour out the excess liquid first.
Any solutions to that problem?
Well, it’s only a start, but earlier this year 100 yellow, coffee-cup-shaped bins were placed around the City and at Liverpool Street station. In just one month they collected a mammoth 509,091 cups, all of which will now be recycled into something new. Time for a flat white…
Illustrations: Dan Woodger
Find out more about the project here.AOA has taken home the “Show Champion” trophy for the second week in a row!
On January 25’s episode of “Show Champion,” AOA’s “Excuse Me” was up against BIGBANG’s “FXXK IT,” Seohyun’s “Don’t Say No,” Suzy’s “Pretend,” and Akdong Musician’s “Last Goodbye” for the win. AOA ended up winning first place, after getting their first trophy for the song on the show last week!
Watch their performance, win, and encore below!
Other performances this week were by Seohyun, VIXX’s Ravi, Hello Venus, SONAMOO, CLC, VROMANCE, I, Cosmic Girls, VARSITY, Top Secret, MAS 0094, Walwari, Shin Gi Won, High Soul, APRIL, DreamCatcher, B.HEART, and Bonus Baby. Check them out below!
Seohyun – “Don’t Say No”
VIXX’s Ravi – “Bomb”
Hello Venus – “Mysterious”
SONAMOO – “I Think I Love U”
CLC – “Hobgoblin”
VROMANCE – “I’m Fine”
I – “I Wish”
Cosmic Girls – “I Wish”
VARSITY – “U R My Only One”
Top Secret – “She”
MAS 0094 – “Make Some Noise”
Walwari – “Hakuna Matata”
Shin Gi Won – “Slow Down”
High Soul – “I Love You Love You”
APRIL – “April Story”
DreamCatcher – “Chase Me”
B.HEART – “Realitic”
Bonus Baby – “Urikiri”
Congrats to AOA on another win!Filipino-American Veterans Association member Salome Calderon poses with her sons Gerardo Calderon, left, and Edwin Calderon, right, on Dec. 29, 2014, at her home in Waipahu, Hawaii. (Kent Nishimura/For The Washington Post)
Philippines native Art Caleda still carries shrapnel in the left side of his chin that he ruefully calls a “souvenir” from assisting the American military 70 years ago as a guerrilla intelligence officer during World War II.
For their service, Caleda and about 26,000 other Filipino nationals were granted U.S. citizenship under a 1990 immigration law signed by President George H.W. Bush, and many of them received a one-time cash payment of $15,000 in 2009. But they are still waiting for a final piece of compensation: green cards for their grown children to join them here from the Philippines.
Caleda, 90, said he and his wife, Luz, who settled in Waipahu, west of Honolulu, petitioned the federal government in 1996 on behalf of their three sons, who live in Manila. They waited as U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services slowly processed a global backlog of more than 4 million family-based green-card applications.
Caleda said the last time he inquired about his sons’ status, immigration officials “told me to wait because they are processing [applications from] 1993. They’re processing 1993? The time is 2014.” Luz died last spring during a trip back to the Philippines.
In all, about 250,000 Filipinos responded to President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s call to arms in 1941 and fought on behalf of American forces in the Philippines, which at the time was a U.S. territory. They responded out of a desire to defeat a common enemy, Japan, but since the end of the war, they have been pushing the U.S. government to fully recognize their contributions.
After the war ended in 1945, Art Caleda, 90, spent 38 years working in forestry before moving to the United States in 1992. (Kent Nishimura/For The Washington Post)
As their ranks dwindle, the elderly veterans living here as U.S. citizens have waning hopes of being reunited with their children, a casualty of Washington’s inability to enact a comprehensive immigration overhaul. Although President Obama announced in November that he would use his executive authority to shield millions of illegal immigrants from deportation, his actions did little to address the lengthy backlogs in the legal immigration system — something the president said only Congress can change, through legislation.
The United States has a cap on family-based green cards of 226,000 annually, and no more than 7 percent of the recipients are permitted to come from a single country. Aside from Mexico, Asian countries, including China, Vietnam and India, dominate the list of nations with the most applicants and the longest waits. The average wait from the Philippines — which has the most family applicants after Mexico — is more than two decades.
Opponents of easing restrictions on family-based green cards say it would open the door to chain migration, in which extended families flood the United States, competing with Americans for jobs and taxing the nation’s benefits system. But Mee Moua, executive director of Asian Americans Advancing Justice, said, “There is an inherent unfairness in setting people up for failure by accepting their application fees but then having them wait five, 10, 15 years before they might possibly see their family members.”
Lawmakers from Hawaii and California, where most of the Filipino veterans settled in the 1990s, have tried for years to get them special exemptions from the green-card caps. But each time, the measures were swallowed in the toxic debate over broader changes to border control laws — and ultimately went nowhere.
‘You must go’
There are estimated to be only a few thousand Filipino veterans still alive and living in the United States.
Salome Calderon, 89, was just 17 when her home in Angono was commandeered by the Hunters ROTC guerrilla movement resisting the Japanese army for use as a de facto headquarters. The guerrillas dropped off intelligence reports |
goal, at least, and I wasn’t sure what the result would be.
Within weeks of starting, the experience exceeded all expectations. No matter the situation I found myself in, something in this book was able to help. Now, when I’m feeling stuck, trapped, desperate, angry, conflicted, or simply unclear, the first thing I do is flip through these pages with a strong cup of coffee in hand. So far, the needed medicine has popped out within 20 minutes of revisiting these friends, who will now become your friends. Need a reassuring pat on the back? There’s someone for that. An unapologetic slap in the face? Plenty of people for that, too. Someone to explain why your fears are unfounded… or why your excuses are bullshit? Done.
There are a lot of powerful quotes, but this book is much more than a compilation of quotes. It is a toolkit for changing your life.
There are many books full of interviews. This is different because I don’t view myself as an interviewer. I view myself as an experimenter. If I can’t test something or replicate results in the messy reality of everyday life, I’m not interested. Everything in these pages has been vetted, explored, and applied to my own life in some fashion. I’ve used dozens of these tactics and philosophies in high-stakes negotiations, high-risk environments, or large business dealings. The lessons have made me millions of dollars and saved me years of wasted effort and frustration. They work when you need them most.
Some applications are obvious at first glance, while others are subtle and will provoke a “Holy shit, now I get it!” realization weeks later, while you’re daydreaming in the shower or about to fall asleep.
Many of the one-liners teach volumes. Some summarize excellence in an entire field in one sentence. As Josh Waitzkin (page 577), chess prodigy and the inspiration behind Searching for Bobby Fischer, might put it, these bite-sized learnings are a way to “learn the macro from the micro.” The process of piecing them together was revelatory. If I thought I saw “the Matrix” before, I was mistaken, or I was only seeing 10% of it. Still, even that 10%—“islands” of notes on individual mentors—had already changed my life and helped me 10x my results. But after revisiting more than a hundred minds as part of the same fabric, things got very interesting very quickly. For the movie nerds among you, it was like the end of The Sixth Sense or The Usual Suspects: “The red door knob! The fucking Kobayashi coffee cup! How did I not notice that?! It was right in front of me the whole time!”
To help you see the same, I’ve done my best to weave patterns together throughout the book, noting where guests have complementary habits, beliefs, and recommendations.
The completed jigsaw puzzle is much greater than the sum of its parts.
WHAT MAKES THESE PEOPLE DIFFERENT?
“Judge a man by his questions rather than his answers.”
— Pierre-Marc-Gaston de Lévis
These world-class performers don’t have superpowers.
The rules they’ve crafted for themselves allow the bending of reality to such an extent that it may seem that way, but they’ve learned how to do this, and so can you. These “rules” are often uncommon habits and bigger questions.
In a surprising number of cases, the power is in the absurd. The more absurd, the more “impossible” the question, the more profound the answers. Take, for instance, a question that serial billionaire Peter Thiel likes to ask himself and others:
“If you have a 10-year plan of how to get [somewhere], you should ask: Why can’t you do this in 6 months?”
For purposes of illustration here, I might reword that to:
“What might you do to accomplish your 10-year goals in the next 6 months, if you had a gun against your head?”
Now, let’s pause. Do I expect you to take 10 seconds to ponder this and then magically accomplish 10 years’ worth of dreams in the next few months? No, I don’t. But I do expect that the question will productively break your mind, like a butterfly shattering a chrysalis to emerge with new capabilities. The “normal” systems you have in place, the social rules you’ve forced upon yourself, the standard frameworks—they don’t work when answering a question like this. You are forced to shed artificial constraints, like shedding a skin, to realize that you had the ability to renegotiate your reality all along. It just takes practice.
My suggestion is that you spend real time with the questions you find most ridiculous in this book. Thirty minutes of stream-of-consciousness journaling (page 224) could change your life.
On top of that, while the world is a gold mine, you need to go digging in other people’s heads to unearth riches. Questions are your pickaxes and competitive advantage. This book will give you an arsenal to choose from.
PERFORMANCE-ENHANCING DETAILS
When organizing all of the material for myself, I didn’t want an onerous 37-step program.
I wanted low-hanging fruit with immediate returns. Think of the bite-sized rules within these pages as PEDs—performance-enhancing details. They can be added to any training regimen (read here: different careers, personal preferences, unique responsibilities, etc.) to pour gasoline on the fire of progress.
Fortunately, 10x results don’t always require 10x effort. Big changes can come in small packages. To dramatically change your life, you don’t need to run a 100-mile race, get a PhD, or completely reinvent yourself. It’s the small things, done consistently, that are the big things (e.g., “red teaming” once per quarter, Tara Brach’s guided meditations, strategic fasting or exogenous ketones, etc.).
“Tool” is defined broadly in this book. It includes routines, books, common self-talk, supplements, favorite questions, and much more.
WHAT DO THEY HAVE IN COMMON?
In this book, you’ll naturally look for common habits and recommendations, and you should. Here are a few patterns, some odder than others:
More than 80% of the interviewees have some form of daily mindfulness or meditation practice
A surprising number of males (not females) over 45 never eat breakfast, or eat only the scantiest of fare (e.g., Laird Hamilton, page 92; General Stanley McChrystal, page 435)
Many use the ChiliPad device for cooling at bedtime
Rave reviews of the books Sapiens, Poor Charlie’s Almanack, Influence, and Man’s Search for Meaning, among others
The habit of listening to single songs on repeat for focus (page 507)
Nearly everyone has done some form of “spec” work (completing projects on their own time and dime, then submitting them to prospective buyers)
The belief that “failure is not durable” (see Robert Rodriguez, page 628) or variants thereof
Almost every guest has been able to take obvious “weaknesses” and turn them into huge competitive advantages (see Arnold Schwarzenegger, page 176)
Of course, I will help you connect these dots, but that’s less than half of the value of this book. Some of the most encouraging workarounds are found in the outliers. I want you to look for the black sheep who fit your unique idiosyncrasies. Keep an eye out for the non-traditional paths, like Shay Carl’s journey from manual laborer to YouTube star to co-founder of a startup sold for nearly $1 billion (page 441). The variation is the consistency. As a software engineer might say, “That’s not a bug. It’s a feature!”
Borrow liberally, combine uniquely, and create your own bespoke blueprint.
THIS BOOK IS A BUFFET—HERE’S HOW TO GET THE MOST OUT OF IT
RULE #1: SKIP LIBERALLY.
I want you to skip anything that doesn’t grab you. This book should be fun to read, and it’s a buffet to choose from. Don’t suffer through anything. If you hate shrimp, don’t eat the goddamn shrimp. Treat it as a choose-your-own-adventure guide, as that’s how I’ve written it. My goal is for each reader to like 50%, love 25%, and never forget 10%. Here’s why: For the millions who’ve heard the podcast, and the dozens who proofread this book, the 50/25/10 highlights are completely different for every person. It’s blown my mind.
I’ve even had multiple guests in this book—people who are the best at what they do—proofread the same profile, answering my question of “Which 10% would you absolutely keep, and which 10% would you absolutely cut?” Oftentimes, the 10% “must keep” of one person was the exact “must cut” of someone else! This is not one-size-fits-all. I expect you to discard plenty. Read what you enjoy.
RULE #2: SKIP, BUT DO SO INTELLIGENTLY.
All that said, take a brief mental note of anything you skip. Perhaps put a little dot in the corner of the page or highlight the headline.
Could it be that skipping and glossing over precisely these topics or questions has created blind spots, bottlenecks, and unresolved issues in your life? That was certainly true for me.
If you decide to flip past something, note it, return to it later at some point, and ask yourself, “Why did I skip this?” Did it offend you? Seem beneath you? Seem too difficult? And did you arrive at that by thinking it through, or is it a reflection of biases inherited from your parents, family, friends, and others? Very often, “our” beliefs are not our own.
This type of practice is how you create yourself, instead of seeking to discover yourself. There is value in the latter, but it’s mostly past-tense: It’s a rearview mirror. Looking out the windshield is how you get where you want to go.
JUST REMEMBER TWO PRINCIPLES
I was recently standing in Place Louis Aragon, a shaded outdoor nook on the River Seine, having a picnic with writing students from the Paris American Academy. One woman pulled me aside and asked what I hoped to convey in this book, at the core. Seconds later, we were pulled back into the fray, as the attendees were taking turns talking about the circuitous paths that brought them there that day. Nearly everyone had a story of wanting to come to Paris for years—in some cases, 30 to 40 years—but assuming it was impossible.
Listening to their stories, I pulled out a scrap of paper and jotted down my answer to her question. In this book, at its core, I want to convey the following:
Success, however you define it, is achievable if you collect the right field-tested beliefs and habits. Someone else has done your version of “success” before, and often, many have done something similar. “But,” you might ask, “what about a first, like colonizing Mars?” There are still recipes. Look at empire building of other types, look at the biggest decisions in the life of Robert Moses (read The Power Broker), or simply find someone who stepped up to do great things that were deemed impossible at the time (e.g., Walt Disney). There is shared DNA you can borrow.
The superheroes you have in your mind (idols, icons, titans, billionaires, etc.) are nearly all walking flaws who’ve maximized 1 or 2 strengths. Humans are imperfect creatures. You don’t “succeed” because you have no weaknesses; you succeed because you find your unique strengths and focus on developing habits around them. To make this crystal-clear, I’ve deliberately included two sections in this book (pages 197 and 616) that will make you think: “Wow, Tim Ferriss is a mess. How the hell does he ever get anything done?” Everyone is fighting a battle you know nothing about. The heroes in this book are no different. Everyone struggles. Take solace in that.
A FEW IMPORTANT NOTES ON FORMAT
STRUCTURE
This book is comprised of three sections: Healthy, Wealthy, and Wise. Of course, there is tremendous overlap across the sections, as the pieces are interdependent. In fact, you could think of the three as a tripod upon which life is balanced. One needs all three to have any sustainable success or happiness. “Wealthy,” in the context of this book, also means much more than money. It extends to abundance in time, relationships, and more.
My original intention with The 4-Hour Workweek (4HWW), The 4-Hour Body (4HB), and The 4-Hour Chef (4HC) was to create a trilogy themed after Ben Franklin’s famous quote: “Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.”
People constantly ask me, “What would you put in The 4-Hour Workweek if you were to write it again? How would you update it?” Ditto for 4HB and 4HC. Tools of Titans contains most of the answers for all three.
PATTERNS
Where guests have related recommendations or philosophies, I’ve noted them in parentheses. For instance, if Jane Doe tells a story about the value of testing higher prices, I might add “(see Chase Jarvis, page 170),” since he explains in depth how and why he chose to “go premium” with his pricing as a photographer from day one.
HUMOR!
I’ve included ample doses of the ridiculous. First of all, if we’re serious all the time, we’ll wear out before we get the truly serious stuff done. Second, if this book were all stern looks and no winks, all productivity and no grab-assing, you’d remember very little. I agree with Tony Robbins (page 210) that information without emotion isn’t retained.
NON-PROFILE CONTENT AND TIM FERRISS CHAPTERS
In all sections, there are multiple non-profile pieces by guests and yours truly. These are typically intended to expand upon key principles and tools mentioned by multiple people.
YOUR SEND-OFF — THE 3 TOOLS THAT ALLOW ALL THE REST
Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse is recommended by many guests in this book. There is one takeaway that Naval Ravikant (page 546) has reinforced with me several times on our long walks. The protagonist, Siddhartha, a monk who looks like a beggar, has come to the city and falls in love with a famous courtesan named Kamala. He attempts to court her, and she asks, “What do you have?” A well-known merchant similarly asks, “What can you give that you have learned?” His answer is the same in both cases, so I’ve included the latter story here. Siddhartha ultimately acquires all that he wants. Bolding is mine:
Merchant: “... If you are without possessions, how can you give?”
Siddhartha: “Everyone gives what he has. The soldier gives strength, the merchant goods, the teacher instruction, the farmer rice, the fisherman fish.”
Merchant: “Very well, and what can you give? What have you learned that you can give?”
Siddhartha: “I can think, I can wait, I can fast.”
Merchant: “Is that all?”
Siddhartha: “I think that is all.”
Merchant: “And of what use are they? For example, fasting, what good is that?”
Siddhartha: “It is of great value, sir. If a man has nothing to eat, fasting is the most intelligent thing he can do. If, for instance, Siddhartha had not learned to fast, he would have had to seek some kind of work today, either with you, or elsewhere, for hunger would have driven him. But, as it is, Siddhartha can wait calmly. He is not impatient, he is not in need, he can ward off hunger for a long time and laugh at it. ”
I think of Siddhartha’s answers often and in the following terms:
“I can think” → Having good rules for decision-making, and having good questions you can ask yourself and others.
“I can wait” → Being able to plan long-term, play the long game, and not misallocate your resources.
“I can fast” → Being able to withstand difficulties and disaster. Training yourself to be uncommonly resilient and have a high pain tolerance.
This book will help you to develop all three.
I created Tools of Titans because it’s the book that I’ve wanted my entire life. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Pura vida,
Tim Ferriss
Paris, France
###
Tools of Titans is available at Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, Amazon, iBooks, Indiebound, Indigo, and more.
Posted on: October 25, 2016.
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Please check out Tribe of Mentors, my newest book, which shares short, tactical life advice from 100+ world-class performers. Many of the world's most famous entrepreneurs, athletes, investors, poker players, and artists are part of the book. The tips and strategies in Tribe of Mentors have already changed my life, and I hope the same for you. Click here for a sample chapter and full details. Roughly 90% of the guests have never appeared on my podcast.
Who was interviewed? Here's a very partial list: tech icons (founders of Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Craigslist, Pinterest, Spotify, Salesforce, Dropbox, and more), Jimmy Fallon, Arianna Huffington, Brandon Stanton (Humans of New York), Lord Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Ben Stiller, Maurice Ashley (first African-American Grandmaster of chess), Brené Brown (researcher and bestselling author), Rick Rubin (legendary music producer), Temple Grandin (animal behavior expert and autism activist), Franklin Leonard (The Black List), Dara Torres (12-time Olympic medalist in swimming), David Lynch (director), Kelly Slater (surfing legend), Bozoma Saint John (Beats/Apple/Uber), Lewis Cantley (famed cancer researcher), Maria Sharapova, Chris Anderson (curator of TED), Terry Crews, Greg Norman (golf icon), Vitalik Buterin (creator of Ethereum), and nearly 100 more. Check it all out by clicking here.Story highlights For the second consecutive year, no minorities were nominated for major Oscars
Critical and commercial hits "Creed," "Straight Outta Compton" are largely overlooked
(CNN) Oh, no, not again. For many movie fans, Thursday's Oscar nominations brought a dispiriting feeling of deja vu.
For the second consecutive year, no minorities were nominated in any of the four acting categories. One year after the critically acclaimed "Selma" was largely snubbed by academy voters, sparking protests, actors and filmmakers of color are again being ignored -- and Twitter is not happy.
"It's actually worse than last year. Best Documentary and Best Original Screenplay. That's it. #OscarsSoWhite," tweeted April Reign, an editor who was credited with launching that hashtag in protest after last year's nominations were announced.
Idris Elba had been expected to score a nomination for his performance as an African warlord in "Beasts of No Nation," but he was passed over. Other hopefuls such as "Concussion" star Will Smith, "Creed" star Michael B. Jordan, that movie's writer-director, Ryan Coogler, and the cast of N.W.A biopic "Straight Outta Compton" also were ignored.
The best original screenplay nomination noted by Reign went to the co-writers of "Compton" -- both of whom are white.In the world of rock music you don't get a greater icon than Syd Barrett, the founder member of Pink Floyd. After his time in the band that changed the face of rock in the Sixties and having succumbed to LSD, Barrett turned his back on psychedelic music and returned to his hometown, Cambridge, to live out his days as a recluse and to paint. Now for the first time we can see the results.
More than 30 of his artworks that until now have never been viewed will be exhibited in Cambridge, as part of The City Wakes, a series of events in tribute to him. Few of the original paintings Barrett created during the last 25 years of his life remain due to his tendency to spend weeks on a project and then photograph the piece before burning it. Among the large, colourful abstract canvases that will be shown at the exhibition are the photographs he took of the pieces he destroyed as well as rare memorabilia, including love letters, photographs of the young Barrett and song lyrics. The exhibition has been curated by Stephen Pyle, his close friend and contemporary at Homerton College and later at the Cambridge School of Art, as well as Barrett's family.
Barrett had been a keen artist as a child. In an interview, his younger sister Rosemary Breen said of her brother: "I suppose people first realised there was something a bit special about him when they saw his paintings as a child. He would do pencil drawings that were just exceptional and he had what it took to draw what he saw."
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When Barrett moved to London he gained a scholarship to the prestigious Camberwell College of Arts, but he stopped painting while singing, writing music and playing guitar in Pink Floyd. When Barrett moved back to Cambridge in 1981 not only did he revert to his childhood roots as a painter, but he spurned the name that associated him with his role in Pink Floyd and reclaimed his birth name Roger.
According to Rosemary Breen, Barrett "always considered himself an artist not a musician. For him music always went alongside art and if anything he was probably moved off a more obvious path by music. Music was a fun thing but art was where his real love was. The music came to the fore because of Pink Floyd but without that he would have carried on the art and I think would have had a much more fulfilling life."
Barrett would only ever paint for himself, rejecting requests for commissions. In an auction which followed his death in July 2006, aged 60, his artworks, which included nine original paintings, raised £121,000 for art training in Cambridge.
The City Wakes, Cambridge (www.thecitywakes.org.uk), 22 October to 1 November
'GENTLE SOBRIETY': THE CRITIC'S VIEW
The sad story of Syd Barrett's decline has been re-told and sensationalised beyond measure. And yet behind the self-destructiveness there was an interesting and talented painter always striving to emerge from behind all that inner chaos, and not one who was merely self-taught either – as so many rock stars have been. Think of Ronnie. Think of Paul. And in certain respects, the later paintings of Syd Barrett show a man who is not so much resigned to destroying his life as systematically trying to re-build it. Painting, after all, had been his first love. Born in Cambridge, he went to Cambridge Art School, and then to Camberwell College of Art in London.
But it is the paintings of his later years which demand most attention. Syd could be wild with paint when he was a young man – his violent abstractions seem to mimic the wildness of his behaviour on and off the stage – but later on, his paintings began to attend to the facts of the world, and even to the hold that his local Fenland landscape had upon him. He even did a painstaking watercolour portrait of a tortoise, gently ambling, as tortoises are wont to do. The unpretentious titles of some of these paintings testify to their gentle sobriety too: 'Field and Flowers', 'Big Green Landscape', 'Flowers'.
Although they nod from time to time in the direction of abstraction, and have remnants of wild mark-making, they are, beneath all the stylistic flurry – and that's what it feels to be – unadorned transcriptions of things seen and valued. 'Flowers', for example, approaches the delicacy and fragility of touch of a painting by David Jones, for example. 'Field And Flowers' looks like a landscape of East Anglia – the cluster of flowers in the foreground, painted with a kind of raggedly spontaneous ease; the long rake of a field in the middle ground, topped by a high sky. Only in the turbulent smears of 'Blue and Red Landscape', with those furiously squiggly smudgings, do we feel the world closing in on Barrett. For the most part, these paintings feel like an area of his life in which he was managing to re-find himself, a kind of rest from all the torment – and the hard-won triumphs – of the psychedelic years. The paintings even feel a touch serenely paradisal, as if somewhere just beyond his mother's semi in Cambridge, Syd could half-glimpse the long vanished world of Samuel Palmer.
By Michael GloverACTRESS and talk show host Sara Gilbert wed her girlfriend of three years, singer-songwriter Linda Perry, on Sunday.
Between them, the pair were a part of two of the most iconic pop cultural moments of the 1990s: Gilbert in her role as surly teen Darlene on the hit sitcom Roseanne, and Perry in her role as frontwoman of music group 4 Non Blondes, who released the 1993 worldwide smash What’s Up.
The couple got engaged in April 2013, with Perry proposing in a detailed affair that involved friends, family and a specially-penned song for the occasion. Gilbert has two children to a previous partner of 10 years, Allison Adler.
Since their ‘90s heyday, the pair have each forged strong new careers: Gilbert, 39, is now a co-host on the daily US panel show The Talk. Perry, 48, now works behind the scenes of the music industry, as a songwriter and producer for the likes of Pink, Christina Aguilera and Gwen Stefani.
News_Image_File: Gilbert was the focus of a big TV wedding on Roseanne, when her character Darlene wed boyfriend David, played by Johnny Galecki.
News_Rich_Media: 4 Non Blondes - What's Up?Nir Barzilai has a plan. It’s a really big plan that might one day change medicine and health care as we know it. Its promise: extending our years of healthy, disease-free living by decades.
And Barzilai knows about the science of aging. He is, after all, the director of the Institute for Aging Research at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx. And, as such, he usually talks about his plan with the caution of a seasoned researcher. Usually. Truth is, Barzilai is known among his colleagues for his excitability—one author says he could pass as the older brother of Austin Powers—and sometimes he can’t help himself. Like the time he referred to his plan—which, among other things, would demonstrate that human aging can be slowed with a cheap pill—as “history-making.” In 2015, he stood outside of the offices of the Food and Drug Administration, flanked by a number of distinguished researchers on aging, and likened the plan to a journey to “the promised land.”
Will Warasila for WIRED
Last spring, Barzilai traveled to the Vatican to discuss the plan at a conference on cellular therapies. It was the second time he’d been invited to the conference, which is a pretty big deal in the medical world. At the last one, in 2013, he appeared alongside a dwarf from Ecuador, a member of a community of dwarfs whose near immunity to diabetes and cancer has attracted the keen interest of researchers. The 2016 conference featured a number of the world’s top cancer scientists and included addresses from Pope Francis and Joe Biden. That Barzilai was invited was a sign not only of his prominence in his field but also of how far aging research, once relegated to the periphery of mainstream science, has come in recent years.
That progress has been spurred by huge investments from Silicon Valley titans, including Google’s Sergey Brin and Larry Page, Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, PayPal cofounder Peter Thiel, and Oracle cofounder Larry Ellison. Armed with such riches, biotech researchers are now dreaming up a growing list of cribbed-from-science-fiction therapies to beat back death: growing new organs from your own DNA, infusing older bodies with blood and stem cells from young bodies, uploading brains to computers.
Almost nothing seems too far-fetched in the so-called life-extension community. And yet, while it’s certainly possible that this work will lead to a breakthrough that will benefit all of humanity, it’s hard to escape the sense that Silicon Valley’s newfound urge to postpone aging indefinitely is, first and foremost, an attempt by the super wealthy to extend their own lives. As one scientist recently put it to The New Yorker, the antiaging science being done at Google-backed Calico Labs is “as self-serving as the Medici building a Renaissance chapel in Italy, but with a little extra Silicon Valley narcissism thrown in.”
Barzilai’s big plan isn’t necessarily less quixotic than those being dreamed up at Silicon Valley biotechs. It’s just quixotic in a completely different way. Rather than trying to develop a wildly expensive, highly speculative therapy that will likely only benefit the billionaire-demigod set, Barzilai wants to convince the FDA to put its seal of approval on an antiaging drug for the rest of us: A cheap, generic, demonstrably safe pharmaceutical that has already shown, in a host of preliminary studies, that it may be able to help stave off many of the worst parts of growing old. Not only that, it would also shorten the duration of those awful parts. (“How To Die Young at a Very Old Age” was the title of his 2014 talk at TEDx Gramercy in New York City.)
The drug in question, metformin, costs about five cents a pill. It’s a slightly modified version of a compound that was discovered in a plant, Galega officinalis. The plant, also known as French lilac and goat’s rue, is hardly the stuff of cutting-edge science. Physicians have been prescribing it as an herbal remedy for centuries. In 1640, the great English herbalist John Parkinson wrote about goat’s rue in his life’s work, Theatrum Botanicum, recommending it for “the bitings or stings of any venomous creature,” “the plague,” “measells,” “small pocks,” and “wormes in children,” among other conditions.
Will Warasila for WIRED
According to some sources, goat’s rue was also a centuries-old remedy for frequent urination, now known to be a telltale sign of diabetes. Today, metformin, which helps keep blood sugar levels in check without serious side effects, is typically the first-choice treatment for type 2 diabetics, and it’s sometimes prescribed for prediabetes as well. Together, the two conditions afflict half of American adults. In 2014 alone, Americans filled 76.9 million prescriptions for metformin, and some of those prescriptions went to Barzilai himself. (He’s been taking the drug since he was diagnosed with prediabetes around six years ago.)
A native Israeli, Barzilai speaks English with an accent, never letting grammatical slipups slow him down. He has short, boyish bangs and a slightly rounded face. His thick glasses and natural exuberance give him the look of an actor typecast as an eccentric researcher. He traces his interest in aging to the Sabbath walks he took with his grandfather as a child. Barzilai could never quite reconcile the frailty of the old man with his grandfather’s stories of draining swamps in prestate Israel. “I was looking and saying, ‘This guy? This old guy could do that?’”
Barzilai first studied metformin in the late 1980s while doing a fellowship at Yale, never imagining the drug would later become his focus. When the FDA approved it as a diabetes treatment in 1994, there was little reason to think it would someday become one of the hottest topics in medicine. But in the following two decades, researchers started comparing the health of diabetics on metformin to those taking other diabetes drugs.
What they discovered was striking: The metformin-takers tended to be healthier in all sorts of ways. They lived longer and had fewer cardiovascular events, and in at least some studies they were less likely to suffer from dementia and Alzheimer’s. Most surprising of all, they seemed to get cancer far less frequently—as much as 25 to 40 percent less than diabetics taking two other popular medications. When they did get cancer, they tended to outlive diabetics with cancer who were taking other medications.
As Lewis Cantley, the director of the Cancer Center at Weill Cornell Medicine, once put it, “Metformin may have already saved more people from cancer deaths than any drug in history.” Nobel laureate James Watson (of DNA-structure fame), who takes metformin off-label for cancer prevention, once suggested that the drug appeared to be “our only real clue into the business” of fighting the disease.
Florilegius/SSPL/Getty Images
The more researchers learn about metformin, the more it can seem like a medieval wonder drug poised for a 21st century resurgence. In addition to exploring its potential to help treat the most common afflictions of aging, researchers are now also investigating whether metformin might improve symptoms of autoimmune disorders, tuberculosis, and erectile dysfunction, among other conditions. And while much of this research is still in its early stages and may fizzle, metformin is already prescribed off-label to treat obesity, polycystic ovarian syndrome, infertility, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, and acne—not bad for a plant that the USDA officially lists as a noxious weed.
Barzilai, like most in his field, was aware of the good news about metformin that had been trickling out year after year. But the true origins of his big plan have less to do with metformin itself than with a convergence of a number of different strands of aging research. The first breakthroughs came in the ’90s, when researchers demonstrated that a single mutation in a microscopic worm could double its lifespan. Among the takeaways: The aging process might not be as hopelessly complex as it had previously seemed. As this new understanding of aging was settling in, Barzilai was beginning a series of studies on people who live to unusually old ages—“superagers,” as Barzilai calls them.
In the course of that work, he began to notice a pattern that other researchers had also seen: The superagers died from the same diseases as everyone else, but they developed them years later and, critically, closer to the ends of their lives. In other words, if you could slow the aging process, you might do more than give someone a few more years. You could also be able to shrink the suffering and enormous expense that accompanies cancer, heart disease, dementia, and all the other plagues of growing old.
The true promise of antiaging drugs, Barzilai and his colleagues came to think, wasn’t immortality. The ideal drug might not even extend life for all that long. Instead, it would extend what Barzilai and his colleagues call our health span—the years of healthy, disease-free living before the diseases of aging set in. S. Jay Olshansky, a professor at the School of Public Health at the University of Illinois at Chicago, is advising a small team of researchers who are working with Barzilai on a new study of metformin’s antiaging properties. He believes that even a modest slowing of the aging process—and the subsequent extension of health span—would have a greater impact on health and quality of life than a cure for cancer. The upshot: a multitrillion-dollar economic benefit in the decades ahead.
In 2013, Barzilai and two other researchers received a small grant from the National Institute on Aging to explore how the field might move forward. That grant, in turn, led to a 2014 conference in the Spanish countryside, where several dozen researchers gathered in a medieval castle turned hotel to map out a path forward. The castle, surrounded by ancient stone walls and towers, was the sort of place where goat’s rue may have once been handed out by local herbalists. Barzilai describes it as a “Spanish prison.” But the isolation of the setting turned out to be a good thing. “We were stuck in this place with one another,” says Steven Austad, a researcher at the University of Alabama. “It was really quite intense.”
The assembled scientists and academics focused on one obstacle above all: the Food and Drug Administration. The agency does not recognize aging as a medical condition, meaning a drug cannot be approved to treat it. And even if the FDA were to acknowledge that aging is a condition worthy of targeting, there would still be the question of how to demonstrate that aging had, in fact, been slowed—a particularly difficult question considering that there are no universally agreed-on markers. What they needed, Barzilai and the others concluded, was a precedent-setting test case—a single study that would change the rules forever, not unlike how trial lawyers search for a perfect plaintiff when they’re going to the Supreme Court to set a new legal precedent.
Which drug to use for this precedent-setting case was less obvious. Austad was among those who favored a drug called rapamycin, which has been shown to outperform metformin in studies of longevity in animals. But Barzilai was concerned about rapamycin’s powerful side effects. (An immunosuppressant, it raises the risk of opportunistic infections.) “One thing I don’t want to do is to kill anyone,” Barzilai tells me.
Will Warasila for WIRED
He was confident that metformin was good enough for the job. He has maintained this confidence ever since he read a 2014 study that reviewed the fate of 90,400 type 2 diabetics taking either metformin or another medication. The metformin patients in the study not only outlived the diabetics taking the other drug—a not especially surprising result if metformin is a superior treatment—but also outlived the nondiabetics studied as a comparison.
In the end, the scientists ho |
call around her Bronx neighborhood that night. She knew someone who knew someone, and in a few days, it was arranged. I would stay with her and everything would be all right.
Sunday The escort waited in a taxi curbside outside Shirley's apartment at 11 a.m. The pelvic cramps were tolerable; I was nauseous and light-headed, but I remained stoic. Once I was positioned on the table, the doctor began removing the packing and probe. He cautioned me to stay very still and inserted the curette. I felt an intense cramping as the sharp-edged metal loop scraped away the lining of my insides. I held my breath, did not move, utter a sound, or weep. In a flash of psychic disconnect, I seemed to be floating above the scene. I could clearly see the room, myself on the table, the doctor working between my legs. After a few minutes, the curette was pulled slowly through my cervix and out of me. He gave me another injection of antibiotic, told me to tidy up in the bathroom and leave. The white tablecloth was full of bloody gauze. My blood. I was alive — but there was doubt. At the hospital, I had seen the result of abortions gone wrong, young women hemorrhaging or burning with a fevered infection no antibiotic could kill. The parents stood at the bedside or in the hallway trying to accept that their daughters were dying. Some mothers were overcome with shame, some with grief, and some with righteous anger. Anguished parents asked one another: "Can we keep this a secret from the other children, friends, the neighbors?" "Why couldn't she wait until she was married?" "Will the boy be held accountable?" "Why didn't she come to us?" "When did we lose control?" "How could she have done this?" "Who brought her to the abortionist?" "Will he be punished?" And they prayed. But God was unforgiving, the sin too enormous, the punishment: death. After a few days, septic shock — a full-body inflammatory response — caused the organs to fail. The dying girls were vilified by their families and deserted by the boys they loved, but the hospital staff were sympathetic. I cried when they died; I knew that could be me. Until he came for me, I stayed quietly to myself, and Shirley accepted that I could not make small talk. I was waiting, and watching, for the signs of infection. It could take a week or two to be sure all was well. I managed to stay in control, stave off panic, and push the dark thoughts aside. In all my distress, I never thought about the baby I had aborted. There was no baby; there was only me. It was all about me, my life, and my choice.
Monday I went to work, no one the wiser. Sort of like having a period, I bled on and off for a week. Our wedding was five days away, and last-minute details occupied my mother. The weekend I spent in the Bronx, my parents had been in Maryland visiting my aunt. I never considered telling them about the abortion, and I never did. What was the point? On the Brooklyn-bound subway Wednesday evening, I felt a warm rush of liquid leave my body. By the time the train entered Prospect Park station, blood was dripping from the edge of the wicker seat to the floor. I hobbled out of the car onto the platform, my knees pressed together. In the phone booth, I closed the door and reached into my purse for a Kotex and tissues, stuffing them between my legs. Fifteen minutes later, he came for me. I stayed the night at my soon-to-be mother-in-law's and bled through the bed linen and mattress. She accepted that it was just “woman trouble.” In the morning, we met one of the attending OB-GYN docs at a private women's hospital on Eastern Parkway. The hemorrhage was probably caused by a bit of tissue the doctor's curette had missed. My mother and father came to the hospital. Since I had irregular, heavy periods, they accepted the doctor's recommendation to do a dilation and curettage (D&C) to stop the bleeding. No one mentioned pregnancy. In those days, there was no health insurance. My father paid the $125 hospital bill and brought me home on Saturday morning, just in time for my appointment at the beauty salon. The next afternoon, 250 people attended our wedding. It was a beautiful and sunny Easter Sunday. I wore white.Israel Police detained four settlers over the past week on suspicion of involvement in stealing olives from Palestinian farmers' groves in the northern West Bank, but all of them were released. An NGO provided documentation that shows settlers in the act and throwing rocks, and Palestinian farmers claimed that settlers stole from and vandalized hundreds of trees.
According to the Palestinians, the thefts and vandalism occurred mainly on Palestinian land near settlements that the Palestinian can only reach by coordinating ahead of time with the the Israeli military.
Activists from Rabbis for Human Rights, a non-denominational group that says it seeks to "inform the Israeli public about human rights violations," claimed that they have documented four cases in three different locations in the past week in which settlers were caught red-handed vandalizing Palestinian olive trees
skip - Settlers damaging Palestinians' olive trees
Settlers damaging Palestinians' olive trees Zacharia Asada/Rabbis for Human Rights
Ibrahim Salah, a resident of a village to the southwest of Nablus, said that, upon arriving at his grove next to the Havat Gilad outpost, which has a thousand olive trees, he discovered that about 450 trees had been harvested of their olives, severely damaged or cut down.
"They don't let us go there every day, and everything requires coordination, and when we come here we discover this damage," Salah said. "Why are we forbidden from accessing our groves? For us, the olive trees are the main source of income, and there's nobody to deter the settlers from doing such damage."
In one case of theft on land belonging to the Palestinian village of Burin near the Israeli Har Bracha outpost, Rabbis for Human Rights said that a settler who routinely sabotages Palestinian olive trees and sells to Israeli security forces was caught but not removed from the area.
Zacharia Asada, who is affiliated with the organization, said that Rabbis for Human Rights contacted the District Coordination and Liaison office of Israel's Civil Administration, which is responsible for coordinating Palestinians' access to their lands with the IDF, last year. Asada said that they warned the DCL of the recurring thefts in areas prone to such occurrences, which are the locations that require military coordination for the Palestinian farmers to access.
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"We asked the army to secure these places and to move up the harvest," Asada said. "The administration did indeed respond to the request to move up the harvest in the Havat Gilad area, but unfortunately the place was not properly secured, so the settlers managed to steal the crop."
A military source familiar with the details said that the problem is familiar to the army. He added that in recent days, security forces had gone to places where the settlers allegedly had stolen olives, and the crop was returned a few days later to some of the owners.
Last week, police arrested a settler from the Shilo area on suspicion of involvement in stealing olives from Palestinian groves. He was released the day after the court rejected the police request to extend his detention. At the beginning of the week, three young settlers were detained in the Har Bracha area under similar circumstances, but were released within a few hours.
The Israel Police refused to comment and referred journalists to the IDF Spokesperson's Unit, which commented, "The security forces will make every effort to maintain law and order and to allow the harvest to be carried out as scheduled."Ontario Progressive Conservative Leader Patrick Brown says the party promises to tighten lobbying rules if elected to limit the political activities of former provincial government staff.
Former staff, according to Brown, would be prevented from lobbying for companies that they used to deal with while in government and that ban on lobbying would be in place for a year after they leave government.
Brown made the comment in Toronto on Saturday, six months after Iain Myrans, the former chief of staff to Environment Minister Glen Murray, left his job with the Kathleen Wynne government to work for the electric car maker Telsa.
"Frankly, right now in Wynne's Liberal Ontario, you can have the government give a company a bundle of cash, and the next day, those political staffers, those Liberal insiders, can go work for that company," Brown said.
'This culture of entitlement, this culture of Liberal insider winners, must end,' he said. (Paul Smith/CBC) "That doesn't make sense to me. That doesn't make sense to you."
Speaking across from the Tesla showroom at 1325 Lawrence Ave. E., Brown said the party will make sure that the lobbying rules, once they are strengthened, will also be enforced.
Under current rules, former staff can work for companies that they used to deal with when they were employed by the province, but they are banned from lobbying their former ministry for one year.
Brown said that means former staff cannot lobby a ministry for which they worked with directly, but they can lobby one with which they worked with closely.
He said this situation has created a "loophole" that has led to unethical situations where company representatives, in effect, have what he called "inequitable access" to government.
The party would stop "the revolving door," he added.
Case of former chief of staff 'doesn't pass the smell test'
"This will be one of the first measures an Ontario PC government would implement," Brown said in a news release.
Brown pointed out that in February, around the same time that the province announced up to $14,000 in subsidies to support consumers who buy or lease of eligible battery-electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, Myrans left his government job to work for Tesla, a company which specializes in making electric cars.
He said this example "doesn't pass the smell test."
Brown said the provincial government has created a culture where there are insiders who are getting ahead while Ontario families, who have played by the rules, are not.
Iain Myrans, former chief of staff to Environment Minister Glen Murray, left his government job in February to work with electric car maker Telsa. (LinkedIn) "This culture of entitlement, this culture of Liberal insider winners, must end," he said. "An Ontario PC government would stand up for families."
Myrans, in his LinkedIn profile, discloses in a statement above his online resume that he used to work for the provincial government.
"Until recently, Iain served in the role of Director of Policy in the Office of the Minister of Environment and Climate Change in Ontario where Iain was the senior advisor on matters related to climate change for the Minister Glen Murray," it reads.This piece is part of an On Leadership roundtable on the Occupy Wall Street protests. (For more by Heather Gautney on Occupy, read “Why Occupy Wall Street wants nothing to do with our politicians”)
Occupy Wall Street has arrived. Facebook is all-aflutter, and Twitter is all-atweeter, as news of “occupations” and clashes with the powers-that-be spread like wildfire around the country.
Now entering its fourth week, the Wall Street occupation has become a national phenomenon. The president is interested, celebrities are popping by, and pizza shops are adding the OccuPie to their menus. There is even an Occupy video game in development. The movement has spawned hundreds of Occupy locales in a national Occupy Together network. And now there is talk of going global: Occupy the World.
Inquiring minds want to know: Who are these people? What exactly are they demanding? Who is leading this thing?
On these issues, the movement has been clear: This is a leaderless movement without an official set of demands. There are no projected outcomes, no bottom lines and no talking heads. In the Occupy movement, We are all leaders.
This is not just a charming mess. We are all leaders represents a real praxis, and it has a real history.
In the 1960s and 70s, feminists convened consciousness-raising meetings aimed at politicizing the various forms of women’s oppression that were occurring in private. Women in the ranks were tired of being excluded from the inner circles of leadership where the issues and demands were being decided. And, they were sick of the generalized hypocrisy regarding gender roles. For this reason, feminist consciousness-raising eschewed formal leadership because each woman’s experience and opinion had to be valued equally. The personal was the political.
Consciousness-raising was also the heart and soul of gay rights activism. The process of sharing coming-out stories in a free environment helped others liberate themselves from the closet of ill repute. Again, these stories were told in a non-coercive, leaderless environment that empowered gay men and women to fight for their rights and leave behind a debased life of sexual secrecy.
Both of these movements had enormous impacts on American life. Gay rights liberated our sexuality, and feminism fundamentally changed the way we relate to each other as men and women. All this, without a centralized leadership.
Fast-forward to the late 1990s when protest networks emerged around the world in opposition to the World Bank, WTO and G-8. This time uneven development, debt and neoliberalism took center stage, alongside environmental concerns and world poverty. The protesters were “Anti” globalization as well as “Alter”: Free flows of information as opposed to patenting, free movement of people as opposed to policed immigration, and free trade as opposed to NAFTA.
Alter-globalization networks created a veritable movement of movements, which was not led or controlled by any one of them. In the United States, anarchist-inspired spokescouncils convened hundreds of these groups to organize protest actions, conferences and community work. At the meetings, each group would position a single member upfront, in the inner circle, while the rest sat behind, like a human wheel with spokes. There were no leaders with long-standing assignments because every participant was, in essence, a leader. In lieu of a party line, this amalgamation of movements operated according to sets of core, procedural principles—called Principles of Unity—that reflected their anti-authoritarian, anti-discriminatory orientation.
The Occupy movement operates similarly, with each locale establishing its own set of organizational practices. Locales, and the virtual Occupy communities in cyberspace, are federated according to a simple yet powerful point of unity: “The one thing we all have in common is that we are the 99% that will no longer tolerate the greed and corruption of the 1%”—an obvious reference to the well-known, yet still appalling, statistic that the top 1 percent of households in the United States own somewhere between 30 to 40 percent of all privately held wealth. And counting.
Occupy Wall Street’s organizational presence is the New York General Assembly or “GA,” which convenes numbers in the high hundreds at its squat-site in Zuccotti Park. Daily GA meetings are led by facilitators who rotate on a regular basis, and facilitation training is open to all. Specific issues, such as food, medical, legal, outreach, security and others are handled by working groups—also open and inclusive—that periodically report back to the GA. Instead of issuing top-down directives, Occupy groups use a consensus process in which anyone can join in the decision-making and propose an idea. Proposers must field questions, justify the hows and whys of their ideas, and engage a large-scale group discussion. Votes are then cast via an innovative system of hand signals, and proposals are revised until a nine-tenths majority approves.
Of course, all this requires a degree of good faith. Embedded in consensus process is an ethical assumption that decision-making is not a competition: It is not about converting other people to one’s way of thinking. It is about compromise. For every person involved, there is a new viewpoint to consider. This can get messy, but efficiency is not the measuring stick of success here. Democracy is.
Similar to the feminist and alter-globalization movements, these groups want to avoid replicating the authoritarian structures of the institutions they are opposing. This is part of what differentiates them from the Tea Party. Occupy will never become an arm of the Democratic Party because the Democratic Party is part of the problem. These protesters want to prefigure within their own organization the free society they seek to create. And they want to demonstrate against the corrupt and hypocritical culture in mainstream politics and Wall Street—by operating with integrity.
The Occupy movement is a laboratory for participatory democracy. It’s a massive crash course in leadership training. Most of these activists have a particular issue, problem or political idea that is meaningful to them, on which they have developed an expert knowledge. Occupy is both a concrete and virtual space for connecting these issues and expertise without any one position or issue taking precedence. This movement is not mired in the competitive mindset of “my issue is more important than yours” that appears to be stymieing Congress as the country slowly crumbles.
Implicit in this structure is also a rejection of the narcissistic, “I know what’s good for you” form of leadership, now pervasive in this country, in which lawmakers fail to consider the needs and desires of the people they claim to represent. The failure of representative democracy in the United States is perhaps one of the most serious problems of our time, and the Occupy movement is a symptom of this crisis of legitimacy. The people no longer trust their leaders and are even starting to indict the system itself. They think we can do better. We are all leaders.
Heather Gautney, PhD, is an assistant professor of sociology at Fordham University and author of Protest and Organization in the Alternative Globalization Era (Palgrave Macmillan).
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Robert Monks: Occupy Wall Street protests and ‘The Decline of the West’When Arya Stark stood on a bridge in Braavos in Game of Thrones season 6 episode 7 and stared wistfully at the horizon, leaving herself hopelessly vulnerable to attack, many hoped there was some secret plan at work.
Then, in episode 8, after she miraculously recovered from her five stab wounds overnight, there was talk of her perhaps intentionally leaving a blood trail to lure the Waif.
“Was this her plan all along, going back to the previous episode when she was hiring passage back to Westeros and standing on the bridge?” the Wall Street Journal asked the director for both episodes, Mark Mylod.
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“Personally, I don’t think so,” he replied, crushing fans’ hopes that it was more than just bad writing.
“You could certainly read into that. My choice is no. My choice is, in episode 7, the character has made her decision to leave the city, and really makes a mistake. She lets her guard down. We forget how young this kid is, and she makes a mistake. This is in my head, at least.
“Having booked passage with the captain, she has a moment of reverie where she’s looking over Braavos and particularly looking forward to making a move toward home to a new adventure. She’s not going to be this assassin, and she lets her guard down and nearly pays for it with her life. I think that, subsequently, she knows once she’s recovering at Lady Crane’s apartment that the Waif will come after her. She knows it’s inevitable.”
WSJ also asked Mylod whether the tumbling oranges on the steps in the chase scene were a reference to The Godfather’s repeated oranges motif, but no, they were just there to add some colour.
Arya’s story arc might have been a little underwhelming the last two episodes, but at least Braavos looks to be behind her now, with next season seeing a possible return to Winterfell.Holden has taken the wraps off the final locally-produced Commodore, aptly named the VFII, revealing styling changes, added features and a new 6.2-litre LS3 V8 engine.
The VFII represents a 37-year Commodore manufacturing history in Australia that started with the VB Holden Commodore and included a number of concepts, motorsport vehicles and export models, culminating with the fastest, most powerful and most advanced Commodore ever. While most of the range has received styling changes and extra features, the Evoke remains unchanged and the option of LPG has been removed across the range, as exclusively revealed by CarAdvice. Changes include: Evoke pricing remains unchanged with the sedan starting from $35,490 for the sedan and $37,490 for the Sportwagon. The Evoke remains powered by a 3.0-litre six-cylinder V6 engine that produces 185kW of power and 290Nm of torque, consuming 8.3L/100km of fuel on the combined cycle for the sedan and 8.6L/100km for the Sportwagon. While the engine remains the same, the SV6 has increased in price by $500, now priced from $37,290 for the SV6 sedan and $41,990 for the automatic-only Sportwagon. The car remains powered by a 3.6-litre V6 engine that produces 210kW of power and 350Nm of torque and is available with either a six-speed manual or automatic in sedan trim and six-speed automatic in Sportwagon trim.
Fuel consumption for the SV6 is 9.0L/100km and 9.3L/100km respectively for the sedan and Sportwagon. Design and specification changes include a new front bumper and grille design, clear tail lights, keyless entry and start, new 18-inch alloy wheels and new LED tail lights for the Sportwagon. As exclusively revealed by CarAdvice earlier in the year, stepping up to the SS nets you a new engine and a $1500 price hike. Priced from $44,490 for the six-speed manual SS sedan, a six-speed automatic demands a $2200 price premium, while the automatic-only SS Sportwagon is priced from $48,690. Holden has also retuned the FE3 suspension to cater for the new engine, claiming to have improved the ride and handling in the process. Under the bonnet, you will find a 6.2-litre LS3 V8 engine that produces 304kW of power (up 34kW on the outgoing model) and 570Nm of torque.
Holden claims that it will sprint from 0-100km/h in just 4.9-seconds, making it the fastest Commodore ever. All V8 models come with a mechanical bi-modal exhaust that Holden has named the 'Baillie Tip'. It is designed to open up the exhaust as the revs rise to increase engine note — it sounds pretty awesome if the initial footage is anything to go by. The system also includes a resonator that inducts noise into the cabin to enhance the driving experience. Changes to the SS Commodore above and beyond the previous model include keyless entry and start, newly designed front bar and grille, new 18-inch alloy wheels and new LED tail lights for the Sportwagon. All V8 models come with the option of performance brakes, which are Brembo branded and sit on all four corners, they are a reasonable $350 option. The SS V steps it up a notch, featuring the same engine with the same power output as the SS, but with extra features. The SS V also costs $1500 more than the outgoing model, now priced from $47,990 for the six-speed manual, with the six-speed automatic a $2200 cost option. Wagon buyers will need to fork out $52,190 for the six-speed automatic-only Sportwagon.
The SS V gets (on top of the new SS features) clear tail lights, functional hood vents, a colour heads-up display and new 19-inch alloy wheels. Sitting at the top of the performance range is the SS V Redline, which now picks up rear Brembo brakes as standard, in addition to all new features of the SS V. A 20-inch forged alloy wheel option is also available for a cost of $1500. Rounding out the Commodore sedan range are the Calais and Calais V models. Calais models have increased by $500 to $41,290 for the sedan and $43,290 for the Sportwagon and now come with front heated seats with memory, an 8-way power passenger seat, new 18-inch alloy wheels, clear tail lights on sedan and LED tail lights on Sportwagon and boot-lid lettering. V6 Calais models remain powered by a 3.6-litre V6 engine that produces 210kW of power and 350Nm of torque, consuming 9.0L/100km on the combined cycle for the sedan and 9.3L/100km on the combined cycle for the Sportwagon.
The Calais V V6 is priced the same at $47,990 for the six-speed automatic sedan and $49,990 for the six-speed automatic Sportwagon. In addition to the new features listed for the Calais, the Calais V V6 comes with new 19-inch alloy wheels. Stepping up to the 6.2-litre LS3 V8 will cost buyers an additional $1500, with pricing for the six-speed automatic Calais V V8 sedan starting from $55,490 and the six-speed automatic Sportwagon from $57,490. New features on top of the Calais V V6 include a limited-slip differential and the performance brake upgrade option. VFII Ute pricing increases mirror their sedan counterparts. The entry-level Evoke (six-speed automatic only) is priced from $33,490, SV6 from $33,990 (for six-speed manual, with six-speed automatic an extra $2200 across the ute range), SS from $40,990 (for six-speed manual), SSV from $44,490 and SSV Redline from $50,490.
The VFII Ute range variants get the same extra features as their sedan siblings. The final vehicle to receive updates is the Caprice V, which loses the V6 engine option and is now only available as a 6.2-litre LS3 V8. Producing the same 304kW/570Nm as the Commodore, the Caprice V now comes with a new bootlip spoiler, new 19-inch alloy wheels, single exhaust outlets and the performance brake option. The Caprice V doesn't get the extensive makeover we predicted earlier in the year, unfortunately. Available in 10 colours, two new colours have been added to the Commodore range called Slipstream Blue and Empire Bronze. All but two colours are considered premium paint and command a $550 price premium. Are these latest updates a fitting enough sendoff for the final locally produced Commodore? Click on the Photos tab to see more Holden Commodore VFII images.
Videography by David Zalstein. 2016 Holden Commodore VFII pricing (plus on-road costs): - Evoke sedan 3.0L auto - $35,490 - Evoke Sportwagon 3.0L auto - $37,490 - SV6 sedan 3.6L manual - $37,290 - SV6 sedan 3.6L auto - $39,490 - SV6 Sportwagon 3.6L auto - $41,490 - SS sedan 6.2L manual - $44,490 - SS sedan 6.2L auto - $46,690 - SS Sportwagon 6.2L auto - $48,690 - SS V sedan 6.2L manual - $47,990 - SS V sedan 6.2L auto - $50,190 - SS V Sportwagon 6.2L auto - $52,190 - SS V Redline sedan 6.2L manual - $53,990 - SS V Redline sedan 6.2L auto - $56,190 - SS V Redline Sportwagon 6.2L auto - $58,190 - Calais sedan 3.6L auto - $41,290 - Calais Sportwagon 3.6L auto - $43,290 - Calais V sedan 3.6L auto - $47,990 - Calais V Sportwagon 3.6L auto - $49,990 - Calais V sedan 6.2L auto - $55,490 - Calais V Sportwagon 6.2L auto - $57,490 2016 Holden Commodore VFII Ute pricing (plus on-road costs): - Evoke 3.0L auto - $33,490 - SV6 3.6L manual - $33,990 - SV6 3.6L auto - $35,990 - SS 6.2L manual - $40,990 - SS 6.2L auto - $43,190 - SS V 6.2L manual - $44,490 - SS V 6.2L auto - $46,690 - SS V Redline 6.2L manual - $50,490 - SS V Redline 6.2L auto - $52,690Multiple fires, including Creek, Rye, Thomas, Riverdale and Little Mountain, are burning in Southern California as of Tuesday afternoon. The fires have been spurred by high winds in the area, ranging from 40 to 70 mph across the region.
The smoke from the fires in northern LA County and Ventura County have spread over the San Fernando Valley and the coastal cities, degrading the air quality and causing poor visibility.
Here’s a look at the smoke blanketing Southern California.
Smoke from the #CreekFire and #ThomasFire as seen from the air near Los Angeles International Airport. pic.twitter.com/Ngv71e9RcH — Hailey Branson-Potts (@haileybranson) December 5, 2017
This is also why portion of 210 has been closed. Smoke from the #CreekFire is reducing visibility. 210 remains closed between I-5 and Sunland. pic.twitter.com/PGcwVejVGw — Caltrans District 7 (@CaltransDist7) December 5, 2017
Beach in Carpenteria CA; pics of the #thomasfire burning 45k acres in Ventura CA. The smoke and air quality is very poor from Goleta, south past the fire. pic.twitter.com/swD6MFlfZA — Ophelia Poppy (@Specialops88) December 5, 2017
Smoke in Thousand Oaks from #CreekFire; #RyeFire; #Thomasfire Fire all around and crazy winds in Ventura County. pic.twitter.com/90HFZ5R9fI — LaVar Ball (@Meerkreepin) December 5, 2017
#RyeFire [update] off Rye Canyon Loop, west of Valencia (Los Angeles County) per LACoFDPIO is now 500 acres. pic.twitter.com/hovCPgyUCz — QuakeFactor (@QuakeFactor) December 5, 2017
#creekfire smoke from 210. Made it through before it go worse and they closed it down. Slow going though pic.twitter.com/70cfAMI9bB — howl of dawn (@howlofdawn) December 5, 2017
Thick blanket of smoke above our house. #CreekFire pic.twitter.com/rqeTtrU2Bl — Harmony Loi (@HarmonyLoi) December 5, 2017
Drove right through the #creekfire smoke plume on my way into work. Could barely breath in my car. Absolutely insane. pic.twitter.com/VtTu3bLT1z — Adam Ruehmer (@heydudeimadam) December 5, 2017
The strong winds and smoke from the Creek Fire are making my allergies and asthma kick up. Hope everyone affected is and stays safe. #creekfire #sfv #losangeles pic.twitter.com/t4CtWzqmIt — Glenda Vaquerano (@GlendaVee) December 5, 2017
Flying to #LA you can see heavy smoke and some flames coming from the #ThomasFire in #Ventura County #ktvu pic.twitter.com/74c6OJ0Jz1 — Paul Chambers (@PaulChambersTV) December 5, 2017
View from the sixth floor in mid city Santa Monica of the smoke from #ThomasFire in Ventura pic.twitter.com/JwnOzqjXQ4 — Eric Fay (@iCanHasFay) December 5, 2017
Read more about the fires burning in Southern California Tuesday:Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., blasted Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., on the Senate floor for restricting amendments to the omnibus spending bill and bitterly denounced the legislative process.
"So we have one person out of 100 [who] decides what amendments will be acceptable and what aren't," Coburn said, referring to Reid. "Jefferson has got to be spinning in his grave, because he wrote the original rules of the Senate."
Coburn reminded his Senate colleagues that the amendment process was an essential part of the bill process as it encouraged negotiation to generate consensus.
"When we have a czar running the Senate we no longer have the ability," he said.
Coburn is the latest Republican to complain about Reid's heavy-handed tactics in running the Senate -- but not the last.
“I'm just kind of fed up,” Sen. Lisa Murkowski R-Alaska, complained to the New York Times, referring to Reid. “He's a leader. Why is he not leading this Senate? Why is he choosing to ignore the fact that he has a minority party that he needs to work with, that actually has some decent ideas? Why is he bringing down the institution of the Senate?”When Chiefs decided to swap out veteran in-game leader Lightstep for the unproven pecks, many speculated on whether the move would help or hinder the young side. 6 months, 2 national LAN wins, 2 qualifications for international events and an impressive performance at IEM Sydney later, Chiefs have undisputedly become one of the most accomplished lineups in the region’s history and have maintained their place at the top of the scene.
Despite a loss to Athletico 2-1 at the Zowie eXTREMESLAND Australia finals, I sat down with team captain Tyler “tucks” Reilly to talk about the team’s recent downswing, their approach to LAN and financial support in the scene.
I want to go back to when you first brought pecks into the lineup. Was the success of that transfer predicated more on your leadership or his individual skill?
It’s a bit of both. I knew that when we signed Pete [pecks], he was someone that’s really keen for it. He listens, which was one of the big reasons why we got him. I knew exactly what he was like as a player. I knew that I could tell him what to do and he would do it. I could tell him when he was wrong, and he would admit that he was wrong. I knew he’d work really hard for it. Definitely a bit of both. With the roles that we have, we really try and help him. When he joined the team, we tried to help him with his roles.
A game you guys will be remembered for for quite some time is the win over North at IEM Sydney, where your T side used a lot of variations on an interesting execute. How much preparation went into that match on Nuke?
We didn’t look at North at all, to be honest. We tried to prepare a bit for everyone. I didn’t think we’d play Nuke against them. We were thinking it would be Overpass. We had more stuff for that. We didn’t look at their Nuke at all, but we knew that Nuke was one of our strongest maps. We wanted to get any team on Nuke, we just wanted Nuke or Overpass, which were our strongest maps for the event. The Nuke strat was just something that we thought of the week before. We knew it was really strong and that no one had seen it before and we could change it up how we did. We didn’t look into North much, it was more just how we played it.
Chiefs have been in somewhat of a slump online lately. What can you put that down to?
We’ve been playing a lot lately. We had the CG LAN and then we flew straight to Perth and played [WCA]. We had a lot of success. When we came back, I wouldn’t say we were lazy – we were practicing – but we didn’t really know what to work on. We sort of innovated a lot with our strategies for that CG LAN and Perth, so everything was kind of stale and these teams back here had been working really hard. So, we were certain that these people had been looking at our game and knew what we were doing. What happened was we were playing and we felt we were being counter-stratted so we tried to just go on the fly and change up things during the game which didn’t really work. We were really sloppy and people weren’t playing well individually. Everyone was just having a slump. I just put it down to that. We knew the competitions were important, but we didn’t really prepare for them and we hadn’t really had a good taste of what these teams were like. Athletico are a completely new team now, I feel, Kings, we’ve never played, and Grayhound are also a pretty new team now with dexter coming in.
Kings have really hit the ground running in the past few months, even besting you guys in a few encounters. What are your thoughts on the pieces that have come together in that roster and the team’s play as a whole?
I think the roster’s really good. I think they play good Counter-Strike. We’ve played them a couple of times. I feel like a few times they played us maps that we’re not so good at or we weren’t really prepared for. They have bested us on Train lately. We felt like they destroyed us on their T side and we beat them on our T side. Our CT side has just been really terrible lately. I think their team has really good players, but I still think they’re |
pro.com):
Fantastic Four — Producer, 2013, Treatment/outline
Primeval — Producer, 2012, Optioned property
Robotech — Producer, 2012, Script
Sgt. Rock — Producer2012, Optioned property
The Lonely Dog — Producer, 2012, Optioned property
Heart Shaped Box — Producer, 2011, Unknown
Lobo — Producer, 2011, Script
Lone Survivor — Producer, 2011, Script
The Ha-Ha — Producer, Director, 2011, Unknown
The Incredible Mr. Limpet — Producer, 2011, Optioned property
Untitled I Am Legend Prequel — Producer, 2011, Unknown
Amulet — Producer, Writer (screenplay), 2010, Unknown
In the Small — Producer, 2010, Script
That’s 13 projects, mostly as producer. How about screenwriter-producer Ron Bass:
A Season in Central Park — Writer (writer), 2011, Unknown
Teacher Man — Writer (screenplay), Producer, 2011, Script
True Believer — Writer (screenplay), 2011, Script
Boomsday — Writer (screenplay), 2010, Unknown
Player’s Rules — Writer (writer), 2010, Unknown
The Private Lives of Albert Einstein — Writer (screenplay), 2010, Scrip
What a Wonderful World — Writer (screenplay), Executive Producer, Producer, 2010, Unknown
That’s 7 projects, mostly as writer.
Even a pre-pro writer has to develop the use of the same mental ‘muscles’ that someone like Goldsman and Bass use because while writing a spec script, they typically have many other ideas they’re interested in writing — and then, of course, new ones pop up along the way.
So now, as a pre-pro, or later, as a pro, you need to learn how to manage your many story ideas while you maintain a clear focus on writing your current screenplay.
One aspect is simply managing your ideas and your writing — and this is where all my pontificating about writing being a two-fold process [prep-writing and page-writing] — can come in quite handy. The script you are currently writing is, obviously in the page-writing category. All your other ideas are in the prep-writing phase. That’s two different dynamics.
For the page-writing, you need to put ass on chair, close the door, turn off the phone, immerse yourself in your story world and characters and write. Whether it’s one page a day or 24 hour marathon writing sessions, it makes no difference to the basic requirement of disattaching yourself from this world and going into your story world.
For the prep-writing, it’s much looser dynamic. You have all these other story ideas. My guess is that you will naturally create a hierarchy of which one you want to do next, followed by another one you feel pretty good about, then a bunch of others sitting on a rather equivalent level of projects to develop for down the road.
One suggestion: Create a Word file for each project (or if you prefer, buy a spiral notebook for each project). Anytime a stray thought or possibility comes to mind for any of the projects, make sure you record that info in that story’s file. So part of this prep-writing dynamic is to be mindful of each of your story ideas, attuned to anything you experience in this life that may create an idea for any of your projects. You can do this anytime: In your car, at the grocery store, in the shower, on a run, sitting at your desk, in a coffee shop, in the library, and so on. It’s really about an awareness on your part that your creativity can ‘speak’ to you anytime and anywhere.
The bigger challenge is to focus on one or two and develop them so that once you finish the current script you’re writing, you’re ready to jump write into the page-writing phase for the next project. Suggestion: Pick one story that you feel has a strong story concept and about which you are passionate, and focus on developing that one. This requires a bit more structure than the generalized approach I described above. Here you will want to focus on these aspects of the story development process:
* Research
* Brainstorming plot points and possible plot elements
* Developing characters
* Structuring your plot
* Outline (if you’re into that approach to writing)
So you basically have three things going on in the course of your creative day:
* Page-writing: The time you seal yourself away to write the script you’re currently working on. You must consider this ‘sacred’ time — do not let anything get in the way of your commitment to finishing your current script.
* Prep-writing (general): Everything from generating story concepts to anytime you have any idea or thought about any of your various future projects — being attuned to whenever you creativity reacts to external stimuli of your day-to-day life and recording those ideas into a file for each of your stories.
* Prep-writing (specific): Cracking the next story you want to work on — research, brainstorming plot, character development, structuring plot, outline.
How to manage all that? How about this:
* Page-writing (current script): 2 hours before your day job.
* Prep-writing (general): Anytime during the day.
* Prep-writing (specific): 2 hours at night after your day job.
If you actually approach your time like this being conscious of what you’re doing, then you can manage to both write and prep your stories.
There’s one other dynamic: Managing your expectations. Since the page-writing process is a labor-intensive affair, one which challenges you throughout to find the resolve to keep pressing ahead, it’s quite typical for a writer to start to look at one of their future ideas and become enamored of it. Hey, maybe I should set aside the script I’m currently working on and write this other story — it seems better, more exciting, etc.
While your other story idea may end up being a better script, this is dangerous territory — because almost assuredly part of what’s going on here is the ‘grass is greener on the other side’ syndrome: The script you’re writing — the one you ‘know’ — is a slog; the script you hope to write — the one you don’t ‘know’ as intimately — appears to be easier / better to write. However if you set aside the script you’re writing and move onto the other project, here’s what will likely happen: A few months down the road, you’ll be writing this other story, and that process will be turning into a slog, then suddenly you look at some other of your story ideas, and you find yourself saying the exact same thing you did originally: Hey, maybe I should set aside the script I’m currently working on and write this other story — it seems better, more exciting, etc.
In other words, you end up with a stack of unfinished scripts.
My advice: Always finish the script you’re writing before moving into the page-writing phase of a future script. Do not use your interest in some other story as an excuse not to do the hard, necessary work you need to do to finish a screenplay.
How about you, GITS readers? How do you manage your ‘slate’ of story ideas? How do you balance your page-writing time and prep-writing time? And how do you manage your expectations about what you’re writing now and what you want to write next?
UPDATE: There are some superior ideas and approaches readers are posting in comments, so if you haven’t clicked through, I strongly encourage you to do so.
[Originally posted January 16, 2010]
Comment ArchiveI grew up during Woody Allen’s not-so-memorable middle period—“Mighty Aphrodite,” “Deconstructing Harry,” “Sweet and Lowdown.” (When I was in the sixth grade, Allen filmed a scene from “Everyone Says I Love You” in a stately home down the block from my elementary school, in the Bronx, and I skipped class with my best friend to get his autograph.) But I was fortunate enough that my parents had an old tape of Allen’s album “Standup Comic: 1964-1968,” and our family often would listen to it on long car rides. Many of Allen’s anxious, absurdist one-liners—“I had a pain in the chestal area” (from the bit “Eggs Benedict”); “He made a remark” (“Mechanical Objects”); “Gertrude Stein punched me in the mouth” (“Lost Generation”)—became regular family sayings, and the routine about the moose was, and still is, an oft-invoked favorite.
So it set my chestal area aflutter to read yesterday on the New York Times’s ArtsBeat blog that Allen is maybe, possibly considering a return to standup comedy. Allen’s new movie, “Blue Jasmine,” includes the standup comics Andrew Dice Clay and Louis C.K. among its cast members, which prompted the Times reporter Dave Itzkoff, during a recent interview with the filmmaker about his many distinctive female characters, to inquire about the possibility of Allen returning to his nightclub roots.
Allen responded that the casting of Clay and C.K. was coincidental (he’s a huge fan of C.K., and found Clay to be a surprisingly sympathetic actor), but admitted that he has been “toying with the idea” of developing new standup material. He got inspired when he recently saw the comedian Mort Sahl, now eighty-six, perform a show at the Café Carlyle, at the Carlyle Hotel, where Allen plays regular gigs with his jazz band. “He’s not as rapid as he was when he was 35,” Allen told Itzkoff. “But all the stuff is still there. Watching him, I had the same feeling now, in 2013, as I had when I saw him in 1950-something. Of, ‘Hey, I’d like to get back onstage and do standup again.’ ”
A number of other famous comedians, including Dave Chappelle and Chris Rock, are planning highly anticipated returns to standup. Allen, who, at seventy-seven, still puts out roughly one new film per year, seems more circumspect—“Just getting together an hour of stuff to talk about would be a lot of work,” he told Itzkoff. In the meantime, though, you can find many of Allen’s old routines on YouTube, including the inimitable “Moose.” Below is a video of Allen performing the bit on English television in 1965; I’m of course partial to the album version.Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Nick Hardwick, Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons in England and Wales said Maghaberry is the most dangerous prison he has inspected in his role
Northern Ireland's high security Maghaberry Prison is the most dangerous prison ever inspected by Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons in England and Wales.
Nick Hardwick was detailing the findings of a report into the prison.
It was jointly compiled by Mr Hardwick and Brendan McGuigan, chief inspector of Criminal Justice NI.
Inspectors visited Maghaberry in May and found it in a "state of crisis".
They found it was "unsafe and unstable" for prisoners and staff.
The report is one of the most critical of any prison in the UK.
Image caption A team of more than 20 inspectors spent almost two weeks assessing conditions at Maghaberry Prison, near Lisburn, in May
It said there were significant failures in leadership.
Prison practices 'crazy' says officer
Reaction to Maghaberry report
Maghaberry Prison: A timeline of reports and inquiries
Ex-prisoner slams jail's medical care
Mr Hardwick said the prison was the "most dangerous prison" he had ever been in during his time as a chief inspector.
"It's not safe for the prisoners health, it's not safe for the staff who care for them and it's not safe for the communities into which these men will be returned with very little done to reduce the risk that they will stop offending," he told a press conference on Thursday.
He described it as a "very worrying and disturbing public institution" and said Charles Dickens could write about Maghaberry "without batting an eyelid".
'Complex prison'
Mr McGuigan said their report on Maghaberry was the "most concerning ever" regarding a prison in Northern Ireland.
"What we found was a highly complex prison that was in crisis and it is our view that the leadership of the prison had failed to ensure it was both safe and stable," they said in a joint statement.
"We had real concerns that if the issues identified in this report were not addressed as a matter of urgency, serious disorder or loss of life could occur."
A team of more than 20 inspectors spent almost two weeks assessing conditions at Maghaberry in May.
Analysis: BBC News NI Home Affairs Correspondent Vincent Kearney
Reports criticising conditions within prisons in Northern Ireland are nothing new.
But this one is in a different league. It is by far the most critical ever published.
A prison described by the government's chief inspector of prisons as the most dangerous he has ever set foot in.
Read more of Vincent Kearney's analysis here.
Northern Ireland's Justice Minister, David Ford, said action was already under way to address the issues raised in the inspection report. Mr Ford also said he does not intend to resign after the report.
In addition to the two criminal justice organisations, the health watchdog, the Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority and the Education and Training Inspectorate, were also involved.
Inspectors measured Maghaberry's performance against four internationally recognised criteria: safety, respect, purposeful activity and resettlement.
In three of those areas, safety, respect, and purposeful activity, the inspectors labelled performance as "poor", the lowest possible ranking.
In the area of resettlement, they described performance as "reasonably good".
Credible threats
It said far more prisoners than in previous inspections said they felt unsafe and drugs were more widely available.
It also said some staff were the subjects of credible threats, with some fearful of prisoners.
Staff absence during the period of the inspection was described as high.
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption David Ford has had, at times, a testy relationship with the press
As a result, substantial numbers of prisoners were spending long periods of time locked in their cells, limiting access to education, showers, opportunities to make telephone calls to family and friends and to carry out everyday domestic tasks.
The inspectors said this "contributed to the overall instability of the prison".
The report also said levels of assaults and rates of self-harm among prisoners had increased, with inspectors told "a great deal of bullying and incidents of physical violence, were going unreported".
It is also critical of the regime in a small section of the prison for dissident republicans, who are held in a separate unit, called Roe House.
'Negative impact'
They account for just 5% of the overall prison population, but a much greater proportion of the resources, with staff from other areas often diverted there.
"Giving preference to maintaining the regime for separated prisoners over every other area in the prison is unfair and has a negative impact on more than 900 men who make up the majority of the prison population," the report said.
"This position is untenable and a radical new approach is now required.
"To assist with this process we recommend that should it remain necessary to manage the separated units in this way, their location, management, and resources should be treated as stand alone to that of the main prison."
The report was also critical regarding the provision of health care in the prison.
"Inspectors were very concerned that aspects of health care provision had deteriorated since the previous inspection," the report added.
Image caption Brendan McGuigan, chief inspector of Criminal Justice NI, said their report on Maghaberry was the "most concerning ever" regarding a prison in Northern Ireland
"In our view it was falling short and not meeting the complex needs of the prison population.
"Some areas of health care including chronic disease management and substance misuse, were considered by inspectors to be unsafe."
The inspectors were so concerned by what they found in Maghaberry that they have taken the unprecedented step of announcing they will go back in January to assess the response of the prison service to its findings.
They also called on Northern Ireland's politicians to read the report and take "urgent action".Following news of a woman being shown out of a pool in the small town of Akranes in Iceland, the directors of the City of Reykjavik sports and recreation department (ÍTR) have confirmed that guests of the city's swimming pool are welcome whether they wear a top or not as part of their swimwear ensemble.
Þórgnýr Thoroddsen at ÍTR says that the current rules at their swimming pools are for people to wear swimwear, but not what kind of swimwear. "We all agree that people shouldn't be discriminated against whether they have breasts or not. There's no reason for that."
He adds that sometimes somebody complains over female guests not wearing a top to a swimming pool. In that case the person is welcome to send a written complaint but people are not turned away from the pool because they're topless.
"We can certainly look into whether we need to rephrase the rules to make the meaning of swimwear more clear."Justin Bieber may be young, but the singer already knows how important it is to give back. Last week, he joined his mentor Usher for the New Look Foundation's World Leadership Awards, and on Wednesday, the singer donated $1.06 of each ticket from his sold-out concert at Nashville, Tennessee's Bridgestone Arena to Nashville-area flood-recovery efforts. The pop star presented a $32,690 check to the nonprofit organization Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee.
The teen heartthrob took to Twitter to thank partnering radio station i106 Hits for helping out for the greater good. "shoutout to i106 ( www.i106hits.com ) for teaming up with me for a great cause today.... we gave $1.06 per ticket sold 2nite to Flood Relief needed here in Tennessee. thanks 2 all of u 2nite we raised $32,690 for those in need!!!" he tweeted.
Bieber also took part in helping out because of Nashville's role in music history. "I'm really glad to be here and to help out something that's really important to me. Music has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember, and you know Nashville, there's so much music history here," he said, according to Tennessean.com.
Radio host Bert Weiss of i106 said the pop star was eager to join in on the idea. "We made one call to Justin, and he pretty much immediately said, 'Whatever I can do to help, I'll do,' " said the DJ.
Bieber is just one of many who have used their celebrity to help victims of the Nashville-area floods. In June, Miley Cyrus and Taylor Swift joined a slew of artists to play the charity concert Nashville Rising: A Benefit Concert for Flood Recovery.
Ke$ha also did her part in helping her Nashville hometown when she played a benefit concert in June from which 100 percent of the profits were donated to flood victims. "Nashville helped shape me as an artist and as a person, and my love for this city is beyond words," the pop star said in a press release. "I will continue to do anything I can to help rebuild this city and support the families and animals who have been affected by this tragedy."
What do you think of Justin's generous donation? Share your thoughts below!(CNN) Between 6:41 p.m. and 6:50 p.m. ET Monday night, President Donald Trump sent four tweets focused on the Senate subcommittee hearing on Russia's meddling into the 2016 election that featured testimony from former acting Attorney General Sally Yates and former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper.
The four-tweet barrage shows just how closely Trump is monitoring the ongoing congressional investigation into ties between members of his 2016 presidential campaign and Russian intelligence officials. The quartet of tweets is also a window into how Trump hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest. He creates his own reality for himself and his followers.
Let's break the tweets down one by one -- in the order that they were sent.
"Director Clapper reiterated what everybody, including the fake media already knows- there is 'no evidence' of collusion w/ Russia and Trump."
Director Clapper reiterated what everybody, including the fake media already knows- there is "no evidence" of collusion w/ Russia and Trump. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 8, 2017
This is not entirely accurate. What Clapper said was not that he could definitively rule out collusion between elements of the Trump campaign and the Russians but rather that he was unaware of evidence suggesting there was any. In fact, Clapper noted that he had been unaware of the FBI investigation into the Russia ties with the Trump campaign -- driving home the point that he wasn't privy to every piece of information.
RELATED: Trump made one of his own tweets into a Twitter header. Cue the shade.
Trump is, broadly speaking, right that there is "no evidence" that has been released publicly of collusion between anyone on his campaign and the Russians. But that's not what Clapper said on Monday. Trump is, broadly speaking, right that there is "no evidence" that has been released publicly of collusion between anyone on his campaign and the Russians. But that's not what Clapper said on Monday.
"Sally Yates made the fake media extremely unhappy today --- she said nothing but old news!"
Sally Yates made the fake media extremely unhappy today --- she said nothing but old news! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 8, 2017
This one is way off the mark. It is "old news" that Yates met with White House Counsel Don McGahn on January 26 to discuss Flynn's problem. But what's new is that she told McGahn on that day -- and in a follow-up meeting the next day -- that not only was Flynn lying to members of the presidential transition about his contacts with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak but also that she had reason to believe he had been compromised by the Russians and was a potential blackmail target. Yates also offered McGahn the chance to go through the evidence the Justice Department had that led them to that conclusion. (It's not clear if he actually did so.)
"The Russia-Trump collusion story is a total hoax, when will this taxpayer funded charade end?"
The Russia-Trump collusion story is a total hoax, when will this taxpayer funded charade end? — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 8, 2017
Trump is, again, conflating two things. The ongoing investigations -- in Congress and by the FBI -- are aimed at understanding the extent to which (and how) Russia meddled in the US election. Whether or not the Trump campaign colluded with Russia is certainly a possible strand in that investigation but it is not the entire investigation or even necessarily the center of it.
RELATED: The many paths from Trump to Russia
As for the idea of these investigations as a "taxpayer-funded charade," consider this: A foreign power attempted to influence the outcome of a presidential election in the United States and, according to many in the national security world, will try to do so again (and again). Looking into how they did it -- and trying to prevent it from happening again -- doesn't feel like a "charade" to me. As for the idea of these investigations as a "taxpayer-funded charade," consider this: A foreign power attempted to influence the outcome of a presidential election in the United States and, according to many in the national security world, will try to do so again (and again). Looking into how they did it -- and trying to prevent it from happening again -- doesn't feel like a "charade" to me.
"Biggest story today between Clapper & Yates is on surveillance. Why doesn't the media report on this? #FakeNews!"
Biggest story today between Clapper & Yates is on surveillance. Why doesn't the media report on this? #FakeNews! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 8, 2017
Reasonable people can disagree about what the "biggest" story was coming out of the Yates/Clapper hearing. But, the idea that the surveillance story -- that the US government monitors foreign actors and could have swept up a conversation that person had with a Trump campaign official -- is a bigger deal than Russia having compromising information about the national security adviser doesn't pass the smell test for me.
I think it's absolutely worth trying to get to the bottom of how Yates came to know what she knew about Flynn and Russia and how that information got to The Washington Post. But, again, is that more important than finding out the depth of Russia's meddling in our presidential election and the extent of their contacts with Flynn and others within Trump's orbit? I think not.Hot wallet funds of the Switzerland-based exchange have been stolen by hackers. However, no customer funds have been compromised, says the company. It promises to use the opportunity for a build-up.
In a Reddit message published last night, Eric Voorhees, CEO of ShapeShift, promised to provide more details about the hacker attack that took place on 7 April later. The web-site, he wrote, would stay offline “for at least another 48 hours” needed by the company to recover the platform.
“There is no danger or risk that ShapeShift will not be coming back online, but it needs to be done with diligence. We are learning some interesting things. I'd like to sincerely thank many in the industry who reached out to us, offering to help and providing valuable intelligence. It has been heartwarming, to say the least.”
According to an earlier Reddit message by Voorhees, the company’s server infrastructure “was compromised and threatened.” Voorhees said the company would use the opportunity “to build even bigger, better, and more resilient infrastructure.” Putting the service offline was chosen because of its being “the safer path.”
Those who had pending orders on the platform are promised to get the funds back within 24 hours.
According to ShapeShift's CEO, hackers have stolen an unspecified part of hot wallet funds. Still, the consumers’ money is claimed to never be at risk — “even in the case of a security breach” — thanks to the platform's built-in customer protection mechanism.
The company argues that “hacks may be inevitable, but customer losses should not be.”
Located in Zug, Switzerland, ShapeShift specializes in bitcoin / altcoin exchange, allowing customers to exchange digital currencies without an account or a sign up process.
In summer 2015 the company withdrew all its services from New York, calling it “a moral and ethical stand” against the new legislation, namely, so-called BitLicense. The company compensated for the losses by the introduction of new coins, becoming, inter alia, the first exchange to incorporate Ether.
In September, ShapeShift raised $1.6 million, Roger Ver and Bruce Fenton being among the investors.
Alexey TereshchenkoBlack Friday is the single biggest shopping day of the year. And this Friday, all eyes will be on Walmart, the nation's single biggest retailer and employer. But while the planned protests at 1,000 of the chain's 4,000 locations will keep the focus on Walmart's below-industry standard pay to its 1.3 million associates, the company's owners are actively working to reduce their tax bill as well.
That's the word from the New York Times, which on Monday reported that Walmart will move up its quarterly dividend payment by six days. Why?
The Walton family, which founded Wal-Mart, could save as much as $180 million in federal income taxes after the huge retailer announced Monday that it would pay out its quarterly dividend on Dec. 27 instead of Jan. 2, as was scheduled. The change will allow the family and other Wal-Mart shareholders to record the income this year, when the federal tax rate on dividends tops out at 15 percent. Next year, if the Obama administration and Republicans are unable to reach a compromise, that rate is set to jump sharply to 39.6 percent. High earners will have to pay an additional 3.8 percent on most investment income to help pay for the new federal health care law, bringing the total possible tax bite to 43.4 percent.
Now, Walmart is not the only company taking steps to avoid the higher capital gains and dividend tax rates advocated by President Obama. But in Walmart's case, the Times pointed out, "the Waltons own 48 percent of Wal-Mart's stock, or 1.6 billion shares, and control three of the company's 16 board seats." As it turns out, the heirs of Walmart founders Sam and James "Bud" Walton now possess combined wealth equivalent to 49 million American families, 42 percent of the total.
As labor economist Sylvia Allegretto of the University of California and Josh Bivens of the Economic Policy Institute documented this week, the Fed's Survey of Consumer Finances (SCF) showed that the crippling recession which began five years ago has been a bonanza for the Walton Six. Between 2007 and 2010, the wealth of the Walton family members jumped from $73.3 billion to $89.5 billion even as median family wealth fell by 38.8 percent. The result?
In 2007, it was reported that the Walton family wealth was as large as the bottom 35 million families in the wealth distribution combined, or 30.5 percent of all American families. And in 2010, as the Walton's wealth has risen and most other Americans' wealth declined, it is now the case that the Walton family wealth is as large as the bottom 48.8 million families in the wealth distribution (constituting 41.5 percent of all American families) combined.
It's no wonder Walmart chief financial officer Tom Schoewe told Wall Street analysts in the fall of 2007, "Tough times are actually a good time for Walmart."
Good for Walmart, that is, but not good enough for the Walton family.
(Continue reading below the fold.)Tuesday, April 26, 2016 at 07:56PM
By Peter M. De Lorenzo
©2016 Autoextremist.com, Inc.
April 28, 2016, 10:30 a.m., Detroit. Google, the all-seeing and all-knowing technical juggernaut, is in the late stages of negotiating an advanced technical partnership with Fiat Chrysler, according to a source with direct knowledge of the ongoing discussions. John Krafcik, CEO of Google's Self-Driving Cars operation and Sergio Marchionne, CEO of FCA, began talks not long after the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas back in January, and have been in final negotiations over the last three weeks.
On the surface, this is a puzzling development, as FCA is the least technically savvy company in the car business by far. But that may be exactly what Krafcik wants. Why? Though the deal in the short term is said to include development of an autonomous version of FCA's new Pacifica minivan, it's the longer-term prospects that are of particular interest to Krafcik. It means that Google will have access to manufacturing capability and an existing dealer network for the distribution of its future vehicles, something the tech icon has clearly lacked.
Krafcik, a savvy industry veteran, has gone on record in recent weeks about this very subject. He is acutely aware that despite Google's flashy, "we can do anything we want" arrogance, without having the serious capability to build the cars and somewhere to service them, Google's Self-Driving Car program is going nowhere, fast. Lending gravitas to the proceedings is the fact that Google is planning to build a major technical center just west of Novi, a suburb of Detroit.
For Marchionne's part, this is almost the Hail Mary pass he was looking for. As I commented two weeks ago, in my column entitled "The Fools On The Hill", Marchionne and FCA are completely out of options, and without a key technical partner going forward FCA is facing the prospect of making the Jeep and Ram Truck franchises available to the highest bidder, in effect "parting out" the company in desperation.
But almost is the operative word here, because no matter how encompassing this linkup is with Google, I have serious doubts that it will be enough to keep FCA afloat, unless, of course, Marchionne and FCA Chairman and Fiat heir, John Elkann, are devising a plan to cede control of FCA in the U.S. to Google and cashing out for a huge dollar figure - somewhere in the neighborhood of $12-$14 billion - so that they can return to Italy, wallets overflowing.
FCA would not comment on this story. And Johnny Luu, Communications, Self-Driving Cars, had this obligatory response, "... we have a policy to not comment on rumor or speculation."
CRUCIAL QUESTIONS FOR CADILLAC.
By Peter M. De Lorenzo
Detroit. While the auto manufacturers are flaunting their newest models at the Beijing Auto Show this week - amidst the usual array of fantasy Asian auto manufacturer vaporware on display – to no one’s surprise the show has emerged as just another stop on the endless circuit of auto shows, with the same feel-good pronouncements and the same vacuous speeches by auto executives hell-bent on making a good impression in a market that will determine their companies’ fates for the next 50 years. Or so “they” say.
The only difference being that this year the show overlords banned female models from the show floor because they were too “distracting” and deflected attention away from the products. They were replaced with less threatening male attendants instead. Let’s just say that it’s a wonderful thing that the Paris auto show still exists.
There are plenty of other stories to talk about, however, as “The Swirling Maelstrom” - aka the auto biz - churned and boiled through another jaw-dropping week of lies, misstatements, rampant stupidity and flat-out nonsense. There was Mitsubishi, calmly admitting to the world that it had “misstated” its fuel economy numbers for the last 25 years. Think about that for a moment. Twenty-five years. Auto pundits wondered aloud if the Japanese auto manufacturer would survive this blow but let’s be honest here, it's a mystery why Mitsubishi even exists because it has been irrelevant in this country for over a decade. So if the company doesn’t take this opportunity to fold up its tent and high-tail it out of this market I would be stunned. Memo to Mistsubishi: Look at this incident as a free ticket out of here and run – don’t walk - run and never look or come back. The auto world here would be appreciably better off for it.
Then there was one Mike Keegan, FCA’s director of Human Resources, who went completely off the reservation with his gushing, blatantly Pollyannaish defense of all things Sergio in a written response to an opinion piece in Automotive News that was absolutely excruciating to read, to the point that it sounded like he had a lobotomy along the way. Let’s be frank here, as in, WTF? Does this guy really expect to get a job anywhere else after Sergio and Elkann take their billions out of FCA and return to their idyllic so-called life back in the home country? How about no. Blinders firmly attached, he forever pegged himself as a sniveling, clueless wanker in one fell swoop. Editor-In-Chief's Note (4/30): It has come to my attention that Sergio Marchionne actually wrote the letter to Automotive News himself. Keegan put his name on it, which doesn't absolve him from blame in the least, but that knowledge gives everyone a glimpse as to what Marchionne actually thinks of his own accomplishments. Marchionne says he's retiring in 2018. It can't come soon enough as far as I'm concerned. -PMD
And, if all else fails, there’s always the auto industry’s favorite carpetbagging mercenary his own self, The Great Sergio, who waxed eloquently to the press on Tuesday that Alfa Romeo would be a success in China upon its introduction there in 2017. Not kidding. No, you actually can’t make this shit up, folks.
But the top story this week came from Johan de Nysschen, Cadillac’s chief executive, who, in an interview with Reuters on the eve of the Beijing show, said that he is targeting an eleven percent operating margin for GM’s luxury division in ten years. Sounds noble and heroic and all but let’s be honest here, because it is a somewhat shaky timetable, at best. Even if everything went swimmingly well for the next decade, which, this just in, never really happens in the car business, this is one giant “ask” for Cadillac.
Cadillac’s de Nysschen, the chief architect of Audi’s success in the U.S. market (followed by a cup of coffee at Infiniti), has been spending most of his time fixing all of the “behind-the-curtain” issues that have plagued Cadillac for decades in his quest to reimagine the division in Audi’s likeness. That means fundamentally altering the way Cadillac operates, including how it interacts with its dealers, while repositioning the brand to be successful in the most competitive auto environment in history.
How is it going? Well, it’s rumbling along in fits and starts, because for every three steps forward there are usually five back, which means the victories can be miniscule. But de Nysschen is hell-bent on willing Cadillac to be great, so there's that.
Unfortunately, the ugly reality for GM’s luxury division is that it is flailing about and spinning its wheels in this market, for any number of reasons. As I said last week, you have to remember that Cadillac has exactly one grand-slam home run product: the Escalade. This unapologetically bold machine is the only product in the Cadillac lineup that has true crossover appeal, in that well-heeled buyers predisposed to owning expensive luxury cars regularly shop – and buy – the Escalade. Believe it or not there are people out there who are hungry for Cadillac to be Cadillac. In fact they’re expecting it. And the only machine that makes that kind of on-the-road statement is the Escalade.
Yes, the “V-Series” cars (ATS and CTS) are superb machines, but their appeal extends to a smattering of enthusiasts who understand what they’re getting, which is a level of high-performance rivaling the very best entries from Germany, a noteworthy accomplishment by GM’s True Believers, to be sure, but not enough to sustain the brand on its own.
But the rest of the lineup? Not so much. The new XT5 shows promise, but it should have been called the Escalade S in order to capitalize on the Escalade’s name recognition and reputation. “XT5” is just another garbled, alphanumeric mishmash name |
cab driver and left him bleeding on the road while she drove away will be sentenced Sept. 8 in Sarnia court.
Samantha Edwards of Sarnia pleaded guilty Wednesday to the July 28, 2014 charge of aggravated assault, theft of the cab and driving while disqualified.
Sentencing was adjourned until September to allow for the preparation of a pre-sentence report.
Court was told that on July 28 Edwards had requested a cab in downtown Sarnia and was driven to the area of Blackwell Road.
After asking the driver to stop, Edwards lunged at him, slicing his throat.
A struggle ensued outside the cab and Edwards got the keys from the driver.
During the struggle, Edwards destroyed the radio that the driver was trying to use to call for help.
The driver was bleeding on the roadside until a passerby called police and paramedics.
A short time later, Edwards stopped at a home where she asked to wash off from her body what she said was paint.
When she asked for another cab to be dispatched, police arrived to arrest her.
Police officers did not detect the impact of drugs or mental health issues and Edwards appeared to show no remorse.
The driver’s wounds required surgery.
Edwards acknowledged her guilt, said defence lawyer David Stoesser.
Stoesser said he would be presenting materials regarding Edwards’ mental health during the sentencing hearing.
[email protected] Congresswoman Corrine Brown Busted For Running A Fake Scholarship Charity
Congresswoman Corrine Brown and her chief of staff Elias “Ronnie” Simmons have been indicted on multiple counts of mail and wire fraud. Prosecutors allege the two operated a fraudulent charity.
“Our Office is committed to prosecuting all forms of corruption. In our nation, no one is above the law.” stated U.S. Attorney Lee Bentley
How Corrine Brown Scammed People
Corrine Brown and others allegedly solicited more than $800,000 from contributors for a fake charity named One Door for Education. The fake charity only gave two scholarships worth $1,200.
The Congresswoman solicited donations from individuals and groups she knew by being a member of congress. Brown told people the donations were for college scholarships. She also led people to believe that the fake charity was a registered non-profit.
Congresswoman Brown Livin’ Large On Other People’s Money
Corrine Brown used the donations from the fake non-profit for her personal benefit according to the indictment. Simmons allegedly made tens of thousands of dollars of deposits to Brown’s personal accounts. Simmons deposited $2,100 in One Door funds into Brown’s personal bank account. Brown then immediately wrote a check for a similar amount to pay taxes she owed.
Ronnie Simmons placed tens of thousands of dollars into Brown’s personal bank accounts. Simmons also deposited $2,100 in One Door funds into Brown’s personal bank account. Brown then immediately wrote a check for a similar amount to pay taxes she owed.
Corrine Brown allegedly used an outside company owned by one of her employees to funnel One Door funds to Brown for personal use. She used $200,000 in One Door funds to pay for lavish receptions honoring herself. Brown also used “charity” funds for a luxury box for concerts and NFL games.
Brown allegedly filed false returns based on her substantial cash deposits to her personal bank accounts. She also took tax deductions based on inflated and fabricated charitable donations. The Congresswoman claimed deductions on her tax returns based on false donations she claimed she made to One Door, as well as to local churches and non-profit organizations in the Jacksonville area.
Corrine Brown also claimed tax deductions based on false donations she claimed she made to One Door and to local non-profits in the Jacksonville area.
Brown’s Chief Of Staff Scams The Government
Ronnie Simmons used his position as Brown’s Chief of Staff to obtain congressional employment for a relative. Ronnie Simmons’ relative received approximately $735,000 in government salary payments from 2001 and 2016 despite performing no known work. Simmons also diverted over $80,000 of his relative’s government salary for his personal benefit. Simmons then transferred the funds to his personal bank accounts to make payments on his boat.
Ronnie Simmons is charged with failing to disclose the salary payments that he diverted from his relative’s government employment on his tax returns.North Korea has ruled out talks and threatened to increase its nuclear arsenal in a fresh warning to the US, as President Donald Trump set off on a tour of Asia.
Mr Trump departed for his first presidential trip to Asia yesterday, with tensions over North Korea's nuclear and missile threats looming large.
He is due to arrive in South Korea on Tuesday, after first visiting Japan.
North Korea's state-run KCNA news agency said in a commentary that the US should be disabused of the "absurd idea" that Pyongyang would succumb to international sanctions and give up its nuclear weapons, adding that it is in "the final stage for completing nuclear deterrence".
"It had better stop daydreaming of denuclearisation talks with us", said the commentary titled "Stop dreaming a daydream".
"Our self-defensive nuclear treasure sword will be sharpened evermore unless the US hostile policy toward the DPRK is abolished once and for all," it said.
The White House said Mr Trump will deliver a speech at South Korea's National Assembly and urge "common resolve in the face of shared threat".
However there is widespread concern in South Korea that the US president's visit might worsen the situation if Mr Trump fails to rein in his fierce rhetoric.
Mr Trump and the North's leader Kim Jong-Un have traded insults and threats of war in recent months.
"Because of his tendency to veer off the script, many Koreans are worried that he may let loose", Professor Yang Moo-Jin of the University of North Korean Studies told AFP.
Some 500 protesters took to the streets in Seoul last night, chanting slogans and waving banners as they accused Mr Trump of bringing the Korean peninsula to the brink of war.
"No Trump, No War", read one of the banners, while others portrayed the US President wearing a Nazi uniform.
Nearby, a rival group of some 100 Trump supporters, including many military veterans, chanted: "Welcome to Korea, We believe in Trump".
Mr Trump, who dismissed direct talks with Pyongyang as a "waste of time", will meet with President Moon Jae-In, who came to power early this year advocating for engagement with Pyongyang, a stance denounced as "appeasement" by Mr Trump.
Professor Koh Yu-Hwan at Dongguk University, a leading policy advisor to the government, said Seoul expected Trump to avoid putting Mr Moon in a quandary by renewing pugnacious threats against the North, particularly with South Korea hosting the Winter Olympics in February next year.
Mr Moon has had to dial back his policy of engagement with North Korea in the face of Pyongyang's persistent nuclear and missile tests.Myers: Insurgency same as year ago
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The insurgency in Iraq is "about where it was a year ago," in terms of attacks, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said but he said American and Iraqi troops are gaining ground in the two-year-old conflict.
Gen. Richard Myers told reporters Tuesday that the number of insurgent attacks has run between 50 and 60 a day in the past week, up from a recent average of about 40 a day.
"In terms of the number of incidents, it's right about where it was a year ago," he said. "And weeks will differ, and months will differ a little bit. But if you look at the scope of this, over time since May of 2003, that's the conclusion you draw."
However, he said half of those attacks are ineffective, and the level remains "nowhere near" the volume of attacks ahead of Iraq's January elections. In addition, he said, Iraqis are more willing to come forward with intelligence about the insurgents, and Iraq's security forces are taking on more responsibility.
"Almost any indicator you look at, the trends are up. So we're definitely winning," he said. "However, there will be a lot of challenges ahead. Like any insurgency, we become impatient. And in the end, the Iraqis must do this for themselves."
Myers' assessment of the insurgency raised eyebrows in the Pentagon briefing room, but Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said there are "a lot of moving parts" in play in Iraq.
"We're focusing a reasonable portion of our efforts at the present time not on counterinsurgency at all," he said. "We're focusing it on training Iraqi security forces in increasing amounts. So you can make a case that, gee, if the level's about the same, then the insurgency must be down because we're paying less attention to it and encouraging Iraqi security forces to pay greater attention."
Rumsfeld said political and economic progress in Iraq eventually will prevail over an insurgency he said is divided and has no plan other than "turning that country back to the Dark Ages."
"The United States and the coalition forces, in my personal view, will not be the thing that will defeat the insurgency," he said. "So therefore, winning or losing is not the issue for 'we', in my view, in the traditional, conventional context of using the word winning and losing in a war."
U.S. officials have been pressuring Iraqi leaders chosen in January's vote to finish putting a government together. The Iraqis face an August deadline to write a constitution and put it before the Iraqi people in a referendum.
Rumsfeld warned the Iraqis against removing "competent people" from Iraq's security forces for political reasons -- a reference to efforts by the majority Shiite parties to keep former members of ousted Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein's ruling Baath Party out of top government posts.
"If they want to reduce the level of the insurgency, having competent people and avoiding unnecessary turbulence is a high priority," he said.
Iraqi President Jalal Talabani met Tuesday with Prime Minister-designate Ibrahim al-Jaafari to discuss the process. The meeting lasted about 15 minutes, and al-Jaafari did not submit a draft Cabinet list, a Talabani spokesman toldNode.js + Containers = Magic
Node.js Foundation Blocked Unblock Follow Following Feb 15, 2017
Node.js and containers are commonly used together because they allow both the development and operations teams to to deliver functions, features, new services and apps to users quickly. Think: Agile software development.
We recently sat down with cloud-native consultant Ross Kukulinski to talk about why more enterprises and startups are using Node.js and containers, and the benefits that this combination provides a business. Check out the full interview:
If you are interested in implementing Node.js + containers, also be sure to check out this Q&A with Ross about pitfalls to avoid when implementing Node.js and containers; these 8 pro tips from NodeSource around containerizing a Node.js app; and this article around using these two technologies for microservices.
Need some inspiration to help you get started? Netflix is currently re-architecting the APIs responsible for fetching data every time a user plays a video or browses Netflix libraries with Node.js and containers.Kenan Thompson ( born May 10, 1978)[1] is an American actor and comedian. Thompson began his acting career in the early 1990s, and garnered fame as an original cast member of Nickelodeon's sketch comedy series All That.
In his early career, he often collaborated with fellow All That costar Kel Mitchell. In 1996, they began starring in their own sitcom Kenan & Kel (1996–2000). He has been a cast member of the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live since 2003, and is the longest-tenured cast member in the show's history, surpassing Darrell Hammond. Thompson is also known for his roles in The Mighty Ducks franchise, Good Burger, and the title character in the 2004 film Fat Albert.
He has received a Primetime Emmy Award from three nominations,[2] and is ranked at #88 on VH1's 100 Greatest Teen Stars.
Early life and career [ edit ]
Thompson was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, to Fletcher and Elizabeth Ann Thompson. He has two siblings, an older brother and a younger sister. He began acting at age 15, appearing in the school play The Gingerbread Duck.[3] He auditioned for a theatre company The Youth Ensemble of Atlanta (YEA).[4] One of his earliest roles was as an entertainment reporter for CNN's "Real News for Kids",[5] and he would go on to star in All That with such characters as Principal Pimpell, Miss Piddlin, and Superdude, and as Kenan Rockmore Kenan & Kel.[5] While Kenan attended Tri-Cities High School, a Visual and Performing Arts Magnet School in East Point, Georgia, he began filming his first movie, D2: The Mighty Ducks.
Film and television career [ edit ]
Kenan has starred in several films including Good Burger, based on the All That sketch of the same title, and Fat Albert, in which he played the title character. He has also had supporting roles in the movies Heavyweights, D2: The Mighty Ducks, D3: The Mighty Ducks, Love Don't Cost a Thing, Barbershop 2: Back in Business, My Boss's Daughter, and Snakes on a Plane. Thompson had a recurring role on The Steve Harvey Show as Junior, with co-star Kel Mitchell.
In 2009, Thompson was a regular voice actor in the Fox cartoon series Sit Down, Shut Up, portraying Sue Sezno, who, as evinced by her last name, always says no.[6] The series premiered on April 19, 2009,[6] but was canceled after only four episodes due to low ratings and less than favorable reviews. Thompson provided the voice for the LeBron James puppet in Nike's MVP "Most Valuable Puppets" commercials, which were produced to be shown throughout the 2009 NBA Playoffs. Thompson also guest starred on the USA Network TV show Psych in Season 4's "High Top Fade Out" (episode 7). He played an estranged college singing buddy of the character Gus. In 2011, he briefly returned to Nickelodeon, as he guest starred in "iParty with Victorious", a crossover episode of TV sitcoms iCarly and Victorious.
Thompson appeared as a host of sorts of TeenNick's 1990s programming block, The '90s Are All That, appearing in many of the block's early bumpers and hyping material. He would return to the block, now called NickSplat but at the time called The Splat, for All That's 22nd anniversary, with segments filmed at the 2015 New York Comic-Con.[7]
In 2015, Fandango announced that Thompson would play their brand character, fictional character Miles Mouvay. Thompson would play Mouvay in 18 videos, eight 30-second commercials, and a few comedic skits.[8]
On September 23, 2015, Thompson appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon alongside former All That co-star Kel Mitchell in which they reprised their popular Good Burger roles as "Ed" and "Lester Oakes, Construction Worker".They later competed against one another in an episode of the revived Nickelodeon game show Double Dare that aired in November 2018.[9]
In February 2019, Thompson was announced as a judge for NBC’s upcoming comedy competition series Bring the Funny.[10]He was also announced as executive producer for Nickelodeon's All That revival, premiering in the summer. [11]
Saturday Night Live [ edit ]
Thompson returned to sketch comedy when he joined the cast of Saturday Night Live in 2003, becoming the first SNL cast member to be born after SNL's premiere in 1975. Thompson was a featured player until 2005 (spanning the 29th and 30th seasons) and was promoted to repertory player at the beginning of season 31 (the 2005–2006 season).
Thompson has been a cast member on SNL for 16 seasons, breaking the record for the longest-tenured cast member in the show's history previously held by Darrell Hammond, who was on the show for 14 seasons. Thompson became the most senior cast member in the 2013–14 season, following the departure of Seth Meyers. He is also the longest-serving African-American cast member, surpassing Tim Meadows, who stayed on the show for ten seasons, and is also the second-oldest current cast member after Leslie Jones (born 1967).[12] Thompson also holds the record for most celebrity impressions performed on the show, performing 129, beating Hammond's previous record of 107.[13]
Personal life [ edit ]
Thompson married model Christina Evangeline on November 11, 2011.[14] Together, they have two daughters, born in June 2014,[15][16] and August 2018.[17]
Filmography [ edit ]
Film [ edit ]
Television [ edit ]
Albums [ edit ]
Year Title Notes 2004 Good Times Comedy albumAll of the fun we’ve had watching Tom Crean fail at Indiana these past six or so years may be coming to an end when IU loses to Wichita State on Friday. There are rumors swirling around the interweb that Crean is interested in the Alabama job, and his tone last night on his final radio show of the season suggests he may be gone.
Crean said, “The support all of you have shown over the years and especially the last week – I can’t tell you what that meant to me to walk in here and see so many people being that way. That gave me a huge jolt for the rest of the week. And again, it’s little things like that that make you really appreciate what people are all about. And the way this place was and the way you have been all year long and the support that you show – it’s beautiful outside today but we’ve also come in here when it was zero degrees out. And the loyalty that all of you have to Indiana basketball and what you’ve shown to the Creans and what you’ve shown to us, that never ever goes unappreciated. I promise you.”
Crean then thanked radio host Don Fischer, saying, “There is a lot of great honors you can get in any walk of life, especially in coaching basketball, but being able to partner up with you for the last seven years and being able to be in here with you this year and being here at this podium with you, I’ll put that right at the top, and I’m dead serious. So thank you, for everything.”
Sounds like the end to me.
[InsideTheHall.com]Premier Kathleen Wynne admitted it was a “big... bad mistake” to scrap power plants in Oakville and Mississauga after a report by Ontario’s financial watchdog found taxpayers are on the hook for up to $1.1 billion. That number was the startling tally Tuesday from auditor general Bonnie Lysyk in a long-awaited report on the price tag for scuttling the Oakville generating station three years ago — the first of two cancellations to save five Liberal seats in the 2011 election.
Former premier Dalton McGuinty has always maintained that he did the right thing by cancelling the gas plants because residents in both communities opposed them. ( COLIN MCCONNELL / TORONTO STAR FILE PHOTO )
Lysyk concluded the tab for cancelling Oakville and relocating the plant to Napanee could skyrocket to $815 million — dramatically more than the $310 million the Ontario Power Authority had estimated and exponentially higher than the $40 million the Grits initially claimed. RELATED:Timeline on the life and death of two gas plants Wynne was grim-faced as she faced questions about the report.
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“Money is too tight for tax dollars to be spent in any way that is not productive,” acknowledged the premier, who inherited the problem from her predecessor Dalton McGuinty. “It was a big mistake... it was a bad mistake,” she added, promising changes that will give municipalities more say over power plant locations. The Oakville station was to be built by TransCanada Energy, which is being compensated for a number of factors, including the extra expense of shipping natural gas to the new eastern Ontario location — 240 kilometres away. Lysyk’s 24-page report depicts chronic bungling — with the Ontario Power Authority approving the Oakville site despite local opposition and McGuinty’s aides assuring TransCanada it would be fully reimbursed, ignoring “protections in that contract that could have minimized the damages.” To that end, Wynne also promised a prohibition on political staff conducting such negotiations.
“They should not have the authority... to bind the government to agreements when there hasn’t been due process.” Compounding matters, Lysyk noted then-energy minister Chris Bentley ordered TransCanada to build the new plant in Napanee — against the OPA’s advice — despite the fact it would cost “significantly more” to ship natural gas there and electricity back.
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“Hydro customers will be paying higher prices for electricity in the future as a result of not only the cancellation of the Oakville contract, but also of the OPA not being able to take full advantage of the terms within the Oakville contract that may well have enabled the province to get a better deal,” she added. Opposition parties, which had also opposed the plants, said the revelations are the latest in a line of scandals plaguing the Liberals, including eHealth Ontario and the ORNGE air ambulance service. “You and Dalton McGuinty made a snap decision to cancel gas plants with no thought whatsoever over their cost,” said Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Hudak. NDP Leader Andrea Horwath slammed the expenditure of “over a billion dollars to save a few Liberal seats” but evaded questions on when her party would stop propping up Wynne’s minority government. “I will take every step as it comes.” Lysyk’s report is the second audit sparked by the controversial shuttering of the power plants. A probe of the Mississauga closure earlier this year concluded it would cost $275 million for that move, which was announced less than two weeks before the Oct. 6, 2011 election. McGuinty’s $1.1 billion gambit helped the Liberals hold the ridings of Oakville, Mississauga South, Mississauga East—Cooksville, Etobicoke—Lakeshore, and Etobicoke Centre in that campaign. TransCanada’s profit on Napanee “is higher than they would have made on the Oakville contract,” Lysyk told reporters. The $815 million for axing Oakville and moving it to Napanee includes $675 million for gas turbines, transmission system upgrades and connections, with another $140 million possible depending on the cost of delivering natural gas there. That is subject to a National Energy Board hearing. Lysyk’s report said her estimate varies from the OPA’s $310 million released last spring mainly because she assumed different dates for opening the Oakville and Napanee plants and another discount rate for future payments over the next 20 years. The OPA stood by its numbers, saying in a statement “the difference with the auditor general is based largely on the different assumptions used to calculate future costs and savings.” Outcry over the gas plants triggered McGuinty’s resignation on Oct. 15, 2012 and, later, Bentley’s as energy minister and London West MPP.
But the former premier said in June while he regretted the hefty price tag “ultimately it is the right decision.”
Read more about:Sometimes I’ll see an open mic comic have a great set with several good jokes. The next week the same comic has a different five minutes–sometimes better, sometimes worse. The following week, another completely different set. I’ve heard it a lot from the newer guys: “I try and write a new five minutes every week.” Writing and trying out as much material as possible is great, and these comics are probably going to multiple open mic shows per week, but it can be counterproductive. If several of your jokes or bits work well, keep using them. Even if a joke “kills” (or the open mic version of “kills”) on its first try, that doesn’t mean it can’t improve. Yes, sometimes your newest jokes get the best laughs the first time you say them, but let them grow and develop. Building a great act is all about revision and fine-tuning your material. If you keep starting from scratch, you’ll never develop a solid set that gets work.
When you repeat a joke over and over, eventually you’ll develop a punchline in the setup too. You’ll also think of tag lines and transitions into your other jokes. Memorize the wording so that you can say it in your sleep because when the wording no longer takes any thought on your part, you can focus on which words to stress more, eye contact with the crowd, facial expressions, and all of the other elements and details that expert headliners use. You can also develop callbacks with your other bits. This also makes it easier to remember your setlist which is beneficial during a paid show.
I’ve talked to a lot comics about this over the years and they often say, “But I feel like it’s boring for the other comics who have to hear me repeat things.” That shouldn’t matter. It’s your career and if you can get out on the road, you’ll constantly be getting a new audience in a different city. Repeating material doesn’t mean you’re not writing or working to get better. Take the 2 or 3 bits that do the best and work on revising them until they can’t get any better. Keep them in your act and build your first MC set.
Comedy is like other forms of writing whether it be songs, books, or essays. No one produces anything great without revision. To cite an example, Greg Warren has been coming out to open mic on Tuesdays and working through the same bits for the last month or so. He’s not trying to write a new 5 minutes every week, but instead, polishing and perfecting the newer bits in his set.
You still have time to try something new in each set, but build a solid foundation first. Club managers look for consistent audience laughter week after week, not a new five minutes. (And the most common type of revision? Reducing the wording in the setup.)
To summarize: Find your best punchlines and revise those into tight bits. Build on them until you get a 7-10 minute set of them where you don’t need a setlist because you’re so familiar with them, and then you’ll be ready to MC and start getting paid.
For other tips on how to make money in stand-up, check out my book, Don’t Wear Shorts on Stage. It’s also available on Kindle, Nook, iTunes, etc.
AdvertisementsFor an outsider, Haskell is full of intimidating terms like functor, monad, applicative, monoid… These mathematical abstractions are hard to explain to a newcomer. The internet is full of tutorials that try to simplify them with limited success.
The most common simplification you hear is that a functor or a monad is like a box or a container. Indeed, a list is a container and a functor, Maybe is like a box, but what about functions? Functions from a fixed type to an arbitrary type define both a functor and a monad (the reader monad). More complex functions define the state and the continuation monads (all these monads are functors as well). I used to point these out as counterexamples to the simplistic picture of a functor as a container. Then I had an epiphany: These are containers!
So here’s the plan: I will first try to convince you that a functor is the purest expression of containment. I’ll follow with progressively more complex examples. Then I’ll show you what natural transformations really are and how simple the Yoneda lemma is in terms of containers. After functors, I’ll talk about container interpretation of pointed, applicative, and monad. I will end with a new twist on the state monad.
What’s a Container?
What is a container after all? We all have some intuitions about containers and containment but if you try to formalize them, you get bogged down with tricky cases. For instance, can a container be infinite? In Haskell you can easily define the list of all integers or all Pythagorean triples. In non-lazy language like C++ you can fake infinite containers by defining input iterators. Obviously, an infinite container doesn’t physically contain all the data: it generates it on demand, just like a function does. We can also memoize functions and tabulate their values. Is the hash table of the values of the sin function a container or a function?
The bottom line is that there isn’t that much of a difference between containers and functions.
What characterizes a container is its ability to contain values. In a strongly typed language, these values have types. The type of elements shouldn’t matter, so it’s natural to describe a generic container as a mapping of types — element type to container type. A truly polymorphic container should not impose any constraints on the type of values it contains, so it is a total function from types to types.
It would be nice to be able to generically describe a way to retrieve values stored in a container, but each container provides its own unique retrieval protocol. A retrieval mechanism needs a way to specify the location from which to retrieve the value and a protocol for failure. This is an orthogonal problem and, in Haskell, it is addressed by lenses.
It would also be nice to be able to iterate over, or enumerate the contents of a container, but that cannot be done generically either. You need at least to specify the order of traversal. Even the simplest list can be traversed forwards or backwards, not to mention pre-, in-, and post-order traversals of trees. This problem is addressed, for instance, by Haskell’s Traversable functors.
But I think there is a deeper reason why we wouldn’t want to restrict ourselves to enumerable containers, and it has to do with infinity. This might sound like a heresy, but I don’t see any reason why we should limit the semantics of a language to countable infinities. The fact that digital computers can’t represent infinities, even those of the countable kind, doesn’t stop us from defining types that have infinite membership (the usual Int s and Float s are finite, because of the binary representation, but there are, for instance, infinitely many lists of Int s). Being able to enumerate the elements of a container, or convert it to a (possibly infinite) list means that it is countable. There are some operations that require countability: witness the Foldable type class with its toList function and Traversable, which is a subclass of Foldable. But maybe there is a subset of functionality that does not require the contents of the container to be countable.
If we restrain ourselves from retrieving or enumerating the contents of a container, how do we know the contents even exists? Because we can operate on it! The most generic operation over the contents of a container is applying a function to it. And that’s what functors let us do.
Container as Functor
Here’s the translation of terms from category theory to Haskell.
A functor maps all objects in one category to objects in another category. In Haskell the objects are types, so a functor maps types into types (so, strictly speaking, it’s an endofunctor). You can look at it as a function on types, and this is reflected in the notation for the kind of the functor: * -> *. But normally, in a definition of a functor, you just see a polymorphic type constructor, which doesn’t really look like a function unless you squint really hard.
A categorical functor also maps morphisms to morphisms. In Haskell, morphisms correspond to functions, so a Functor type class defines a mapping of functions:
fmap :: (a -> b) -> (f a -> f b)
(Here, f is the functor in question acting on types a and b.)
Now let’s put on our container glasses and have another look at the functor. The type constructor defines a generic container type parameterized by the type of the element. The polymorphic function fmap, usually seen in its curried form:
fmap :: (a -> b) -> f a -> f b
defines the action of an arbitrary function (a -> b) on a container (f a) of elements of type a resulting in a container full of elements of type b.
Examples
Let’s have a look at a few important functors as containers.
There is the trivial but surprisingly useful container that can hold no elements. It’s called the Const functor (parameterized by an unrelated type b ):
newtype Const b a = Const { getConst :: b } instance Functor (Const b) where fmap _ (Const x) = Const x
Notice that fmap ignores its function argument because there isn’t any contents this function could act upon.
A container that can hold one and only one element is defined by the Identity functor:
newtype Identity a = Identity { runIdentity :: a } instance Functor Identity where fmap f (Identity x) = Identity (f x)
Then there is the familiar Maybe container that can hold (maybe) one element and a bunch of regular containers like lists, trees, etc.
The really interesting container is defined by the function application functor, ((->) e) (which I would really like to write as (e-> ) ). The functor itself is parameterized by the type e — the type of the function argument. This is best seen when this functor is re-cast as a type constructor:
newtype Reader e a = Reader (e -> a)
This is of course the functor that underlies the Reader monad, where the first argument represents some kind of environment. It’s also the functor you’ll see in a moment in the Yoneda lemma.
Here’s the Functor instance for Reader :
instance Functor (Reader e) where fmap f (Reader g) = Reader (\x -> f (g x))
or, equivalently, for the function application operator:
instance Functor ((->) e) where fmap = (.)
This is a strange kind of container where the values that are “stored” are keyed by values of type e, the environments. Given a particular environment, you can retrieve the corresponding value by simply calling the function:
runReader :: Reader e a -> e -> a runReader (Reader f) env = f env
You can look at it as a generalization of the key/value store where the environment plays the role of the key.
The reader functor (for the lack of a better term) covers a large spectrum of containers depending of the type of the environment you pick. The simplest choice is the unit type (), which contains only one element, (). A function from unit is just a constant, so such a function provides a container for storing one value (just like the Identity functor). A function of Bool stores two values. A function of Integer is equivalent to an infinite list. If it weren’t for space and time limitations we could in principle memoize any function and turn it into a lookup table.
In type theory you might see the type of functions from A to B written as BA, where A and B are types seen as sets. That’s because the analogy with exponentiation — taking B to the power of A — is very fruitful. When A is the unit type with just one element, BA becomes B1, which is just B: A function from unit is just a constant of type B. A function of Bool, which contains just two elements, is like B2 or BxB: a Cartesian product of Bs, or the set of pairs of Bs. A function from the enumeration of N values is equivalent to an N-tuple of Bs, or an element of BxBxBx…B, N-fold. You can kind of see how this generalizes into B to the power of A, for arbitrary A.
So a function from A to B is like a huge tuple of Bs that is indexed by an element of A. Notice however that the values stored in this kind of container can only be enumerated (or traversed) if A itself is enumerable.
The IO functor that is the basis of the IO monad is even more interesting as a container because it offers no way of extracting its contents. An object of the type IO String, for instance, may contain all possible answers from a user to a prompt, but we can’t look at any of them in separation. All we can do is to process them in bulk. This is true even when IO is looked upon as a monad. All a monad lets you do is to pass your IO container to another monadic function that returns a new container. You’re just passing along containers without ever finding out if the Schrodinger’s cat trapped in them is dead or alive. Yes, parallels with quantum mechanics help a lot!
Natural Transformations
Now that we’ve got used to viewing functors as containers, let’s figure out what natural transformations are. A natural transformation is a mapping of functors that preserves their functorial nature. If functor F maps object A to X and another functor G maps A to Y, then a natural transformation from F to G must map X to Y. A mapping from X to Y is a morphism. So you can look at a natural transformation as a family of morphisms parameterized by A.
In Haskell, we turn all these objects A, X, and Y into types. We have two functors f and g acting on type a. A natural transformation will be a polymorphic function that maps f a to g a for any a.
forall a. f a -> g a
What does it mean in terms of containers? Very simple: A natural transformation is a way of re-packaging containers. It tells you how to take elements from one container and put them into another. It must do it without ever inspecting the elements themselves (it can, however, drop some elements or clone them).
Examples of natural transformations abound, but my favorite is safeHead. It takes the head element from a list container and repackages it into a Maybe container:
safeHead :: forall a. [a] -> Maybe a safeHead [] = Nothing safeHead (x:xs) = Just x
What about a more ambitions example: Let’s take a reader functor, Int -> a, and map it into the list functor [a]. The former corresponds to a container of a keyed by an integer, so it’s easily repackaged into a finite or an infinite list, for instance:
genInfList :: forall a. (Int -> a) -> [a] genInfList f = fmap f [0..]
I’ll show you soon that all natural transformations from (Int -> a) to [a] have this form, and differ only by the choice of the list of integers (here, I arbitrarily picked [0..] ).
A natural transformation, being a mapping of functors, must interact nicely with morphisms as well. The corresponding naturality condition translates easily into our container language. It tells you that it shouldn’t matter whether you first apply a function to the contents of a container ( fmap over it) and then repackage it, |
at stake in this election.quantumconscious,
Blatant rip off!
Contrary to what they state on the App Store regarding the in-app purchases when you open the app they demand $1.99 extra payments to show the graphs and extra payments of $1.99 to get the themes plus charging you to get rid of the ads. I am reporting them to the Apple store for their false advertising and ripping off Apple customers.
Update: after I reported this developer, I got a condescending reply from the developer indicating that she had bills to pay to justify her false advertising. But after my review, the in-app purchase information in the App Store was updated to reflect the four separate charges to get all of the app features which were not present at the time of my download. I might also add that the app does not even properly report information on my iPhone 8 Plus under the device information setting as it indicates the platform is not yet supported.
Developer Response,
We would love to give away everything for free; unfortunately, the developer also has bills to pay. IAP enables us to improve the app and updates with every iOS release. Thanks for the feedback!RAWALPINDI: The Pakistan Army has inducted an air defence system to track aerial targets from longer ranges, according to a press release issued by Inter Services Public Relations.
An induction ceremony was held on Sunday at the Army Auditorium where Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa was the chief guest. The Low to Medium Altitude Air Defence System LY-80 is a Chinese setup, which, according to the COAS, increases the capability of response to emerging air defence threats. It can not only track, but also destroy a variety of aerial targets at longer ranges flying at low and medium altitude.
The Low to Medium Altitude Air Defence System LY-80 is a Chinese setup, which, according to the COAS, increases the capability of response to emerging air defence threats. It can not only track, but also destroy a variety of aerial targets at longer ranges flying at low and medium altitude. The COAS was received by by Lieutenant General Muhammad Zahid Latif Mirza.
The COAS was received by by Lieutenant General Muhammad Zahid Latif Mirza.MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — Google CEO Sundar Pichai had good reason to be excited Wednesday. Pichai, who is probably most often described as "subdued," was unusually energized as he emceed his team through a host of product announcements — several genuinely impressive.
He kicked things off with Google Home, the company's answer to Amazon Echo. Then came Allo and Duo, a pair of messaging apps that look well poised to compete with the likes of WhatsApp and Apple's FaceTime. And Android Instant Apps — apps that download themselves directly from links — could change the face of mobile, ending (or at least mitigating) the cold war between apps and the mobile web.
Underneath all the excitement, however, there's a sense that Google is afraid.
It's no coincidence that most of Google's announcements directly compete with products from others. Gadgets like the Echo and apps like Facebook Messenger aren't just popular services, they're changing the way we interact digitally. More to the point, they're shifting our experiences away from searching the web and using apps themselves, areas that Google dominates and are responsible for most of its revenue.
Why Google is scared
There's a reason people are turning away from traditional search and toward more and more new interfaces like voice interaction: convenience. When you need something — be it your calendar, a weather report, an Uber or even just a cat video — it's just simpler (or more "natural," if you prefer) to ask for it, out loud, than to reach for a device and commence tapping, swiping and waiting for various screens to load.
Google vice president Mario Queiroz holds up the new Google Home device during the Google I/O 2016 keynote. Image: Eric Risberg/AP
Of course, Google's been doing voice and digital assistants for years, but today it showed it now understands playing the convenience game means more than just having good back-end technology. That tech also needs to have the right pathway to the user. That's one area the Echo got exactly right — it's the talking speaker we never knew we wanted.
With Home and Allo, Google finally appears to have the right vehicles to meet users where they are, even if others got there first. Home is basically a clone of the Amazon Echo, but one of the Echo's weaknesses is that very little of our digital lives is lived on Amazon, so it relies on (often shaky) connections to other services to offer that full picture. With its ubiquitous services, Google is arguably in a better position to connect its smart speaker with our digital selves.
With Allo, Google may finally give people a reason to use a Google messaging app instead of Snapchat, WhatsApp, Slack or Viber.
With Allo, Google may finally give people a reason to use a Google messaging app instead of Snapchat, WhatsApp, Slack, Viber or one of the many other messaging apps, all of which seem to work better than Hangouts. The wild card here is, again, the interactions (which are sort of like a supercharged Slackbot) that could keep users coming back simply because it's more convenient than launching a bunch of disparate apps.
All of this, if it works, translates into more users spending more time in Google services — a trend that, as our reliance on traditional search declines, often points the other way.
Even Android Instant Apps is part of this. It's no coincidence that the demo started with a Google search, but ordinarily a user would have been directed to download an app, a permanent window in their home screen that leads to a service that Google is more than likely not a part of.
With Instant Apps, the search link still downloads an app, but it does so invisibly, gives the user the best experience, lets them pay for things with their Google account, and then it goes away — no permanent home screen real estate lost. Want to buy or do something else? Just come back to Google, and we'll handle it. Everybody wins.
History is against Google
Well, except for Facebook, or Microsoft, or Amazon — all of which are fighting this same war over consumer attention with their own platforms. Whether or not Google's I/O broadside will give it an edge depends on execution, and if history is any guide, it'll be a mixed bag.
Google engineering director Erik Kay talks about the new Allo messaging app and Duo during the Google I/O 2016 keynote. Image: Eric Risberg/AP
Hangouts (which Allo and Duo essentially replace) and Google Now (which the Google assistant evolved from) were well-received when launched, but both have suffered confusing purposes and interfaces. Google Now isn't even a proper app on Android, and Hangouts is a mess, with an unsatisfying mix of features that don't compare well with what's available on other services.
With its announcements at I/O 2016, Google has shown it's very much aware of this. It knows it let others take the lead in key product areas, which is why it didn't simply try to revamp Hangouts or wait for its sister company, Nest, to build a smart home hub. It didn't need to just show something new, it needed to show a new way of doing things.
It didn't need to just show something new, it needed to show a new way of doing things.
At least that was the message; behind the scenes it may be another matter. Google is a sprawling, 60,000-person company with many different and sometimes redundant services, all glued onto the central cash engine of search and ads. Are Allo, Home, Instant Apps and the new assistant just a shiny coat of paint on on the old Google? Or has it really turned a corner in its approach?
That's what will determine Google's fate in the next platform war. Not the Duo's knock-knock feature or Google Home's ability to understand small children or how many apps it recruits for its Instant Apps program. The tech was never the problem. Google needs to put the experience above all else — even above its aging search-and-ads business model. The feature Google needs to offer is seamlessness.
Only then will it have nothing to fear.
BONUS: Google wants to give your car and Android brain
Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley on Thursday signed into law a bill that bans discrimination against transgender Marylanders.
“We are closer today to creating an open, respectful, inclusive world that we want for all of our children,” said O’Malley before signing Senate Bill 212 — the Fairness for All Marylanders Act of 2014 — into law. “This bill gives us another step closer to that vision and to that reality.”
Senate President Thomas V. “Mike” Miller (D-Prince George’s and Calvert Counties) thanked state Sen. Rich Madaleno (D-Montgomery County), who introduced SB 212 earlier this year, for helping his fellow senators “evolve on the issue.”
House Speaker Michael Busch (D-Anne Arundel County); Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake; state Sens. Roger Manno (D-Montgomery County) and Jamie Raskin (D-Montgomery County); state Dels. Maggie McIntosh (D-Baltimore City), Peter Murphy (D-Calvert County) and Bonnie Cullison (D-Montgomery County); Equality Maryland Executive Director Carrie Evans and Gender Rights Maryland Executive Director Dana Beyer are among those who attended the bill singing ceremony.
“I’m very happy,” Madaleno told the Washington Blade immediately after O’Malley signed SB 212 into law. “I wish it had been two, three or five years ago, but it’s thrilling to know we’re taken this step forward in Maryland.”
“I applaud the governor for his completing the process by which the transgender community has risen to full legal equality in the state of Maryland,” added Beyer.
Lieutenant Gov. Anthony Brown, who testified in support of SB 212 in March during a hearing the Maryland House of Delegates Health and Government Operations Committee held on it, also applauded the governor.
“Today, with the signing of the Fairness for All Marylanders Act, we’re taking a critical step forward in protecting all Marylanders from discrimination,” said Brown in a statement.
State Del. Heather Mizeur (D-Montgomery County), who is running against Brown and Attorney General Doug Gansler in next month’s Democratic gubernatorial primary, noted she is among the lawmakers who voted for SB 212. The Montgomery County Democrat along with Gansler’s running mate, state Del. Jolene Ivey (D-Prince George’s County), co-sponsored a trans rights measure the state House of Delegates approved in 2011.
“Over the past eight years, I have had the opportunity to cast more than a few votes that will make Maryland a more fair and just place to live — this was one of them,” said Mizeur. “We all deserve to be protected equally under the law, and now we can rest knowing our transgender neighbors will have this right, no matter which corner of the state they choose to live.”
O’Malley signing SB 212 into law caps off an eight-year effort to add gender identity and expression to Maryland’s anti-discrimination act. The measure is also the latest in a series of progressive bills that include the extension of marriage rights to same-sex couples, raising the state’s minimum wage and decriminalizing the possession of small amounts of marijuana that the governor has signed during his two terms in office.
“It is always an amazing moment to be present when something that so many people have worked on for so many years comes to fruition,” said Evans. “We thank Gov. O’Malley for his continuing leadership on ensuring equality for LGBT Marylanders.”
Madaleno also noted the governor’s legacy.
“It shows how much this governor cares about the LGBT community, how much he cares in general about making sure every person has an opportunity to succeed, to live their lives as who they are, to love who they choose and still have a chance to make a living, to have a house, to enjoy life in Maryland,” the Montgomery County Democrat told the Blade. “It’s a substantial record of achievement in a state where people said it could never be done.”
Maryland will join 17 other states, D.C. and Puerto Rico that have added gender identity and expression to their anti-discrimination laws once the law takes effect on Oct. 1. The state’s hate crimes statute also include trans-specific protections.
State Del. Neil Parrott (R-Washington County) last month announced he has begun to collect signatures to prompt a referendum on the trans rights law.
The Washington County Republican and other opponents need to collect a third of the 55,737 necessary signatures by the end of this month. The remainder of them are due to state election officials by June 30 in order for the law to appear on the November ballot.
O’Malley pointed out to the Blade during a Wednesday telephone interview that voters in 2012 approved both the same-sex marriage law and a second statute that extended in-state tuition to undocumented immigrants after opponents collected enough signatures to place them on the ballot. A Goucher Poll in March indicates 71 percent of Marylanders supported SB 212.
“Polls show a significant majority backs the transgender rights law,” Madaleno told the Blade. “I don’t think people want to put their names down on a public documents that says they’re in support of discrimination.”By CRI Editor: Penny Huang
The undated photo shows British actor Emma Watson hides books to be found by strangers on the New York City subway in New York, U.S.. [Sohu.com]
A Chinese bookseller has been inspired by the British actor Emma Watson and hidden books to be found by strangers on the Chongqing light railway.
Jiang Lin, 29, concealed 40 books chosen from Razor's Edge Book Club, his shop in the city. "I considered the needs of commuters," he said, adding that he wanted those who found them to be "comforted by the books and feel connected with other readers".
Watson, who is best known for playing Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter films, left 100 copies of Mom & Me & Mom by Maya Angelou on the London Underground earlier this month, some of them with personalised notes to their finders. Watson, who is also a UN goodwill ambassador, left the volumes as part of the Books on the Underground project, a campaign that began in 2012 to promote a love of reading by bringing new and second-hand books to commuters.
The actor left more feminist books on the New York City subway the day after Donald Trump was elected to be the next president of the US. Mr Trump, who was hit by a series of scandals during the campaign about his treatment of women, won only 21 per cent of the vote in New York, his home state. "Then," Watson said, "I am going to fight even harder for all the things I believe in."
Mr Jiang said: "After I read the news about her leaving books on the London Tube I was so inspired that I immediately decided to do something." Twenty more people have since joined him in this project, and they are now working on a more detailed plan to promote the love of reading, including seeking the support of the Chongqing Light Rail Company. "I believe there are many book lovers like me in China," he said. "This project will be welcomed across the country."
(Source: CRI)From conference call with Carolina media
[accordion_item open=”true” title=”Seahawks CB Richard Sherman”]RE: How much difference will it make playing at home this time around after playing in Charlotte the last few times?
“I guess we will have to wait and see. This is the first time in my career that we have played them at home, so I’m not sure. It is still the same football game between two great teams so I’m sure it will be another low-scoring ball game. I guess we won’t have to deal with the Charlotte humidity, so that’s one thing.”
RE: How much different are you guys now than when you came here in October?
“We are obviously a lot healthier. I think we were missing four or five starters that day, and now we finally have those guys back healthy with us, and we are playing at the level, we know how to play. I think it makes a big difference when you’ve got your veterans out there ready to play. K.J. Wright isn’t playing out of position, Kam (Chancellor) isn’t hurt, Byron Maxwell is back in the fold, and I think that was Tharold Simon’s second game of the season or something like that so that makes a big difference. Our receiving core is a lot less banged up, and our offensive line is a lot less banged up so it should be fun.”
RE: Cam Newton has had his worst games of his career against you guys, what do you do well against him?
“I think we just gang-tackle, we’ve gang-tackled the backs, and we’ve gang-tackled him. We’ve done our best to make sure we limit the explosive passes. I think that is what it comes down to, tackling, we are a decent tackling football team.”
RE: Have you ever noticed Newton getting a little bit frustrated against you guys?
“Not really, honestly he is always really poised and under control. They’ve been in it in every single ball game we’ve played them up until the end so no I don’t think he’s felt like he was out of it or anything like that.”
RE: How well do you know Newton?
“I’ve had a couple run-ins with him. I wouldn’t say I know him extremely well, but every time I’ve been around him he’s been a fantastic guy and one of the nicer guys in this league.”
RE: Have you allowed yourself to think about repeating as Super Bowl Champions?
“Not at all because I think to do that would mean to disrespect the teams that are still in these playoffs, and we have no intent of doing that. We understand we are playing great football teams week-in and week-out and that every week is going to be a battle. And this is going to be another tremendous battle against a great team who’s riding momentum and on a nice win streak as well so there are no real thoughts of repeating.”
[accordion_item open=”true” title=”Seahawks Coach Pete Carroll”]RE: How would you describe Luke Kuechly as a player?
“He’s a phenomenal player. Gosh, I mean he does everything. He’s dominant in his presence whether it’s the running game or the passing game and whether it’s inside the game or outside the game, it doesn’t matter.”
RE: What works well for you guys against Cam Newton?
“We have a lot problems to deal with when we play him because of the run threats that he adds to a normal running game and his ability to make plays. We’ve just been scrambling around, holding onto to our tails making sure we can get him. I don’t feel like we’ve done anything special. We’ve just tried to play football and hold on, and we’ve been able to get that done.”
RE: Over the past three years, you’ve limited the big plays by their offense. How critical will that be Saturday and what’s been the key to doing that previously?
“Honestly, we build our defense on that thought – eliminating big plays and making people have to work their way down the field and then working the ball away from them. We are pretty good at allowing explosive plays. So it’s just really staying disciplined on top and making your plays and hopefully being at the right spots at the right time.”
RE: How are you seeing Jonathan Stewart running the ball right now the past five weeks?
“He looks like he did running in high school. He’s just been ripping. I watched him and recruited and tried to get him way back then. I thought he was a great player then. He was terrific in college. He just looks like the Jonathan Stewart we always thought he was. He’s very difficult to tackle, he’s very explosive in contact, he’s got good speed to get away from you and make big plays. When he gets the chance, he can really get out of there. He can change direction in one step, and it causes a lot of problems in his running style. He can catch the ball nicely and blocks well too. He does everything. To me, since he was a young kid, he was a great football player.”
RE: Are you surprised to see Carolina here after what you saw in October?
“No. Shoot, we were lucky to get that game. We were very fortunate to win that game. We thought going into it that they were a championship team as they were the year before as they finished going into the playoffs and all that. So nothing changed in our minds. I would probably say the other way. I would be surprised if they weren’t there.”
[/accordion]Merda, the, the Italian term for shit
Italian profanity (bestemmia, pl. bestemmie, when referred to religious topics; parolaccia, pl. parolacce, when not) are profanities that are blasphemous or inflammatory in the Italian language.
The Italian language is a language with a large set of inflammatory terms and phrases, almost all of which originate from the several dialects and languages of Italy, such as the Tuscan dialect, which had a very strong influence in modern standard Italian and is widely known to be based on Florentine language.[1] Several of these words have cognates in other Romance languages, such as Portuguese, Spanish, Romanian and French.
Profanities differ from region to region, but a number of them are diffused enough to be more closely associated to the Italian language and featured in all the more popular Italian dictionaries.
List of profanities in the Italian language [ edit ]
Frocio, a translation of faggot, a translation of faggot
Profanity in literature [ edit ]
Italian writers have often used profanity for the spice it adds to their pages. This is an example from a seventeenth century collection of tales, the Pentamerone,[48] by the Neapolitan Giambattista Basile:
Ah, zoccaro, frasca, merduso, piscialetto, sauteriello de zimmaro, pettola a culo, chiappo de'mpiso, mulo canzirro! ente, ca pure le pulece hanno la tosse! va', che te venga cionchia, che mammata ne senta la mala nuova, che non ce vide lo primmo de maggio! Va', che te sia data lanzata catalana o che te sia dato stoccata co na funa, che non se perda lo sango, o che te vangano mille malanne, co l'avanzo e priesa e vento alla vela, che se ne perda la semmenta, guzzo, guitto, figlio de 'ngabellata, mariuolo!
This tirade could be translated like this:
Ah, good for nothing, feather, full of shit, bedpisser, jack of the harpsichord, shirt on the arse, loop of the hanged, hard-headed mule! Look, now also lice cough loudly! Go, that palsy get you, that your mom get the bad news, that you cannot see the first of May. Go, that a Catalan spear pass through you, that a rope be tied around your neck, so that your blood won't be lost, that one thousand illnesses, and someone more, befall you, coming in full wind; that your name be lost, brigand, penniless, son of a whore, thief.
Francis Ford Coppola had some characters in The Godfather use untranslated profanity. For instance, when Sonny Corleone found out that Paulie Gatto had sold out his father to the Barzinis, he called Gatto "that stronz'". Also when Connie Corleone learned Carlo Rizzi was cheating on her, Carlo snapped: "Hey, vaffancul', eh?". Connie yelled back: "I'll vaffancul' you!".
Blasphemous profanity [ edit ]
1663 plaque in Venice forbidding gambling, selling goods and blaspheming
Profanities in the original meaning of blasphemous profanity are part of the ancient tradition of the comic cults, which laughed and scoffed at the deity.[49] In Europe during the Middle Ages, the most improper and sinful "oaths" were those invoking the body of the Lord and its various parts – as the expression of the dialect of Bergamo pota de Cristo ("Christ's cunt") – and these were precisely the oaths most frequently used.[50]
Nowadays, the most common kind of blasphemous profanity involves the name of God (dio), Christ (cristo), Jesus (Gesú) or the Virgin Mary (madonna) combined with an insult or sometimes an animal, the most used being porco ("pig") as in porco Dio ("God is a pig") or bestia ("beast") as in Dio bestia ("God (is a) beast") or porca Madonna ("the Virgin Mary (is a) pig").
Common blasphemous profanity in Italian are: porco Dio (often written porcodio or also porcoddio), Dio cane (lit. "God (is a) dog"), Dio merda, Dio bestia, Dio maiale, porco Gesù, Gesù cane, Madonna puttana, porco il Cristo, Dio stronzo, Dio Fauss (or Dio Fa', more colloquially).
In some areas of Italy,[51] such as Veneto, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Umbria, Marche, Lazio, Abruzzo, Emilia Romagna, Piedmont and Tuscany, blasphemy is more common, but not because of a strong anti-Catholic feeling.[citation needed]
Gravity [ edit ]
In the Italian language profanities belonging to this category are called bestemmie (singular: bestemmia), in which God, the Virgin Mary, Jesus, the Saints or the Roman Catholic Church are insulted. This category is so strong it is usually frowned upon even by people who would make casual or even regular use of the profanities above.
Bestemmiare ("swearing") is a misdemeanor in Italian law, but the law is seldom enforced. However, it is still considered a strong social taboo at least on television. For example, anyone caught uttering bestemmie in the Italian Big Brother (Grande Fratello) "must be immediately expelled" because they offend "millions of believers".[52] Uttering bestemmie is widely seen as a vice and is often listed together with smoking, drinking and substance abuse.
Legal status [ edit ]
Until 1999, uttering blasphemies in public was considered a criminal misdemeanor in Italy (although enforcement was all but non-existent), while nowadays it has been downgraded to an administrative misdemeanor. Some local administrations still ban the practice. For example, after the curate complained about the frequency of blasphemous profanity in the parish recreation centre, the comune of Brignano Gera d'Adda banned the practice in the civic centre and in all places of retail business, be it public or private.[53] As of July 2011, the laws in force in Italy identifies as a bestemmia only the profanities related directly to God. Any insult to Mary or the various saints do not actually represent a bestemmia or any violation of existing laws and rules.[54]
Minced oaths [ edit ]
These profanities are also commonly altered to minced oaths with very slight changes in order not to appear blasphemies.[55] For instance:
Porco zio, using zio instead of Dio, where zio is Italian for uncle; or orco Dio, where porco is replaced by orco ("ogre"), even though this second one results in a profanity as well. Other similar minced oaths can be created also replacing Dio with a series of existent or meaningless terms like disi, Diaz, due (two), disco, dinci, Dionigi (Dyonisius), Diomede (Diomedes), Diavolo (devil).
, using instead of, where is Italian for uncle; or, where is replaced by ("ogre"), even though this second one results in a profanity as well. Other similar minced oaths can be created also replacing with a series of existent or meaningless terms like. Maremma maiala, using Maremma instead of Madonna (Maremma is a seaside zone of Tuscany and maiala means "sow"). The idiom is widely used in Tuscany, [56] whose origin is attributed to the swamps of Maremma that used to cause malaria and other diseases to the Tuscan population. An expression somewhat similar is Maremma bucaiola ( bucaiola means "sodomite").
, using instead of (Maremma is a seaside zone of Tuscany and means "sow"). The idiom is widely used in Tuscany, whose origin is attributed to the swamps of Maremma that used to cause malaria and other diseases to the Tuscan population. An expression somewhat similar is ( means "sodomite"). Porca madosca, using madosca instead of Madonna, [57] where madosca means nothing and it sounds like a macaronic Russian version of Madonna.
, using instead of, where means nothing and it sounds like a macaronic Russian version of. Dio boria, that is used instead of Dio boia. Boria means "arrogance", boia means "executioner".
Other minced oaths can be created on the fly when people begin to utter one of the above blasphemies, but then choose to "correct" them in real time. The principal example is somebody beginning to say Dio cane (where cane means "dog") and choosing to say instead Dio cantante[58] ("God (is a) singer") or Dio cantautore ("God (is a) songwriter"). Also it is very common to say Dio caro (typically used in Lazio and Umbria), meaning "dear God" or Dio bono (with bono being a contraction of buono, that means "good") or Dio bonino (same meaning, typically used in Tuscany) or Dio bonazzo (same meaning used in Castelfranco Veneto) instead of Dio boia (where boia means "executioner"). A peculiar minced oath created on the fly, especially popular among Italian teenagers, has the form of a rhyme and read as follows: "Dio can...taci il Vangelo, Dio por...taci la pace!" and it means "God, sing to us the Gospel, God bring us peace!".
Cristo! or Cristo santo!, used to express rage and/or disappointment (similar to "Oh my God" or "Holy Christ"), is usually not considered a bestemmia, though it may be assumed to violate the second commandment of not making "wrongful use of the name of the Lord Thy God".
See also [ edit ]
References [ edit ]
Bibliography and sources [ edit ]Tesla Model X Reservations Keep Climbing (Chart)
September 7th, 2014 by Christopher DeMorro
GAS2.
The Tesla factory has been retooled to begin Model X production any day now, and the electric automaker has plenty of work to look forward to. According to the dedicated sleuths of the Tesla Motors forum, reservations for the Tesla Model X have exceeded 20,000 units as of today. But don’t pop the champagne yet.
Back in March we reported that there were some 12,000 Model X reservations logged since the electric SUV debuted back in 2012. Since then though, reservations have only accelerated, and while Tesla won’t officially confirm the numbers, crowd-sourced reservation numbers indicate that approximately 20,159 deposits have been placed so far. That’s about 43.6 orders per day, and in the month of August alone 1,353 reservations were made, with the average monthly reservation rate more than doubling in the past year.
The chart below highlights just how much the reservation rate has accelerated.
So where are those orders coming from? Naturally, a majority of the orders come from either the United States or Canada, though Europe and Asia Pacific (including China and Australia) made up about 25% of total Model X reservations. But with more than 14,000 orders in the US alone, America has once again solidified its status as the land of the SUV.
It’s not all peachy for the Fremont, California car company though. Even with new manufacturing tools increasing production to as much as 3,000 vehicles per week, the assembly line still has to be split with the Model S. If Tesla dedicates 50% of its total capacity to the Model X, it would take more than a year just to work through the orders it already has. And despite a cheery newsletter sent to current reservation holders, there are still a lot of unanswered questions surrounding the Model X and its fancy falcon-wing doors.
The hype is reaching a fever pitch, even though a firm price hasn’t been set, nor has there been much discussion about range. By the time production of the Model X actually starts, reservations could easily exceed 25,000 units. Meanwhile, Elon Musk says salespeople have been actively discouraging Model X reservations, instead steering customers into a Model S, at least for now.
I guess the hype is real, huh?
Originally published on GAS2. Reproduced with permission.Schoolchildren may have an easier time learning if exercise is part of their math and spelling lessons, a new study suggests.
Dutch researchers found that second- and third-graders given "physically active" lessons did better on math and spelling tests, compared with their peers who learned the old-fashioned way.
Experts not involved with the study called the findings "encouraging." But they also said it's too soon to push for physically active classrooms everywhere.
Weaving exercise into traditional lessons could offer the "amazing possibility" of helping kids learn, while also helping them stay healthy, said Sara Benjamin Neelon, an associate professor at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, in Baltimore.
"The take-home message is that physically active lessons may be a novel way to increase physical activity and improve academic performance at the same time," said Benjamin Neelon, who cowrote an editorial published with the study.
But, she added, there are still big unknowns: For one, the study was done in the Netherlands, and it's not clear that the results would extend to the diverse school systems in the United States.
And even if they do, Benjamin Neelon said, there are real-world practical barriers to bringing exercise into classrooms -- including training teachers, winning parents over and simply finding the space and time.
For the study, researchers recruited 24 classes at 12 elementary schools in the northern Netherlands. Teachers in half of the classes stuck with traditional lessons, while the rest started incorporating exercise into some math, spelling and reading lessons.
For instance, instead of just saying "2 times 4 equals 8," kids would jump in place eight times. Or they would hop for each letter of a word they spelled, explained lead researcher Marijke Mullender-Wijnsma, of the University Medical Center Groningen, in the Netherlands.
Overall, the children had 20 to 30 minutes of physically active learning three times a week. And that seemed to make a difference, the study found.
After two years, kids in active classrooms scored higher on standard math and spelling tests -- the equivalent of about four months of extra learning, Mullender-Wijnsma said.
There was no benefit, however, when it came to reading scores.
The study findings were published Feb. 24 in the journal Pediatrics.
Why would jumping in place help kids' math and spelling scores? It's not clear, according to Mullender-Wijnsma, but one possibility is that "information obtained by the body" may help children with mental tasks.
"We know young children use both sensory and motor activity to learn," she noted.
Exercise also boosts blood flow in the brain, Mullender-Wijnsma said, and that, too, might help kids absorb the task at hand.
On the other hand, it might not be a specific effect of exercise at all, according to Benjamin Neelon.
"It might be the novelty," she said. "The children are learning in a new way. They're intrigued."
She pointed out that the Dutch researchers just published a separate report on the same study -- this one looking at the children's "cognitive" abilities, such as making plans, focusing and remembering. And kids in the physically active classes did no better than their peers.
"So the physically active lessons may not have improved underlying cognition or brain function in these children -- even though they did better on school tests," Benjamin Neelon said.
Still, she added, regular exercise is critical for kids. And with so many U.S. schools cutting back on traditional gym classes and recess, physically active lessons could be one way to get kids moving, Benjamin Neelon said.
A large U.S. study has looked at the impact of physically active lessons. It was primarily aimed at boosting kids' activity levels and countering obesity -- but it also found that children's scores on standardized tests rose, Benjamin Neelon said.
Again, she noted, children in that study were mostly white and from middle- to high-income families. But there are studies of more diverse groups of kids underway, she said.
"Children from low-income families face more challenges in school," Benjamin Neelon said. "If they don't get enough sleep, or don't have a good breakfast, or have stressors in their home life, they may have trouble concentrating in school."
So, she said, the "big question" is, will physically active lessons help those children learn, or cause them to fall behind even more?
"We want to first make sure that physical activity doesn't detract from children's learning," Benjamin Neelon said.The company's decision to amalgamate its SMS and chat apps has made it too easy for users to leak personal information
Google is facing renewed criticism over the integration of Google+ into its Android operating system after a transgender woman was outed when using Google's Hangouts app.
Since the release of the latest mobile software Android 4.4, codenamed KitKat, the instant messaging app Hangouts has become the default text-messaging app on phones and tablets running with the newly installed operating system.
But the behaviour of the app is confusing even to seasoned Android users, and can result in personal information being inadvertently shared. If a message is sent as an SMS, the recipient only sees the phone number it came from, but if it is sent as a Google message, then they can see the sender's entire public Google profile.
In at least one instance, this has already caused serious problems. |
1957, everyone who created the works in that listthat their works would be given back to the public to share, to perform, to build on and more... on January 1, 2014 at the very latest. And they all still created their works, making clear that the incentive of a 56 year monopoly wasmore than enough incentive to create.And yet, for reasons that still no one has made clear, Congresschanged the terms of the deal, took these works away from the public, without any compensation at all, and will keep them locked up for at least another 40 years. At least.The website lists out books, movies, music and much more that is locked up away from the public for no good reason at all. In the books, there are works such as:The list of movies is quite impressive as well. Imagine the kind of creativity that would be unleashed if people could take clips from the following list of films and mash them up into something new and wonderful. While I'm sure some folks (including, perhaps, folks reading this right now) could make something amazing out of mashing up clips from many of these works, you'd be making a very risky bet on fair use protecting you -- and even if it did, you might still have to face an insanely costly lawsuit first.There's plenty of some of the most influential American music from the early days of rock and roll as well.They further note that the classic musicalcame out in 1957 as well. It should be in the public domain. But it's not.And it's not just arts and entertainment. The post points out plenty of science and technology is still locked up thanks to all of this.They further make an important point that while the works listed above grab all the attention, because they were so successful, the real shame is in lots of other works that are simplyany more. And this would likely include all sorts of works from 1985. After all, works created in 1985, if created under the old law, would have been given an initial 28 year copyright term, which would also be expiring, and if history is any guide, the vast majority of those would not have their copyrights renewed. Instead, they're locked up... and quite frequently completely unavailable, with a very real risk of being lost to history.The really crazy part about all of this is that it'sof the entire original purpose of copyright. Copyright law was put in placeto encourage the creation of works that would be put into the public domain to. Yet, instead, it's been distorted, twisted and misrepresented into a system that is used solely to lock stuff up, make it less accessible and less available, limiting the ability to promote knowledge and learning. What a shame.
Filed Under: copyright, copyright term extension, copyright terms, public domain, public domain dayBack to the Barbarism: Ukraine Continues Harassing its Hungarian Community
Martin Hansen Blocked Unblock Follow Following Apr 25, 2017
The problem of inter-ethnic conflicts has arisen soon after Ukraine got its independence. In addition to the Ukrainians, there are many other peoples in that country, for instance, Hungarians, Poles, Romanians, and Russians. The multi-ethnic composition of the country’s population is linked to complex history of Ukraine. For many centuries, territories that make up the state belonged to various nations. And it could not but leave its trace on Ukraine’s ethnic map. Now that Kiev pays lip service to its desire for the EU membership and all Ukrainian leaders profess to support Western values, this problem is aggravated by short-sighted and sometimes criminal moves of Ukrainian authorities, instead of being solved by them.
In 2014, Ukraine started working its way toward democratic future. Many people came up with the illusion of quick establishment of the rule of law and order. But during the past three years the Ukrainian authorities have acted in the Soviet leaders’ spirit in the area of national minorities’ protection. Forced Ukrainization has become the basis of the country’s national policy. That has particularly affected Ukrainian Hungarians living in compact communities in Transcarpathian region. They faced real harassment that came from the nationalist-minded Ukrainians with full connivance of the authorities. Moreover, Ukraine’s legislation on national minorities’ legal status gets tightened every year. For instance, it is no longer possible to receive education in their native language. Television and radio broadcasts in Hungarian are off-limits. Far-fetched barriers to businesses of Hungarian Diaspora’s representatives are being erected. The Hungarians have no way of establishing own national government in the region densely populated by them. All this does not square with Ukrainian authorities’ attempt to present an image of ‘democratic Ukraine’ to the European peoples.
Perhaps, some people got the misleading impression that Hungarians and other national minorities are happy with the current status quo. Indeed, it does not often happen that mass media offers reports on such matters of discussion. Not many people in Europe know about the pressure to which people are subjected, trying to preserve their national identity. In Transcarpathia, rallies are held systematically to demand an end to genocide of Ukrainian Hungarians, as well as, making legal protection and search for independent solution to the fate of own settlements available to them. In response, the authorities use their powerful repressive force, involving the media and charging the Diaspora’s representatives with aggressive national separatism. Many of Hungarian community’s leaders get prison terms. Those who present discontent with such policy, post their petitions onto the site of Ukrainian President, requesting him to intervene in this situation. However, the authorities remain deaf to such calls. Furthermore, there is an opinion among Ukraine’s political elite that the national minorities’ representatives, who resist considering themselves to be Ukrainians, need to be expelled from the country, deprived of citizenship and property in order to ensure ‘the territorial integrity of Ukraine’.
And how do European countries react to the lawlessness going on next door to them? Sad to say, they are practically not responding to it. Only the Prime Minister of Hungary, Victor Orban has repeatedly acted to protect his compatriots in Ukraine. The rest of the European leaders never reproached either the Ukrainian authorities or the country’s people. It gives rise to growing fears. While recognizing Ukraine as a civilized democratic state, we should realize that this status implies not only rights, but also duties and obligations. I mean obligations to own citizens, and first of all those related to the rule of law, equal treatment for all citizens and people’s freedom. The responsibility for fulfilling these commitments lies entirely on both local authorities and international institutes, as well as, on political elites of European countries. But the latter, unfortunately, are not up to the task here. The Ukrainian politicians are steadily ignoring European values. For instance, the Ukrainian MP Andrey Artemenko made the following comments on the Hungarian community’s issue and V. Orban’s statement on the need of its protection,
‘Growing activity of local Hungarian community, anti-Ukrainian statements of Hungary’s prime minister, Victor Orban, and silence of Poroshenko’s testify to the President’s inability to face domestic political problems. I believe our EU partners should get, at the highest political level, a clear message that no State in the world has the right to interfere in the internal affairs of Ukraine, despite our European foreign policy course. But unfortunately, not everybody agrees with me. Mr. Poroshenko, Groysman, as well as, the majority of the members of the Verkhovna Rada and Cabinet of Ministers prefers to soft-pedal any our European neighbors’ pretensions to the way Ukraine is implementing obligations and respecting the laws that protect the rights of national minorities. But let’s not forget that Ukraine is a sovereign state, which resolves any problems, including inter-ethnic ones, in its own way or any way it wants.’
To summarize, we can say that the absence of strong and united European response to the situation in current Ukraine brings a wide range of serious problems to which Brussels cannot close its eyes forever.Taxpayers paid nearly $175 million for vacuum erection systems (VES), commonly known as “penis pumps,” from 2006 to 2011, according to an inspector general report released on Monday.
The federal government paid more than double the retail price for VES, the Department of Health and Human Services IG found. Medicare prices for the systems, the report said, “remain grossly excessive compared with the amounts that non-Medicare payers pay.”
Medicare paid 473,620 VES claims during calendar years 2006 through 2011, according to the IG report.
Health care policy experts said the revelations in the IG report are a troubling indication of what they describe as wasteful spending in federal health programs.
“The fact that taxpayers have spent more than a quarter of a billion dollars over the past decade on penis pumps via Medicare is obscene and insulting – even more so when you consider that this is an arena of Medicare expenditures rife with fraud and where the government doesn’t even bother to assess medical necessity,” said Ben Domenech, a senior fellow at the Heartland Institute.
“This is a perfect example of what happens when government becomes the be all and end all of human existence – a system where everyone has a right to a taxpayer-funded penis pump.”
Click for more from The Washington Free BeaconThe first FIFA international window of the new MLS season is rapidly approaching. World Cup qualifying campaigns around the world will start back up in just over two weeks and Miguel Almiron is the first Atlanta United player to be summoned for duty by his country.
The Paraguay national team released their official list of call-ups for their March qualifiers against Ecuador (March 23) and Brazil (March 28) and Miguel Almiron is unsurprisingly listed, right next to our old pal Oscar Romero.
The only Atlanta United match that Almiron could possibly miss while on international duty is the March 31st clash against the Seattle Sounders. Atlanta will travel to Cascadia to take on the MLS Cup champs just three days after Paraguay play Brazil in qualifying. Depending on how much Miguelito plays in the two matches, he could be rested by Tata Martino for that match.
This is unfortunately the burden all MLS clubs face during the season, maneuvering between international fixtures and players being away. It could be worse, because sometimes MLS doesn’t even recognize FIFA windows and plays through them. Thankfully in this instance, United do not have a match during it.Advertisement Police locate couple wanted for questioning in Augusta homicide investigation Zina Fritze, Sean McQuade taken to police station, then released Share Shares Copy Link Copy
State police have located two people who were wanted for questioning in connection to a homicide investigation in Augusta.Officials say Zina Fritze and Sean McQuade were found at a friend's apartment Wednesday afternoon. The couple was taken to the Augusta Police Department and released.Investigators say it was their Washington Street apartment where the murder took place. Joseph Marceau was found dead inside around 8 p.m. Monday.Fritze and McQuaide had not been seen or heard from since the killing happened.Damik Davis, 25, is charged with murder. He appeared in court via video link Wednesday afternoon. He did not enter a plea and was ordered held without bail.A search of the neighborhood by police, aided by a state police dog, found Davis a short time later, who was taken into custody.Investigators have been at the apartment throughout the night and morning processing the scene for evidence.Detectives wearing protective covering on their shoes could be seen coming and going from the apartment building at 75 Washington Street. The corner lot was cordoned off with crime-scene tape.A neighbor said he heard what sounded like a wrestling match in the apartment above him and he called police.“When (officers) got there, one man was dead inside and one man was fleeing from the building,” said Steve McCausland of the Maine State Police.“It’s consistent, but murder – every single day doesn’t happen in this neighborhood. It does kind of put you on edge a little bit, especially when you have kids, and I got three,” said Sandra Watson, who lives across the street.Watson took a photo Monday night of a ladder truck stretched to the rooftop as investigators searched for something. A plane flew overhead Tuesday.Detectives are checking other apartment buildings in the block and have searched the woods down by the river.“This is all related to finding evidence that might give us a clue as to why this violence occurred inside this apartment last night,” McCausland said.9234908Climate change to profoundly affect the Midwest in coming decades
In the coming decades, climate change will lead to more frequent and more intense Midwest heat waves while degrading air and water quality and threatening public health. Intense rainstorms and floods will become more common, and existing risks to the Great Lakes will be exacerbated. Those are some of the conclusions contained in the Midwest chapter of a draft report released last week by the federal government that assesses the key impacts of climate change on every region in the country and analyzes its likely effects on human health, water, energy, transportation, agriculture, forests, ecosystems and biodiversity.
Three University of Michigan researchers were lead convening authors of chapters in the 1,100-plus-page National Climate Assessment, which was written by a team of more than 240 scientists.
University of Michigan aquatic ecologist Donald Scavia was a lead convening author of the Midwest chapter. Dan Brown of the School of Natural Resources and Environment was a lead convening author of the chapter on changes in land use and land cover. Rosina Bierbaum of SNRE and the School of Public Health was a lead convening author of the chapter on climate change adaptation. Missy Stults, a research assistant with Bierbaum and a doctoral student at the A. Alfred Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning, was a contributing author on the adaptation chapter.
In addition, Bierbaum and Marie O'Neill of the School of Public Health serve on the 60-person advisory committee that oversaw development of the draft report, which is the third federal climate assessment report since 2000. The report stresses that climate change is already affecting Americans, that many of its impacts are expected to intensify in coming decades, and that the changes are primarily driven by human activity.
"Climate change impacts in the Midwest are expected to be as diverse as the landscape itself. Impacts are already being felt in the forests, in agriculture, in the Great Lakes and in our urban centers," said Scavia, director of the Graham Sustainability Institute and special counsel to the U-M president on sustainability issues.
In the Midwest, extreme rainfall events and floods have become more common over the last century, and those trends are expected to continue, causing erosion, declining water quality and negative impacts on transportation, agriculture, human health and infrastructure, according to the report.
Climate change will likely worsen a host of existing problems in the Great Lakes, including changes in the range and distribution of important commercial and recreational fish species, increases in invasive species, declining beach health, and more frequent harmful algae blooms. However, declines in ice cover on the Great Lakes may lengthen the commercial shipping season.
In agriculture, longer growing seasons and rising carbon dioxide levels are likely to increase the yields of some Midwest crops over the next few decades, according to the report, though those gains will be increasingly offset by the more frequent occurrence of heat waves, droughts and floods. In the long term, combined stresses associated with climate change are expected to decrease agricultural productivity in the Midwest.
The composition of the region's forests is expected to change as rising temperatures drive habitats for many tree species northward. Many iconic tree species such as paper birch, quaking aspen, balsam fir and black spruce are projected to shift out of the United States into Canada.
The rate of warming in the Midwest has accelerated over the past few decades, according to the report. Between 1900 and 2010, the average Midwest air temperature increased by more than 1 degree Fahrenheit. However, between 1950 and 2010, the average temperature increased twice as quickly, and between 1980 and 2010 it increased three times as quickly.
The warming has been more rapid at night and during the winter. The trends are consistent with the projected effects of increased concentrations of heat-trapping greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide released by the burning of fossil fuels.
Projections for regionally averaged temperature increases by the middle of the century, relative to 1979-2000, are approximately 3.8 degrees Fahrenheit for a scenario with substantial emissions reductions and 4.9 degrees for the current high-emissions scenario. Projections for the end of the century in the Midwest are about 5.6 degrees for the low-emissions scenario and 8.5 degrees for the high-emissions scenario, according to the report.
The draft National Climate Assessment report is available at http://ncadac.globalchange.gov. A summary of associated technical input papers is available at www.glisa.umich.edu.Editor’s Note: This post is another entry in the Prepper Writing Contest from Gerhard V. who hails from South Africa. Who says the topic of prepping is solely an American phenomenon? If you have information for Preppers that you would like to share, even if you don’t live in another country, to possibly win a $300 Amazon Gift Card to purchase your own prepping supplies, enter today.
The title of an article received on February 24 2016 – Thinking of Starting a Prepper Network? Think Again! – set me thinking: What a pleasure since I’ve joined up on communication with the Prepper Journal. At last a source of expert information that I can consume like a glutton. Yeah, it comes mostly from a US perspective and the thinking on prepping there has advanced to far greater lengths than where I live, but is it so different? NOT AT ALL.
For a little background (as in your part of the woods only selective information is spread which many times depict other communities as backward, alarmist and ‘well, you were looking for trouble’), here in my section of Terra firma some of us have been prepping as long as 180 years ago. I’m living proof that it was successful. My forebears broke away from their communities (very much like your confederates for which I have great respect) for both political and humanistic reasons (and to get out from under the oppression of the British and their bedfellows from our language group – known as Cape Dutch at the time – even today known as ‘joiners’). They set out to populate the northern parts of our country (which in truth was populated extremely sparsely by nomadic African tribes only, without permanent settlements with infrastructure and no industries apart from jihad-type excursions against other tribes living – at closest – a number of weeks’ trek away), in an attempt to live out their own ‘life and world ethos’ in peace with anybody present (so stated in a newspaper at their point of departure at the time).
As you would surely know, in 1994, the first (so-called) democratic election were held over here – a time seen with doom and gloom by more local people than just my ‘prepping’ kind – and news was rife with the stashes that some people assembled and the hideouts they prepared.
I personally have been ‘prepping’ for the last decade (after ’94), starting with information collection and sorting and then actually collecting and stashing (on a small-scale only – about a month’s stock of food and water – not all of us can afford the expansive prepping done by our US cousins). Even today many of my colleagues at work (whom I attempt to influence towards prepping) are quick to criticize me and my views (but promising me that they would pitch up for my protection as soon as the SHTF). My work is not done here. I have amassed a wealth of information of food and water storage and preservation; manufacturing of survival items; medicinal and first aid info and strategic considerations. In my slightly younger days I served in the part-time military forces for more than 20 years (and is actually qualified and served as officer commanding a part-time force military unit, known to us as commandos – now defunct).
The one thing I learned there is that LEADERSHIP in a crisis situation (but also in normal life) is invaluable. A tool of leadership taught to me in the military which is based on ‘executive problem solving’ principles, is affectionately known as an ‘appreciation’. Where this would be of great value could be after bugging out in relatively large numbers, and gathering in a place of concentration for survival – your typical ‘bug out destination’. Someone has to take the lead in directing people and managing them before a lack of knowing the WHAT, HOW, WHO and WHEN foment unrest. The creation of something like a ‘kibbutz’, a self could be the result. It is not purported that this tool has all the answers, but in my view it presents a lot of solutions if deployed by knowledgeable people. Consider it. Surely lots of readers will be able to improve on it.
The interpretation of the tool is based on the following concepts:
Fact. Known or determinable information. Deduction. How the information collected as ‘fact’ can be either misused by the adversary, or positively used by self. Conclusion. The best way (within ability) to utilize the known or determinable knowledge (fact) to your advantage and the disadvantage of the adversary.
Obviously an appreciation ought to be structured so as to derive a ‘Plan for Survival’ (even called a Community Management Plan). For this purpose I have taken from the military (with glee) and added as a civilian (with more glee), to construct an implementable version of the ‘appreciation’. It should perhaps not be as rigid as the military would implement it, but also not lackadaisical to the extent that it loses credibility. The rest of this script will be devoted to the construct of the ‘appreciation’.
What leadership elements will your self sustaining communities need?
1. Appoint/select/elect (maybe implemented in that sequence) a Management Body (with teeth if unrest is to be expected) to direct influx and settlement. In my milieu that could include,
A flexible religious/spiritual leader (this needs to be exceptionally flexible as the existence of more than 40 000 denominations should indicate).
(this needs to be exceptionally flexible as the existence of more than 40 000 denominations should indicate). A Camp Commandant, who should act as the Safety Commander for people and areas.
, who should act as the Safety Commander for people and areas. A Housing Official, who allocates areas to individuals or groups (to live and utilize).
, who allocates areas to individuals or groups (to live and utilize). An Agricultural Official, who will direct all agricultural activities (in the expected scenario of a lengthy stay).
, who will direct all agricultural activities (in the expected scenario of a lengthy stay). An Educational Official, who should direct the continued education and training of especially young incumbents (even if it’s only in terms of survival skills).
, who should direct the continued education and training of especially young incumbents (even if it’s only in terms of survival skills). A Logistical Official (which may also enact hunting activities), for taking responsibility for replenishment of stocks of all kinds from within and without the bug out destination.
(which may also enact hunting activities), for taking responsibility for replenishment of stocks of all kinds from within and without the bug out destination. A Communications Official, for collecting and spreading the ‘news’.
Typically the following would be needed for a proper appreciation of the area (and this is borrowed from the military):
Prior access to the bug out destination (in this case an area for the concentration of an appreciable number of people) for about three days to a week for on-site inspection and provisional virtual deployment of people and areas.
Aerial photographs or Google Earth prints of the area.
Topographical maps (1:50 000) that indicate the concentration and adjacent areas.
Topographical map (1:250 000) that indicates fair distances in all directions.
If available, 1:10 000 scale maps of specific regions within the concentration area.
Soft board for attaching these maps, transparent plastic sheets to be used as overlays for the maps, permanent marking pens or wax pencils and flat-headed pins on which identification marks can be written.
The aspects which may be ‘appreciated’ should include (but is not necessarily limited to):
Adversary
Objectives
Tactics and methods (known, determinable or foreseen)
Armaments and equipment (known, determinable, expected)
Infiltration and ‘ex’-filtration routes
Known position and numbers
Strong points
Weak points
Expected actions
Most probable behavior (priorities 1; 2 and 3)
Available own forces (a nucleus force should obviously deploy ASAP after arrival of the first incumbents to ensure safety as well as possible).
Protection element
Advance guard (members serviceable, semi-serviceable and low duty deployment) and armament;
Numbers deployed midway during concentration (serviceable, semi-serviceable and low duty deployment) and armament;
Numbers for final deployment once full complement of incumbents has arrived and armament.
First aid abilities.
Numbers required for other (non-safety) portfolios (Management Body) and level of expertise.
Spiritual (and social) support.
Protection (and security trainable).
Housing (not only allocation, but also waste management, water supply, co-operation with other portfolios – such as protection).
Agriculture (layout, levies, irrigation, planting and harvesting, distribution and storage).
Education and training.
Logistics (baking, brewing, candle stick making, poaching, hunting and what have you ….).
Communication (whether radio communications or runners).
Terrain
Access routes from outside and pass ability.
Routes in concentration area and pass ability.
Water sources for human needs and irrigation.
Dominant areas in concentration and adjacent area (defensive lines and observation posts) [look for places to deploy 3; 10 and 30 people groups].
Habitable areas.
Agricultural areas.
Strategic places for establishing communication network (antennas, repeaters).
Occurrence of game or domestic animals (in concentration area and adjacent).
Adjacent areas useful for replenishment (and protection thereof by self or adversary).
Boundaries and defensibility.
Meteorology
Rain fall per season and impact on accessibility/passability.
Prevailing winds per season.
Moon phases (available light).
Day and night temperatures per season.
[Thus far the borrowed military considerations in respect of the ‘appreciation’]
‘Personnel’ Management
The following considerations are based on personal perceptions and thus only a suggestion (not even a recommendation, many people function differently to their perceived age):
Numbers and name lists of people above 55 years of age with low deployment capabilities (repair and maintenance tasks only). Numbers and name lists of people 45 – 55 years of age for light or medium duty (e.g. construction/erection and establishment tasks) Intensive duty in age groups (e.g.) 15-20 (general deployment for all types of work); 20-35 (e.g. area protection); 35-45 (e.g. guard duty and agriculture); women 25-45 (education and sick and frail care); women above 45 (e.g. food preparation and preservation). Potential ‘kibbutz’ activities (apart from protection, housing and spiritual care) could include vegetable, fruit and grain cultivation; animal care; baking and brewing; manufacturing of survival goods (candles, soap, compost, cleaning oil, dehydrating foods, preserved foods, charcoal, tailoring and maintenance, etc.). Typically the more military activities (apart from actual defending and guard duty) could include musketry on range; reloading; dry battle drills exercises on foot and vehicular; first aid training; manufacturing bows and arrows, etc.
Foreseen elements of the final protection plan (as part of the broader ‘Community Management’ overall Plan):
Deployment of stationary guards (pickets) (places and numbers).
Close vicinity deployable reserves (places and numbers).
Overt observation posts.
Covert observation and listening posts (some in area, some outside) (time of deployment and retraction; short-term, medium term; longer term – with close vicinity protection reserves).
Practicing of emergency deployments for area domination (consider priorities 1; 2 and 3 as expected adversary actions).
Boundary and area patrols (day and night, intermittent routine).
External intelligence operations required (and possible plans for same).
That is as brief as I can ‘pen’ it down. Just maybe it can serve to prompt someone who is still contemplative, or get someone far more knowledgeable to improve vastly on the above. Maybe the editorial decision makers may even think it ‘OK’ to be published.
Regards and strength with the leadership role.Bill Promotes Coordinated Strategy to Defend America, Allies Against Propaganda and Disinformation from Russia, China & Others
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) introduced legislation to help American allies counter foreign government propaganda from Russia, China, and other nations. Specifically, the bill will improve the ability of the United States to counter foreign propaganda and disinformation by leveraging existing expertise and empowering local communities to defend themselves from foreign manipulation.
“In order to improve our response to foreign propaganda and disinformation, we need a comprehensive strategy. We have to delegitimize false narratives coming out of Russia, China and other nations and increase access to factual information,” said Portman. “By directly countering false narratives and empowering local media and civil societies to defend themselves from foreign manipulation, this legislation will help support our allies and interests in this increasingly unstable world. This bill underscores the United States’ commitment to protecting the freedom of the marketplace of ideas on the international stage. I’m proud to join my colleague, Senator Murphy, on this bipartisan effort.”
“A hallmark of democracy is the free flow of accurate, uncensored information, but many nations today are bombarded by foreign propaganda and manipulated information. This disinformation is often intended specifically to undermine the United States, our allies, and interests,” said Murphy. “Keeping America safe requires us to adapt alongside the threats we face, and right now, we’re too slow to adapt to the disinformation campaigns of our adversaries and competitors. The Countering Foreign Propaganda and Disinformation Act would ensure America’s national security infrastructure helps counter the false narratives that harm our security – delivering truthful information and making the world a safer place for the United States and our allies.”
NOTE: This afternoon, Portman and Murphy will join the Atlantic Council for a discussion on their legislation and the broader efforts to help our allies counter foreign government propaganda. Information on the event is below:
WHAT: Discussion of Efforts to Counter Foreign Propaganda
WHO: U.S. Senators Rob Portman and Chris Murphy
WHEN: Wednesday, March 16, 2016 at 3:30pm
WHERE: Atlantic Council Headquarters
1030 15th St NW, 12th floor, West Tower Elevators
LIVE STREAM: http://www.atlanticcouncil.org/events/webcasts/counter-disinformation-bill-with-senators-rob-portman-and-chris-murphy
###There are two ways the scenes end in Portlandia, which begins its third season tonight on IFC. The first way, which is the most fun, is by going faster and faster, with the joke building and building to a frantic explosion. The other way is with a disaffected end on a line that seemingly shouldn't matter. Carrie Brownstein and Fred Armisen are way, way too cool for punchlines. And the particular type of comedy they've developed in this show doesn't need them. It doesn't even need to be funny. Like New Yorker cartoons, the basic emotion that Portlandia generates isn't laughter or amusement but a sense of recognition, of being understood. You are going to enjoy the show exactly insofar as you see yourself in it.
Fortunately, or unfortunately maybe, I see a lot of myself in Portlandia. I have actually eaten a chicken that had a name, though his name was not Colin. One of the earliest bits in season three of Portlandia begins with a character who goes to rehab to overcome his addiction to pasta. As I sat down to watch it, I had, in my hands, a big bowl of spaghetti bolognese, which I was eating with deep feelings of pasta shame. The experience was weird, like vertigo. When, in another bit, a tweener at MTV says, "Kim Gordon and Thurston Moore are divorced, and you're all their orphan children," I thought, yep, that pretty much sums it up. I literally have a pillow on my couch that has a bird stitched on it.
Portlandia is often described as hipster comedy. That's such a loaded word now that you can pretty much use it for anyone who isn't consciously trying to be boring and whom you don't like. In the case of Portlandia, it really is inappropriate. What Armisen and Brownstein are exploring are the end results of the alternative culture that began in the nineties, and which essentially consumed itself to a place of utter predictability. Alternative culture began as a response to globalization, which put the same stores and the same restaurants and the same movies and the same music in every city in the world. At the moment, you can buy the same stuff in the high streets of London or in an outlet mall in Kansas. Anyone who had or who has any interest at all in originality was stranded. The stranded had no choice but to move to the margins. One of the places on the margins was Portland.
What happened next was that the resistant margins to the globalized mainstream culture became as homogenous as the mainstream. The stranded people on the margins founded bands and coffeeshops and local restaurants. They made movies, too. And each of these communities, supposedly hyper-local, supposedly particular and fountains of originality, became very much the same. The show is called Portlandia, but its description of life will be recognizable to people well beyond Portland; the exact same world exists in Brooklyn and Omaha and Nashville and Silver Lake and Toronto and Berlin. The predictability of the alternative scene is what Portlandia skewers: people who take up shell art and then abandon it when it becomes too popular. Mayors who play bass in reggae bands. Militant cyclists. Bad artists who put their paintings on café walls.
The problem, which Portlandia understands so intimately, is that the search for originality, the quest to be marginal, is inherently hypocritical. The alternative isn't really alternative anymore. The attempt at difference inevitably fails. So many people go to coffeeshops in Portland that there's a caffeine pocket in the Pacific Ocean. I'm not even kidding. The easy answer is to call everybody a hipster and go back to some mass-cultural macho pose and be done with it.
But this, too, is no solution. Even if it's ridiculous, chickens with names taste better than chickens without names. The best bands live in this false alternativeness. The best writers also live in this phony alternativeness. The alternative to the alternative is Ke$ha and "Gangnam Style" and eating at Outback Steakhouse. What are you going to do?
The beauty of Portlandia is that it shows the terrible labyrinth of cool, but then it also shows the way out. The way out is Carrie Brownstein. Her fresh and open and cool beauty are glorious, but her gentleness, above all, is so appealing. She is someone who has managed to remain human despite the cultural forces that want her to be either inside or outside. No one is truly hurt by the mockery of Portlandia. The ironies of the nineties, and the ever-more-minute drawing of distinctions that followed, could be vicious. Portlandia is funny, but it's also kind. This is its true novelty. Armisen and Brownstein see behind the self-presentation of their characters, but they also know the truth that the failure of alternative culture has revealed: We're all pretending. We all have to put on a face. We may as well enjoy it.
PLUS: Kyle MacLachlan on Portlandia and His Many Characters
Follow The Culture Blog on RSS and on Twitter at @ESQCulture.We already know that the Husqvarna as a brand needs to start pulling its weight around the BMW Group, which has lead the once off-road brand to expand into on-road segments. We also know that the last time the Swedish brand debuted a concept bike at EICMA, it ended up giving birth to a production model. Debuting the Husqvarna MOAB concept at EICMA today, Husqvarna has done a modern-take on the classic 1960’s & 1970’s scrambler aesthetic, and is undoubtedly testing the waters on the brand increasing its range of street motorcycles.
“The red tank, the spacious seat, the yellow side panel number holders, the simple stripped-down frame…these all form the essence of the new incarnation of the Husqvarna spirit,” said the company in its press release. While it is always interesting to see how a group perceives itself, it is perhaps even more telling to hear a company describe what it is trying to change itself into. While many Husqvarna hard-part liners were put-off by the debut of the Husqvarna Nuda 900, we have a feeling the Husqvarna MOAB concept will strike a chord that is clearly novel, but also true to Husky’s old values.
Featuring at 650cc motor with a perimeter-style frame, the Husqvarna MOAB concept also has 17″ wheels that are of course shod with semi-knobby dirt-track style tires. We especially like the LED headlight that has been built into the front number plate. For a completely exposed motor, the Husqvarna MOAB has a surprisingly clean motor display, which adds to the modern-yet-simple look of the bike. This pleases us.
Hopefully Husqvarna will create something close to this design, as we think it would be received well in the market, as well as build the new Husqvarna brand that the company quotes in its press statement. Drool over the photos below, and if the embedded video of a lumberjack building the scrambler in the woods doesn’t make you go “hmm…” then we don’t know what will. Happy Tuesday.
Source: HusqvarnaDowning's Blast Propels T-Birds Past Bruins
Springfield, MA – The Springfield Thunderbirds sent the MassMutual Center crowd home happy on Friday night, prevailing 2-1 in overtime over the Providence Bruins in preseason action.
A scoreless first period saw no shortage of physicality on the part of the Atlantic Division rivals, as the Thunderbirds made two trips to the penalty box in the opening 20 minutes. The Springfield penalty kill though stiffened, led by the steady goaltending of Sam Brittain, who made eight stops in the first period.
The first period came to its biggest crescendo in the dying seconds. A tangle of bodies congregated by the penalty boxes, leading to the first scrap of the preseason, involving Tony Turgeon for Springfield and Shane Bakker for Providence.
Despite going shorthanded twice in the first period, the Thunderbirds managed to outshoot the Bruins 9-8 in the opening stanza.
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employer or through the individual marketplace. However, more transgender individuals rely on public health insurance than the general population. Despite gains made in reducing the uninsurance rate since the implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), disparities persist in terms of coverage for trans-identified Americans in general, and especially for trans people of color who experienced much higher rates of uninsurance in 2015.
2. Transgender people experience problems using their health insurance to cover necessary care.
A quarter of survey respondents (25%) reported issues using their health insurance related to their gender identity or expression. More than half (55%) of those were denied coverage for transition surgery and a quarter (25%) were denied coverage for hormones. Coverage for routine preventive care was also denied. One person shared through the survey: “When I was in college, I had my health insurance list me as male, and then they denied coverage for my routine pap smear and a gynecological prescription due to my gender.”
3. While most trans-identified people have gone to the doctor in the last year, many have had negative experiences seeking routine or transition-related healthcare, including mental health care or counseling.
For those who had seen a provider in the past year who knew they were transgender, a third (33%) reported having at least one negative experience including having to educate their provider about transgender people to get appropriate care (24%), being asked invasive questions about their gender identity not related to the visit (15%), and being refused transition-related care (8%). For those who sought mental health care from a professional (psychologist, counselor, or religious advisor), eighteen percent reported attempts by the professional to stop them from being transgender.
4. These disparities in health insurance coverage and discrimination at the doctor’s office have consequences for transgender people’s physical and mental health.
Nearly a quarter of those surveyed reported not seeking care because of fear of disrespect or mistreatment. This was most prevalent among trans men (31%) and American Indians (37%). Cost was another major barrier for a third of respondents (33%) especially for trans people of color and those with disabilities. These barriers impact access to transition-related care and mental health care. For example, 91% of all respondents desired transition counseling, hormone therapy, and/or puberty blockers but only 68% had ever received them. A staggering 40% of respondents reported attempting suicide at some point in their life – almost nine times the rate in the U.S. population (4.6%). However, of those who’ve attempted suicide in the last year, less than half (46%) ever received medical treatment.
It’s clear we need to do more to address disparities in healthcare for trans-identified Americans. But what isn’t measured can’t be improved. This survey and the data it’s produced are essential to helping researchers and policy makers understand and address the intersecting challenges transgender Americans face at home, at work, and at the doctor’s office.World of Final Fantasy Brings Warrior of Light, Guardian Beasts, And Other FF Characters
By Sato. September 25, 2015. 12:29am
Following the latest World of Final Fantasy trailer we got to see at Tokyo Game Show 2015, Square Enix shared the latest information on the upcoming PlayStation 4 and Vita title, along with new screenshots.
Ena Kuro (CV: Kana Hanazawa):
One day, a mysterious woman by the name Ena Kuro appears in front of the protagonist Reynn and Lann.
“Perhaps there’s a way to bring back your memories.” are the words that she spoke, as she invites the two to the unknown world of Grymoire.
The above is a look at Cornelia, which made an appearance in the first Final Fantasy.
Near Cornelia is the “Nebula’s Cave.” It’s a dusky cave with something that awaits at the end.
Cornelia is the first town you’ll visit in Grymoire, and its’ where you’ll meet some of the Final Fantasy Legend Characters such as the Warrior of Light and Princess Sarah.
The above image shows the Warrior of Light witnessing his moment of “awakening.”
Lightning from the Final Fantasy XIII series will also make an appearance. Just like Warrior of Light and Cloud, she’ll appear as a “Saver” to help out in battle.
The above is a look at the Forest of Light where people are said to easily get lost, and the Icicle Valley dungeon that is covered in ice and slippery floors.
Here’s a certain town port. There are rumors about a pirate ship visiting this area.
You’ll get to travel comfortably in World of Final Fantasy via train.
Conductor Cactuar (CV: Shigeru Chiba):
Conductor Cactuar will also help you out during your journey as you travel by train. He says that he’s a “Mirage” (monsters and Guardian Beasts in World of Final Fantasy).
The above are the Guardian Beast Mirages in Shiva, Ramuh, and Ifrit. They’ll be there to help you out with their powers throughout your journey.
Ifrit uses fire-type attacks (shown using “Hellfire” above,) Shiva uses ice-type, and Ramuh specializes in electric-type attacks.
In exchange for all of your party’s Mirages, you’ll get to summon a “Mega Mirage,” which are basically extra powerful Mirages that fight by your side. The above is a look at the Mega Mirage Cerberus.
There are all kinds of different abilities you can use while stacked or separated in battle. For example, while stacked with allied Mirages, you’ll get more attack, HP, and access to special abilities. While un-stacked, recovering AP will be faster so you can use abilities more, and less risk of getting defeated in one shot. It brings more of a strategic element to the battle.
World of Final Fantasy will be released in 2016 for the PlayStation 4 and the PlayStation Vita.by admindelta
Solar Power is increasingly being recognized as the need of the hour, as it is a renewable and cheap form of energy. However, one has to struggle to explain the reality of power consumption and logistics. There are plenty of myths that revolve around this particular form of energy. Here we seek to address some of those.
MYTH: Solar Powered devices only function during the day time and night time they are off no use.
FACT: Solar powered devices run both during the day as well as night, as they store all the energy in a battery and provide power at night from this battery.
MYTH: You cannot convert solar energy on a cloudy day nice the sun isn’t visible.
FACT: Although it’s not as effective as it would be on a sunny day, producing 10-25% of its regular capacity, solar energy can still be converted on a cloudy day. Germany, which gets as much sunshine as the state of Alaska, is the world’s top solar panel installer, producing 31% of the world’s renewable energy.
MYTH: Solar powered lights are not bright enough in comparison to electric light.
FACT: Since technology has come a far way now, the quality of the solar powered lights has also dramatically improved. So the brightness of the light is no longer a concern. There are many portable solar lights too which have the option of adjusting the brightness level.
MYTH: Solar power is too expensive and financially not viable.
FACT: The expenditure only has to be incurred on the initial insulation. Over time the electricity bills stand much lowered and in the long run, and the user stands to benefit from installing solar power.
MYTH: PV cells can’t produce electricity under extremely hot/high temperatures.
FACT: PV cells harness sunlight and the heat has no effect on its capability to converting to electricity. So contrary to popular belief, higher temperatures lower the efficiency of PV cells.
MYTH: Solar PV systems need a lot of maintenance.
FACT: PV systems are built to be durable and require minimal maintenance i.e. they only need a wash once in a while. Many installers recommend an annual inspection to check the panels and overall system performance. The life of most solar systems is 25 to 30 years.
MYTH: Solar panels do not work well in cold climates.
FACT: Most solar panels work best in cold, sunny conditions. Conductivity increases in cold temperatures, making electricity flow more efficiently, while higher temperatures can reduce the panels’ efficiency. As solar panels keep getting hotter, they produce less power from the same amount of light.
MYTH: Solar PV System needs a large area for installation.
FACT: Whereas Solar PV systems can very conveniently be put up on the rooftops, little space is needed as a result.
MYTH: Solar panels will damage the roof.
FACT: Professional installers are skilled at installing solar panels on every imaginable roof pitch, angle, and condition. These professionals will not damage a homeowner’s roof, and in some cases solar panels may extend the life of the roof by protecting it from the elements. Solar panels are installed a few inches above the existing roof to increase air flow and weigh about the same as the second layer of shingles.
MYTH: Tracking system needed to follow the angle of the sun on solar PV systems.
FACT: When panels are installed, they are positioned to maximize sun exposure, meaning tracking systems are not required.More than half of German secondary school students aged 14 to 16 years of age polled in a survey commissioned by Germany's Körber Foundation do not know that Auschwitz-Birkenau was a concentration camp.
Students aged 17 and over fared slightly better, with 71 percent saying they knew what it was. In total, 86 percent of all those surveyed - including adults - gave the right answer.
Read more: Auschwitz museum plans traveling exhibition
It also found that 95 percent believe high school history lessons are important, and a similar number said they think history classes should enable students to draw lessons from the past for the present.
Not enough history lessons in school
However, Sven Tetzlaff, a historian who was involved in the survey, says he is concerned about the lack of stand alone history classes for 14- to 16-year-olds in particular. He says in many states "history is not being taught as a separate subject in years 8 to 10," according to a press release statement.
Families deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau were torn apart and, in most cases, murdered.
He sees this as one of the reasons the knowledge about Auschwitz is particularly bad in that age group. "We must stop this development," he added.
The representative survey, which was conducted by the Forsa institute, polled 1,009 German citizens aged 14 and over as well as 502 high school students.
The Körber Foundation is affiliated with the German president. The foundation organizes a history competition for children and students on behalf of the president's office every other year.To stay innovative, it helps to stay curious about the trends in science and what may be on the horizon. Today we talk about breakthroughs in Nuclear Fusion energy, Graphene’s amazing new conductivity and programmes to grow biofuels in the desert.
Laser-sparked fusion power passes key milestone
The dream of a completely clean, high powered and almost limitless renewable energy source is getting closer. Nuclear Fusion is the process by which atoms are compressed to such a degree that their nuclei fuse, releasing a huge amount of energy. Essentially it is the opposite of current Nuclear Power, based on fission whereby large nuclei are torn apart to release energy. This is the process which happens in stars, turning Hydrogen into the heavier Helium, and all other natural elements.
The National Ignition Facility in California began experimenting in 2009 to slow progress. They are using lasers and X-rays to compress a fuel pellet with a frozen Hydrogen Istotope, but it takes significantly more energy to start the fusion reaction than the process actually produced, making it currently ineffective as a fuel source.
However, an article in Nature this week confirmed that a milestone had been passed, whereby of the amount of energy actually delivered to the pellet, the reaction released a surplus of energy. The next step is to improve the efficiency of how the lasers deliver energy to the pellet. However, this is still a long way away, perhaps decades, but once that has been refined, mankind will essentially be able to build miniature stars to produce nearly unlimited energy.
Biofuels being grown in the desert… with saltwater
While we are waiting for Fusion to be perfected, there could be another untapped fuel resource much closer to being ready. Darrin L. Morgan, Director Sustainable Aviation Fuels and Environmental Strategy at Boeing, reveals that researchers at the Masdar Institute in Abu Dhabi, funded by Boeing, Honeywell and Etihad Airways, may have achieved “the biggest breakthrough in biofuels ever”.
Alarmed by the poor quality of fuel made from shale oil and tar sands and frustrated by the blunt refusal of oil companies to provide fuel of better quality, Boeing and its partners have over the past 4 years funded research into alternative fuels that has led to spectacular results. They found a class of plants that can grow in deserts on salt water and has superb biomass potential.
Nobody knew this”, says Morgan. “It is a huge discovery. A game-changer for the biofuels market.
These plants, known as halophytes, are adapted to growing in arid conditions on saltwater, and can be readily turned into sugars, which in turn can be converted into high-quality biofuel usable in today’s engines. Deserts have always had the space on which to potentially grow biofuels, but the lack of freshwater in these regions prevented the agriculture being possible. These new plants could mean that huge stretches of currently barren coastline could be converted into fuel-producing areas, without using up arable land or grain crops which would otherwise be used for food. This truly could change world economies.
Graphene conducts electricity ten times better than expected
A lot has been written about Graphene’s amazing properties. This 1-atom-thick lattice of carbon atoms has amazing physical properties, from its theoretically being 100 times stronger than steel, to its unparalleled conductivity.
Experiments this week published in Nature in fact indicated that Graphene’s conductivity was 10 times better than was predicted by theory. This has huge implications for the future of electronics.
Current microchips based on Silicon transistors are reaching their fundamental microscopic limits. As Silicon semiconductors are made ever-smaller, their electron pathways cause higher levels of resistance, making it harder to transport electrons as more energy is lost as heat, and electrons are more difficult to control.
Graphene experimentation is still less than a decade old (it was only discovered in 2004), but experiments like this indicate there could be a future of Graphene-based microchips, enabling smaller, more powerful processors which require less energy to run and lose less as heat. Think of having a mobile phone with a charge that could last for days and you see the reason to get excited.
How do you think these discoveries may affect your business, your customers, or the world? Which scientific breakthroughs should we cover in the next Snapshot? Let us know in the comments below.
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Either click here, or get the report by signing up for our mailing list using the form below.UBER smartphone taxis will be launched on the streets of Bolton today.
The firm will officially open its operations in the borough from 4pm — when customers will be able to order cars directly from an application on their phones.
Uber was granted a licence in March to operate in Bolton and has opened up offices in Bark Street in the town centre.
The company says it has been meeting with local drivers who want to work with the firm, with a number of them hitting the streets for the first time this afternoon.
New branches of the business in Bolton, Bury and Oldham form part of the firm’s new Uber X offering.
Bolton customers will be charged about 20 per cent less than those in Manchester — with an example journey from Bolton Bus Station to the Royal Bolton Hospital costing £4.60.
Max Lines, general manager of Uber in Greater Manchester, said: “Bolton is the first town in the area outside of Manchester where we are properly launching — it made sense because it has the highest number of private hire drivers and also because of the interest level from customers and drivers in Bolton.”
The Uber process allows customers to access an application on their smartphone and directly select a car that is in the local area.
The customer can then see the live route that the car is taking to get to them — as well as accessing details of the driver including a photo, number plate and phone number.
Uber is also a cashless firm, with punters paying for their journey directly via credit or debit cards.
The arrival of the American company — which currently operates in 57 countries — has not gone down well with local operators which have threatened strike action, claiming that Uber cars do not adhere to the rules set down by Bolton Council’s licensing department for private hire vehicles.
Mr Lines said: “We have a Bolton operator licence. We went through a very thorough process with Bolton Licensing who looked at a lot of parts of our business.
“Everyone was happy and they granted the licence — I think they are confident they have done the right thing.”
He added: “I don’t think any of the reasons I have seen in the press are reasons why we shouldn’t be granted a licence — it is the job of the licensing team to decide this and not up to others.”
The 30-year-old believes that the arrival of Uber will force other operators to “up their game”.
He said: “We have seen that in Manchester — I think that is great for customers because it means they have better options."
He said the best way for interested drivers to find out more about working with Uber is to visit partners.uber.com where details of "on-boarding sessions" at the Bark Street office will be made available.With the news that Stephen Curry has made the Western Conference All-Star team as the All-Star race’s leading vote getter, Warriors fans are left to wonder whether their team’s other splash brother will be joining him for the festivities in Brooklyn. The All-Star fan vote is over and coaches will determine who fills the remaining seven spots. But chained to a history of notorious snubs, —here’s to you, Demarcus Cousins —the all-star selection process will hopefully lead to the most deserving seven players being named to the Western Conference All-Star team’s bench this season. And one of those most-deserving players happens to be Warriors shooting guard Klay Thompson.
Should a player be voted in to the game based on his statistics or his team’s performance? If the player lacks a number 42 or 24 on his jersey then the determination depends on a combination of the two factors. With the Warriors sitting pretty with the best record in the NBA at 34-6, Thompson’s star status on a winning team should propel him to make the All-Star team. But the Western Conference is loaded with great teams and stars, so his statistics must be elite for him to stand a good chance. Fortunately for Thompson’s case, they are.
In terms of statistics, scoring averages receive most of the attention in the NBA. And Thompson is one of the hardcourt’s best at getting the ball through the net. Averaging 21.9 points per game, Thompson is currently 11th in scoring for the entire NBA. Though Curry receives much of the attention for the Warrior’s success—and rightfully so—Thompson’s numbers do not lag far behind Curry’s. Curry is tied 6th in the league with 23.2 points per a game. And both players score at a remarkable rate. Of the seventeen players average twenty or more points in the NBA, only five average fewer than 34 minutes a game: Demarcus Cousins, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Dwayne Wade, and Monta Ellis.
While on the topic of Monta Ellis, who are the Western conference guards standing in Thompson’s path to his first all-star game? Firstly, Kobe Bryant’s selection as a starter may have just galvanized Thompson’s chances of making the team. With the recent reports that Kobe Bryant may miss the rest of the season due to a torn rotator cuff, Bryant will likely be unable to play in the game. Thereby, and just as with his injury last year, opening up another spot on the Western Conference’s bench. But unless coaches are blind to the beard, the inheritor to Kobe’s starting spot will be James Harden who currently leads the NBA in points per game.
Two spots on the bench are reserved for guards and three spots on the bench are reserved for front-court players. The remaining vacant slots are to be awarded to two players of any position. So in order to determine Thompson’s likelihood of making the team, some assumptions will have to be made. Since Kevin Durant (25.5 PPG) has missed 23 games and Russell Westbrook (25.1 PPG) has missed 14 games, both players have not had enough of an impact on their team’s record this season to be worthy of all-star consideration. Nevertheless, either Westbrook or Durant may be named an all-star, and if so, Thompson will be in the unfortunate position of competing for one reserve spot.
[Are the Golden State Warriors the favorites to win the NBA championship?]
The first two guard spots are not particularly available. Named an all-star each of the last seven seasons and standing at third in the league in assists, Chris Paul (17.3 PPG) should secure the first guard spots off of the bench. Damian Lilliard (22 PPG), the floor-general for the Portland Trailblazers (31-13), will likely lock up the second guard spot. One must also assume that Lamarcus Alridge (23.2 PGG), Demarcus Cousins (24.00 PPG), and Dirk Nowitzki (18.7 PPG) will secure those three front-court spots. And since Alridge is out for 6-8 weeks with a thumb injury, Dwight Howard (16.7 PPG) will likely be the next man in.
There are eight, all-star worthy candidates for the final two spots. Sorted by PER (player efficiency rating), these candidates for the last two—one if Westbrook makes the team—seats on the bench are:
Golden State Warriors SG Klay Thompson (9 PPG/ 3.1 APG/ 3.6 RPG/.472 FG%/ 21.84 PER) Memphis Grizzlies PF Zach Randolph (16.7 PPG/ 5.0 APG/ 11.9 RPG/.49 FG%/ 21.09 PER) Memphis Grizzlies PG Mike Conley (17.9 PPG) / 9.0 APG/ 3.5 RPG/.46 FG%/ 20.70 PER) Sacramento Kings SF Rudy Gay (20.7 PPG/ 1 APG/ 6.0 RPG/.452 FG%/ 19.98 PER) Utah Jazz SF Gordon Hayward (19.0 PPG/ 2 APG/ 4.7 RPG/.451 FG%/ 19.41 PER) Dallas Mavericks SG Monta Ellis (20.0 PPG/ 5 APG/ 2.4 RPG/.452 FG%/ 18.11 PER) New Orleans Pelicans SG Tyreke Evans (17.1 PPG/ 3.0 APG/ 5.5 RPG/.43 FG%/ 16.42 PER) Phoenix Suns PG Goran Dragic (17.0 PG/ 1.0 APG/ 3.7 RPG/.514 FG%/ 17.94 PER)
Though the player efficiency rating faces criticism for its inability to truly capture a player’s impact, Thompson clearly leads the remaining eight candidates in PER and PPG. Moreover, Thompson leads the eight players in three-point percentage at 44.4%, a percentage that is good enough for 5th in the league. Mike Conley is the only other player of the eight to surpass the 40% mark. Meanwhile, Evans shoots a lowly 28.2% from the arc.
Thompson also wins the defensive battle. Among the eight players, Thompson and Conley excel the most on the defensive side of the floor. But Conley has the aid of Tony Allen, who is one of the best front-court defenders in the NBA. On the other hand, Thompson tends to the guard the hardest back-court assignment for the Warriors, a team that currently paces the league in defensive efficiency.
Based on statistics alone, Thompson should be tapped to his first all-star game. But team success will and should also be a factor. The best team should have two players named to the all-star game. Nearly, if not, every season the team with the most regular season success by February includes two or even three all-stars. The Grizzlies already have Marc Gasol playing in the game. The Mavericks’ Dirk Nowitzki will likely return to the All-Star game for a 13th time this year. And if the majority of coaches possess even a smidgen of common sense, Kings’ Demarcus Cousins should make his first all-star game. The argument may be weak but when the competition for the last spot is as close as it is this year, the team with the most wins should be accorded the ability to send two players to the all-star game. This season it looks like the Golden State Warriors will be doing exactly that.If you hear the indefensible defended enough times, confidently, by people with titles and credentials, it starts to sound like a good idea.
by Cassandra for Veterans Today
If you could just see what passes for “news” here in the USA, in both electronic and print media, you would understand American ignorance better. It is literally a 24/7 barrage of straight-faced lies, distortions, and slick disinformation delivered on almost every front—including the so-called “liberal-leaning” newspapers and magazines, so-called “progressive” websites, and even public radio and public TV stations—not to mention the more partisan cable and commercial outlets. We routinely see articulate and distinguished-looking university professors, think-tank scholars and Zionist-controlled public officials whose right-wing “expert opinion” on this or that issue is the ONLY view presented on a news show.
Never a Noam Chomsky or a Naomi Klein or a Robert Fisk or a Michael Parenti, or a James Petras, NEVER—and very rarely people like Ralph Nader or Elizabeth Warren who, if they’re included, will be forced to compete with five or six other guests for air time.
So, nothing is ever covered in-depth unless it’s a piece of propaganda somebody wants to pull over on us. Everything else is disjointed bits and pieces, he-said she-said, with no background or fact-checking to help us sort out the truth. Sometimes they’ll have one moderate-conservative “expert” (a government flack, basically) facing off against a Neocon or Zionist; the only difference between them is the fine points about precisely when we should invade Libya or Iran to stop terrorism—never whether this would be a sane, lawful or moral thing to do, or have any effect whatsoever on terrorism—and never any alternate paradigm for looking at world events. This is the kind of thing we see and hear, ALL THE TIME, DAY IN AND DAY OUT. Even well-educated people here in the USA, who keep up with current events and read the newspaper, are badly misinformed. Many of them tacitly believe that the truth probably lies somewhere in the middle between the opposing views they hear. But since this “middle” has been absurdly skewed (with the actual truth of the matter omitted altogether), and since the “facts” they think they know are actually lies, they find themselves supporting the most outlandish things—or at least, lacking the certainty to oppose them. (I don’t like wars, but maybe we really DO need to invade Iran to stop terrorism?) (Maybe Hugo Chavez really IS a brutal dictator, since everyone seems to agree he is?) And that’s the whole point of perception management: keep us confused with a blizzard of conflicting and unverifiable “information”, until we throw up our hands and conclude that the world has gotten too complicated to understand and we’d best trust our experts to decide what’s right.
And these are good people I’m talking about: people who believe in human rights and social justice, who are against racism and genocide and unnecessary wars and greedy mega-corporations; people who are willing to fight for what they believe in—-if they could only figure out what the hell the truth is and whose side to be on. But unfortunately, they are very careful to keep away from “nutty conspiracy theories”, because they’ve been told by the experts they see and hear all the time to stay away from those! These educated people want facts, not half-baked fairy tales! So they discount and ignore everything that has been so described by the deceivers—-the very things that could lead them out of this labyrinth of lies. And that’s the whole reason for all the money spent on perception management! It works! I believe Americans are the most lied-to and deceived people in the world, because we still cherish the idealistic myth that our leaders, our media and our highly-educated “experts” mean well and are mostly honest, if occasionally misguided—And even more importantly, the idealistic myth that powerful people would never, ever, conspire against the weak on a global scale and get away with it, decade after decade.
A lot of us are honest and really care about doing what’s right. If Americans ever open their eyes to the truth, some things are going to change very quickly. (But I just don’t know whether their eyes will be opened in time.)
Sigh. How can that be changed?
The 64-trillion dollar question. Our enemies are so powerful; they seem to control everything. And the indoctrinated people are very resistant to hearing dissonant messages. I know all about ignorant but well-meaning Americans, because just ten years ago, I was one of them. 9/11 came and went, and I never dreamed for a second that someone other than “al Qaeda” did it, because that’s what everyone was saying, everywhere. Furthermore, it never occurred to me that I was taking the unproven word of government officials as truth, just because they’d said it so soberly while wearing nice suits. And I knew better than to be so trusting—or should have known. But it was a bad habit I had formed over a lifetime of being an American, immersed in the soothing background music of American exceptionalism.
Sure, I knew Nixon had been a dirty liar, and Reagan an idiot, and I loathed Bush. But really, that was little more than unthinking partisanship on my part. Hadn’t I defended Bill Clinton, another dirty liar, to the end?—just because I liked him and therefore trusted him to act in my best interests? (And why did I like him? Because he said nice words and seemed to mean them, and because he was a member of the Democrats, whom I also trusted. Yes, I was an idiot. Now I see what a self-indulgent corporate toady and opportunist he was. (Oh, and a rapist to boot.)
And likewise I wholeheartedly supported Al Gore who I now realize is a NWO-connected fat-cat in a liberal-Democrat costume, living in a great big fat-cat mansion and making hypocritical self-important speeches. And I was all about “war hero” and “Vietnam critic” John Kerry, although by that time even I saw clearly that my candidate refused to take a stand against the Iraq war, or to speak honestly about a host of issues; but never mind, I said, he has to lie to win the election. Well what the hell is that?—I have to accept that my candidate is a liar and a moral coward and vote for him anyway? And then he walks away from a stolen election, with the funds he solicited from me for a recount?—forcing other groups to solicit more money from me for recounts that Kerry won’t ask for because he’s already conceded? So I hated Kerry after that, and I hated every politician that lied to me—and that was nearly all of them, both parties.
Well anyway, once I started reading Truthout in 2004, (TO was one of the few independent Online News and Opinion sites available back then. Thankfully scores of more truthful alternative sources of information services such as Veterans Today have sprung up since then, run by fearless, candid, diligent, relentless, conscientious, concerned, stalwarts determined to challenge the falsehoods peddled by politicians and propagandists paraded daily on American Cable News Networks across the country) it opened up a whole new world for me. It took time to break up the logjam of my misconceptions; but I began to hear about problems with the government’s version of events on 9/11—-great big problems. And about drug running out of Mena Arkansas, including during the years my precious Bill Clinton was governor; and of course there was the Katrina debacle, where I saw government officials pretend to be incompetent so that pre-planned disaster would ensue and prove very profitable. And I discovered the Fed was a private banking cartel, and the debt-based dollar was an instrument of enslavement, and JFK wasn’t killed by a lone assassin or even by Cubans, and there is an enormous underground child-sex-trafficking network that reaches to the highest levels of government (George HW Bush) and industry and gives the cabal control over people…. Well, once you get an American to start looking at “conspiracy theories” instead of dismissing them, there is a snowballing effect. I have spent much of these years trying to share my discoveries with others. One way is on blogs; but after a while we’re all just preaching to the choir. Eventually we all know the same things pretty much—-which is a good thing. But the tough cases are the people who either won’t read blogs at all, or will only go to CIA-connected HuffPo or DailyKos and then they think they’ve heard the full range of everything credible that’s out there.
I have to tell you, some of my best friends and family are among the toughest cases. Smart, highly-educated, committed to social change, politically-aware (as far as anyone can be without realizing both Bush elections were stolen), these people vote, they sign petitions, they join peace marches and canvass for Democrats; they read the NYTimes and listen to tedious speakers on C-SPAN in an effort to understand the issues; but although they may be “disappointed” with Obama, or even view him as “unfortunately weak” against those mean Republican bullies, it is simply impossible to get them to consider for a moment that Obama’s “weakness” could be intentional sabotage, that he could be working for someone else—a Trojan-horse candidate. They can believe a boxer might throw a fight, or a basketball player might throw a game; but in American politics?—heavens no, it could never happen! And don’t even bring up the subject of 9/11 to them because they are sick to death of hearing about it. They have never really listened; but they have heard the subject brought up ad nauseum, and dismissing it now is as easy as batting away a fly, and just as automatic—-a Pavlovian response. They have never listened; they have never looked at the facts of the case. This is the sheer power of perception management: it can cause people to shut their eyes and stop up their ears against certain information that conflicts with the mainstream message—information which threatens to confuse them and shake their confidence in their understanding of the world, and also to shake their self-esteem as sensible, mainstream people who do not subscribe to nutty ideas.
All I can tell you is, if you can get one of these people to listen, just once, to one case where a dissonant message that went against the official story turned out to be absolutely true, and the official story turned out to be a blatant lie—-then you can start the snowball rolling.
Veterans Today you’ve got a lot more work to do.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Cassandra has a BA in psychology and also an MSW degree. She does a little writing, a lot of reading, and is an avid gardener. She works occasionally for a small publisher in her hometown, and dabbles in herbal medicine, medical issues and natural sciences.Elisa Carri
La diputada, a través del proyecto de ley que diseñó como aporte para controlar la inflación (y que presentó el martes en exclusiva este diario), profundiza los controles contra los super e hipermercados; responsabilizándolos en gran parte, por las alzas en los precios de los alimentos.El proyecto que presentó ante el Congreso Nacional, crea una especie de policía comercial para fiscalizar los precios en las "grandes superficies comerciales alimenticias". Éstos estarán especialmente controlados con la creación de un plan semipermanente de control de los valores de los principales productos de venta llamadoEste reemplazaría a los "Precios Cuidados" y cualquier otro plan que esté vigente.De avanzar la ley, Mauricio Macri tendría instrumentos para aplicar controles directos sobre mercados como los alimentos con mayor poder que los que, por ejemplo, detentaba en su mejor momento Guillermo Moreno.El texto ya está en poder del presidente de la Nación, que será quién tome la decisión final si quiere avanzar o no en la nueva y feroz norma para controlar la inflación, y que responsabiliza en gran parte a las grandes empresas que mantengan posiciones dominantes. Con este proyecto Carrió terminó de diseñar su rol, hablado con Macri, de convertirse en el arma final para avanzar sobre los privados, a los que muchos en el Gobierno, y no sólo Carrió, culpan de la aceleración de principio de año en los precios, al menos, de los productos de consumo masivo.•Se crea, dentro de la Secretaría de Comercio de la Nación, el programa "Grandes Superficies Comerciales Alimenticias". Estos serán los establecimientos que superen los 200 m2 de exposición y venta cubierta, en los núcleos urbanos de hasta 500.000 habitantes. En los que tengan más habitantes, se incluyen cuando superen los 300 m2 de exposición y venta cubierta.•Propone además la creación del "Precio Mínimo Ofrecido (PMO) que tendrá por objeto aplicar un sistema de "monitoreo" de precios que los super e hipermercados deberán respetar. Si no lo hacen serán sancionados con multas en efectivo.•Se crea el programa "Mercados de interés de competencia", que debería garantizar la existencia de suficiente cantidad de productos de determinados bienes como para que no haya posiciones dominantes. El Gobierno tendrá la facultad de elaborar el listado con los productos que deberán estar incluidos en el listado, y el objetivo es que pocas empresas de alimentos dominen "las góndolas de los establecimientos".• |
workers with often low job security; common household incomes range from $16,000 to $30,000. High school education. Working class
(ca. 40–45%) Blue-collar workers and those whose jobs are highly routinized with low economic security; a man making $40,000 and a woman making $26,000 may be typical. High school education. Working poor (13%) Service, low-rung clerical and some blue-collar workers. High economic insecurity and risk of poverty. Some high school education. Lower class (ca. 14–20%) Those who occupy poorly-paid positions or rely on government transfers. Some high school education. Underclass (12%) Those with limited or no participation in the labor force. Reliant on government transfers. Some high school education. The poor (ca. 12%) Those living below the poverty line with limited to no participation in the labor force; a household income of $18,000 may be typical. Some high school education. References: Gilbert, D. (2002) The American Class Structure: In An Age of Growing Inequality. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, ISBN 0534541100. (see also Gilbert Model); Thompson, W. & Hickey, J. (2005). Society in Focus. Boston, MA: Pearson, Allyn & Bacon; Beeghley, L. (2004). The Structure of Social Stratification in the United States. Boston, MA: Pearson, Allyn & Bacon. 1 The Inner Life of the Middle Class. NY, NY: Harper-Collins.
Extreme affluence [ edit ]
The wide income discrepancies within the top 1.5% of households.
As of 2002, there were approximately 146,000 (0.1%) households with incomes exceeding $1,500,000, while the top 0.01% or 11,000 households had incomes exceeding $5,500,000. The 400 highest tax payers in the nation had gross annual household incomes exceeding $87,000,000. Household incomes for this group have risen more dramatically than for any other. As a result, the gap between those who make less than one and half million dollars annually (99.9% of households) and those who make more (0.1%) has been steadily increasing, prompting The New York Times to proclaim that the "Richest Are Leaving Even the Rich Far Behind."[43]
The income disparities within the top 1.5% are quite drastic.[44] While households in the top 1.5% of households had incomes exceeding $250,000, 443% above the national median, their incomes were still 2200% lower than those of the top 0.1% of households. One can therefore conclude that almost any household, even those with incomes of $250,000 annually, are poor when compared to the top 0.01%, who in turn are poor compared to the top 0.000267%, the top 400 taxpaying households.[original research?]
See also [ edit ]
General:
References [ edit ]US president appears to mistakenly assume reports accused him of naming Israel, but his eagerness to deny those reports may confirm them as accurate
Donald Trump appears to have inadvertently confirmed that Israel was the source of intelligence he shared with Russia.
The US president, currently on the second leg of his first foreign trip, took a swipe at the media during off-the-cuff remarks alongside Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.
Video clip of Donald and Melania Trump failing to hold hands goes viral Read more
Earlier this month, Trump shared details about an Islamic State terror threat, related to the use of laptop computers on aircrafts, with Sergei Lavrov and Russia’s ambassador to the US, Sergey Kislyak. Subsequent reports suggested that the source of the intelligence was Israel but, crucially, did not allege that Trump had mentioned this fact to the Russians.
A journalist from the Bloomberg agency asked Netanyahu if he had any concerns about intelligence cooperation with the US, according to a pool report on Monday. The prime minister insisted: “Intelligence cooperation is terrific. It’s never been better.”
For his part, Trump said: “I never mentioned the word or the name ‘Israel’. Never mentioned during that conversation. They’re all saying I did, so you have another story wrong. Never mentioned the word ‘Israel’.”
The president’s eagerness to defend his own conduct, coupled with his failure to deny that he shared intelligence or that Israel was indeed the source, appeared to confirm that the latter point was accurate and that he had mistakenly assumed the media reports accused him of naming Israel.
Trump’s lack of discretion during his Oval Office meeting with Russian officials raised concerns that he had put sources at risk and that Israel and other allies would be more reluctant to share information with Washington in future. The White House insisted he had not said anything inappropriate.
Meanwhile, it was reported on Monday that Michael Flynn, Trump’s former national security adviser, would not comply with a Senate subpoena for documents on his links to Russia and would invoke his constitutional protection against self-incrimination.
The Senate intelligence committee had asked Flynn earlier this month to hand over all records related to his communications with Russian officials by this Wednesday. But he is expected to send a letter on Monday invoking his fifth amendment rights, according to the Associated Press.
Trump's tough talk on extremism weakened by backing for autocracies Read more
Flynn, a key figure in the investigation into links between Trump’s election campaign and Russia’s interference in last year’s presidential election, previously offered to testify before the Senate and House intelligence committees in exchange for immunity, but neither accepted the offer.
The retired army lieutenant general was fired as national security adviser in February. Trump said he had he misled senior administration officials, including the vice-president, about his contacts with Russian officials, including Kislyak.
This would be the second time Flynn has refused to comply with requests for documents from the Senate committee. He also rejected one in late April similar to those received by other Trump associates, including Trump’s former campaign chairman Paul Manafort, his associate Roger Stone and his former foreign policy adviser Carter Page.Man (Dis)connected: How Technology Has Sabotaged What it Means to be Male (2015) by Philip Zimbardo and Nikita D. Coulombe is a clear-eyed appraisal of modern masculinity and how technology is accelerating the decline of men. The book follows four years after a short but provoking TED talk delivered by Zimbardo in 2011. His message to the psychology community and beyond then was simply this: hooked on a cocktail of porn, video games, and prescription drugs, young men are failing like never before, academically, socially, sexually - it’s time to do something about it. Since then research into the effects of online pornography and video games has increased, and Man (Dis)connected represents a fuller appraisal of the current situation as well as an opportunity for the authors to work through some potential solutions, something that the world-famous psychologist’s TED talk tantalisingly omitted.
Although pornography and video games are the headline news here, what lies behind this exploration of how young men are living their lives is far less to do with the technology directly, and more to do with the isolating effect it has on young men. While women - who are disposed to be more social than men, Zimbardo argues - increasingly outperform their male counterparts academically, socially, and increasingly in the work arena, young men are retreating to the isolation of their own bedrooms, where video games offer a safe and easy way to gain a sense of achievement, and pornography provides a warm embrace without the requirement to negotiate any form of social interaction. Of course, the more often guys retreat into isolation, the less opportunity they have to develop the life skills they need to succeed in the world. It is in these self-formed realities that guys’ sexual education is played out. No wonder then, that sexual failures and objectification of women are on the increase. When young men do venture out from digital sanctuaries, their concentration is wrecked from the lightning fast stimulation that video games provide and they are increasingly diagnosed with ADHD as a consequence. Not only this, but anxiety disorders are on the increase, and young men are more likely to be medicated than ever before, whether for supposed ADHD or an anxiety condition. All this is set against a picture of absent fathers, disconnected families, economic turmoil, poor health, and lack of exercise that makes up the modern world for many youngsters in the west.
It would be easy to feel despair at the state of modern masculinity when painted in these terms, but Zimbardo and Coulombe’s message is not one of hopelessness. Indeed, they see positive aspects to all of the technology they discuss and the final section of the book is reserved for the discussion of potential solutions as the authors see them, whether these be suggestions for how the media - porn and gaming included - can adapt to offer a healthier message, the government can help encourage men to take responsibility for their own lives and reach their potential in the real world, or for the men, women, and families who are affected by the new digital world to adapt to this new arena. While the authors are convinced that there is financial-incentive enough for pornography companies to produce romance-led films and move away from the dulling objectification of women, video games companies to produce more social games, and governments to produce better citizens, one is aware at all times that this has to be a financial argument as, after all, digital media is designed to appeal to men’s every desire - from lust to violence - and make money from it. Ultimately, it is the companies that profit from keeping men spellbound that will determine the shape of media going forwards.
Trying to unpick the effect of technology on modern masculinity in under three hundred pages sounds like an incredible task, and it is, but Zimbardo and Coulombe have organised Man (Dis)connected - cycling through the symptoms, causes, and solutions - into a remarkably reader-friendly series of information flashes; short, sharp, and reminiscent of the style of browsing digital media that insists information be compacted into chunks bearable to even the most addled grazer. This is a smart move, and even when the chapters become longer as the book moves towards the causes of the problems, it never becomes weighed down. Instead, it is a light and breezy trip through an area of social psychology that should be as important to the general public as it is to researchers. The digital world is ubiquitous and failure to engage with everything that stems from this can only be to the detriment of society’s shared future.
Engaged is, in fact, a perfect word for Man (Dis)connected. Undoubtedly this is helped by the extensive survey data collected by Zimbardo, which is often referred to and offers a chance for young men to have their own say on the problems that affect them. Despite being a somewhat whistle-stop tour of the issues (the pages of notes and references kept neatly to the end of the book indicate how deceptive the feeling of lightness in the main text is) there are few areas that one feels are left unaddressed in some form. Young men will recognise the landscape as described here, and for everyone else this will provide an entree into the often disturbing worlds of young men. Orwell wrote that the “power of facing” was one of the key skills of a good writer - so too for a social psychologist, and little is turned away from in Man (Dis)connected. At times, the authors appear to be pointing back to a form of masculinity now swept away as the preferable model for modern man, but aside from this and a few sentiments relating to the rise of women that might be challenged, this is as clear-eyed and on-point an evaluation of modern masculinity as one could expect from what is, in essence, a popular psychology book about the plight of young, heterosexual men.
To declare a bias, Man (Dis)connected is, to my mind, the non-fiction equivalent of what I attempted to capture in fiction in my own debut novel, ****, or, The Anatomy of Melancholy (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Anatomy-Melancholy-Matthew-Selwyn/dp/099313050X). Clearly, this makes me both the ideal reviewer and the most biased, but this seems to me a well-rounded, engaged discussion of an absolutely crucial topic for our times. Young men are starting to recognise the problems of their lifestyle, and it is time that the wider community acts on this before a generation of young men are lost entirely to the stupefying effects of the digital world.When you stop and think about it, Formula 1 is a lot like the movie industry. The business has studios, which are basically like the teams. The teams hire the stars. The biggest brand in Hollywood, however, is not 20th Century Fox, Warner Bros, Paramount, Disney, Columbia or Universal, it is Hollywood itself. There is no special prize for Disney because lots of people like it. It is a part of the industry, a Prancing Mouse to compare to Ferrari’s Prancing Horse. When it comes to the stars, they move from team to team, but star power is decided by results. The stars of old, the Dustin Hoffmans, Robert de Niros and Michael Caines still pop up from time to time in cameo performances, but they don’t earn anything like the kind of money that today’s heroes are pulling in. Yes, they may get royalties from the old days, but Robert Downey Jr, Bradley Cooper, Leonardo DiCaprio and Vin Diesel have taken over. It is all about success and performance.
The thing that does not make sense is why Formula One should pay Ferrari the vast premium that it is paid? The “Ferrari is an icon” argument raises its head. True, but then icons make money as well. Marilyn Monroe and James Dean are both earning handsomely despite being dead. Ferrari earns more money from its merchandise, licenses and sponsorships than all the other teams put together. There is its bonus. And let us not forget also that Ferrari spends no money on advertising. F1 does it for them.
The only reason that Ferrari and the other teams that benefit from historical money have these privileges is because it suited the people concerned at the time when political deals had to be done. In short, the teams were bought off. That suited them because it gave them an advantage over their rivals, but was a bit like sending bulldozers on to the playing field. It’s just wrong. It is very much the Orwellian idea that “all animals are equal, but some are more equal than others”. Power and privilege went to those who supported the leadership. The result is a right mess with no-one really in control.
So how should it be? Well, the first thing is that Hollywood should look after the Hollywood brand, rather than dabbling in the business of the studios. The Formula One group spends no money at all promoting the industry and takes a Fatty Arbuckle-sized slice of the F1 pizza, which is devoured by the rats of private equity. They are so greedy that they have already eaten pizza that will have to be paid for in the decades to come. This has turned the teams into their slaves and a peasants’ revolt is required to get rid of these carpetbaggers. Can the rats of private equity be domesticated, or should they be driven out and a new structure be found to serve the sport, rather than to rape it?
A hyena does not change its spots, nor its habits and so one cannot expect much from these people. It was a disaster to let them into the sport. They are not going to accept lower profits and become promoters who will actually do some promotion. Besides, the sport now needs the money that they take, if it is to remain healthy.
The best business model for a sport is probably some kind of a trust or foundation to would exist only to further Formula 1. It would employ good people and delivering known percentages to the members. Being a member of the club would be dependent on performance and there would need to be provisions for helping outside organisations join the membership. This structure would be fair, solid and would provide for growth and better promotion.
An interesting business model is that of the British retailer, known as The John Lewis Partnership. Since 1929 it has been owned by its employees. All 76,500 of John Lewis’s permanent staff are partners in the business. Together they own the retailer’s 35 department stores and 272 Waitrose supermarkets, which generate annual sales of more than $11.5 billion. It works as a normal business and you can get fired if you don’t pull your weight, but when it comes to annual bonuses, everyone gets a fair share. The partners could, in theory, vote to sell the business and cash in, but they don’t.
In a perfect world, an F1 trust/foundation would have a professional administration to organise, promote and negotiate deals for the business and there would be a share of the profit for this unit, to use to help keep the feeder championships healthy. As a business this could make strategic acquisitions to strengthen the business; be these junior formulae, new media operations or racing circuits, to make the sport more democratic, better positioned and more in tune with the customers.
There would be a need for a regulatory division, but this too could be part of the trust structure. It would make and police the rules, but without interference from the other partners. The FIA could do this job, or the trust could simply buy the rights to the World Championships from the FIA and this could then sail away and do good deeds for road safety, while leaving the sport to run itself.
The trustees would need to be carefully chosen, but it would be best that the majority of them come from outside the sport, to ensure less vested interest.
The problem, of course, is levering the promotional rights out of the hands of those who currently exploit them, but in this respect, the unity and vision of the teams is all that is really required. If they vote not to accept the terms offered by the Formula One group, it has no product to present to the FIA and the 100-year commercial agreement would be broken, as I believe, it was always intended to be. People blame Max Mosley for selling the sport to his buddy Bernie Ecclestone, but I think that Mosley saw this agreement as a necessity to legalise and gain acceptance of the federation’s very tenuous claims of ownership. I think his intention was always to find a suitable opportunity to terminate the 100-year deal, but that never happened because he had to leave the job and his anointed successor chose to steer away from the fight and use the federation for other goals, while hoping that the business would fall apart and the debris would fall into the FIA’s lap.
Whatever the case, the next four years will be key to deciding the fate of Formula 1 – the commercial agreements in 2020 need to be very different to what we have today. And there is a great opportunity for a new leader to step in and make these things happen.The Scotland international scored after just six minutes to secure the points.
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Celtic goalkeeper Fraser Forster has broken the club's 92-year old clean-sheet record with his eleventh shutout in a row.
The England international made history as he surpassed the record set by Charlie Shaw in 1913-14 and again in 1921-22 as Celtic recorded a hard-fought 1-0 victory over St Mirren at Celtic Park.
Kris Commons set the home side on their way in a match they dominated after just five minutes with a fierce shot from 25 yards that was too hot for Marian Kello to handle as the Hoops frontman netted his 22nd goal of a remarkable season.
There were a couple of nervous moments for the home side in the second half, but in truth they should have won the game more comfortably, with James Forrest and Anthony Stokes in particular passing up glorious opportunities.
Any fears that Leigh Griffiths may have had over the welcome he would receive from the Celtic fans proved unfounded, as the new signing from Wolves received a rapturous reception from the home support as he was paraded at half-time.
With the former Hibs man joining too late to make the Celtic squad, Anthony Stokes was restored to the attack after serving his two-game suspension in place of Teemu Pukki.
Joe Ledley's deadline-day move to Crystal Palace allowed recent signing Stefan Johansen to claim his first start since joining the Hoops, and he was perhaps the best player on show on the day.
St Mirren had Josh Magennis in attack after he joined on-loan from Aberdeen, and Greg Wylde replaced Adam Newton in the side that was defeated by Hearts in midweek.
The visitors started the match brightly enough and John McGinn had a decent chance within 30 seconds, latching on to a long ball but dragging his shot wide from the edge of the area when he had more time on the ball than he perhaps realised.
It did not take long for Celtic to assert a measure of control however, and in their first attack of note they opened the scoring.
Emilio Izaguirre cut inside from the left and fed the ball into Commons, who turned and directed a shot on target that St Mirren goalkeeper Kello could only help into the net.
Celtic then had two chances in quick succession to double their lead.
A trademark surging run from the back by Virgil van Dijk allowed the big defender to slip the ball into Stokes inside the area, but the Irishman could only clip a right-foot effort past the post.
Then Darnell Fisher, who was full of early running from right-back, was fed the ball by James Forrest and advanced upon Kello's goal. In taking the ball around the goalkeeper however he was forced wide and his clipped cross was scrambled clear by Marc McAusland.
The Celtic supporters showed their solidarity with manager Neil Lennon following the abuse his agent Martin Reilly alleged he received at Tynecastle during the League Cup semi-final between Aberdeen and St Johnstone by giving him a standing ovation in the 18th minute.
Scott Brown then had a golden opportunity to score when Charlie Mulgrew turned Jason Naismith on the left and pulled the ball back to the penalty spot.
Commons stepped over the ball to leave Brown with a clear sight of goal, but the Celtic captain could only side-foot well over the crossbar.
St Mirren drew their first save from Forster after half an hour, with McGinn's long pass finding Greg Wylde scampering down the left flank. With just Fisher in his way, Wylde opted to shoot early and his tame effort was comfortably held by history man Forster.
Celtic new boy Stefan Johansen was looking tidy in possession, and he showed good feet to side-step Jim Goodwin in midfield before poking just wide from the edge of the box.
Stokes then fed James Forrest who cut inside on to his left-foot and unleashed a shot that Kello did well to save low to his left, before the home side went even closer to getting their second goal just before half-time.
A nice exchange between Stokes and Mulgrew allowed the former a chance to open his body up on the edge of the area and curl the ball inches past the post.
There were nerves around Celtic Park in the 57th minute as Steven Thompson nudged the ball around Forster after latching on to a long pass, however with Efe Ambrose in close attendance and a narrowing angle, the St Mirren frontman could not get a meaningful shot away.
St Mirren went even closer to an equaliser soon after. Darren McGregor dispossessed Izaguirre deep inside the visitors' half and fed Conor Newton, whose early ball up the flank caught the Celtic rear-guard napping.
Magennis poked the ball around Ambrose and had a clear sight of Forster's goal, the England international doing well to parry away his effort.
Forrest then passed up a great opportunity at the other end to ease any home nerves, firing wide from six yards after great set-up play by Mulgrew and Stokes.
Balde next come close to adding to the score within the final 10 minutes, running at the heart of the visitors' defence before firing just wide.
Ambrose gave the ball away carelessly in the final minute to allow Campbell a chance to run into the Celtic area, but the Nigerian got back to clear for a corner.
The delivery was cleared to Sean Kelly on the half-way line, and Stokes did well to dispossess the young defender to give himself a clear run on goal.
Incredibly though the striker elected to try to round Kello instead of square the ball to Mulgrew, who would have had an open goal, and he was forced wide.
Celtic survived a nervous last few moments for Forster to take his place in the club's history books.Of Britain's ten most populous cities Bradford is seen as the most dangerous – and Edinburgh is thought of as the safest
In 2012 there were 1.67 homicides per 100,000 people in London, and 2.7 in Glasgow, compared to a UK-wide rate of 1. In this light British cities look dangerous, but the UK has steadily become more peaceful. UK homicides per 100,000 have fallen from 1.99 in 2003; in Glasgow, homicide rates are down 40%.
New YouGov research asks British people how safe or unsafe they think Britain’s ten most populous cities are, and in all but two cases they tend to find them safe.
Bradford is perhaps best remembered to outsiders for 2001’s race riots, lasting 3 days and leading to hundreds of arrests. It is the only city mentioned in the poll where more people (42%) say it is unsafe than safe (35%). Britain's second most dangerous city according to the public is Birmingham: people are divided 41-41% on its safety.
Edinburgh, well known for the world’s largest arts festival, The Fringe, is considered the safest place in Britain, with 68% saying it is safe and only 14% saying it is unsafe.
Bristol and Sheffield are also seen as safe by fairly large margins: 57-19% and 50-25% respectively.
London is actually considered safe by the majority of British people (53%), and Londoners themselves are particularly assured of its safety (75%). However a significant minority (39%) do see it as unsafe, giving it its ranking at sixth place.
In 2010, the use of “stop and search” was almost four times higher in Scotland than in England and Wales. Although Glasgow is notoriously impoverished, and it does not have the same appeal in terms of safety as Edinburgh, contrary to its crime statistics in perception it does not fare the worst. 44% see it as safe compared to 38% who see it as unsafe.
Image: PA
See the full poll resultsBeyond the underlying timetable constraints, limited experiment durations are a requirement for precise quantification, as long experiments are more affected by spectrometer instabilities in the course of time, which strongly affect their repeatability 17. Moreover, long experiments may also be subject to sample variations caused by biochemical and biological instability. Therefore, pulse sequences need to be chosen and optimized to ensure a good repeatability on 2D NMR peak volumes, while acquisition and processing parameters should be carefully set to ensure the optimum quantitative performance in the shortest possible time. Several recent NMR studies have focused on optimizing 2D NMR experiments for quantitative analysis. Increasing interest has been devoted to the Heteronuclear Single Quantum Coherence (HSQC) experiment 18. In 2007, Lewis et al. optimized this experiment for fast metabolite quantification, obtaining an experiment duration of 12 min per spectrum 16. Recently, the efficiency of HSQC was further assessed for the metabolic study of human urine samples 19, 20. However, in spite of its high potentialities, heteronuclear 2D NMR is limited by its inherent sensitivity due to the low natural abundance of 13 C nuclei. An interesting alternative is offered by the much more sensitive homonuclear 2D NMR techniques, whose potential for quantitative analysis has been highlighted in recent studies. Several pulse sequences have been optimized towards quantitative applications, such as J ‐resolved spectroscopy, DQF‐COSY and zTOCSY 15, 21, 22. Very recently, we proposed an original approach relying on the 1 H 2D INADEQUATE pulse sequence, optimized for fast quantitative analysis of complex metabolic mixtures 17. The superiority of this protocol versus other homonuclear techniques was demonstrated, and its analytical performances were evaluated on model metabolic mixtures. A repeatability better than 2% and an excellent linearity were obtained for spectra recorded in 7 minutes. Here, we present the first application of the quantitative 1 H 2D INADEQUATE experiment to a real metabonomic study, i.e. the determination of metabolite concentrations in cancer cell extracts. Absolute concentrations are determined on three different human breast cancer cell lines in order to determine and quantify characteristic biomarkers.
Metabolomic studies involve the measurement of a set of metabolites/low molecular weight intermediates from biological tissues, biofluids or cells to produce unique metabolic profiles. The analysis of metabolic profiles from biological systems provides important information on their biochemical phenotypes and on the metabolic changes occurring in response to external stimuli, e.g. drug exposure, disease onset, medication 1 - 3. Thus, metabolomic approaches are increasingly employed in several application fields such as disease diagnosis, toxicology, plant sciences and nutrition 4, 5. Among the techniques available for metabolomic studies, NMR has the high advantage of providing site‐specific information. In the vast majority of studies reported so far, a very standardized 1D proton NMR protocol is employed for data acquisition, associated with multivariate statistical methods to perform an efficient separation between samples of various origins 6, 7. In addition to this efficient discrimination, measuring metabolite concentrations can help in fully understanding metabolic complexities and for determining characteristic biomarkers. However, precise and accurate quantification is often made difficult by the high degree of overlap characterizing 1 H NMR spectra of biological samples. As a consequence of the growing interest for such a ‘metabonomic’ approach 2, recent years have witnessed the development of new analytical tools to overcome the current limitations of the usual metabolomic strategy. Targeted approaches have been designed to quantify individual metabolites by fitting the 1D spectra of complex samples from the sum of individual metabolite 1D spectra 8. However, their precision is still limited by the complexity of spectral patterns when addressing complex biological samples 9, 10. On the other hand, recent studies have suggested the use of two‐dimensional spectroscopy 11, 12 for quantitative purposes in order to take advantage of the much lower degree of overlap characterizing 2D spectroscopy. However, 2D NMR is associated with a number of drawbacks limiting its quantitative applications 13. First, 2D NMR pulse sequences have several RF and gradient pulses. Therefore, a number of factors (relaxation times, J ‐couplings, etc.) influence peak volumes. Moreover, multi‐impulsional NMR experiments are more sensitive to pulse imperfections 14. As a result of these limitations, the ratio between 2D peaks does not directly reflect the concentration ratio. Consequently, a calibration procedure is indispensable for each compound of interest in order to obtain precise and accurate concentration measurements 15, 16. Unfortunately, this procedure is considerably lengthened by the long experiment duration characterizing 2D NMR experiments, particularly when their parameters are not optimized, due to the need for collecting an array of transients to sample the indirect dimension.
The concentration values were normalized for 2.10 7 cells for each extract sample to ensure that the measured concentrations do not depend on the number of cells. The multivariate analysis was performed using the SIMCA‐P + software. The data analyses were conducted using Principal Component Analysis (PCA), an unsupervised method where each point represents a sample. The metabolites responsible for the differences between samples in the score plot can be extracted from the corresponding loading plot.
The concentrations of intracellular metabolites were calculated using a standard addition procedure. A model mixture for standard additions was prepared with fifteen target metabolites (alanine, lactate, threonine, taurine, glutathione, glutamate, glutamine, choline, valine, isoleucine, myo inositol, serine, proline, aspartate and histidine), dissolved in 2.5 mL of the phosphate buffer solution in order to reach a concentration of 4.10 ‐2 mol/L for each metabolite. Graded known volumes of this metabolite solution (7, 14 and 21 μL) were added to each cell extract, to obtain a range of added concentrations, varying between 0.48 and 1.4 mmol/L for each metabolite. Each sample was measured five times as described above. For each metabolite, a standard addition curve was fitted by the linear regression equation: V = a [ m ] + b, where V represents the 2D peak volume (a.u.) and [ m ] the concentration (in millimoles per litre) of the metabolite in the cell extract. The initial concentration of intracellular metabolites C i was calculated by the b / a ratio, where a is the slope and b the y‐intercept of the linear regression curve.
The FIDs were multiplied by a pseudo‐echo Gaussian function (Lorentzian‐Gaussian window function with LB = −1 Hz and GB = 0.15) in each dimension before Fourier transform using the Topspin TM software (Bruker, Karlsruhe, Germany). The 1 H INADEQUATE spectra could not be phased due to the complex phase patterns characterizing these experiments; therefore, they were processed in magnitude mode. Automatic polynomial baseline corrections ( n = 3) were applied in each dimension. The spectra were first symmetrized to facilitate peak identification, and then reprocessed without symmetrization for quantification. The integration of 2D peak volumes was performed using the integration routine in Bruker Topspin 2.1, the peak volumes were exported to Microsoft Excel® and plotted as a function of the added concentration. All the integration results are the average of five experiments performed on the same sample.
(a) Pulse sequence for the acquisition of quantitative 2D 1 H INADEQUATE spectra and corresponding 1D (b) and 2D (c) spectra obtained on a cellular extract sample after MeOH/CHCl 3 /H 2 O extraction of MCF‐7 breast cancer cells. The 2D spectrum was acquired in 13 min (1 transient, 128 t 1 increments). Both spectra were acquired with water signal presaturation, at 298 K on a 11.7 T spectrometer with a cryogenic ( 1 H/ 13 C) probe. On the 2D spectrum (not symmetrized), dotted boxes have different contour levels from the main spectrum. The peaks chosen for integration are indicated for each metabolite. Ala, Alanine; Lac, Lactate; Thr, Threonine; GSH, Glutathione; Ino, Myo‐Inositol; Tau, Taurine; Gln, Glutamine; Val, Valine; Iso, Isoleucine; Pro, Proline; Asp, Aspartate; His, Histidine; Ser, Serine; Glu, Glutamate; Cho, Choline.
2D 1 H‐INADEQUATE spectra 17 were acquired with four dummy scans, 128 t 1 increments and with a recovery delay of 5.45 s. 2 ms coherence‐selection gradients were applied in order to select double quantum coherences as indicated in Figure 1 a, with 38.8 G/cm and 77.6 G/cm gradient strengths. The double‐quantum evolution delay ∆ was calculated from the average 1 H ‐ 1 H scalar coupling constant ( J av ): ∆ = 1/(4· J av ), with J av = 7 Hz. A consequence is that the peak intensities are not maximal for all metabolites; however, the calibration procedure described below fully compensates such signal distortions. Moreover, this value could be optimized to a particular value in studies where a specific metabolite is targeted. FIDs were recorded with 6008 data points, an acquisition time of 0.5 s and a spectral width of 6010 Hz. The number of transients was set to 1 for MCF‐7 cell extracts and to 5 for SKBR3 and MDA‐MB‐468 cell extracts.
Quenched cells were obtained from the two flasks for each sample. After quenching, a MeOH/CHCl 3 /H 2 O extraction was applied to each cell sample to extract intracellular metabolites, according to the optimization procedure that we recently described 24. The extraction was performed once in a volume ratio (6:6:5.4) corresponding to a higher total volume of 17.4 mL. The aqueous phase contains water soluble low‐molecular weight endogenous metabolites, while nonpolar metabolites such as lipid molecules are in the organic phase. Proteins and other biological macromolecules were precipitated by the addition of methanol and chloroform and trapped in the solvent layer between the aqueous and organic phases. After centrifugation, only the upper aqueous phase was kept for analysis. The samples were dried at 40 °C over an average period of 10 hours by evaporation under a gentle flow of N 2 gas, thus avoiding sample degradation, and were then used for NMR analysis. Prior to NMR analysis, each sample was reconstituted in 1 mL of a 0.1 M phosphate buffer solution prepared in D 2 O (pD = 7.4), containing NaN 3 to prevent bacteria contamination. The samples were homogenized, adjusted at pH = 7.40 ± 0.05, filtered and analysed using a 5‐mm NMR tube.
Three different lines of human breast cancer cells were used: MDA‐MB‐468, SKBR3, MCF‐7. Clinicopathological characteristics of cell lines are summarized in Table 1. The cells were grown as monolayer cultures in D‐MEM supplemented with 10% of FBS, 1% of 10,000 units/mL penicillin – 10,000 g/mL streptomycin and 0.1 mg/mL of bovine insulin (only for MCF‐7) at 37 °C in a humidified atmosphere of 5% CO 2. The same cells were grown between 2 and 4 days and with different numbers of passages to test the biological variability (for SKBR3, p + 27, p + 28 and p + 30, for MDA‐MB‐468 p + 20 and p + 21 (twice) and for MCF‐7, p + 8, p + 9 and p + 11). The number of cells were the following ( |
everyone Join someone else’s team Start your own team
I linked to a blog that one of the guys on my team wrote about the whole ’solo freelancer’ thing inside my original blogpost. It’s something I feel pretty strongly about, actually. It might sound a little bit cocky (and there are some exceptional freelancers, for sure), but I sometimes don’t think freelancers working by themselves can actually keep up with a little team like ours that’s learning and sharing at such a fast pace. We are by no means unique—there are tons of even better teams than ours, out there—it’s just the nature of having more heads on a task, and being able to get more done. You don’t get prizes for doing everything by yourself when there’s no need to. Being part of a strong team just amplifies all your of efforts to a huge extent.
From my experience in the last 2 years or so, I can see that we share a crazy amount of knowledge around our team, and are constantly pairing up and teaching each other stuff. Let’s say I decide to learn Vagrant and Puppet—2 months later, the whole team has that under their belt because I’ve shared that learning with them. And others do the same thing to me, too.
I decided to start my own team, of course, but I honestly don’t think there’s any need to for all freelancers to force themselves down this route if they don’t want to. I think the best route for a lot of freelancers is just finding someone who complements what you can do, and deciding to pair up with them to pitch a few projects together. There’s no need to start up an official joint venture with them or register a company right away—that would be a bad idea if you did it too soon, actually. It’s just about finding someone you can get things done with, and pushing each other to achieve more. While a client might be worried about taking on a solo freelancer (it’s very easy for you to get ill and derail a project), that risk is significantly reduced if they’re working with a pair of freelancers. And you’d be surprised at how open clients are to this—it’s not something I think needs to be hidden when you’re pitching a project—just make sure there’s a clear agreement between the two of you, and invoicing and billing is clear for the client, and most clients will be fine with it.
When I was in exactly this position, the biggest thing for me was finding someone to pair up with — I was lucky enough to meet Sergei on that old developer site, Forrst, and for me, that was a massive help. Starting with the occasional little gig here and there, we found that we worked well together, so we built things up to work on bigger and better projects together as time went on. We were both relatively inexperienced back then, but just having someone else to team up with and share the load, helped so much. And it’s way nicer to have a bit of communication—we used HipChat and left that open while we were working—it really helped to reduce some of that isolation that you often feel, as a solo freelancer.
Our team at Hanno is remote at the moment, and I actually think that a big part of the future for freelancers is with agencies which are remote and have a different attitude towards the way they operate—where different people work on different projects, and it’s essentially a group of awesome freelancers coming together to do a great project, then splitting apart again. Brad Frost did something like this on the Techcrunch redesign, which is well worth a read.
So that’s the biggest thing I’d recommend from my own experiences — getting social, meeting people, and finding someone you think you can get into a project with. Figure out where you’re weak, and they’re strong (this is the ideal way to do it, but even just sharing similar skills can help you get 2x the work done, and be more reliable for clients). It’ll let you pitch for bigger projects and also allow you to learn and grow faster.
All I can say is that it worked for me, and it made it a whole lot easier to be self-sufficient. I’m sure it would work for many others, too.
[TODO: Insert gratuitous plug to click the recommend button, or share on Twitter. Or something.]
Photo credit: @tensaibutaSome companies in several states could be barred from telling their employees to keep their guns at home if lawmakers prevail in a battle that pits gun rights advocates against private businesses. At least six states — Alaska, Kansas, Kentucky, Minnesota, Mississippi and Oklahoma — have passed laws that bar some employers from forbidding workers to leave guns locked in their cars in company lots but don't give workers the right to carry firearms into the actual workplace. Now, several more states are considering such laws. Supporters say licensed gun owners should have access to their weapons in case they need them for self-defense on the trek to and from home. If employers can ban guns from workers' cars, "it would be a wrecking ball to the Second Amendment," which governs the right to bear arms, says Wayne LaPierre, executive vice president of the National Rifle Association (NRA). Many business organizations and gun-control advocates argue, however, that such laws clash with employers' responsibility to maintain safe workplaces and their right to determine what to allow on their private property. These laws are "a systematic attempt to force guns into every nook and cranny in society and prohibit anyone, whether it's private employers (or) college campuses … from barring guns from their premises," says Brian Siebel, senior attorney for the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence. There were 516 workplace homicides — 417 of them caused by gunfire — in 2006, the most recent tally available, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. "There's certainly no need to allow guns in these parking lots," Siebel says. "The increased risks are obvious." The moves to ensure that workers can have guns locked up in workplace parking lots come at a time of high-stakes debate over gun rights. The Supreme Court is likely to rule this year on whether Washington, D.C., can continue its 32-year-old ban on residents owning handguns. States considering bills to expand workers' gun rights: •Arizona. State Rep. Jonathan Paton, a Republican, says he sponsored his bill last month after a constituent told him he drives isolated roads to work but is not allowed to keep a handgun in his car. "It just comes down to the right of self-defense," Paton says. •Tennessee. The proposed legislation, introduced in January, excludes correctional facilities and properties owned by the federal government. An amendment may be added to allow businesses that have secure parking areas that are less prone to crime to ban guns there. "I respect property and business rights," says state Sen. Paul Stanley, a Republican sponsoring the bill. "But I also think that some issues need to overshadow this. … We have a right to keep and bear arms." •Georgia. The legislature is considering a bill to allow licensed gun owners to leave their gun in a locked vehicle on their company's parking lot if the employer permits it. The NRA and other gun rights advocates began pushing the parking lot legislation after Weyerhaeuser in 2002 fired several of its Oklahoma employees when guns were found in their vehicles, violating company policy. Two years later, Oklahoma's Legislature passed a law prohibiting employersfrom banning guns locked inside parked cars. A federal judge in October issued a permanent injunction against the law, a decision being appealed. The laws are being considered as the number of states that allow a law-abiding adult to carry a concealed gun in public has reached 40, legal experts say. "It's part of the general movement to allow people to have guns for self-defense not only at home, but in public places where they're most likely needed," says Eugene Volokh, a professor at UCLA School of Law who specializes in gun policy. He says employers face more constraints than in the past. LaPierre says laws that allow people holding proper permits to carry firearms for personal protection are largely nullified when employers can prohibit workers from locking a gun in their parked cars. "Saying you can protect yourself with a firearm when you get off work late at night is meaningless if you can't keep it in the trunk of your car when you're at work," he says. Some constitutional law experts say the Second Amendment does not give gun owners a constitutionally protected right to carry their weapons onto somebody else's private property when the owner doesn't want them to. "If I said to somebody, 'You can't bring your gun into my house,' that person's rights wouldn't be violated," says Mark Tushnet, a Harvard Law School professor. The American Bar Association sides with business owners, supporting "the traditional property rights of private employers and other private property owners to exclude" people with firearms. Steve Halverson, head of Jacksonville-based construction company Haskell, says business owners should be able to decide whether to allow weapons in their parking lots. "I object to anyone telling me that we can't … take steps necessary to protect our employees," says Halverson, who enforces safety measures ranging from banning guns to requiring workers to wear hard hats. "The context is workplace safety, and that's why it's important," he says. "The larger issue is property rights, and whether you as a homeowner and I as a business owner ought to have the right to say what comes onto our property." Enlarge By Jim Mone, AP An employee at a sporting goods store in St. Paul. displays handguns that are popular sellers in May 2003. 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.Would you give up sex to be thin?
Fitness magazine asked 2,400 women if they would sacrifice a full year of sex to be skinny -- and 51 percent said yes.
That was just one of the surprising results of the magazine's new diet survey - a survey that underscored the serious self-esteem and body issues many women have today.
Other findings: 43 percent of the women in the study have skipped meals regularly to lose weight, 39 percent have taken diet pills, and 40 percent went on their first diet, not only in high school, but possibly in middle school.
On "The Early Show on Saturday Morning," contributor Dr. Jennifer Hartstein, a psychologist, said the survey "really says a lot about (women's) body image. Another study I saw yesterday said 61 percent of women are thinking about what their body looks like while they're having sex. So clearly, we are so focused on appearance, and... bombarded with images of what our appearance should look like -- how thin we should be, how tall we should be, what we should be wearing. It's everywhere. So it's not really surprising that it's the thing that women think about the most, but the things they would give up in order to achieve this ideal is, I think, what's really surprising in the study."
Hartstein called the sex/body image link "a really vicious cycle. Sex can make you feel sexy and can make you feel better. And yet, when you're not feeling good about your body and good in your own skin, you don't feel sexy, so you don't want to have sex. So it's this really tough self-fulfilling prophecy. So we have to figure out where to break it and what needs to break, and women need to figure out where they feel strong and self-confident and self-assured in other ways."
The media, says Hartstein, play an enormous role in delivering the message that women need to be slim.
The message is so ingrained that many turn to quick-fix diets, even though they can be unhealthy.
And the message is resulting in dieting at younger and younger ages, and that's "so disturbing," Hartstein told co-anchor Rebecca Jarvis. "And we're hearing more and more about eating disorders starting so much younger, and really starting in middle school. And the fact of the matter is that we focus on appearance in little girls much more than we do in little boys. So, that message starts at 5, 6 years old. So we need to start to build in our girls ways to feel confident and self-assured, and really build their self-esteem on things that don't tie to appearance -- athletics, art, school, anything else that isn't tied to how they look and really praise those things more. Because that's what they need to hear. And that's what's going to build a difference in their future, so they don't have to focus on appearance as much as we might now.
The full Hartstein interview:Apple, Google, Microsoft scramble to develop fix to stop 'Freak' flaw
Updated
Apple and Google say they have developed fixes to mitigate the newly uncovered "Freak" security flaw affecting mobile devices and Mac computers.
Initially thought to be immune, Microsoft released an advisory which warned hundreds of millions of Windows PC users are also vulnerable to the security vulnerability.
The weakness in web encryption technology could enable attackers to spy on communications of users of Apple's Safari browser and Google's Android browser, according to researchers who uncovered the flaw.
The vulnerability could allow attacks on Microsoft PCs that connect with servers configured to use encryption technology intentionally weakened to comply with US government regulations banning exports of the strongest encryption.
Apple spokesman Ryan James said the computer company had developed a software update to remediate the vulnerability, which would be pushed out this week.
Google spokeswoman Liz Markman said the company had also developed a patch, which it has provided to partners. She declined to say when users could expect to receive those upgrades.
Google typically does not directly push out Android software updates. Instead they are handled by device makers and mobile carriers.
Microsoft advised system administrators to employ a workaround to disable settings on Windows servers that allow use of the weaker encryption.
It said it was investigating the threat and had not yet developed a security update that would automatically protect Windows PC users from the threat.
"Upon completion of this investigation, Microsoft will take the appropriate action to help protect customers," it said.
Vulnerability could allow hackers to steal data, launch attacks
The Washington Post reported that the bug left users of Apple and Google devices vulnerable to cyberattack when visiting hundreds of thousands of websites, including Whitehouse.gov, NSA.gov and FBI.gov.
Whitehouse.gov and FBI.gov have been fixed, but NSA.gov remains vulnerable, the paper cited Johns Hopkins cryptographer Matthew D Green as saying.
A group of nine researchers discovered that they could force web browsers to use a form of encryption that was intentionally weakened to comply with US government regulations that ban American companies from exporting the strongest encryption standards, according to the paper.
Once they caused the site to use the weaker export encryption standard, they were then able to break the encryption within a few hours.
That could allow hackers to steal data and potentially launch attacks on the sites themselves by taking over elements on a page, the newspaper reported.
Ms Markman said that Google advised all websites to disable support for the less-secure, export-grade encryption.
"Android's connections to most websites, which include Google sites and others without export certificates, are not subject to this vulnerability," she added.
The group of researchers dubbed the flaw "Freak", for "Factoring RSA-EXPORT Keys", according to a website where they described the vulnerability.
Topics: science-and-technology, computers-and-technology, internet-technology, hacking, united-states
First postedBy Ryan Burton
Fighters competing on the Mayweather vs. McGregor undercard spoke to media and went face-to-face Thursday, one day before they weigh-in ahead of their Saturday, Aug. 26 showdowns at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
The four-fight SHOWTIME PPV event, beginning live at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT, will feature undefeated rising star Gervonta "Tank" Davis making the second defense of his 130-pound title against undefeated challenger Francisco Fonseca plus light heavyweight champion Nathan Cleverly defending his belt against former super middleweight champion Badou Jack. The telecast begins with unbeaten Andrew Tabiti and former world champion Steve Cunningham meeting in a 10-round battle.
Coverage begins on FOX and FOX Deportes with a one-hour Prefight Show at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT. Prelims on FOX and FOX Deportes begin at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT and will see a battle between welterweight contenders Thomas Dulorme and Yordenis Ugas plus a showdown of unbeaten prospects as Juan Heraldez meets Jose Miguel Borrego in a 10-round bout.
Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor is a 12-round super welterweight matchup that pits the legendary boxer Mayweather against the all-time MMA great McGregor in the main event of an unprecedented four-fight pay-per-view boxing event. Mayweather vs. McGregor will take place Saturday, Aug. 26 at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The event is produced and distributed live by SHOWTIME PPV, promoted by Mayweather Promotions and sponsored by Corona. Coverage of the Prelims will begin on FOX and FOX Deportes at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT.Share this
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Email You are free to share this article under the Attribution 4.0 International license. University University of Chicago
U. CHICAGO (US) — A daily glass of grapefruit juice can boost the effectiveness of a cancer drug, allowing patients to take a much lower dose.
The combination could help patients avoid side effects associated with high doses of the drug and reduce the cost of the medication.
In a study published in August in Clinical Cancer Research, researchers at the University of Chicago show that eight ounces a day of grapefruit juice can slow the body’s metabolism of a drug called sirolimus, which has been approved for transplant patients but may also help many people with cancer.
Patients who drank eight ounces a day of grapefruit juice increased their sirolimus levels by 350 percent. A drug called ketoconazole that also slows drug metabolism increased sirolimus levels by 500 percent.
“Grapefruit juice, and drugs with a similar mechanism, can significantly increase blood levels of many drugs,” says study director Ezra Cohen, a cancer specialist at the University of Chicago Medicine, “but this has long been considered an overdose hazard. Instead, we wanted to see if grapefruit juice can be used in a controlled fashion to increase the availability and efficacy of sirolimus.”
[sources]
Grapefruit juice’s pharmaceutical prowess stems from its ability to inhibit enzymes in the intestine that break down sirolimus and several other drugs. The effect begins within a few hours of what the researchers refer to as “grapefruit juice administration.” It wears off gradually over a few days.
Cohen and colleagues organized three simultaneous phase-1 trials of sirolimus. Patients received only sirolimus, sirolimus plus ketoconazole, or sirolimus plus grapefruit juice. They enrolled 138 patients with incurable cancer and no known effective therapy.
The first patients started with very low sirolimus doses, but the amounts increased as the study went on, to see how much of the drug was required in each setting to reach targeted levels, so that patients got the greatest anti-cancer effect with the least side effects.
The optimal cancer-fighting dose for those taking sirolimus was about 90 mg per week. At doses above 45 mg, however, the drug caused serious gastrointestinal problems, such as nausea and diarrhea, so patients taking sirolimus alone switched to 45 mg twice a week.
The optimal doses for the other two groups were much lower. Patients taking sirolimus plus ketoconazole, needed only 16 mg per week to maintain the same levels of drug in the blood. Those taking sirolimus plus grapefruit juice, needed between 25 and 35 mg of sirolimus per week.
“This is the first cancer study to harness this drug-food interaction,” the authors note.
No patients in the study had a complete response, but about 30 percent of patients in the three trials had stable disease, meaning a period when their cancers did not advance. One patient receiving grapefruit juice had a partial response—significant tumor shrinkage—that lasted for more than three years.
Although ketoconazole produced a slightly stronger drug-retention effect, grapefruit juice has the advantage that it is non-toxic, with no risk of overdose. “Therefore,” the authors wrote, “we have at our disposal an agent that can markedly increase bioavailability (in this study by approximately 350 percent) and, critically in the current environment, decrease prescription drug spending on many agents metabolized by P450 enzymes.”
Sirolimus was the first of a series of drugs, known as mTOR inhibitors, that were developed to prevent rejection of transplanted organs but that also have anti-cancer effects. As the first of its class, it was also the first to come off patent, making it less costly.
“Further cost savings,” the authors suggest, could be realized “by combining the drug with agents that inhibit its metabolism.”
Because different people produce varied amounts of the enzymes that break down sirolimus, the effect of grapefruit juice can vary, but tests of enzyme levels may be able to predict how an individual patient will respond.
“The variation in potency of the grapefruit juice itself may be far greater than the variation in the enzymes that break down sirolimus,” Cohen says.
An early version of the study used canned grapefruit juice, generously donated by a Chicago-based grocery chain. But tests of the product found it lacked the active ingredients. So the researchers shifted to a frozen concentrate product supplied by the Florida Department of Citrus.
This study was supported by the National Institutes of Health—and not by a pharmaceutical company. Dose-finding studies are “not necessarily profitable” for drug makers, the authors note, especially if the study results in lower recommended doses after the drug has been approved and priced.
Additional researchers from the University of Chicago, and Kimberly Eaton of the University of Texas Medical School at Houston contributed to the study.
More news from the University of Chicago: http://news.uchicago.edu/When the National Security Agency collects data inside the United States, it’s regulated by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. There’s a degree of court supervision and congressional oversight.
When the agency collects data outside the United States, it’s regulated by Executive Order 12333. That document embodies the President’s inherent Article II authority to conduct foreign intelligence. There’s no court involvement, and there’s scant legislative scrutiny.
So, that’s the conventional wisdom. American soil: FISA. Foreign soil: EO 12333. Unfortunately, the legal landscape is more complicated.
In this post, I’ll sketch three areas where the NSA collects data inside the United States, but under Executive Order 12333. I’ll also note two areas where the NSA collects data outside the United States, but under FISA.
If you’re a visual learner, or you’d prefer a TL;DR, here’s a diagram.1
Transit Authority (Two-End Foreign Wireline Communications)
The United States is the world’s largest telecommunications hub. Internet traffic and voice calls are routinely routed through the country, even though both ends are foreign.
According to leaked documents, the NSA routinely scoops up many of these two-end foreign communications as they flow through American networks.2 The agency calls it “International Transit Switch Collection,” operated under “Transit Authority.” That authority stems from Executive Order 12333, not the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.
How, you might wonder, is the program legal? Hasn’t Congress established “the exclusive means by which electronic surveillance... may be conducted” on American soil?
After poring over declassified and leaked materials, I haven’t found a clear explanation. So, working backward from the relevant statutes, here’s my best reconstruction of the NSA’s legal theory. Transit Authority is a three-step dance through FISA and the Wiretap Act, and I think it’s fairly persuasive.
1. This Isn’t “Electronic Surveillance” Under FISA
The term “electronic surveillance” has a precise (and counterintuitive) meaning in FISA. There are multiple parts to the definition; the component that directly addresses wireline intercepts is 50 U.S.C. § 1801(f)(2). It encompasses:
the acquisition... of the contents of any wire communication to or from a person in the United States... if such acquisition occurs in the United States
A two-end foreign communication is, of course, not “to or from a person in the United States.” When the NSA intercepts a two-end foreign wireline communication, then, it hasn’t engaged in “electronic surveillance.”3
Much of FISA is scoped to the term “electronic surveillance,” including some key exclusivity provisions. Just by navigating that definition, the NSA can largely escape FISA’s restrictions.
2. This Falls into the Wiretap Act’s Foreign Intelligence Exception
Since 1968, the Wiretap Act has been the primary statutory scheme that regulates government interception of communications content. As you would expect, “electronic surveillance” that is authorized by FISA is also allowed by the Wiretap Act.4 But what about an NSA interception, inside the United States, that doesn’t count as “electronic surveillance”?
Many legal observers have assumed that the Wiretap Act and FISA are coextensive.5 Even the Congressional Research Service concluded as much. If a government agency intercepts content inside the United States, the thinking goes, it has two options. It can follow the law enforcement procedures, under the Wiretap Act. Or it can follow the (often lax) foreign intelligence procedures, under FISA. That legal structure would make sense—but it’s not how the law stands.
There is, in fact, a doughnut hole between the Wiretap Act and FISA. It’s located in 18 U.S.C. § 2511(2)(f), and it provides:
Nothing contained in [the Wiretap Act, the Stored Communications Act, or the Pen Register Act] shall be deemed to affect the acquisition by the United States Government of foreign intelligence information from international or foreign communications... utilizing a means other than electronic surveillance as defined in [FISA]....
Let me unpack that dense legalese. Assume an intelligence agency intercepts a one-end foreign communication inside the United States.6 If the interception isn’t covered by FISA, it still isn’t covered by the Wiretap Act. There’s a gap between the two statutory schemes.
3. These Aren’t “Domestic” Communications Under FISA and the Wiretap Act
Both the Wiretap Act and FISA include exclusivity provisions. The Wiretap Act text, in 18 U.S.C. § 2511(2)(f), reads:
[Procedures] in [the Wiretap Act, the Stored Communications Act, and FISA] shall be the exclusive means by which electronic surveillance, as defined in [FISA], and the interception of domestic wire, oral, and electronic communications may be conducted.
The similar FISA text, in 50 U.S.C. § 1812, says:
Except as [otherwise expressly authorized by statute,] the procedures of [the Wiretap Act, the Stored Communications Act, the Pen Register Act, and FISA] shall be the exclusive means by which electronic surveillance and the interception of domestic wire, oral, or electronic communications may be conducted.
Once again unpacking the legalese, these parallel provisions establish exclusivity for 1) “electronic surveillance” and 2) interception of “domestic” communications. As I explained above, intercepting a two-end foreign wireline communication doesn’t constitute “electronic surveillance.” As for what counts as a “domestic” communication, the statutes seem to mean a communication wholly within the United States.7 A two-end foreign communication would plainly flunk that definition.
So, there’s the three-step maneuver. If the NSA intercepts foreign-to-foreign voice or Internet traffic, as it transits the United States, that isn’t covered by either FISA or the Wiretap Act. All that’s left is Executive Order 12333.
Satellite Surveillance (One-End Foreign Wireless Communications)
A recently declassified 2008 oral argument contains this gem from the government’s counsel:
And one aspect of [surveillance outside FISA] is the satellite communications, where you have [individuals] outside the United States communicating by satellite, and those messages are picked up at a satellite dish inside the United States. And for decades those communications have been outside the FISA process....
The context of the attorney’s argument hinted that the NSA would collect not just two-end foreign satellite communications under Executive Order 12333, like the Transit Authority, but also one-end foreign communications.8 A leaked diagram of the NSA’s authorities also suggests that domestic collection of one-end foreign satellite communications is outside FISA.9
I once more couldn’t find a public explanation, so I again attempted a statutory reconstruction. A very similar three-step legal theory would place one-end foreign radio communications under Executive Order 12333.
1. This Isn’t “Electronic Surveillance” Under FISA
Here’s the part of the “electronic surveillance” definition that bears on radio communications:
the intentional acquisition... of the contents of any radio communication... if both the sender and all intended recipients are located within the United States
In less legalese, a radio interception is “electronic surveillance” only if every party is inside the United States.10 The rule for wireline11 communication, by contrast, is more strict; there is “electronic surveillance” if any party is inside the United States.
2. This Falls into the Wiretap Act’s Foreign Intelligence Exception
This argument would be the same as for two-end foreign wireline communications.
3. These Aren’t “Domestic” Communications Under FISA and the Wiretap Act
Again, the same.
The law that results is quite counterintuitive. If a communication is carried by radio waves, and it’s one-end foreign, it falls under Executive Order 12333. If that same communication were carried by a wire, though, it would fall under FISA. (Specifically, the Section 702 upstream program.)
As for how this Executive Order 12333 authority might be used beyond satellite surveillance, I could only speculate. Perhaps intercepting cellphone calls to or from foreign embassies?12 Or along the national borders? At any rate, the FISA-free domestic wireless authority appears to be even broader than the Transit Authority.
Classified Annex Authority (Targeted Warrantless Surveillance)
A third area of Executive Order 12333, on American soil, is the “Classified Annex Authority” or “CAA.” Its source is a classified addition to Executive Order 12333, set out in an NSA policy document.13 The most recent revision, from 2009, reads:
Communications of or concerning a United States person14 may be intercepted intentionally or selected deliberately... with specific prior approval by the Attorney General based on a finding by the Attorney General that there is probable cause to believe the United States person is an agent of a foreign power and that the purpose of the interception or selection is to collect significant foreign intelligence. Such approvals shall be limited to a period of time not to exceed ninety days for individuals and one year for entities.
That provision appears to allow the Attorney General to unilaterally trump FISA. I’m not entirely confident that’s what it means, but it sure looks like it.15
I’m skeptical that the executive branch can just brush aside FISA, especially on American soil. In Justice Jackson’s famous phrasing, when the executive branch acts in clear violation of a legislative enactment, its “power is at its lowest ebb.” Nevertheless, the executive branch does appear to claim that Article II can override FISA, and it does appear to have invoked this Classified Annex Authority on occasion.16
Surveillance Targeting Americans Worldwide
Much like Executive Order 12333 can operate on American soil, FISA can operate on foreign soil. The first area that I’d like to flag is surveillance intentionally directed against Americans. If the NSA targets a U.S. person, anywhere in the world, that’s covered by FISA. And it generally requires a court order.17
There are two sources for this protection. U.S. persons inside the United States are covered by the traditional FISA “electronic surveillance” provisions, even if interception occurs outside the United States.18 U.S. persons outside the United States are protected by the FISA Amendments Act, which added new procedures for if the person or both the person and the interception are outside the United States.
International Interception of Purely Domestic Wireless Communications
There is a second area of extraterritorial FISA that I’d like to note. It’s subtle, narrow, and probably not of much practical importance. It’s even further emphasis, though, of the quirky statutory coverage.
So, here it is: If the NSA intercepts a wireless communication, outside the United States, and all the parties to that communication are inside the United States, that’s covered by FISA.19 It doesn’t matter if the target is a foreigner.
Closing Thoughts
I hope you’re persuaded that the division between FISA and Executive Order 12333 is far more complicated than where an interception occurs. It also depends on the communications medium, the location of the parties to the communication, the U.S. personhood of the target, and (allegedly) the Attorney General’s willingness to override FISA.
I hope you’re also persuaded that FISA’s coverage formula is a questionable fit for modern technology. The definition of “electronic surveillance,” in particular, hasn’t been updated for 35 years. It predates the popularity of the Internet and cellphones, which have respectively generated enormous volumes of two-end foreign wireline and one-end foreign wireless communications.
Surveillance reformers and oversight bodies have, rightly, begun to more closely scrutinize Executive Order 12333. In the process, it’s important to recognize that there are FISA-free zones in our own backyard.
1. An NSA authority diagram has leaked, but it’s less precise. That, along with a declassified training manual, provided helpful structure for FISA’s contours.
This diagram, and this post, are focused on communications content. I should note that Executive Order 12333 could also operate on American soil, for collection of one-end foreign metadata. The argument is very similar to the Transit Authority theory; intercepting metadata is not “electronic surveillance” because the definition requires content, and the rest is the same.
2. Leaks do not indicate whether this is a bulk surveillance program, or a massive—but targeted—surveillance program.
3. A separate part of the “electronic surveillance” definition, 50 U.S.C. § 1801(f)(1), covers intercepts targeting U.S. persons inside the United States. I’ve lumped that provision into the last part of this post.
4. Specifically, 18 U.S.C. § 2511(2)(e) excepts FISA “electronic surveillance” from the Wiretap Act, the Stored Communications Act, and the Pen Register Act.
5. A 2005 letter from leading legal scholars, for instance, emphasized that the Wiretap Act and FISA are the sole authorities for surveillance within the United States.
6. I assume the terms “international” and “foreign” mean, respectively, one-end foreign and two-end foreign. That would be consistent with how the intelligence community has used those terms elsewhere, as well as the term “domestic” used in the Wiretap Act and FISA. As for the “foreign intelligence information” requirement, that term has exceedingly broad meaning.
7. The term “domestic” in FISA appears to contrast with the terms “international” and “foreign,” noted above.
8. The attorney was making an argument about how the Fourth Amendment’s warrant requirement hasn’t previously applied to foreign intelligence surveillance within the United States, targeting U.S. persons outside the United States. For purposes of this post, I’m focusing on the FISA analysis, not the constitutional issues. As for one-end foreign satellite communications, the hint was that U.S. persons abroad would likely communicate with individuals inside the United States. These intercepts would, consequently, include some one-end foreign communications.
9. A footnote in the diagram notes that satellite interception stations (“FORNSAT”) within the United States are not governed by FISA’s one-end foreign provision (Section 702), which would mean they are governed by Executive Order 12333.
10. Again, if the target is a U.S. person inside the United States, then it’s still “electronic surveillance.” See note 3 above.
11. The term “wire communication,” in FISA, means a wireline communication. In the Wiretap Act, and the Electronic Communications Privacy Act in general, it (confusingly) has a different meaning. There, the term means audio communictions, where any part of the transmission involves a wire.
12. There’s corroboration for this in the leaked NSA authority diagram. It suggests that some NSA Special Collection Service sites, within the United States, are regulated by Executive Order 12333. Leaked documents indicate that SCS surveils foreign embassies within the United States.
13. Specifically, NSA/CSS Policy 1-23 § 4.A.I.(a)(4). That document implements DoD Directive 5240.01, which in turn implements Executive Order 12333.
14. In this context, the term U.S. person is explicitly expanded to include aliens inside the United States.
15. The NSA’s authority diagram, as well as a training document, suggest that the Classified Annex Authority only applies to foreigners inside the United States. It’s unclear what the textual basis for that restriction would be, though, in NSA/CSS Policy 1-23 itself. Perhaps, as a matter of discretion, the Department of Justice chooses to not invoke CAA for U.S. persons. That discretion could change, of course.
A separate provision of NSA/CSS Policy 1-23, section 4.A.I.(d)(3), suggests that compliance with FISA is always mandatory. I think the best reading of that provision, placed in context, is that it deals with the emergency scenario of targeted foreigners who enter the United States. Under those circumstances, prompt FISA compliance is usually required.
16. This intelligence community view that Article II can trump FISA is consistent with declassified Department of Justice Office of Legal Counsel memos on the subject. Given that the NSA’s basic training materials describe the Classified Annex Authority, it seems safe to assume that CAA has been used on occasion.
17. These provisions do not protect an American against “incidental” collection, where they are a party to a communication but another party is targeted outside FISA. The scope of incidental collection can be massive; it can, for instance, involve popular foreign websites.
As interpreted by the executive branch, these provisions also do not appear to protect an American against bulk extraterritorial interceptions. Those programs, such as bulk one-end foreign Internet interception in the United Kingdom, appear to involve a two-step process. Interceptions are, initially, conducted under Executive Order 12333 |
This was on the basis that many eminent scientists are also religious believers, and so this justifies room for debate around the need for a creator or creative mind at work behind the universe. In the Cosmos section, we were asked to marvel at how swiftly the universe became ordered after Big Bang, with established laws of physics set down such that had the quantities of the basic elements in the universe been even minutely different to what they are, there would be nothing. And how could something as awe-inspiring and mysterious as the universe and the human brain spring from nothing? As I listened I wished that the producers had asked Lawrence Krauss to contribute to their programme on the basis of his seminal work "A Universe from Nothing" which addresses that issue for once and for all, not least in reviewing what is meant by 'nothing'. It seems a huge mistake on their part not to include Professor Krauss's work.
In the evolution section, we were told that God versus Darwin was a false choice, and the reality was much more complicated than that. We were encouraged at various points to consider whether everything we knew about the universe, or evolution, or the human brain and consciousness, was the subject of chance and random occurrences, or evidence of intention and purposeful design. We were told that the evidence must be allowed to speak for itself, which does rather depend on what and whose evidence is presented, how it is presented, and by whom.
We were also informed that the 'God' in question was not the'magician in the sky', and certainly not the God of the YECs, but while being told what this God wasn't, we were never told what this God actually was! There was no definition of what or who was the 'God' in the title, leaving the audience with the inference that 'God' was the convenient name for the mind at work, the creative input that manifested itself in the specific design that lay behind the universe, rather than the universe being the outcome of a series of chance happenings with no purpose.
We were told that the programmes presented the evidence from both sides of the debate. The first problem is that this presupposes there is a valid debate to be had in the first place which I would argue there is not. The second problem is that the two sides of the debate are not equally presented. Science is put on the spot, with which I have no problem. However, the issue of the 'designer' is not subjected to the same intensive forensic process, leaving the viewer with nothing more than the notion of an unseen guiding hand, occasionally in a 'God of the Gaps' scenario. The scientific evidence provided by science is analysed to justify what is presented as two equally valid alternatives, one of which is in fact anti-science!
The closing address to the audience was given by Mike McGrath, the head of the Scottish Catholic Education Service who stated that the God Question had 'huge potential' and that as well as the subject matter being raised in RME (Religious and Moral Education) classes it was also valid to discuss the issues raised in science classes. This is further confirmed by an advertisement for a national conference today in Scotland organised by SCES for Catholic schools to review the product, which states:
The conference is aimed at teachers of Religious Education and teachers of Science in Catholic schools. In both curricular areas teachers are expected to engage senior phase students in exploring the links between Science and Religion and in addressing significant moral and ethical issues in today's world. The conference will illustrate how useful this resource can be in supporting this area of learning and it will address ways in which Catholic schools might extend teachers' understanding of Church teaching on some challenging issues."
And so back to the quote at the beginning of this blog from Judge John Jones in Pennsylvania in December 2008. Intelligent Design may not have wormed its way into the science classrooms in Dover County, Pennsylvania, but five years on it is now back in shiny new packaging, labelled as 'evidence based and balanced' and getting into the science classrooms in Scotland. And with the enthusiastic support of the Church of Scotland and the Scottish Catholic Church, we also now know that turkeys definitely do not vote for Christmas.
Alistair McBay is the NSS spokesperson in Scotland. The views expressed in our blogs are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of the NSS.SEGA has confirmed via a press release that there will indeed be three Sonic titles coming to Nintendo platforms. The first game was revealed yesterday as Sonic The Lost World which is exclusive to Wii U and Nintendo 3DS. The second game was also announced yesterday and is titled Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games. The game includes a variety of events from the Winter Games, including skiing, figure skating and curling. SEGA has yet to reveal the third game in the exclusive new Nintendo-SEGA partnership, but it’s rumoured to be a mashup between Sonic & All-Stars Racing and Mario Kart.
“Sonic the Hedgehog has proven incredibly successful on Nintendo platforms and we are pleased to continue our long-standing relationship with Nintendo. As we initiate this new exclusive partnership with the next three titles we believe that Wii U and Nintendo 3DS are ideal platforms to showcase the evolution of the Sonic brand.” – John Cheng, President & COO, SEGA of AmericaPresident Barack Obama used his final hours in office to launch an attack in Libya that killed more than 80 terrorists, some of whom were actively plotting attacks on European soil, and to send a parting message to Vladimir Putin about US military power.
The raid by a pair of B-2 Spirit stealth bombers, and drones fitted with hellfire missiles, targeted two camps near Sirte, the former North African stronghold of Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.
Terrorists were killed shortly after they had been spotted marching in formation, carrying weapons and mortars.
Speaking at the Pentagon on Mr Obama's last full day in office Ash Carter, the US Defence Secretary, said: "These strikes were directed against some of Isil's external plotters.
"They certainly are people who were actively plotting operations in Europe, and may also have been connected with some attacks that have already occurred in Europe."
He added: "We need to strike Isil everywhere they show up. That's particularly true in view of the fact that we know some of the Isil operatives in Libya were involved with plotting attacks."
Mr Obama authorised the attack, which was probably his final use of military force, late on Wednesday night.*The outcome of the Democratic mayoral primary was never going to have a direct bearing on D.C. United’s stadium prospects, but with council member Muriel Bowser’s victory over incumbent Vincent Gray, United will have to adjust its game plan.
Club officials have been working closely with the Gray administration on the Buzzard Point project for more than a year — and with Gray’s term running through the end of 2014, they will remain engaged. There is still hope of finalizing a financial package and introducing legislation to the city council for a vote soon. But the reality is that Bowser is on track to become the next mayor; she will, however, have to defeat independent David Catania in November.
Bowser has backed down from her initial vigorous opposition to the stadium plan, and as I outlined on this blog Tuesday, stadium proponents feel they can work with her. Catania, on the other hand, does not appear to have any interest in supporting any stadiums. He takes great pride in having never stepped foot inside Nationals Park. (In a hypothetical matchup, Bowser has polled well ahead of Catania, a former Republican who is an at-large council member.)
*U.S. vs. Mexico viewing essentials tonight:
Kickoff: 11:15 p.m. ET.
TV: ESPN, UniMas.
Online: ESPN3.com, WatchESPN.
ESPN announcers: Ian Darke, Taylor Twellman, Alejandro Moreno.
*While the U.S. squad was making final preparations for Mexico, three fringe U.S. World Cup candidates were in uniform in Mexico on Tuesday night for the first leg of Tijuana’s CONCACAF Champions League semifinal against visiting Cruz Azul: Left back Edgar Castillo played 90 minutes, midfielder Joe Corona went 65 and forward Herculez Gomez four minutes during the 1-0 victory. The decisive leg is next Wednesday in Mexico City. In the other semifinal, Toluca won at Alajuelense, 1-0.
*Juergen Klinsmann‘s son Jonathan, a goalkeeper, was named to the U.S. under-18 national team roster for a 10-day camp in Southern California. The Americans will play friendlies against Canada and Mexico U-18s. Jonathan, who will turn 17 next week, plans to play at the University of California, starting in fall 2015.
*Today’s viewing schedule for the second day of the UEFA Champions League quarterfinal first legs:
Paris Saint-Germain vs. Chelsea 2:45 p.m. on Fox Sports 1, foxsoccer2go.com
Real Madrid vs. Borussia Dortmund 2:45 p.m. on Fox Sports 2, Fox Deportes, foxsoccer2go.com
*In its final tuneup ahead of the NWSL opener, the Washington Spirit will play the University of Maryland at 7 p.m. Saturday at Maryland SoccerPlex in Montgomery County. Proceeds will benefit Headers for Hope, a charity supporting family and friends of cancer victims. Tickets are $10 in advance, $15 at the gate. The charity’s college tournament, featuring Navy, George Mason, Loyola, UMBC and Army, will take place April 12 at Howard High School in Columbia, Md.
*In case you have not seen it yet, Ian Darke calling an awkward first date:Let’s face it, we all love DEFCON. Even if you’ve never been there before, we think it would be a huge struggle to find a reader who hadn’t been enchanted by at least one of the many hacks and talks that come out of the conference every year. We’ll prove it to you in a second, but first let’s get to the business at hand. Internet historian and all around good-guy [Jason Scott] has set his documentarian skills on DEFCON and just published a nearly twenty minute preview of the film which will leave you with more questions than answers (that’s the point of a teaser, right?). He’s not new to this kind of work. We loved his film BBS: The Documentary and can’t wait to see what he’s managed to do when this is released in the new year.
Oh yeah… we were going to prove a point. Some things that came out of the yearly hacker conference which you probably drooled over after the fact include:
This is just a sliver of what this event offers. Should be fun to see all the stuff [Jason] got into that we never even knew about.Residents, joined by leaders of various political parties, at a protest demonstration organised by Action Committee Against Helmet Compulsion Sunday at Mahatma Phule Mandai. (Express photo by Pavan Khengre)
Over 500 people riding two-wheelers without wearing a helmet have died on city roads in the past three years. The rising number of fatal accidents involving helmetless riders has, however, failed to move leaders of various political parties who are opposing tooth and nail the drive launched by the traffic police to make helmets mandatory.
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In 2005 too, political leaders and residents’ groups had joined hands to oppose the “mandatory helmet rule” imposed by the city police and had managed to bring it to a halt.
The leaders, including city mayor, deputy mayor, all BJP MLAs and the party’s city unit chief, have come out in protest against the helmet norm, calling it a “counterproductive” move that will encroach upon the liberty of people.
On Sunday, leaders of various political parties, MLAs and activists, besides residents, staged a protest at Mahatma Phule Mandai under an apolitical banner named “Action Committee Against Helmet Compulsion”.
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Suryakant Pathak, president of the group, said opposition to the move stemmed from the fact that “such a move is not only impractical but there’s no evidence that such a compulsion brings down the number of accidents”.
“Since early last week, the traffic police have started imposing penalty of Rs 100 on bike riders for not wearing helmets. As per our information, the traffic department has fined around 12,000 riders.
What we cannot understand is why the police department is bent on implementing the compulsion when it’s known that it doesn’t work. Neither can it be sustained nor does it result in any conspicuous fall in the number of accidental deaths,” said Pathak, adding that Mayor Dattatray Dhankavade, Deputy Mayor Aba Bagul, all eight BJP MLAs from the city, NCP district president Ankush Kakade, MNS city chief and the Congress city chief had declared their support to the protest.
Nearly 100 protesters gathered at the Mahatma Phule Mandai and shouted slogans against the Pune Police for trying to implement the rule, which, they said, curtailed their basic rights and would only help the companies manufacturing helmets.
Iqbal Shaikh, working president of the group, said they would become more aggressive if the police did not call off the move by Wednesday.
“Imposition of this rule, collection of penalty from bike riders and hoping that this will reduce the accidental deaths is nothing but stupidity on part of the police. What they should see that this rule has not worked anywhere. The United States of America was forced to revoke the rule from 14 states after it found that it in no way contributed towards making the roads safer. In Delhi, statistics show that the number of accidental deaths had actually increased when the helmet compulsion was imposed,” he said.
Newly-elected BJP MLA from Kothrud Medha Kulkarni has even raised the issue with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. “He (the CM) has promised to speak to the director general of police and resolve the matter,” she said.
Kulkarni added: “We believe that helmet compulsion is an unjust rule and needs a rethink. Hence, I called up the chief minister and requested him to direct the Pune police to revoke the compulsion. He has promised me that he will discuss the subject with the DGP and take appropriate action. I am hoping that the compulsion will be gone soon.”
Not all road users, however, approve of the protest.
Civic activist Shridhar Chalkha said: “Politicians do not speak for people. They want an issue to come into the limelight. But they do not realise that helmets are meant to save lives. It is not about saving one life, actually you save the entire family. In several of the cases, we have seen the head of the family has lost life leaving the family in penury.”
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The police should go by norms that make helmets compulsory, irrespective of politicians’ support or opposition, said another activist D G Baliga.20. Andrew Church, RHP
Height: 6'2", Weight: 200 lbs.
DOB: 8/7/94 (22)
Acquired: 2nd round, 2013 Draft (Basic High School, Nevada)
Bats/Throws: R/R
2016: Columbia (Low-A): 9 G (9 GS), 56.2 IP, 38 H, 16 R, 14 ER (2.22 ERA), 10 BB, 52 K / St. Lucie (High-A): 6 G (6 GS), 35.0 IP, 31 H, 16 R, 14 ER (3.60 ERA), 14 H, BB, 22 K / Las Vegas (Triple-A): 1 G (1 GS), 4.0 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 3 ER (6.75 ERA), 1 BB, 4 K
The saga of Andrew Church has been a relatively strange one, and 2016 was no different. After falling off the radar thanks to injuries, Church resurfaced in 2016 and was highly effective in both Columbia, where he spent the bulk of the season, and St. Lucie. His fastball sits 89-91 MPH and touches as high as 95 MPH. Since being drafted, he has sidelined his curveball and instead replaced it with a slider that is more effective thanks to his arm slot. He rounds out his pitching repertoire with a changeup that is still very raw and is a work in progress.
Greg says:
We had largely written off the former second-round pick after he had floundered in extended spring training and short season ball since being drafted. He burst back onto the scene this year, dominating Low-A and holding his own in High-A. He features a fastball that can touch 95, but is probably more of a low 90s offering. His slider appears to be an above average offering, so that combination should get him to at least Double-A as a starter. If his changeup catches up to the slider, and the fastball settles in the higher range he’s shown, it could be an exciting profile.
Lukas says:
Church reached Triple-A and posted good peripherals in his four-inning sample, but the rest of his minor league resume remains unimpressive. He also has yet to throw more than 100 innings in a season, making him a likely reliever at the next level. Close to major league ready pitching has some value though, and maybe Dan Warthen makes things play up.
Steve says:
I didn’t really know what to make of Church when the Mets drafted him in the second-round years ago, and to be honest, I still don’t know what to make of him. Despite solid numbers in 2016, I feel a bit pessimistic on Church. Nothing that he throws is exactly plus, his is still raw, and it’s not exactly like the right-hander has a track record. Still, he will be entering his age 22 season, and has time to refine his secondary pitches.
19. Merandy Gonzalez, RHP
Height: 6'1", Weight: 195 lbs.
DOB: 8/9/95 (21)
Acquired: IFA, 2013 (Dominican Republic)
Bats/Throws: R/R
2016: Brooklyn (Short-A): 14 G (14 GS), 69.0 IP, 65 H, 29 R, 22 ER (2.87 ERA), 27 BB, 71 K
Merandy Gonzalez followed up his successful stateside debut down south last season with another excellent season, this time in front of the crowds in Coney Island. Gonzalez’s stocky frame doesn’t lend to much future projection, but the right-hander does not need much, as he already fits the profile of a starting pitcher. His fastball sits in the low-to-mid 90s, topping out as high as 97 MPH. The pitch has great life to it, but Gonzalez sometimes loses his control because he is unable to command it properly. Such bouts of ineffectiveness also had a negative impact on Gonzalez’ ability to stay on the field, as he sometimes was forced to leave starts early due to reaching organizational limits on pitches thrown per inning or per game.
He complements it with an inconsistent curveball that flashes plus at times. Sitting in the high-70s to low-80s, he can throw it for strikes or bury it out of the strike zone, but telegraphs the pitch to opposing batters by slowing down his arm action, making it more hittable than it should be. He rounds out his pitching repertoire with a changeup, but the pitch is crude and lags far behind his curveball in terms of development. It doesn’t have much fade or velocity differential from his fastball, and is, in effect, a slightly slower fastball at this point. The pitched looked better as compared to the very same pitch thrown in 2015, and seemed to improve as the 2016 season went on, meaning that his changeup may improve enough in the near future to be a semi-effective third pitch.
Greg says:
Merandy Gonzalez features one of the best fastballs in the system, touching 96 and sitting 93-94. He has a good curveball and an okay change, which is a good repertoire to have in the Mets’ system given their proclivity for gifting top prospects a slider. It’s a potential starter profile, and worthy of top 20 status in this system.
Lukas says:
Getting past rookie ball for the first time, Gonzalez performed nicely over 69 innings, notching more than a strikeout per inning and controlling his walks. The fastball is big enough to work as a starter, but the secondaries are inconsistent. I think he’d move fast as a reliever, but there’s potential for a starter in here.
Steve says:
Merandy Gonzalez’ 2016 was not as exciting as teammate Harol Gonzalez’, but Merandy was no slouch either. It was interesting watching the two succeed in almost completely different ways, with Harol more finesse and Merandy more force. Merandy seems the kind of pitcher that flowers in this system, and it will be exciting to see how much the organization will be able to add to the already solid profile that he is working with.
18. Ricky Knapp, RHP
Height: 6'1", Weight: 215 lbs.
DOB: 5/20/92 (24)
Acquired: 8th round, 2013 Draft (Florida Gulf Coast University)
Bats/Throws: R/R
2016: St. Lucie (High-A): 16 G (15 GS), 105.1 IP, 95 H, 31 R, 25 ER (2.14 ERA), 22 BB, 64 K / Binghamton (Double-A): 6 G (6 GS), 40.1 IP, 31 H, 15 R, 13 ER (2.90 ERA), 10 BB, 40 K / Las Vegas (Triple-A): 3 G (3 GS), 18.0 IP, 22 H, 11 R, 11 ER (5.50 ERA), 7 BB, 11 K
In 2015, Ricky Knapp bounced around between the bullpen and the starting rotation before settling in and excelling as a starter. In 2016, he reprised his role as starter, making starts at three different levels. The son of Rick Knapp, a former pitching coach and coordinator for the Detroit Tigers, Minnesota Twins, Kansas City Royals, and Las Angeles Dodgers, Ricky Knapp may not be the most physically gifted, but he makes up for that with a high pitching IQ. His fastball sits 88-92, but he commands the pitch well, pitches to the entire strike zone, and is able to add or subtract from it to fool the timing of hitters. He complements it with a variety of secondary pitches, none of which are plus, but neither are any of them terribly fringy, to the point of ineffectiveness. He hides his changeup well, and the pitch has just enough fade to fool batters sitting on the plane it approaches on. His slider and curveball have good movement, and Knapp often changes his arm slot and grip to produce different kinds of trajectories and break for both. His cutter is just enough to keep left-handed hitters honest and on their guard against it. All in all, Knapp has a high baseball IQ, and is a better pitcher than the sum of his individual pitches as a result.
Greg says:
My love of Knapp is well known, at least to the handful of people who listen to the podcast and read my work. It’s an aesthetically pleasing profile, featuring four clear pitches that he knows how to spin well. The fastball is 88-92, with plenty of slack in the delivery to think he can settle in at the high end of that range. If he does, it’s a likely fifth starter with room for more if the secondaries gain consistency.
Lukas says:
I remain skeptical on Knapp. His strikeout rate reached interesting levels for a 40 inning stretch at Double-A, but that was sandwiched between unimpressive performances at Advanced-A and Triple-A (Vegas caveats and all). Dan Warthen has built an impressive resume at this point and I think he’ll need to work some more magic on Knapp if he’s to be anything more than a middle reliever.
Steve says:
I first noticed Knapp when he settled into the role of starter and found success in the second half of 2015, and I’ve been a fan since. Nothing the right-hander does will jump off the page at you, but he gets it done nonetheless. He does not have the highest ceiling, but the floor appears high enough to entertain the thought that he’d be able to get major league bats out, though because of his lack of plus-pitches, I don’t know if that will translate into a bullpen role.
17. Phil Evans, INF
Height: 5'9", Weight: 220 lbs.
DOB: 9/10/92 (24)
Acquired: 15th round, 2011 Draft (La Costa Canyon High School, California)
Bats/Throws: R/R
2016: St. Lucie (High-A): 9 G, 33 PA,.143/.273/.143, 0 HR, 0/0 SB, 9.1 strikeout rate, 15.2 walk rate / Binghamton (Double-A): 96 G, 386 PA,.335/.374/.485, 8 HR, 1/2 SB, 15.5 strikeout rate, 4.9 walk rate
The Mets had high hopes for Phil Evans when they drafted him in the 2011 Draft, but a few seasons of injury and ineffectiveness that saw him barely hitting his own weight—or in some cases, not even—decimated his value as a prospect. Evans reemerged with a vengeance in 2016, making the most of the opportunity he was afforded when fellow infielder Jeff McNeil sustained an injury by hitting.335, edging out Aneury Tavarez for the Eastern League batting title by.00012. Still only 24, Evans demonstrated that the potential in his bat when he was drafted is still there. He has an aggressive approach at the plate, using a short, quick stroke to make contact and put balls in play. Over the course of the 2016 season, Evans quietly transformed himself a bit as a hitter, spraying the ball across the entire field and hitting the ball to his pull side with more authority than ever before, keys to sustained success in the future. The changes are certainly reflected in the.384 BABIP he posted over the course of the season, but the question remains just how much of that high BABIP was luck. Defensively, Evans played second base, third base, and shortstop in 2016, but is probably best suited to second base, where his below average arm and range can be masked.
Greg says:
Evans had a breakout season in 2016, something that doesn’t usually happen in Double-A. But Evans has pedigree, and he put it all together this year. He features a short, compact swing that he uses to make a lot contact with his aggressive approach. He won’t walk much because he likes to swing, but it won’t matter much if he continues to make contact at the rate he did this past year. Defensively, he profiles as more of a second or third baseman who can spot you at short in a pinch. It wouldn’t surprise me if Evans makes his major league debut in 2017.
Lukas says:
Evan moved up a level to Double-A and dominated, posting a 140 wRC+. A lot of that was BABIP driven, but minor league BABIP is somewhat informative and Evans was spraying line drives all over the place. That.384 mark isn’t going to stick, but it could come down 50 points and still leave Evans as an intriguing infield utility piece that’s relatively close to major league ready.
Steve says:
There’s no doubt that Evans had a great year in Binghamton, but it’s going to take more than one year with a high BABIP to convince me that Evans has turned the corner, especially given how poorly the middle infielder performed in years past. Given the plethora of middle infield options the Mets have clustered near the top, Evans’ reemergence could not come at a more inopportune time to set himself apart from the pack.
16. Peter Alonso, 1B
Height: 6'3", Weight: 225 lbs.
DOB: 12/7/94 (21)
Acquired: 2nd round, 2016 Draft (University of Florida)
Bats/Throws: R/R
2016: 30 G, 123 PA,.321/.382/.587, 5 HR, 0/1 SB, 17.9 strikeout rate, 8.9 walk rate
As an advanced college hitter coming from a division where he regularly faced competition equal to or better than what he saw in the NY-Penn League, Peter Alonso looked like a man among boys. Though his season was cut short to 30 games thanks to his presence in the College World Series with the University of Florida and a broken pinky in early August he led the team in slugging and tied for most home runs- a category he almost certainly would have found himself among league leaders if he qualified with enough at-bats. Alonso’s calling card is power- the right-hander has multiple tape-measure home runs under his belt, and regularly produces major league caliber exit velocity on balls he makes contact on. Therein lies the rub: against premium velocity and more developed breaking balls, the first baseman may struggle to make contact. His swing mechanics are often out of sync, opening his hips early and starting his leg lift too early, leaving his upper half struggling to catch up. Combined with a long swing with bat speed that, while adequate, is not elite, the first baseman may have difficulties making contact. If he demonstrates he can, though, he should remain a middle-of-the-order power threat. Defensively, the right-handed first baseman is athletic enough to adequately man first, though he is limited to the position.
Greg says:
Alonso features the best raw power in the system, but he’ll need to work on his swing if he wants to tap into that power against more advanced competition. His swing is long, and he doesn’t have the bat speed to compensate. If he makes some adjustments--eliminating the hitch, getting shorter and more direct to the ball--he could end up one of the more exciting prospects in the system.
Lukas says:
Everyone loves dingerz, and Alonso’s best attribute is his power. However, the swing is long (even to my untrained eye) and he’ll need significant refinement to succeed as he moves up the ladder. Even then there might just not be enough bat speed. That being said, right hand power is always great and something the Mets have been sorely lacking in recent memory. The chance at a righty power bat at first is intriguing.
Steve says:We all know that home-field advantage exists. I'm sure you've heard of the Seattle Seahawks' record number of false start penalties caused, as well as their perfect home record last year. I'm sure you recall that it took the Sounders playing at the top of their form to finally break Real Salt Lake's home undefeated streak. The advantage exists in basically every sport. It is a universal constant.
Theories for the source of "home-field advantage" vary. It is possibly due to familiarity with the field, court, or pitch. As players play there often, they come to know the bounce of the ball off the Green Monster, the quirks of the lighting and shadows as the sun sets near Safeco, or the best spots for footing in the sand pit that is FedExField. Even if those things bring a negligible advantage, they may provide a significant psychological boost in confidence. A placebo effect, perhaps. Some sports, baseball and hockey, notably, even have rule changes that give slight advantages to the home side.
Often most of the credit for home-field advantage is given to the fans. We all know how loud it can get in the Clink for Sounders games; it gets even louder for the Seahawks. Crowd noise can definitely have an effect on the game. If you can't hear your teammates, you will have problems if you do not have a plan to deal with it. When fans pack The Big House, you can bet there is an intimidation factor, both on opposing teams and on referees.
So we all know it exists, but just how much of it exists? Well, in MLB, teams do slightly better at home, but not significantly better. In the NFL, teams tend to do slightly better. In both sports you can find examples of a few teams that did better on the road, but overall it appears that records are maybe 10-20% better at home (this is a rough eyeballed number). Five of the 8 division winners in the NFL last year either had the same home and away records or were only one win better at home. Hockey is similar to these: teams do better at home, but not significantly better.
Looking at basketball, things are a bit more skewed. Last year in the NBA, teams averaged about 9 more wins at home than on the road. Some of the teams were steady; Brooklyn was about as good on the road as at home, while Orlando was bad pretty much wherever they played. And then you have Denver, who had a winning percentage of.927 at home, but were below.500 on the road. To illustrate how different the NBA is than the other three, only 27% of NBA teams had a winning to.500 record on the road, while in the NHL and MLB, 43% had winning or.500 records, and in NFL, the percentage was 47%.
In MLS, it makes more sense to measure home-field advantage in terms of teams' Home Goal Differential (HGD: goals for minus against at home) versus their Road Goal Differential (RGD: goals for minus against on the road). Last year, only 4 teams had an even or positive road goal differential in MLS. This year that number is just three, after New England fell 3-0 to Kansas City. Only 21% or less of the league is even in the black on the road. In 2012, the average difference between a team's HGD and RGD was a whopping 16.58 goals for the season. That means, with the 34-game season, that teams generally did a half-goal better at home than their "average" (basically how they'd play on a "neutral" field, with the effects of being home or away nullified), and a half-goal worse on the road than their average. This is why, when making calculations in MLS, you generally spot the home team a half a goal before the game even starts.
The numbers this year are slightly more strongly in favor of the home sides. With an average of 23 games played, teams are sitting on a difference of approximately 12 goals between their HGD and RGD, good for a solid.52 goals per game differential (teams are averaging slightly more than half a goal better on the road and half a goal worse at home). By comparison, under the old balanced schedule in 2010, the difference in RGD and HGD was.4 goals per game (I didn't find a good source for the numbers for 2011).
Within the overall numbers, we can pick out some trends. First off, Chivas in 2012 was the only team to be better on the road than at home. And by "better" I mean "not quite as awful." An awful -21 at home versus -13 on the road is not much to celebrate. You can chalk up the majority of the Timbers' improvement to their road form, as they actually have a positive RGD this year. Last year they were at a staggering -25, even though they had a +3 HGD. If John Spencer or Gavin Wilkinson had been able to figure out how to play on the road, maybe Porter would still be at Akron.
The Sounders have one of the best home advantages in the league so far this year, thanks to some big wins at home. They are a slightly below league-average team on the road though. The Sounders are tied for the third largest (worst?) HGD/RGD difference in the league, alongside Montreal and Colorado.
The Galaxy are actually the most "Jekyll and Hyde" team, as they have the best home advantage so far (+14 HGD), yet are -9 on the road, tied for the 4th worst RGD in the league. That's good for a 23-goal difference for their home versus away form. That's more than a goal a game of difference, and it is almost entirely due to their defense. At home they have only allowed 4 goals. On the road though? 26!! That's.4 GAA at home, and 2.0 GAA away! If the Sounders have to face another annual 3-0 deficit in the playoffs, I might actually feel confident if we lost 3-0 on the road to LA then came to Century Link for the second leg. LA has allowed 3 goals against Vancouver, Salt Lake, Dallas and San Jose, and also lost 5-0 to New England earlier this year. They additionally allowed 2 goals against Toronto, Portland, and Colorado. The Galaxy do not have a good defense on the road. They have a terrible defense on the road.
In other little tidbits, Montreal has a pretty bad RGD like LA (with -9), which helps explain their downturn in form. Only three teams have a negative HGD. San Jose somehow has 30 points, despite having a -10 GD, tied with TFC, who are sitting on 20 points. SJ loses really bad on the road, then does OK at home. Meanwhile, Chivas and DC are really, really bad. Both have negative overall GDs in the 20's, and are still in the teens in points.
So what does all of this mean, if anything? Well, if you're a betting fan, I'd suggest spotting the home side a healthy margin. Teams can and do win on the road, but usually only when they are significantly better than the other team. It also seems that the unbalanced schedule meant to cut down on travel has not really changed the nature of teams playing worse on the road. A lot more goes into the travel than the pure distance involved, so perhaps teams find the travel just as tiring. It could also mean that the biggest advantage to the league of reduced travel distance is actually the decreased cost of travel.
Of course, the key takeaway is that home-field advantage is very strong in MLS, perhaps stronger than in any other sport in America. Why do I think that is? Personally, I think MLS supporters--meaning fans, from casuals to ultras--are the best sports fans in America. The data supports it.DANNY ALEX |
Hoover, and Nashville disc jockey Ralph Emery (following the release of I'm Gonna Be a Country Girl Again), Sainte-Marie said "I was put out of business in the United States".[39]
Honours and awards [ edit ]
Screen Actors Guild Lifetime Achievement
American Indian College Fund Lifetime Achievement
Charles de Gaulle Award (France)
Sistina Award (Italy)[ when? ]
Other [ edit ]
Discography [ edit ]
Albums [ edit ]
[26]
Singles [ edit ]
[26]
Soundtracks [ edit ]
Year Album Peak chart positions CAN US UK [48] 1970 Performance — — —
Anthologies [ edit ]
See also [ edit ]Muhammad Ali hit out against Islamic extremists and Donald Trump’s plan to bar Muslims from entering the United States on Wednesday.
“I am a Muslim and there is nothing Islamic about killing innocent people in Paris, San Bernardino, or anywhere else in the world,” the three-time world heavyweight champion said in a statement. “True Muslims know that the ruthless violence of so called Islamic jihadists goes against the very tenets of our religion.”
The Louisville-born boxer, who converted to Sunni Islam in 1975, called on Muslims to “stand up to those who use Islam to advance their own personal agenda”.
No one is coming out of the Trump and Fury scandals well – not even us | Michael White Read more
He added: “They have alienated many from learning about Islam. True Muslims know or should know that it goes against our religion to try and force Islam on anybody.”
The 132-word statement, issued under the headline ‘Presidential Candidates Proposing to Ban Muslim Immigration to the United States’, also took a thinly veiled swipe at Trump’s sweeping proposal for a “total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States”, made on Monday in the wake of the San Bernardino shooting.
“Speaking as someone who has never been accused of political correctness, I believe that our political leaders should use their position to bring understanding about the religion of Islam and clarify that these misguided murderers have perverted people’s views on what Islam really is,” Ali said.
Trump had unwittingly invoked Ali earlier this week in the Republican presidential candidate’s response to President Barack Obama’s address to the nation on Sunday night, tweeting: “Obama said in his speech that Muslims are our sports heroes. What sport is he talking about, and who? Is Obama profiling?”
Many were quick to mention the two had crossed paths many times over the years, with Trump himself referring to Ali as “my friend” in a Facebook post only seven months prior.
Even with advanced Parkinson’s disease having severely limited his speech and mobility, the 73-year-old icon continues to lend his global clout to a number of humanitarian causes.
In March, the Olympic gold medalist called on the Iranian government to release an imprisoned Washington Post journalist, calling the detained Jason Rezaian a “man of peace and great faith” who used his “gift of writing and intimate knowledge of the country to share the stories of the people and culture of Iran to the world”.
In 2011, Ali headed a group of prominent US Muslims in calling on Iranian leaders to release a pair of American hikers who had been detained near the Iran-Iraq border two years prior.
Known simply as The Greatest, he is renowned today as much for his principled stances on religious freedom and racial justice as his epochal victories over Sonny Liston, Joe Frazier and George Foreman.The Food and Drug Administration on Friday announced a groundbreaking new plan to try to reduce the numbers of Americans killed by tobacco by lowering the nicotine in tobacco products like cigarettes so that they’re no longer addictive.
“Unless we change course, 5.6 million young people alive today will die prematurely later in life from tobacco use,” said FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb in a statement. “Envisioning a world where cigarettes would no longer create or sustain addiction, and where adults who still need or want nicotine could get it from alternative and less harmful sources, needs to be the cornerstone of our efforts — and we believe it’s vital that we pursue this common ground.”
Smoking has long been the leading cause of preventable premature death and illness in the US, and is responsible for more than 480,000 deaths a year. Experts have been arguing since 1994 that lowering nicotine levels could curb addiction to tobacco products and reduce the associated deaths. A 2013 article by Kenneth Warner, a professor of public health at the University of Michigan, argued for the need for “radical ‘endgame’ strategies” like nicotine reduction in cigarettes “to eliminate the toll of tobacco.”
New rules to lower nicotine in tobacco products are the top priority in the FDA’s “multi-year roadmap.” But it also includes a pledge to look at the role of menthol cigarettes and other flavored tobacco products designed to appeal to youth, and the health impacts of smoking premium cigars.
The agency says its next step is to “issue this guidance describing a new enforcement policy” and then seek input from the public. Tobacco companies will without a doubt fight the FDA’s attempts to lower nicotine levels and the other new regulations on cigarettes in the works. According to Bloomberg, tobacco company shares fell precipitously Friday morning after the announcement.Lanna Diamond, 50, never imagined she would one day rely on the food bank where she volunteered. She, along with thousands of other Manitobans, uses a food bank to make ends meet.
A new HungerCount report by Food Banks Canada suggests more people in the province are using food banks than last year.
The network of provincial associations, food banks and food agencies found that 63,791 people in Manitoba used a food bank in March 2015, up 3.4 per cent compared to March 2014. That's more than the national average, which increased 1.3 per cent.
Diamond's reliance on food banks began after a severe car accident in 2011 caused injuries to her neck and forced her to undergo surgery. A long recovery time led Diamond to quit her job as an addictions counsellor and go on disability benefits.
Soon after, she began to use services at Winnipeg Harvest to make ends meet. It was the same food bank she had volunteered at for more than 20 years.
"It came as quite a shock to myself in the beginning, but now that I've crossed the barrier of accepting my situation … I'm feeling a lot better about myself," she said.
Diamond's story is echoed across the country; individuals and families turn to food banks because government assistance is not high enough to cover living and food expenses, the report says.
"Manitoba doesn't look good," said David Northcott, executive director of Winnipeg Harvest. "Second largest jump since 2008. The number 1 jump was Alberta, but number 2 was Manitoba."
Alberta was an outlier in the 2015 HungerCount report — food bank use in that province increased 23.4 per cent.
Volunteers use plastic bags to pack food kits for Manitobans at Winnipeg Harvest. According to the latest HungerCount report, more people are relying on food banks in the province than in 2014. (Multi-Material Stewardship Manitoba) Looking at the overall trend of food bank use in the Manitoba, 57.6 per cent more Manitobans are using food security agencies than in 2008. Nearly 42 per cent of Manitoba food bank users are children, the report said.
"When food bank activity is going up or down, this is an instant measure of the value of the economy and how family incomes are doing, because basically, it's about family income," Northcott said.
"If people have enough money, they're not going to use the food bank; if they don't, they're going to use the food bank."
Reducing Manitoba's reliance on food banks
Food Banks Canada makes four recommendations they say will help alleviate need for food banks:
create a basic income to replace provincial social assistance programs;
increase the availability of affordable housing;
reinstate and enhance employment and training supports for Canadians with low literacy levels; and
increase food security and reduce hunger in northern communities.
Northcott agrees with Food Banks Canada: a basic income for all Canadians is a solution that could reduce reliance on food banks.
"The food bank numbers in Winnipeg and in Manitoba and Canada are telling Canadians that we can't repeat what we've done for 30 years. We need to be able to look at this differently, and one of the ways looking at it differently is now is the time to look at a basic income," he said.
The 2015 HungerCount report used information gathered from 45 food banks, two meal programs and seven organizations that provide food bank and meal services in Manitoba.
Food bank: more than free groceries
Winnipeg Harvest provides Diamond with basic necessities, including food such as bread and vegetables every two weeks. She also volunteers about four times a month to give back, she said.
"[Winnipeg Harvest] has given me the opportunity to not push my body or myself. It's been wonderful," said Diamond.
Winnipeg Harvest does more than just provide food and personal toiletries, she said; it's been "a blessing" to her during her recovery.
"There's so much support for those that need it — emotionally, mentally — just because there is such a strong sense of community spirit here and because people understand what others are going through."
Winnipeg Harvest's most-wanted food donations:(COLUMBUS, Ohio) May 2015 – A new national survey shows that most women don’t know the risks or symptoms females face when it comes to having a stroke. The survey, released by The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, found that only 11 percent of women could identify female-specific risk factors for stroke from a list and nine out of 10 weren’t aware that hiccups combined with chest pain are among the early warning signs of a stroke in women.
“I think we have a ways to go when it comes to educating women about stroke and their unique risk factors,” said Dr. Diana Greene-Chandos, a neurologist and director of neuroscience critical care at Ohio State’s Wexner Medical Center. “Things like pregnancy, hormone replacement therapy and even something as trivial as a case of the hiccups can all play an important role when it comes to strokes in women, and we need to be more aware of it,” she said.On the third Monday in February, Manitobans celebrate the Métis leader and founder of Manitoba, Louis Riel. Philippe Mailhot, former director of the St. Boniface Museum, has spent his professional life getting to know Riel and sharing his story.
Here are five things about Riel that Mailhot said Manitobans should know — but might not:
1. Louis Riel helped create Manitoba decades before Alberta and Saskatchewan became provinces.
When Canada acquired the Northwest Territories from the Hudson Bay Company, the federal government intended to simply purchase it, said Mailhot. At the time, the vast region included what are now Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and most of northern Ontario and Quebec, as well as the three northern Canadian territories.
"They had no plans to create provinces," Mailhot said.
Manitoba was given provincial status in 1870, shortly after the purchase and decades before Saskatchewan and Alberta became provinces, thanks directly to the advocacy role played by Louis Riel, said Mailhot.
2. Louis Riel's father, who was also a Métis organizer, was known as the Miller of the Seine.
Louis Riel (Sr.) tried to set up water mills along the Seine River in St. Boniface, but he never had a great deal of success.
3. Riel might have become a missionary were it not for his father's early death in 1864.
In Riel's early teenage years, he travelled from Manitoba to Montreal for his education. His intention was to become a Catholic priest, said Mailhot.
"The clergy here was hoping he would return essentially as a native-born missionary and have a career working with the Catholic church in missions and across the northwest," Mailhot said.
Riel's plans changed after his father's death. Riel decided to care for his mother and stay in Manitoba instead of pursuing plans to work for the Roman Catholic Church.
"Had his father lived a bit longer, Louis Riel may well have achieved fame as one of the early missionaries in western Canada," said Mailhot.
4. Louis Riel refused to be deemed insane during his trial, even when it may have saved his life.
During Riel's trial for treason in 1885, his lawyers tried to depict him as insane, said Mailhot.
Riel had suffered from some mental illness during his lifetime. In 1876 he was admitted to hospital in Montreal after suffering a nervous breakdown. It followed years of stress and life in exile for executing Canadian government employee Thomas Scott for insubordination in 1870, when Riel led a provisional government during the Red River Resistance.
Riel refused to let his views or his supporters fall under the type of questioning that would come if he were found insane, Mailhot said.
"He would rather be executed as a sane person than be described as someone who was insane; that would be an insult to all the people that followed him," he said.
5. Manitoba is still governed by the Manitoba Act, legislation Louis Riel helped create.
One of the principles in the Manitoba Act involves protecting French language in the province. Laws, for example, must be written in both languages.
"Rights for the French-speaking and Catholic populations in Manitoba … dates back to 1870 and the role that Louis Riel played," said Mailhot.Charlie Sheen is claiming he’s beaten his HIV diagnosis because his blood is free of the virus! Since it’s undetectable in his system, he’s implying that’s why he never revealed to any of his partners that he was HIV positive, according to a shocking new report.
Charlie Sheen, 50, is on the defensive now that at least four women have come forward alleging that he knew he was HIV positive. and that he had unprotected sex with them without telling them. While he’s alleged to have known about his condition for over two years, he didn’t tell any of his vast array of sexual partners because the virus doesn’t show up in blood tests, according to a bombshell new report. He’s reportedly due to discuss his HIV status on the Today Show Nov. 17, so we’ve got to wonder if he’ll confirm this claim, HollywoodLife.com has an exclusive source confirming that he is HIV positive.
“Charlie has known for more than two years that he was HIV positive…and one source says he’s known way longer than that. We’re told Charlie was taking meds for the HIV and has had a series of blood tests, and over time, the HIV has been ‘undetectable’ in his system,” according to a new report by TMZ.
“Charlie freely admits he’s had scores of sexual partners over the years, many of whom had intimate relations with him after his diagnosis. The implication here is clear…Charlie is saying he didn’t deceive anyone, since the blood tests did not reveal the presence of HIV,” the website continues.
While huge advances have been made in HIV treatment over the years, once someone is diagnosed with the virus it remains for life. However, “Medications do in fact prevent transmissions in some cases,” a doctor tells HollywoodLife.com EXCLUSIVELY. So if Charlie is managing the treatment of his tiger blood properly, he may not be that far off in his claims.
One of the reasons Charlie is set to come clean about his diagnosis is because a number of former lovers have spilled about it to The National Enquirer. At least four women allegedly claimed that Charlie put them at risk of the deadly condition, reports Radar Online via the tabloid, and he even supposedly paid one of his former partners to keep his secret hush-hush. The Enquirer claims that “Charlie had sex with multiple partners since learning his HIV status without informing them of his potentially deadly HIV infection.” Yikes!
HollywoodLifers, do you plan on watching Charlie’s big reveal on the Today Show Nov. 17? Let us know in the comments below!
— Beth ShillidayWhat exactly are Clark Hoyt's standards at the NY Times? May 24, 2010 9:10 AM EDT ››› Blog ›››››› ERIC BOEHLERT
And a second question: Why is it that when liberals and Democrats raise concerns about Times reporting, Public Editor Hoyt seems to start his analysis from a defend-the-Times perspective? It's a troubling pattern. Media Matters' Matt Gertz this weekend already raised lots of important questions about Hoyt's Sunday response to the controversy still brewing over the Times' big scoop last week that CT. Democrat Richard Blumenthal had exaggerated his Vietnam War military record. The problem for the Times has been the growing perception that the newspaper had its collective thumb on the scale when it wrote up the Blumenthal story, and that the Times, for instance, purposely hid some exculpatory information that would have undercut the allegations lodged against Blumenthal. That's a big newsroom no-no. You're not supposed to sit on important facts for fear it would make your scoop seem less scoopy. That's one of the issues Hoyt addressed in his Sunday column, and I'd simply focus attention on the final two paragraphs of Hoyt's piece [emphasis added]: Were there flaws in the story? Yes: It should have said more about how it originated; it should have provided mitigating information far higher; it should have noted that his official biography was accurate. The full video should have been posted so readers could make their own judgments. It is true that Blumenthal often correctly described his military experience. But he has sometimes flatly misrepresented it — a new example surfaced Thursday — and that matters. How much, the voters of Connecticut will decide. The Times was right to give them the information. Am I missing something here? Reviewing the Times' performance with the controversial Blumenthal story, Hoyt concluded the paper made four substantial procedural mistakes in putting the story together. (And yes, all four mistakes harmed Blumenthal, the Democrat.) But then in the very next breath Hoyt announced that the Times did its readers a service by publishing the story. This defies logic.
Hoyt's job is to police the newspaper's journalism; to act as an independent newsroom cop and to make sure journalists there adhere to the highest possible standard. And for the Blumenthal story, Hoyt concluded that all kinds of corners were cut. Consequently, Blumenthal was treated quite unfairly by the newspaper, which, according to Hoyt, should have done this, this, this, and this.
But despite all those sins of omission-- omissions which if included in the original blockbuster would have severely undercut the article's newsworthiness-- Hoyt essentially gives the newsroom his seal of approval.
That's bad enough. But as I mentioned, there's also a pattern emerging of Hoyt giving the all-clear signal for shoddy Times journalism that rankles liberals and Democrats. In fact, this is the second time this year the Times has been attacked by the political left for clearly questionable reporting, Hoyt has addressed the issue, and Hoyt seemed to begin from the premise of, how can I defend the Times' reporting? (This past winter it was the Times' ACORN train wreck performance, which Hoyt practically engineered.)
And yes, this is the same Hoyt who devoted an entire column last year to scold the Times news team for not reacting quickly and urgently enough to partisan, right-wing stories born on the Internet. i.e. When conservatives complained about Times coverage, Hoyt was very quick to scold the newsroom. But twice now in recent months when liberals have scolded the newspaper, Hoyt went out of his way to defend the newsroom when it clearly was in the wrong. Even after Hoyt conceded the newspaper was in the wrong.
So yes, I remain puzzled: What exactly are Clark Hoyt's standards at the NY Times?
Short Link
copy linkAfter invading Iraq ten years ago, the United States spent $60 billion on a vast reconstruction effort that left behind few successes and a litany of failures, an auditor’s report said Wednesday.
The ambitious plan to transform the country after the fall of Saddam Hussein has been marked by half-finished projects and crushed expectations, according to the final report of the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction, Stuart Bowen.
The aid effort was plagued by in-fighting among US agencies and an improvised “adhocracy” approach, with no one clearly in charge of a massive investment that was supposed to put Iraq on a stable footing, said the report to Congress.
“Management and funding gaps caused hundreds of projects to fall short of promised results, leaving a legacy of bitter dissatisfaction among many Iraqis,” it said.
Some of the reconstruction money was stolen, with a number of US military officers and contractors now imprisoned for fraud, while other funds remain unaccounted for to this day, it said.
Of $2.8 billion in Iraqi oil revenues handled by the US Defense Department, officials could not produce documents accounting for the use of about $1.7 billion, including $1.3 billion in fuel purchases, it said.
The lengthy report highlighted some of the worst examples of mismanagement and graft and included interviews with senior Iraqi and US officials who mostly regretted the outcome of the reconstruction program.
“The level of fraud, waste, and abuse in Iraq was appalling,” Senator Susan Collins, a Republican from Maine, was quoted as saying.
She was “especially angry when she learned that some reconstruction money found its way into the hands of insurgent groups,” the report said.
Both Iraqi and US officials agreed that the Americans ignored the advice of Iraqis or never bothered to consult them before launching costly projects, with sometimes disastrous results.
The litany of failures included a new police academy with raw sewage leaking through ceilings, a subcontractor charging $900 for a control switch valued at seven dollars and a project to build large prison in Diyala province that was eventually abandoned, despite an investment of $40 million.The Australian newspaper celebrates 50 years in print with glowing endorsement from Tony Abbott
Updated
The Australian has celebrated 50 years in print with a glowing endorsement from Prime Minister Tony Abbott, who said John Howard had the newspaper to thank for his elevation to the nation's top job.
But the current leader stopped short of crediting the News Corp publication or any of its state-based stable-mates with his own success as he championed the masthead's objectivity.
At a gala dinner in Sydney marking the half-century milestone, Mr Abbott - who once worked as a journalist at The Australian - said the contemporary publication is "one of the world's very best".
And he wanted to "kill the urban myth" that News Corp papers were ciphers for boss Rupert Murdoch.
"The Australian has borne his ideals but not his fingerprints: it has been his gift to our nation," Mr Abbott told an audience which included past and present politicians, sporting greats and business leaders.
"Long ago The Australian found its authentic voice and that has helped governments and people to find theirs."
Mr Abbott said the newspaper barracked for causes rather than political parties and promoted issues not individuals and told both sides of a story.
However it was The Australian in 1994 that cleared the way for Mr Howard to take the Coalition leadership and become prime minister "by putting on the front page his change of mind on Asian immigration".
Thirteen years later though, the paper was campaigning against Mr Howard, he added.
Mr Abbott acknowledged that The Australian had sought arguments for and against a number of issues, including the much-debated price on carbon.
"No think-tank, no institution, no university has so consistently and so successfully captured and refined the way we think about ourselves."
Murdoch returns the favour, praising Abbott Government
Mr Murdoch thanked the thousands of staff who have worked on The Australian since its inception in July 1964, and recalled with humour his battles with "flights, fog and finances" in the newspaper's early days.
But rather than dwell on the past, Mr Murdoch spoke about the future and his confidence that The Australian would reach 100 years.
Newspapers were not doomed, he said, adding they were "able to engage, to entertain, to educate, to provoke, to occasionally irritate, and I hope often, to enlighten".
Mr Murdoch also took the opportunity to praise Mr Abbott's approach to government.
"Government itself can be a threat. Thankfully, Prime Minister Abbott and his team are working to trim not dramatically the reach and the expense of government," he said.
He urged Australia to build stronger relations with its regional neighbours, strive toward higher-level education and not rely on "exporting chunks of our terrain".
ABC/AAP
Topics: print-media, journalism, information-and-communication, abbott-tony, federal-parliament, federal-government, government-and-politics, sydney-2000, australia
First postedGonna be awhile (specialkrb's flickr).
It's Friday morning, so it's time to start making plans for the blessed, blessed weekend. But if you live in, or want to travel to, Northern Brooklyn we probably should warn you: Among other planned service changes, this weekend boasts yet another total shutdown of the L. But there is a silver lining to this weekend's L Hell! We swear!
Yes, from Friday night through Monday morning there will be no L service between 8th Avenue and Broadway Junction. And yes, that sucks. But on the plus side the MTA tells us that while "There will be other outages along the L line this year, this weekend will be the last planned outage that impacts service to/from Manhattan." So yeah, it probably won't be your last time riding a fake-L shuttle bus, but at least businesses on Bedford will have one less thing to complain about?
Meanwhile, the service changes seem to us like a perfect reason to go check out one of the St. Patrick's parades in the other boroughs!If you're a woman or minority student looking for a mentor, don't hold your breath.
New research has found that university professors exhibit a bias in favor of their white male students, information that, while perhaps not unexpected, is seriously bad news for the nation's aspiring academics.
According to a segment produced by NPR, researchers led by the Wharton School's Katherine Milkman emailed 6,500 professors from 89 disciplines at the top 259 schools, pretending to be students. These emails replicated the same message; the only variable was the sender's name — for example, "Brad Anderson, Meredith Roberts, Lamar Washington, LaToya Brown, Juanita Martinez, Deepak Patel, Sonali Desai, Chang Wong, Mei Chen" — deliberately crafted in order to test the racial and gender bias in professor response.
The type of student who garnered the most responses? The white male. As Milkman told NPR, professors "ignored requests from women and minorities at a higher rate than requests from white males.... We see a 25-percentage-point gap in the response rate to Caucasian males versus women and minorities."
"All they were measuring was how often professors wrote back agreeing to meet with the students," notes NPR's Shankar Vedantam. "And what they found was there were very large disparities. Women and minorities [were] systematically less likely to get responses from the professors, and also less likely to get positive responses from the professors."
Faculty at private universities, business schools and those in "lucrative" (read: non-humanities) fields were more likely to discriminate than those at public schools or those who work in the humanities.
Racial bias was most evident against Asian students, which surprised researchers, who assumed the stereotype of "Asians as a model minority group" would be reflected in faculty response. The assumption, as well as the final data, reveal how both Southeast Asians and East Asians collectively remain the silent minority whose mythic "model minority" status conceals their lived discrimination in American culture.
This research illustrates how white men continue to be recipients of academic privilege, despite all the "post-racial" angst and paranoia directed at legally institutionalized methods of redressing gender and racial inequities, from Title IX to affirmative action.
Fear that men are losing their academic edge is illogically deduced from the growing achievements of women in the classroom. Yet, as the U.S. Department of Education reported at the beginning of the year, there remains a substantial achievement gap between whites and racial minorities at the K-12 level, which arguably translates into a disparity in success at the college level. This disparity was proven by a report released in February, called "Aspirations to Achievement: Men of Color and Community College," which observed that black and Latino men enter college with the most motivation but achieve the least success.
"Although black and Latino male students enter community colleges with higher aspirations than those of their white peers, white men are six times as likely to graduate in three years with a certificate or degree," the report's authors noted. "Black men are the most engaged in tutoring and orientation sessions but report the least success. Latinos are in between, and white men report the lowest levels of engagement at almost every level but the most success."
Scholars behind this research attribute the difference to minorities entering college with "weaker academic skills," which, they contend, can be countered by "building strong personal connections on the campus." Unfortunately, as Milkman's new study suggests, they are not even receiving this type of institutional support.Most 2011 stock market gains are gone
The Dow Jones industrial average slips below 12,000 for the first time since March. Negative reports on manufacturing, real estate prices and unemployment as well as other economic benchmarks have led to six consecutive weeks of falling share prices.
Analysts blamed the latest tumble on China's announcement that its trade surplus in May was smaller than expected, suggesting that global demand for Chinese goods has slowed. Investors were also disappointed by Britain's announcement that its manufacturing sector was growing more slowly than expected.
Most of the profits U.S. stock investors have seen since the beginning of the year have been wiped out after six straight weeks of falling share prices.
Disappointing economic news drove stocks down again Friday, sending the Dow Jones industrial average below 12,000 for the first time since March 18.
Reporting from New York — So much for those stock market gains that were fattening up portfolios not so long ago.
But negative reports on manufacturing, real estate prices and unemployment as well as other economic benchmarks have been piling up for weeks. The market staged a one-day rally Thursday, but traders were still gathered near the exits, ready to bolt.
For average investors worried about their 401(k) retirement accounts and other stock investments, the advice from professional advisors has typically been to stand pat and ride out what many think is a temporary reversal.
But as the Wall Street slide has extended week after week, many are no longer patient to wait for a turnaround.
"Anyone who is selling stocks today has to assume we are going back into a recession," said Jack Ablin, chief investment officer at Harris Private Bank in Chicago. "That's what the market is saying right now."
Earlier this spring, the broad market indexes were up between 8.3% and 10.6% for the year, drawing back some investors who had abandoned stocks after devastating losses in 2008 and early 2009. The first four months of 2011 saw net inflows into stock mutual funds after two years of outflows, according to data from the Investment Company Institute.
Now, though, the tide is again moving out of stock mutual funds into the relative safety of bonds, causing particular pain for those investors who recently decided to get back in.
"People had been cautiously reentering the market," said Jack Bowers, the head of Weber Asset Management in Lake Success, N.Y. "Some of them are probably second-guessing that decision and thinking, 'Gosh, maybe I ought to have waited a little longer.'"
The Dow Jones index ended Friday down 172.45 points, or 1.4%, at 11,951.91.
The Standard & Poor's 500 index closed down 18.02 points, or 1.4%, at 1,270.98, while the Nasdaq index fell 41.14 points, or 1.5%, to 2643.73.
While the Dow is still 3.2% above where it started in January, other indexes that more closely reflect the entire stock market are down further. The Nasdaq index, which is based heavily on technology stocks, ended Friday 0.3% below where it was Jan. 1, while the S&P 500 index is up just 1.1% on the year.
The markets still have not fallen as far as they did during last summer's correction, which was sparked by fears of a European financial crisis. That slump saw the S&P fall 16% from its high in April, while this year the index is down 7% from the highs reached in late April.Since it was awarded a one billion euro, decade-long research grant last year, the Human Brain Project has been the center of extreme excitement and heavy criticism. The project aims to simulate the human brain in silicon on a yet-to-be-assembled supercomputer of massive computational power. The goal? Understanding.
In a recent paper (more below), HBP researchers write, “The ultimate prime aim is to imitate and understand the native computations, algorithms, states, actions, and emergent behavior of the brain, as well as promote brain-inspired technology.”
The prospect is mind numbingly self-reflexive—the human brain folds its faculties of analysis in on themselves to understand and reproduce itself. An awe-inspiring idea in its seeming impossibility.
And maybe that’s partly why the project has been a magnet for early condemnation.
The problem, according to critics, is that our limited empirical and theoretical understanding isn’t yet at the level needed for even a simple human brain simulation, and that resources, therefore, would be better allocated on basic research for now.
Further, in an open letter with almost 800 signatures, a group of neuroscientists warns the HBP is veering from an endeavor of simulation dependent on and informed by empirical neuroscience to a venture that favors technology over scientific rigor.
So, is the HBP putting the billion-euro cart before the horse?
The letter was published in July. The same month, the Human Brain Project’s co-executive director, Richard Frackowiak, wrote a spirited defense of the project.
Frackowiak compared the criticism to a similar missive written in 1990, the first year of the Human Genome Project. That earlier letter accused the Human Genome Project of “mediocre science, terrible science policy”—criticism the project later rose above by successfully sequencing the first complete human genome in 2003.
The Human Brain Project, he said, will likewise overcome early “teething troubles” to open an era of unified brain research in which neuroscience, computing, and medicine work together to revolutionize our understanding of the brain.
Frackowiak said data isn’t the problem. The challenge is systematizing it, making sense of the nearly 100,000 annual neuroscience papers, the riot of patient data out of hospitals. The HBP, which Frackowiak describes as the CERN of neuroscience, is, among other things, an attempt to unite and organize resources.
But to do that you need your digital ducks in a row first and foremost.
For that reason, the HBP is intentionally heavy on computing in the beginning, and the early work is to devise an effective digital approach to organizing existing data. They hope to have a number of specialized databases up and running by 2016.
“Far from being sidelined, neuroscience remains front and centre in the HBP,” Frackowiak wrote. “The [information and communications technologies] tools are meant as a scaffold; a bridge to support a convergence of fields that is already underway.”
And as for funding, he went on, it sounds like a lot, but at €50 million annually (for the core project)—the HBP is only 5% of the European neuroscience budget. Yes, that’s a lot of money for one project, but alternatively, it allows that one project to “go big.”
How convincing has this argument been? To some scientists, not very it would seem. An additional several hundred signatories have joined the critical open letter since July.
Perhaps it’s no surprise, then, that two HBP researchers, Yadin Dudai and Kathinka Evers, attempt to set the parameters of the discussion as thoroughly as they can in a recent paper titled, “To Simulate or Not to Simulate: What Are the Questions?”
Published in the neuroscience journal, Neuron, Dudai and Evers ask: What is simulation; what is its role in science; what challenges face those attempting to simulate the brain; and what are realistic expectations for such an endeavor?
The paper is sufficiently humble in its approach, not claiming to bring definite answers or wade into the funding debate—though, in truth, that probably can’t be avoided—and it doesn’t shy away from identifying the project’s biggest challenges.
First, they say, simulation is an established (and increasingly crucial) scientific tool with a proven track record in neuroscience and other disciplines. In addition to following the maxim “only the one who makes something can fully understand it” simulation allows us to artificially test hypotheses when testing the real system is costly, risky, or unethical.
But we need to temper our expectations a bit in terms of what brain simulation can do.
We do have data, they say, but probably not enough data. Not yet. Further, we don’t have enough high level theory either. We have known unknowns—but likely lots of undiscovered unknowns too.
Lacking solid benchmarks and top-down theory “may lead much effort astray.”
And our “gaps in understanding” may or may not be acceptable depending on the level of expected explanatory power. How far can we trust an incomplete simulation? Can it ever be complete?
Further, we need to define what we mean when we say “brain.” A useful simulation shouldn’t reproduce the brain in isolation. It is a complex adaptive system nested in another complex adaptive system—that is, the brain and the body are inseparable.
The mind arises in this interdependent body-brain relationship, and any simulation of it must not only take that link into account, but also acknowledge the limitations it imposes. We can only simulate so much of the body and its environment.
Of all the challenges the paper acknowledges, the least of them is computing power. The HBP’s brain simulation is expected to require exascale computing—a few orders of magnitude more than today’s most powerful supercomputers.
Dudai and Evers note, almost offhandedly, that it is likely the requisite computing power will be available before problems of incomplete knowledge are solved.
The least mundane part of the discussion (if the most esoteric) comes at the end of the paper when the authors question whether brain simulation must exhibit consciousness to be useful. Their surprising answer is, yes, at least for some of the project’s research objectives, like studying mental illness, which is closely related to consciousness.
Dudai and Evers write, “How adequate or informative can a simulation of, say, depression or anxiety be if there is no conscious experience in the simulation?”
There’s no guarantee consciousness will arise, proving its existence will be contentious, and such an outcome isn’t likely around the corner— |
Drummed Out! The Sacking of Pete Best’, published by Northdown Publishing in 1998, ‘The Best Years of the Beatles’, which I wrote with Pete was published by Headline in 1998 and ‘The Beatles: The True Beginnings’ by Roag, Pete and Rory Best was published by Spine in 2002. Another book on Pete and his family is due to be published shortly.LOS ANGELES, Oct. 09, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Epilepsy Foundation of Greater Los Angeles — which offers a range of services and programs for children and adults with epilepsy and their loved ones — will host its annual Walk to End Epilepsy on November 5, 2017 starting at 8 a.m. at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. The Walk to End Epilepsy is a non-competitive 5K walk or run (or 1 mile stroll) where participants can enjoy activities, exhibits, food and entertainment.
“The Walk to End Epilepsy brings our community together to affect change, support year-round care, advocacy, research and education programs,” said Executive Director Susan Pietsch-Escueta. “The event is our largest fundraiser of the year and its success helps to improve the lives of families affected by epilepsy. We are extremely grateful to all of our participating teams, individuals, healthcare professionals and sponsors for joining our fight to end epilepsy.”
Walk to End Epilepsy draws approximately 5,000 individuals with epilepsy, family and friends, as well as medical professionals from the Epilepsy Centers at major medical institutions in the region. The event will feature a pop-up village with family-fun activities, information booths and a big brain exhibit that features brain information and brain care tips. In addition, Pasadena Mayor Terry Tornek will join the Walk to kick-off the event.
“I’m very excited to be a part of this year’s Walk and support the efforts of the Epilepsy Foundation of Greater Los Angeles to connect the community with resources and information to improve care,” said Mayor Tornek. “This is a great cause which helps families get to treatment today while helping fund research cures.”
The most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that epilepsy is on the rise in the U.S. with approximately 3.4 million adults and 470,000 children living with epilepsy. In the Greater Los Angeles region alone, there are more than 160,000 individuals affected by epilepsy.
“Epilepsy knows no boundaries, it can impact anyone regardless of age, race, socio-economic status and geography,” said Dr. Deborah Holder, Director, Comprehensive Epilepsy Program, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. “The epilepsies can have a wide range of impact and some can lead to early death and that’s why early diagnosis and treatment are critical. It is important for caregivers and the general public to know how to recognize seizures and be able to administer first aid right away.”
The Epilepsy Foundation of Greater Los Angeles educates families and the general public on how to better understand epilepsy, recognize seizures and perform seizure first aid. The Foundation helps support the training of pediatric epilepsy specialists and has fueled the growth of pediatric epilepsy programs in our region so there is greater access to specialty care.
“With the rising numbers of individuals with epilepsy, there is a need for more specialists in the field to ensure proper diagnoses and provide the best care needed in a timely manner,” said Pietsch-Escueta. “Through our Helpline and Care+Cure Initiative we speed referrals and expand access to epilepsy specialists in the greater Los Angeles region so that families don’t have to wait as long, or drive as far, to see a specialist to help them get control of their epilepsy seizures.”
The Care+Cure Initiative is an effort to address the gap by funding fellowships and trainings of epilepsy specialists. Most recently, the Foundation funded an epilepsy neurosurgery fellowship at UC Irvine and CHOC Children’s, as well as the training of 23 pediatric neurologists/epileptologists at three epilepsy centers in Los Angeles: Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles; Mattel Children’s Hospital at UCLA; and LA County+USC Medical Center.
Epileptologists, neurologists, nurses and other medical staff from these three local Epilepsy Centers have formed teams and will be participating at the Walk on behalf of everyone affected by epilepsy. Individuals, families and corporate teams interested in participating in the Walk can register online at WalktoEndEpilepsy.org.
About Epilepsy and Seizures
Any brain can have a seizure so everyone needs to know about seizure first aid. There are different types of seizures and epilepsies that affect women and men of all ages, races, and ethnic groups. The epilepsies are disorders/diseases of the brain with different causes, such as head trauma, genetics, inflammation, infection, brain malformation, stroke, birth injury and more. Epilepsy is the underlying tendency of the brain to produce sudden abnormal bursts of electrical energy that disrupt other brain functions. Seizures are symptoms of epilepsy. Currently, there is no cure for epilepsy. However, there are several types of treatments and some epilepsies go away on their own. With the appropriate individualized treatment many people with epilepsy can gain control of their seizures.
About the Epilepsy Foundation of Greater Los Angeles
Established in 1957 as a 501(c)3 charitable organization, the Epilepsy Foundation of Greater Los Angeles is leading the fight to END EPILEPSY® and the burden of seizures. The Foundation’s fundraising and community efforts support care, advocacy and education, today, while investing in research and hope for tomorrow. Visit the Foundation online at ENDEPILEPSY.org.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Jackie Aker
562.234.9178
[email protected] this podcast episode on finances by The Minimalists, Joshua and Ryan discuss an article by Life Edited’s David Friedlander called Minimalism: class, fetishes and the fate of the planet. In the article, he shares one of my favorite quotes: “Stuff is not passive. Stuff wants your time, attention, allegiance. But you know it as well as I do, life is more important than the things we accumulate.” from Dave Bruno, the author of The 100 Thing Challenge.
I understood and noticed the time and attention part while selling and giving away most of my stuff, but it was only recently that I realized how all-consuming my allegiance to stuff was.
I pledge allegiance to my stuff
I pledged allegiance to my stuff by purchasing a ridiculous amount of insurance to protect it.
I pledged allegiance to my stuff by only using it on special occasions.
I pledged allegiance to my stuff by purchasing unique containers to store it in.
I pledged allegiance to my stuff by building shrines to display it.
I pledged allegiance to my stuff by choosing homes that had adequate cabinets and closets to contain it.
I pledged allegiance to my stuff by lying to myself about the amount of debt I was in and how much I was spending.
I pledged allegiance to my stuff by talking to my friends about what a great deal I got on it, or how many points I earned by shopping on for it on the right day.
I pledged allegiance to my stuff by purchasing it with credit, thousands of dollars in credit knowing I’d be paying ridiculous interest rates and fighting collection calls.
I pledged allegiance to my stuff by renting big trucks to drive it from home to home to home each time I moved.
I pledged allegiance to my stuff by believing it had the power to change me, define me, or prove my worth to others.
I pledged allegiance to my stuff by holding on to it, even when it was holding me back.
I’m not suggesting the stuff we own is bad, or wrong. Not being thoughtful and discerning about our stuff is the problem. Being aware of my misguided allegiance makes me even happier with the commitment I’ve made to live with less.
Maybe you don’t pledge allegiance to your stuff the way I did, but if a few of these statements resonate with you, say them out loud and see how it feels. Write a few of your own allegiance statements and see how your actions suggest you may be devoted to things that really don’t matter to you. This exercise isn’t designed to make you feel guilty, but to give you more power to let go and more clarity on what matters most.WASHINGTON — U.S. officials tell The Associated Press that the Air Force is firing the two-star general in charge of all of its nuclear missiles.
Maj. Gen. Michael Carey is being removed from command of the 20th Air Force, which is responsible for three wings of intercontinental ballistic missiles — a total of 450 missiles at three bases across the country.
The Air Force is citing “loss of trust and confidence” in Carey’s leadership, but the exact reason for the firing was not immediately clear. The decision was disclosed to the AP by officials speaking on condition of anonymity because it has not been announced.
The decision was made by Lt. Gen. James Kowalski, commander of Air Force Global Strike Command. Kowalski is in charge of all Air Force nuclear weapons, including bombers.
RelatedDetermined to get "fossil fuel industry puppet" Scott Pruitt confirmed as head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), interested parties are furiously pouring money into a new dark money political action group to counter the warnings from so-called "environmental extremists."
The new 501c4 group, Protecting America Now, sent around a flier obtained by Politico warning that "Pruitt's confirmation 'is not a certainty' and say[ing] that millions of dollars are needed for advertising and social media campaigns to counter anti-Pruitt campaigning from 'anti-business, environmental extremists,'" the outlet reported Friday.
Indeed, green groups have been sounding the alarm over President-elect Donald Trump's pick for top environmental post, fearful that the climate change denier and fierce opponent of environmental regulations will work to dismantle the agency he is appointed to lead.
As Politico noted, the "Environmental Defense Fund Action project has put six figures into an online and television ad campaign, and the Sierra Club in December dropped five figures on an online campaign targeting moderate senators from both parties" with anti-Pruitt messaging. He is also one of the appointees that Senate Democrats are planning to "aggressively target" during the confirmation hearings.
Reportedly the PAN flier highlights its status, which permits individual and corporate donors to remain anonymous, and solicits contributions ranging from $25,000 to $500,000.
"It is unclear precisely who is behind the campaign," Politico observed, but the website "appears to have been registered by Sagac Public Affairs, an Oklahoma City shop whose clients include a number of Republican lawmakers, including Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), as well as several fossil fuel companies and trade groups."
Pruitt also has a long record of coziness with the fossil fuel industry.
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According to Public Citizen's new watchdog resource CorporateCabinet.org, Pruitt—who served as Oklahoma's attorney general since 2010—has received more than $300,000 from the fossil fuel industry since 2002.
What's more, it appears that another super PAC affiliated with Pruitt can continue to legally raise money even while he serves as EPA chief, according to a new analysis by E&E News, which he can use if he runs for office after his cabinet term ends.
"Pruitt's Super PAC, Liberty 2.0, can keep raising money from the corporate interests he is charged with regulating," wrote reporters Benjamin Storrow and Mike Soraghan, making him "among the first Cabinet-level appointees to enter office with such a super PAC."
Other Trump nominees associated with a super PAC include Housing and Urban Development nominee Ben Carson, Interior Department pick Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-Mont.), and former Texas Governor and Energy Secretary nominee Rick Perry.
"Super PACs have been around for several election cycles," observe Storrow and Soraghan. "But only in 2016 did the barrier between candidates and super PACs dissolve so completely into a paper fiction."
Confirmation hearings begin next week, through Pruitt's has not yet been scheduled.Prime minister Malcolm Turnbull has claimed that the Uluru Statement From The Heart only offered a "take it or leave it" approach to Indigenous recognition, and has dismissed calls to rethink the government's decision to reject the proposal.
In October, the government announced it would not take on a central recommendation of the Uluru Statement From The Heart, devastating many Indigenous Australians who had participated in and supported the process.
The rejected recommendation was a voice to parliament for Indigenous Australians enshrined in the constitution. It was contained in a report from the Referendum Council following a series of dialogues and a convention of hundreds of Indigenous leaders at Uluru in May.
In rejecting the key recommendation in late October, Turnbull said that the new advisory body made up of indigenous representatives would "inevitably become seen as a third chamber of Parliament".
BuzzFeed News reported in November that the Greens had written to the prime minister asking him to reconsider his rejection of the Uluru Statement From The Heart. In a response sent to Greens leader Richard Di Natale and Greens senator Rachel Siewart, and provided to BuzzFeed News, the prime minister reiterated the government's stance.
"The government does not believe an amendment to the constitution to provide for an indigenous representative assembly is desirable or capable of winning acceptance in a referendum," he said.
"My government does not agree with the 'take it or leave it' approach taken by the [referendum council]. We feel the extensive and valuable work done over the past ten years cannot be wholly disregarded."
Turnbull said he remained committed to recognition but said it was the duty of parliamentarians to ensure that the question put to public vote was simple, easily understood, and overwhelmingly welcomed by all Australians.
Siewart told BuzzFeed News in a statement that claiming the council's approach was "take it or leave it" was "very confronting".
"The Uluru Statement and Referendum Council report was produced after three days of deliberations by 250 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders and a consultation process that took place around Australia — the statement is an eloquent expression of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders peoples wishes for the future," she said.
“The prime minister himself needs to consider the stubbornness of his government in asking for the referendum council to consider changes to the constitution to recognise our First Peoples, only to outright dismiss it when they report."
Siewart said the PM's response was "wholly disappointing".
When he was asked about it on ABC's Q&A earlier this month, Turnbull again repeated his assertion that the proposal would amount to being a third chamber of parliament, and would have no prospect of passing at a referendum.
"That means every law that affects Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people... that would mean that that assembly would have the right to examine every piece of legislation, it would in effect be a third chamber," Turnbull said.Speaking ahead of the CBI's annual conference in Birmingham, Mr Turner told the BBC that the majority of businesses represented by his organisation believed it would be in their interests to join the fledgling currency.
The issue is expected to be hotly debated again at this year's conference. In a debate on Tuesday morning on the euro, entitled Growth Stimulant or Cold Shower?, Lord Marshal and Rodney Leach will put the case for and against joining the currency.
Mr Turner said the CBI was happy, on the whole, with the government's stance of being in favour if the move was in the best interests for Britain. Some CBI members would prefer a straight commitment to joining, he said.
He said some of the tests were not vital, but the important test was economic convergence with other European Union countries where labour markets needed to be more flexible and public finances strengthened.
Mr Turner said CBI members would not be happy ruling out joining the currency for the next six or seven years as the Conservatives had done and he urged the party to keep its options open.
Prudent finances
Turning to the British economy, Mr Turner repeated the CBI's recent warning to the chancellor, Gordon Brown, not to go on a pre-election spending spree in his next Budget.
Public finances at the end of the fiscal year in March are expected to be in a healthier state than even Mr Brown had predicted, thanks to improving economic conditions.
There are fears that the chancellor may be tempted to spend some of his "war chest", especially with an election on the horizon.
The CBI believes Mr Brown should save any surplus rather than spending it as this would stimulate the economy and result in the Bank of England having to increase interest rates.
Mr Turner said this would worsen the problem of the two-speed economy where service industries are growing rapidly but manufacturing is still struggling to get out of recession.
BBC News Online will be providing comprehensive coverage of the CBI conference, with all proceedings broadcast live in audio. A number of the key speeches will also be broadcast live in video on the site. Click 'CBI conference live' in the related stories on the right of your screen for more details.It's been called "Censorship Fiasco 2: Electric Boogaloo."
News over the past 72 hours has been dominated by the implosion of Mt. Gox, once the world's largest Bitcoin exchange, and a report from Glenn Greenwald on how British intelligence agents have engaged in an extensive disinformation program to mislead Internet users.
Mt. Gox's imminent demise has particularly gripped Reddit communities like r/Bitcoin and r/news following rumors of a $300 million hack that crippled the Japan-based business. Redditors from r/news have also obsessed over Greenwald's latest Edward Snowden leak — only his story has been banned from the default subreddit.
All links to Greenwald's piece on the Intercept, a publication founded by First Look Media and home to Snowden's leaked materials, titled "How Covert Agents Infiltrate the Internet to Manipulate, Deceive, and Destroy Reputations," has been removed more than six different times from r/news and at least once from r/worldnews.
In the article, Greenwald provides images from a Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) documents that show how the clandestine agency has tried to "control, infiltrate, manipulate, and warp online discourse, and in doing so, are compromising the integrity of the Internet itself." Greenwald also provides a great deal of context and explanation in his article, comparing it to similar programs allegedly carried out by the National Security Agency. Greenwald's story was subsequently picked up on Boing Boing, RT.com, Daily Kos, Zero Hedge, and Der Speigel.
The removals have been the subject of numerous threads on r/subredditdrama (where redditors discuss "Internet fights and other dramatic happenings from other subreddits") and r/undelete (home to submissions that moderators remove from the top 100 in r/all). Redditors are calling it an act of censorship.
"Sooo... the topic of discussion is direct evidence, in the form of leaked top secret documents, that the intelligence community goes to rather remarkable lengths to manipulate online social media," damnface commented. "Does anyone see how the comments in this thread might look a little ironic at some point in the near future?"
The removal of the article was carried out by r/news moderators, volunteer gatekeepers of subreddits who have the power to ban users and content that either break Reddit's official rules or rules instituted by each individual forum. Moderator positions, particularly those on default subreddits like r/news, are coveted positions. All new registered Reddit users are automatically subscribed to these subreddits when they join, and most never unsubscribe from them. And thanks to Reddit's 112 million plus unique visitors last month, a permanent place on Reddit's front page results in tremendous traffic and attention for sites submitted to these forums.
One r/news moderator who has drawn the ire of the community is BipolarBear0. He has defended the removal of the article citing r/news's rule against posting "opinion/analysis or advocacy" pieces.
"Since the Firstlook article is primarily analytic and non-objective in nature, it wouldn't be allowed in /r/news," he commented. "The story itself is irrelevant, it's simply how the story is presented — which is why any unbiased, objective and wholly factual news article on the event would be (and is) allowed in /r/news."
The evening of Feb. 25, a rewrite of Greenwald's article on examiner.com was posted on r/news and has since made its way to the third spot on the subreddit with more than 900 comments.
The top comment in this thread was from amranu1 who messaged with r/news moderators numerous times before they approved his link to the examiner.
"Eventually bipolarbear0 agreed to approve this article after over half a day attempting to get something on this subreddit to do with these slides," amranu1 wrote. "Another interesting thing uncovered during this saga, is that r/news also censors domains in a similar way to r/politics. It's pretty sad how heavily censored the front page of reddit appears to be."
The user referenced a previous post from bipolarbear0 breaking down the six different r/news rules that have gotten domains banned from the forum:
Opinion/Analysis. This section includes domains such as Alternet, DemandProgress, and OpposingViews - basically any domain which predominantly purports misleading or analytic content, or opinionated content (such as op-eds), or content which intends to promote one cause over another. /r/news is for strictly factual news reporting, and as such opinion posts and analysis posts are removed. Not news. This section includes domains such as change.org, facebook.com and kickstarter.com. While these may be mostly self-evident, the section is added to filter out any non-news stories, something which to an extent goes hand in hand with our limitation on opinion and advocacy posts as described above. Satire. The reasoning behind the filtering of these domains is pretty self-evident. Unreliable source. Basically any source which has proven to be highly unreliable or misleading. Included are a few conspiracy domains, as well as any other unreliable outlet - like self-reporting services or personal blogs. Rebloggers. Basically any domain which engages heavily/solely in the copying and pasting of other journalists' work in an attempt to pass it off as their own. Spam. Almost entirely consisting of domains which are submitted by the spammers which you'll sometimes see plaguing the 'new' queue at night in the United States, with titles like "bus service Delhi" or "best SEO marketing".
Fellow r/news mod nickwashere09 supported the removals. He told me that the story was better suited for r/politics or r/newsrebooted.
"It's all hype and distorted by partisanship. It's not a news story and doesn't belong in /r/news," nickwashere09 told me. "I stood beside [fellow r/news moderator douglasmacarthur] and the rest when RT was banned, and I'll continue to do the same now. I did not accept the mod position to allow the board to become worse.
"We are the official news board of 'the front page of the Internet,'" he said. "We have rules."
The ban nickwashere09 is referring to happened in August, when douglasmacarthur banned RT.com, a Russian news network formerly known as Russia Today, which harbors a clear anti-American bias, from r/news. The reason: vote manipulation and spamming.
"One example is plain domain frequency," dougalsmacarthur stated. "The rule of thumb is 10 percent. If you submit a lot, and the proportion coming from a certain domain is way higher than that, you're probably a spammer. If there's a lot of users doing that a lot for one domain, you should investigate further to see if it's people working for that domain."
The move sent off shockwaves across Reddit. The community called for douglasmacarthur to be removed from his position and falsely accused him of stealing $8,000 in funds raised for a Restore the Fourth protest against NSA surveillance.
"The two front-page articles that have made up RT's response have amounted to posting screenshots of Internet comments flaming me or gossiping about me — much of it on topics completely irrelevant to this — as well as linking directly to my profile, which has led to threats and harassment," Douglasmacarthur said.
On Sept. 1, RT.com fired back against the ban. The news organization published a screengrab of a conversation between r/news moderator BipolarBear0 and Restore the Fourth cofounder Michael Reed. The mod stated RT.com had been shut out "simply because it's Kremlin." This is something douglasmacarthur denied.
In the end, dougalsmacarthur did not give into to the community's demands; RT.com remains banned. This will likely be the case regarding Greenwald's article, nickwashere09 added.
"Do I think the outrage warrants an exception? Hell no," he said. "This board will not bend its will to ideologues who proclaim their 'right' to post whatever they want, wherever they want. This is no more different that posting sports scores to /r/gaming."
Update: Moderator BipolarBear0 responded to the Daily Dot to add that Greenwald's original story was removed because "it breaks our preexisting rules as to analysis and opinion."
“As it stands, the Firstlook story is almost entirely comprised of analysis and a lack of objectivity. Not to say that's necessarily a bad thing—in fact, the Firstlook story by Greenwald is, at least in my opinion, a great piece of investigative journalism.”
BipolarBear0 also weighed in on the argument that the removal of the story was an act of censorship:
We have a very specific set of rules which are written to enforce a very specific moderation philosophy: Quality content, nonbias, objectivity and factuality. All of our rules cater to that philosophy, and those rules don't take into account the content of a story - only how the story is presented. That's why from the very beginning I told people that once an objective and strictly factual article on the documents was written, it'd be allowed in /r/news. And as it turns out, it has. It's not about some fantastical concept of "censorship", and it's certainly has nothing to do with the story itself. It's simply because the Firstlook article violates our rules barring analysis and opinion. That's why I'm so confused as to why this entire issue seems to be focusing on "censorship". It has nothing to do with censorship, and in fact that concept has no semblance of reality whatsoever. A more reasonable criticism would perhaps relate to the effectiveness of /r/news' existing ruleset. Indeed, there is an argument to be made that perhaps the rules of /r/news barring analysis should be opened up to allow stories depending on context and importance.
This article originally published at The Daily Dot hereIt was one of those moments you never forget. "Gordon's gone," my wife said as I walked in the front door. "He's resigned." From the television somewhere behind her, the familiar Scottish brogue echoed through the house. "I have led this country for almost 13 years," he said. "Ten of them as chancellor, and three as prime minister. When I won the last election, I made up my mind to retire sooner rather than later. My work is done; it is time to hand over the baton."
On the evening that Gordon Brown decided to call the 2007 snap election, we now know, he told his closest aides that if he won he would serve only two more years. He had no intention of going down in history, he said wryly, as "another Tony Blair". He would set a bold agenda for the 2010s, then step gracefully aside.
Few doubted that Brown would win; the only question was the size of his majority. Even so, most observers were amazed when, celebrating a 21-seat victory, this most tribal of Labour politicians announced that he had invited the Liberal Democrat leader, Menzies Campbell, to join a centre-left coalition. "It is time," Brown said, "to heal the progressive divide."
What followed was six months of stunning political drama. As the banks tottered and the world economy tumbled into recession, Brown and Campbell set out a breathtaking agenda of modernisation. At the Treasury, Alistair Darling and his chief secretary, Vince Cable, devised
a rigorous new regulatory regime, while Harriet Harman and Nick Clegg worked out a programme of constitutional reform, cleaning up MPs' expenses and introducing limited PR. There was even a place for Lembit Öpik as minister for fun, though his idea of fun never seemed quite the same as anybody else's.
Meanwhile, the Labour left and the Tories were in uproar. A dozen Labour MPs resigned the party whip in protest at Brown's coalition, although, the cushion of Lib Dem numbers meant they were barely noticed. As for the Tories, Cameron learned the hard way what his predecessors had known: there is no party in the western world so quick to punish failure. Back he went into obscurity; back came William Hague as leader of a more aggressively Thatcherite, Eurosceptic party than ever.
In stepping down so smoothly, Brown showed the same vision and decisiveness that compelled him to seek a national mandate in 2007. We can only hope our new Prime Minister has the same qualities. Over to you, Ms Harman...(WJLA) - A D.C. woman pled guilty Thursday to federal charges of health care fraud.
Adoshia L. Flythe, 36, was one of 24 people arrested in February after police conducted an undercover investigation into fraudulent billing practices in the home health care industry, according to a news release from the FBI's Washington Field Office.
Flythe admitted to selling counterfeit documentation for employment to two people and charging them $350 apiece for a.fake “Home Health Care Aide” certificate from the University of the District of Columbia and a fake “Health Certificate for Staff” with the forged name of a doctor. Both individuals were working with the undercover investigation at the time.
Flythe is the first defendant from the investigations into numerous health care fraud schemes to plead guilty. Her sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 4. She faces up to six months of incarceration and a fine maximum of $5,000. The charge carries a statutory maximum of 10 years in prisonBeverly Hills police blew up an aspiring screenwriter's laptop and script when investigating a suspicious package Thursday morning on Rodeo Drive.
The screenwriter, who was not identified, apparently left his briefcase -- with the computer and script inside -- unattended at a talent agency office.
Beverly Hills Police Lt. Tony Lee said police, not knowing what was inside the briefcase, detonated it as safety precaution.
Lee said the owner was distraught when he learned what happened to briefcase.
The case was found near the intersection of Rodeo Drive and Little Santa Monica Boulevard.
Several streets were closed and nearby businesses were being evacuated, causing traffic jams in the area.
ALSO:
Marines rescued after F/A-18 crashes off San Diego
Newport Beach’s iconic Balboa carousel for sale on EBay
Bell ex-police chief's pension cut by more than $100,000 a year
-- Andrew Blankstein
twitter.com/anblanx
Image: Map shows the approximate location of a suspicious package found in Beverly Hills. Source: Google MapsTHE man arrested in the hunt for missing RAF gunner Corrie McKeague served as a part-time cop — and works for the waste firm at the centre of the investigation, it can be revealed.
Haydn Stephens, commended for his role as a Special Constable, was quizzed on suspicion of attempting to pervert the course of justice.
14 Former part-time cop Haydn Stephens has been arrested on suspicion of attempting to pervert the course of justice in the hunt for Corrie McKeague
The 26-year-old is a traffic dispatcher for waste management company Biffa.
A bin lorry operated by the firm collected from the area where Corrie, 23, was last seen after a night out in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk.
It is understood Stephens helps assign drivers to vehicles and collection routes.
PA:Press Association 14 Corrie, 23, was last seen in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, five months ago
Fame Flynet 14 Police are preparing to dig for clues at a huge landfill site near Cambridge
His identity emerged after Corrie’s family told of their fear several people could be covering up the disappearance of the serviceman, who was based at RAF Honington.
Mum Nicola Urquhart, 47, said: “It would be extremely disappointing if someone’s dishonesty has prevented us from finding Corrie.
“But at this stage we know very little so it’s not the time to speculate.”
East News Press Agency 14 Stephens returned home after being let out on bail
14 The 26-year-old works for waste firm Biffa, which collected rubbish from the area Corrie was last seen
NEWS LIMITED 14 Corrie's girlfriend April Oliver, 21, is expecting their child
Scotsman Corrie, whose girlfriend April Oliver, 21, is expecting their child, was last seen on CCTV walking into a dead end loading area at 3.25am on September 24.
The waste lorry made a collection shortly after and its route appeared to coincide with the movements of Corrie’s phone — but forensics found no trace of him in the vehicle.
Police preparing to search a landfill site at Milton, Cambs, where the bin lorry dumped its load have been delayed by the sheer scale of the task.
14 Corrie was captured on CCTV walking into a dead end loading area, and police believe he may have left in a lorry that made a collection shortly after
GEOFF ROBINSON PHOTOGRAPHY 14 It's feared Corrie may be located in the landfill where the lorry dumped its load, though forensics found no trace of him in the vehicle
They have identified a search area covering more than 920sqm, with waste 8m deep.
A Suffolk Police spokeswoman admitted the dig, due to start on February 22, may not begin until next week.
But she said the delay was “in no way” connected to the recent arrest.
On Wednesday, after being bailed by police, Stephens was seen running into the home he shares in Bury St Edmunds with his fiancee and her parents.
PA:Press Association 14 Corrie's mum Nicola Urquhart, with April, said: 'It would be extremely disappointing if someone's dishonesty has prevented us from finding Corrie'
SWNS:South West News Service 14 Nicola has been heavily involved in the search efforts for her son
Facebook 14 The RAF gunner didn't know his girlfriend was pregnant before he went missing
A man at the property said: “He’s innocent as far as we know.
“We all want this out of the way as quickly as possible.”
Last night his fiancee’s stepfather insisted: “It’s nothing to do with me, or my wife, or my stepdaughter.
“He left last night and he hasn’t been back since.
“This has been dropped on us like a bloody bombshell.
“We’re just honest people.”
PA:Press Association 14 Police believe this man is a potential witness in Corrie's disappearance
PA:Press Association 14 Cops are also trying to track down this person, seen in the area where Cory disappeared
Facebook 14 Corrie had separated from his friends after a Friday night out, and failed to show up for work the following Monday
Related Stories BRING HIM HOME Military wives choir perform poignant tribute song to missing RAF gunner Corrie McKeague CORRIE PROBE Missing Corrie McKeague's dad claims'several' people are breaking the law CORRIE ARREST Corrie McKeague cops arrest man, 26, on suspicion of attempting to pervert the course of justice - as they release new CCTV of potential witnesses FAMILY'S ANGUISH Fresh heartache for family of missing Corrie McKeague as mum's father-in-law dies 'unexpectedly' Exclusive ‘I’ll never stop looking’ Woman whose fiancé disappeared six years ago just like Corrie McKeague still hopes for breakthrough mum wants CORRIE closure Mum of missing Corrie McKeague says there's a 'good possibility' of finding him at landfill site FAMILY'S ANGUISH Brother of missing RAF man Corrie McKeague admits having 'dark days' as he continues desperate search 'THINGS GOT HEATED' Dad of missing RAF man Corrie McKeague has lost contact with his two other sons after bitter rows CORRIE HUNT Corrie McKeague witness found by cops who hope he may hold vital clues to where missing RAF man is SICK TROLLS' CLAIMS Distraught family of missing RAF gunner Corrie McKeague forced to deny he was killed by his own brother 'COME BACK TO ME' Pregnant girlfriend of missing RAF gunner Corrie McKeague reveals her anguish over his disappearance WHY DIDN'T COPS SEARCH LANDFILL SITE? Police hunting missing RAF gunner Corrie McKeague failed to search rubbish dump despite his last mobile phone signal matching bin lorry route
Stephens’ family confirmed he had served as a Special Constable for Suffolk Police.
In 2013 he was awarded the Eileen Jacob Special Trophy.
He was praised for showing “true dedication” by putting in 33 hours over three days.
Suffolk Police refused to comment.
A spokesman for Biffa said: “As this is an ongoing investigation it would not be appropriate to comment at this time.”Man grows new skull after decades
Published by onlines on October 7, 2009
The severely damaged skull of a Northumberland man involved in a car crash 50 years ago has regenerated itself, a process thought to be rare.
Doctors operated to treat an infection in Gordon Moore’s head and found the bone had grown back beneath the metal plate inserted after the accident.
Doctors said the regrowth was remarkable given the size of the area of bone
This would not be unusual in a child, whose bones are growing, but there are very few documented cases in adults.
Doctors said it was particularly remarkable given the size of the area.
Mr Moore, from Ridsdale, made headlines previously by becoming among the first tourists to visit Iraq and Afghanistan.
We had no idea what we were going to find underneath, but I didn’t expect to find a new skull Param Bhattathiri
Neurosurgeon
The former postmaster flipped his car while driving near Berwick in 1955.
The metal plate which was inserted was itself dented three years later in a subsequent car crash.
His new skull reportedly follows the contours of this dent.
Mr Moore said the plate had never bothered him, but he was relieved he would no longer “set the alarms off at the airport”.
His consultant, Param Bhattathiri, told the Newcastle-based Evening Chronicle: “It was a great surprise to find the skull had grown back.
“You would expect it in a child, but not in an adult, certainly |
so a loss to the Gamecocks could look bad by season end.
So, if the Bulldogs do get past Boise State and South Carolina unscathed, they probably need to go undefeated to have a shot at the National Championship, even with a win the SEC Championship Game. UGA only has three ranked teams left on their schedule after Week 2, and the highest ranked is Mississippi State at No. 20, the other two being Florida (22) and Auburn (23), and the Tigers probably won’t even be ranked by the time the Bulldogs get to them.
Georgia has a great opportunity to get back into form and have another 10-win season. But for aspirations more than a SEC Championship and a trip to the Sugar Bowl, Georgia probably needs to run the table.A 10-year-old boy in Guizhou who was watching TV in his eighth-floor apartment decided to take matters into his own hands when his cartoons kept getting interrupted by the sound of construction on Monday. The boy reportedly cut in half the safety rope attached to the worker who was installing lights on his building, leaving the man dangling in mid-air for up to 40 minutes before he was rescued, according to Xinhua News.
Another worker, surnamed Zhang, called firemen to help his colleague, surnamed Liu. He told reporters that he and Liu were sent by their company to install outdoor landscape lights for the apartment complex. As Liu was working outside the eighth floor, Zhang suddenly heard him yell that his safety rope was cut, rendering him unable to move up and down.
As soon as firemen and police rushed to the scene, they painstakingly pulled Liu up from the balcony on the 11th floor, as the residents living on the ninth and 10th floors weren’t at home.
“When I was using the electric drill, I felt my lower rope shaking. Then I saw the boy cutting the rope with a knife”, Liu said, “I shouted at him to stop but he didn’t listen and soon after, the rope was broken. That’s when I called to my workmate for help.”
After speaking with police, the boy finally admitted to what he did. His father, surnamed Tang, was called to come back home from work. He gave Liu a sincere apology on behalf of his son and compensated him with…a new safety rope.
By Lucy Liu
[ Images via Xinhua News ]Mexico has a presidential election in 2018 and right now the momentum is with Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, commonly known by his Spanish-style initials AMLO. He has a very specific platform about American immigration policy and the Mexican diaspora in the U.S. Moreover, he’s campaigning for these ideas on American soil —and the Trump Administration is doing nothing about it.
AMLO is a Leftist even by Mexican standards. A determined fighter, he came in second in the 2006 and 2012 presidential elections and has a better chance to win in 2018. He has withdrawn from the major leftist party and formed a new political party (MORENA—Movimiento de Regeneración Nacional) which now takes a quarter of the national vote in polls. Among presidential candidates, AMLO leads.
In a recent meeting, AMLO lectured President Trump and Secretary of Homeland Security John F. Kelly:
….to stop pursuing the migrants, that they respect human rights and that they do not attempt to resolve problems with the use of force, and don’t stick their noses into [the Mexican election of] 2018. 'EU debe aprender a respetar y a no meter las narices': AMLO [“The U.S. should learn to respect and not to meddle: AMLO] by Isabel Gonzalez, Excelsior, April 7th, 2017
Several days later, at a rally in Mexico City, AMLO repeated the warning, demanding “the United States not meddle in affairs that only concern Mexicans” such as their election.
But while AMLO demands we not meddle in Mexico’s affairs, he is openly meddling in ours. He is making regular forays into the United States, stirring up the Mexican community and even attempting to make alliances with political forces in our country.
Consider AMLO’s Los Angeles speech of February 12th at the Plaza Olvera. You can read the text of his speech in Spanish here (also photos) And the AMLO website has helpfully provided a translation:
The current anti-migrant campaign is not simply a matter of an economic nature, it is essentially a political interest. A group is taking advantage of the nationalistic sentiment that remains here and in other parts of the world….Donald Trump and his advisors have gained from stirring up members in certain sectors of U.S. society against immigrants and, particularly, those of Mexican nationality. The discourse of hate and the viciousness against foreigners enabled them to win the presidency and they assume they are going to remain and be re-elected to government by feeding the hatred of some groups against others. [Links in speeches added by VDARE.com]
These smart though irresponsible neo-fascist people now in power want to build walls in order to turn the United States into a huge ghetto and compare Mexicans in general, and our migrant countrymen, specifically, with the Jewish people who were stigmatized and persecuted in Hitler’s era.
AMLO thus equates our laws with racism, and declares this on our own soil. He also plays the Holocaust card:But if a Holocaust of Mexicans was imminent in the U.S., shouldn’t Mexican politicians be urging them to leave, not stay?
But AMLO said something interesting beyond these clichés. He wants to influence Trump supporters.
This is why, in light of such barbarity, we must not limit our actions to protests and denunciations in the international arena, but rather we must consider the task of information essential within the United States. It is here that we must stand up to the campaign of hatred and human rights violations. Particularly, we must entirely focus on those Americans of good will, and there are many, to make them see that they are being victims of manipulation and deceit. In other words, we must devote more time to Americans living in rural areas and small towns, the Americans that hold civic, moral and spiritual values and, nevertheless, live in hopelessness and are being poisoned with hate against migrant workers.
AMLO actually shows more understanding of the American economy—and more sympathy for working class whites—than many Republicans. He points out that Anglos have been losing the jobs and that Latin Americans and other minorities have been gaining them. That’s why, according to AMLO, Trump has been able to “poison” them with “hatred” of immigrants. What he’s proposing is international working class solidarity.
How much more meddlesome can you get?
Thanks, AMLO, but no thanks. Americans need to forge their own destiny, and we ought to let Mexicans do the same.
This address wasn’t AMLO’s only recent speech on American soil.
Chicago, February 20th. AMLO spoke at The Benito Juarez High School, named after a Mexican president. (Why?) He referred again to his solidarity plan, stating, “It is indispensable for us to communicate with the workers and middle classes of the United States.” He also spoke about Chicago’s 1886 Haymarket Affair, without mentioning the bomb which killed eight policemen and injured 65 other people. Instead, he used it to decry a “social climate of lynching” which was directed against those anarchists and apparently against “the migrants” here.
AMLO ended by screaming in Spanish: “Long live the Martyrs of Chicago! Long live the migrants! Long live the people of Mexico!” and finishing up with ¡Viva México! ¡Viva México! ¡Viva México!” Discurso de Andrés Manuel López Obrador, presidente del Comité Ejecutivo Nacional de MORENA en Chicago [“Speech of Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador”], AMLO website, February 20, 2017].
On February 22nd, AMLO filmed a brief video in Chicago’s airport championing a “world without borders.”
El Paso, Texas. March 6th. AMLO made various promises about what he’d do in Mexico (end corruption, provide jobs, plant trees for both fruit and timber, develop tourism, construct refineries, guarantee prices for farm products, build highways, hospitals, schools and turn the U.S. –Mexico border into a prosperous and peaceful free zone).
Phoenix, Arizona March 7th. AMLO announced he was touring American cities “to show our support, our unconditional backing to our paisanos migrantes.…to form a common front to confront the campaign of hate, the campaign against migrants, against foreigners, against Mexicans who have arrived to the U.S. to seek a living in an honored way…. they deserve all the respect and admiration, because they are exemplary human beings.” He also claimed the American economy “can’t be sustained without migrant workers…” There you go.
“We reject the erection of this monument, we reject the construction of the Wall of hypocrisy and cruelty, because we don’t want more families separated nor do we want more bones accumulated in the desert of Arizona… “…It if it is constructed, that wall will not contain the passage of workers from one country to another, it will simply make it more dangerous than it already is…clearly it is a criminal idea.”
Oh, and he also pledged to always defend the right of Mexicans to work anywhere in the world they want to. That’s where they want to work—not where Americans want them to work [ Mensaje de Andrés Manuel López Obrador, presidente del Comité Ejecutivo Nacional de MORENA en El Paso, Texas, (Message from Andrés Manuel López Obrador, President of the National Executive Committee of MORENA in El Paso, Texas) AMLO website, March 6, 2017].AMLO denounced Trump’s proposed border wall:Funny how it’s become a “criminal idea” to stop lawbreaking.
Finally, AMLO said Trump voters had been deceived by “hate.”
“We should insist on convincing the Americans, to convince the Americans who are blinded by the hate against the migrants…We should speak and speak with those who were deceived by Donald Trump until they reflect on the inhumanity that raising a wall implies to close the United States off… We have to explain, besides, that this grotesque wall will not resolve any of the problems that it attempts to solve, although it will produce much suffering. “Mensaje del presidente del Comité Ejecutivo Nacional de MORENA en Phoenix, Arizona, AMLO website, March 7, 2017
New York City March 13th In a speech delivered in the auditorium of Our Lady of Guadalupe, AMLO hailed New York’s history of immigration:
“I celebrate that you all and hundreds of thousands of Mexicans are living and working in this city that has been, is and always will be a sanctuary of liberty and tolerance... We have come to express our most absolute support and our solidarity, you are not alone, migrants. We have undertaken a tour through the U.S. to defend the migrants, Mexicans and others, before the campaign of hate promoted by the new American government.”
Washington, D.C. March 15 th. AMLO delivered a denunciation of Trump’s policies to the Organization of American States’ Interamerican Commission on Human Rights. After that, he was a guest at the National Press Club and sent a letter to the United Nations.
AMLO delivered a denunciation of Trump’s policies to the Organization of American States’ Interamerican Commission on Human Rights. After that, he was a guest at the National Press Club and sent a letter to the United Nations. San Francisco, California March 20th AMLO spoke at the city’s Grand Theater, pledging, “Soon, very soon, sooner than later, there will be a rebirth of Mexico and the happiness of the people.”
AMLO promised to use the 50 Mexican consulates in the U.S. to defend “the migrants” Aren’t they already Again, AMLO compared Trump to Hitler, suggesting Trump speaks about Mexicans “as Hitler and the Nazis referred to the Jews, right before undertaking the infamous persecution and abominable extermination of the Jewish brothers.” AMLO also criticized Mexican president Enrique Pena Nieto, who “has permitted the insolence and the outrage of the U.S. president against our fellow Mexicans.”He also denounced poverty in the United States, saying there are “45 million poor people… nearly 15% of its population.” That also takes chutzpah, as mass immigration is a contributing factor to this poverty. Apparently, we are also lagging other First World nations in education, health and happiness. Well, then don’t encourage Mexicans to come here! [ Los problemas que aquejan a México y EU se resolverán cuando gobiernos superen desigualdad económica y social: AMLO, AMLO website, March 20, 2017’Wouldn’t these be subversive organizations dedicated to breaking our laws and interfering with our independence?
It’s not like AMLO is concealing his intentions. He’s blatantly interfering with our sovereignty and promising to do more.
Of course, we’ve long known our political Establishment has no problem with Mexican meddling. But what is Donald Trump waiting for?
American citizen Allan Wall (email him) moved back to the U.S.A. in 2008 after many years residing in Mexico. Allan's wife is Mexican, and their two sons are bilingual. In 2005, Allan served a tour of duty in Iraq with the Texas Army National Guard. His VDARE.COM articles are archived here; his Mexidata.info articles are archived here ; his News With Views columns are archived here; and his website is here.Priority review is a program of the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to expedite the review process for drugs that are expected to have a particularly great impact on the treatment of a disease. The priority review voucher program is a program that grants a voucher for priority review to a drug developer as an incentive to develop treatments for drugs that might otherwise not be profitable to develop because of a smaller pool of patients needing treatment.
Priority review vouchers are currently earned by pharmaceutical companies for the development and approval of drugs treating neglected tropical diseases, rare pediatric diseases, and "medical countermeasures" for terrorism. The voucher can be used for future drugs that could have wider indications for use, but the company is required to pay a fee (approximately $2.8 million) to use the voucher.
When seeking approval for a drug, manufacturers can apply to the FDA for priority review. This is granted when a drug is intended to treat a serious condition and would "provide a significant improvement in safety or effectiveness" over currently available treatments.[1] A priority review voucher can be used when a drug does not fit these requirements, but the company wishes to expedite the review process.[2]
In 2007, Title XI of the Food and Drug Administration Amendments Act of 2007 created the priority review voucher program for neglected tropical diseases. This was extended in 2012 by the Food and Drug Administration Safety and Innovation Act to include rare pediatric diseases. The act built upon the tropical disease system and made amendments including a shorter notification to the FDA before exercising a voucher, a designation system so that early in the drug development cycle sponsors may use the possibility of earning a voucher in their valuation of their company, a requirement of a marketing plan and reporting of marketing, and indefinite transferability of the voucher. In 2016, medical countermeasures was added to the program.
Priority review [ edit ]
Prior to approval, each drug marketed in the United States must go through a detailed FDA review process. In 1992, under the Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA), FDA agreed to specific goals for improving the drug review time and created a two-tiered system of review times – standard review and priority review.
A priority review designation is given to drugs that offer major advances in treatment, or provide a treatment where no adequate therapy exists. The 2002 amendments to PDUFA set a goal that a standard review of a new drug application be accomplished within a ten-month time frame. The FDA goal for completing a priority review is six months. Priority review status can apply both to drugs that are used to treat serious diseases and to drugs for less serious illnesses.
The distinction between priority and standard review times is that additional FDA attention and resources will be directed to drugs that have the potential to provide significant advances in treatment. Such advances can be demonstrated by, for example: evidence of increased effectiveness in treatment, prevention, or diagnosis of disease; elimination or substantial reduction of a treatment-limiting drug reaction; documented enhancement of patient willingness or ability to take the drug according to the required schedule and dose; or evidence of safety and effectiveness in a new subpopulation, such as children.
A request for Priority Review must be made by the drug company. It does not affect the length of the clinical trial period. FDA determines within 45 days of the drug company’s request whether a priority or standard review designation will be assigned. Designation of a drug as “priority” does not alter the scientific/medical standard for approval or the quality of evidence necessary. Safety requirements for a priority review are equal to that of a standard review.
The amendment can be found on page 150 of the Food and Drug Administration Amendments Act of 2007.[3]
Priority review voucher program [ edit ]
The statute authorizes the FDA to award a priority review voucher to the sponsor (manufacturer) of a newly approved drug or biologic that targets a neglected tropical disease or a rare pediatric disease. The provision applies to New Drug Applications (NDAs), Biological License Applications (BLAs) and 505(b)(2) applications. The voucher, which is transferable and can be sold, entitles the bearer to a priority review for another product.
Under current Prescription Drug User Fee Act targets, the FDA aims to complete and act upon reviews of priority drugs within six months instead of the standard ten-month review period. Actual FDA review timelines, however, can be longer than the target PDUFA review periods, particularly for new products that haven’t previously been approved for any indications. Economists at Duke University, who published on this concept in 2006, estimated that priority review can cut the FDA review process from an average of 18 months down to six months, shortening by as much as a full year the time it takes for the company’s drug to reach the market.[4]
An intangible benefit of the voucher is the value created for a company if the faster review provides them "first mover advantage," allowing the voucher holder's product to be introduced ahead of a similar, competing product. By taking advantage of existing market forces, patients in the developing world can have faster access to lifesaving products that may not otherwise be developed. And sponsors of neglected disease drugs can be rewarded for their innovations[5]
Sponsors must inform the FDA of their intention to use a priority review voucher 90 days before submission. Before the Adding Ebola to the FDA Priority Review Voucher Program Act in 2014, this requirement was 365 days, which was a hindrance to the process of speedy review, as companies do not typically determine when drugs will be submitted until the results of safety studies are available.[2]
Companies may also sell vouchers to other drug companies. Thus far, priority review vouchers have sold for $50-350 million.
Cost [ edit ]
Companies that use the voucher will be required to pay a supplemental priority review user fee to ensure that the FDA can recoup the costs incurred by the agency for the faster review, in addition to the fee for standard review of drugs. The additional user fee also aims to ensure that the new program will not slow the progress of other products awaiting FDA review. The cost has decreased dramatically from over $5 million in 2012.[6] For the fiscal year 2018, this fee is $2.8 million.[7]
Uses of the priority review program [ edit ]
As of 2017, fourteen priority review vouchers have been awarded, four for tropical diseases, and ten for rare pediatric diseases. The first priority review voucher was awarded in 2009 to Novartis for its approval of Coartem. The next voucher was not awarded until 2012. Other vouchers have been given for Janssen's Sirturo, BioMarin's Vimizim, Knight Therapeutics's miltefosine, United Therapeutics's dinutuximab, Asklepion Therapeutics's cholic acid, Wellstat Therapeutics's Xuriden, Alexion's Strensiq, Alexion's Kanuma, PaxVax's Vaxchora, Sarepta Therapeutics's eteplirsen, Ionis Pharmaceuticals's Spinraza, Marathon Pharmaceuticals's Emflaza, and BioMarin's Brineura.[2]
Vouchers have been used to speed the approval process for guselkumab, alirocumab, and emtricitabine/rilpivirine/tenofovir alafenamide.[8] A voucher was used by Novartis in the application for canakinumab, but the drug was not approved.[2]
Extensions [ edit ]
Extension to rare pediatric diseases [ edit ]
In 2012, President Obama signed into law the FDA Safety and Innovation Act which includes Section 908, the "Rare Pediatric Disease Priority Review Voucher Incentive Program".[9] Section 529 extends the voucher program to rare pediatric diseases, but only on a trial basis. After the third voucher is awarded, the Comptroller General of the United States is to conduct a study on the effectiveness of the pediatric priority review voucher program.
The pediatric voucher program includes changes to the voucher program. First, the pediatric treatment developer can ask the FDA in advance for an indication of whether the disease qualifies as a rare, pediatric disease.
The awardee must market the drug within 365 days of approval, or the voucher may be revoked. Within five years of approval, the manufacturer must submit a report containing information on the estimated population in the United States suffering from the rare pediatric disease, the estimated demand in the United States for such rare pediatric disease product, and the actual amount of such rare pediatric disease product distributed in the United States.[10]
The Advancing Hope Act of 2016 reauthorized the program until December 31, 2016 and instructed the GAO to compile a report on the effectiveness of the program.[11]
Extension to ebola virus [ edit ]
In December 2014, the Senate approved a bill that would add the Ebola virus to the Priority Review Voucher List.[12] The bill, S. 2917—Adding Ebola to the FDA Priority Review Voucher Program Act, was introduced by Senator Tom Harkin on November 12, 2014. President Obama signed it on December 16, and it became Public Law 113-233.[13] Forty-five Senators cosponsored the bill (26 Democrats and 19 Republicans). This act also eliminated the differences between tropical disease and pediatric disease vouchers, but allowing both to be sold an unlimited number of times and be used after a 90-day notification period to the FDA.
On a technical level, S. 2917 added “Filoviruses” to the priority review list. The Ebola virus is a type of Filovirus. According to the Congressional Budget Office, enactment of the law does not have an effect on the federal budget.[15]
Extension for medical countermeasures [ edit ]
The Senate's Medical Countermeasure Innovation Act of 2016 proposed adding a new category of drugs to the priority review voucher program. In 2016, it was confirmed that the approval of drugs for medical countermeasures would be eligible to earn a priority review voucher. Medical countermeasures are drugs to "prevent or treat harm from a biological, chemical, radiological or nuclear agent identified as a material threat".[16]
Proposed adoption by European Medicines Agency [ edit ]
Writing in The Lancet, David Ridley and Alfonso Calles Sánchez proposed extending the voucher to the European Union. The proposed EU voucher would provide priority regulatory review through the European Medicines Agency, as well as accelerated pricing and reimbursement decisions by EU member states.[17]
Secondary market [ edit ]
According to Forbes journalist Tim Worstall, the priority review voucher emerged as a "lucrative secondary market."[18] In an article in the Wall Street Journal concerns were raised about the sale of these vouchers[19] that "require the FDA to shorten its decision deadline to six months from the standard 10 months—potentially giving companies an extra four months’ worth of sales. The voucher doesn’t guarantee the FDA will approve the drug."[19]
In July 2014, Regeneron and Sanofi announced that they had purchased a priority review voucher that BioMarin had won for a recent rare disease drug approval for $67.5 million; the voucher cut four months off the regulatory review time for alirocumab and was part of their strategy to beat Amgen to market with the first approval of a PCSK9 inhibitor.[19][20][21]
In 2015, a voucher for a pediatric cancer drug developed by United Therapeutics sold for $350 million. At this cost, the voucher would be expected to offset the substantial investment and risk required for discovery and development of a new treatment for a neglected disease. If the time saved from gaining a priority review were much shorter, however, the value of the voucher will be significantly less.
Diseases targeted [ edit ]
The eligible tropical diseases include the following:[3]
Pediatric rare diseases are any disease that primarily affects people under the age of 18 and affects 200,000 or fewer people in the United States.
Medical countermeasures are drugs to be used "in the event of a public health emergency stemming from a terrorist attack with a biological, chemical, or radiological/nuclear material, a naturally occurring emerging disease, or a natural disaster."
Limitations [ edit ]
Critics have claimed a number of issues with the priority review program. First, the priority review voucher might be too small or too large to encourage drug development. It may be too small because tropical diseases with incredible burdens can be presumed to merit more resources. This is likely not the case for pediatric rare diseases, some drugs are developed for pediatric use through expansion of adult drug research for similar conditions. The priority review voucher might be too large, if it rewards research which would have been done anyway, or research with low value.
The priority review voucher may tax FDA resources. To mitigate this, use of the priority review voucher includes an extra fee paid by manufacturers to the FDA and requires that voucher bearers provide FDA with 90 days' notice before using a voucher.
Critics of the FDA allege that priority review might not be safe. Priority review should not, however, be confused with accelerated approval or fast track designation. Priority review does not omit safety or efficacy studies or require approval within a given time frame. It sets a target of 6 rather than 10 months for FDA review. Nevertheless, a study in 2008 claimed that new molecular entities approved in the two months before the first review deadlines showed a higher rate of postmarketing safety problems than drugs approved at other times.[22] Nardinelli and colleagues (2008) of the FDA, however, wrote that they were not able to replicate the findings and that the findings might be driven by HIV-AIDS therapies.[23] Following the Nardinelli piece, Carpenter acknowledged several errors in their data set and demonstrated errors in the FDA's and Nardinelli's data; Carpenter and colleagues report that the original associations between last-minute approvals and safety problems hold.[23]
There have also been complaints that the priority review voucher encourages innovation, but does not pay for access to existing therapies. Funding from governments or foundations might be needed to purchase treatments for poor people. Aidan Hollis of the University of Calgary has commented that the proposal does not address "the access problem, but helps to increase incentives through creating distortions in markets in developed countries". This is entirely a separate issue from the promotion of research intended by the priority review program.
News and reaction [ edit ]
According to Bill Gates,[24]
"Some of the highest-leverage work that government can do is to set policy and disburse funds in ways that create market incentives for business activity that improves the lives of the poor. Under a law signed by President Bush last year, any drug company that develops a new treatment for a neglected disease like malaria or TB can get priority review from the Food and Drug Administration for another product they've made. If you develop a new drug for malaria, your profitable cholesterol-lowering drug could go on the market a year earlier. This priority review could be worth hundreds of millions of dollars." — Bill Gates at the World Economic Forum in Davos in 2008.
See also [ edit ]One of the seven wonders of the world has been recreated with a 3D printer. But the new version of the Statue of Zeus is only around an eighth the size of the original.
The Millennium Gate Museum in Atlanta commissioned the new statue to tie in with an upcoming exhibition on the Olympic Games (modern and ancient.) As well as displaying genuine artifacts from ancient Greece, the museum wanted to commemorate Zeus, the God that the original Olympics celebrated.
The original Zeus statue was destroyed in a fire in the fifth century. It stood 13 meters tall and was made of gold, ivory and wood.
The recreation is a more modest 1.8 meters and took almost three days in total to print using thermoplastics. How accurately it matches the original (size apart) is hard to tell as despite the statue’s importance, no replicas survived. The design used for the “reprint” is based on imagery on ancient coins and written descriptions from the period.Forres, Scotland – June 28, 2014 – Field Marshal Montgomery’s string of consecutive major championship victories came to a crashing end at seven, with Inveraray & District’s win of the European Championships, with the 2013 World Champions tumbling to a surprising fourth prize. It was the first championship victory in Grade 1 for Inveraray. Field Marshal Montgomery had two firsts in piping, but a fifth in ensemble and a crippling seventh in drumming were too much to overcome. Only 11 Grade 1 and 12 Grade 2 bands made the trip to the village of Forres (population 9,000) in the north of Scotland for the European Championships, the third of the five RSPBA majors in the year. Weather was a mix of sun and cloud, with a high of about 14. Grade 2 was won by Buchan, continuing that band’s run of success and almost certain move to Grade 1 in 2015. Dundee’s Mackenzie Caledonia surged forward to second in Grade 2, the band’s highest placing yet in a major.
Grade 1 (medley, 11 competed)
1st Inveraray & District (2,4,3,2)
2nd ScottishPower (3,2,6,1)
3rd St. Laurence O’Toole (ens.pref) (4,5,1,4)
4th Field Marshal Montgomery (1,1,7,5)
5th Shotts & Dykehead Caledonia (5,3,2,6)
6th Peoples Ford Boghall & Bathgate (6,7,4,3)
Drumming: St. Laurence O’Toole
Judges: George Wilson, Ian Wood (piping); Paul Turner (drumming); Peter Snaddon (ensemble)
Grade 2 (MSR, 12 competed)
1st Buchan Peterson (3,3,1,1)
2nd Mackenzie Caledonian (1,2,4,2)
3rd Torphichen & Bathgate (4,1,3,4)
4th Lomond & Clyde (2,6,2,3)
5th Glasgow Skye (9,5,5,6)
6th City of Edinburgh (7,4,8,9)
Judges: Gordon Lawrie, Harry Stevenson (piping); David Brown (drumming); Joe Noble (ensemble)Singapore has and always will be a city of firsts for Uber. It was the first city in Asia to welcome Uber, the first city in Asia to adopt low-cost service uberX, and today it becomes the first developed city in the world to experiment with cash payments.
Why cash matters to our Singaporean riders
Even though credit cards are common you might be surprised to learn that cash payments currently make up over 30% of all transactions on the island-state.1 By introducing this experiment, we discovered four simple ways that cash could make a little bit easier for everyone who needs a safe, reliable ride in Singapore.
Removing the fear factor for first time riders
You told us you still have concerns about credit cards, and we listened. We want every Singaporean to have the freedom to choose the way they travel, and cash is a truly inclusive way to let everyone move around their city easily
No credit card? No worries.
Cash opens doors for more Singaporeans to take their first ride, and have a quality experience on Uber, whether you’re busy Mum, a student without a credit card or a senior citizen who’s more comfortable with cash
Showing more love to heartland neighbourhoods
We’ve seen in Uber cities around the region that cash payments can increase the adoption rate of new riders outside core service areas by an average 45% – that shows more love to more neighbourhoods and we think the heartlands could use even more UberLOVE
More riders means more driver dollars
When more riders choose Uber outside the business district, more driver-partners increase their average hourly earnings – taking longer trips to a wider variety of neighbourhoods and reducing the time they spend idle
How cash works
Go to the ‘Payment’ section in the app Select ‘CASH’ as your payment option Confirm your pickup location and request your ride At the end of the trip, pay the fare directly in cash to your driver We want your feedback – Tweet us @Uber_SING to share your Uber experience with cash
Cash is an open-ended experiment so not all riders will see this additional payment option right away. The team at Uber in Singapore is looking forward to hearing more from you – our rider and driver community – so we can keep improving your experience and help make life just a little bit easier for more Singaporeans.
uber now accepts cash THANK YOU — jermaine (@wheemione) April 6, 2016
New to Uber? Use Promo code: CASHSG For FREE ride up to $20 (Expires 30 April, Excludes TAXI)
1. [https://blog.wirecard.com/why-singapore-is-on-the-way-to-a-cashless-society]↩Janelle Holland rescued her pit bull Triumph (she calls him "T-Diddy") nine years ago. He was found at age 2 and had been used as a fighting dog before Janelle got him. Janelle says the dog is great with people and very friendly. (Photo11: Steve Hebert for USA TODAY)
Three decades after officials in more than 700 cities throughout the country began passing bans and other restrictions to keep pit bulls out of their communities, state and local governments are increasingly reconsidering their approach to what not so long ago was America's most vilified pet.
Since June, at least nine communities in the Midwest have overturned pit bull bans that were on the books. Last week, Hallsville, Mo., became the latest to lift its ban after a family successfully appealed to the City Council for a change in law when it learned the family dog was a pit bull mix.
Over the past two years, more than 100 municipalities across the USA have overturned bans and other restrictions that target dogs in the pit bull family, the generic term commonly used to describe the American pit bull terrier, Staffordshire bull terrier and many mixed-breed dogs with square-shaped heads and bulky builds.
More communities could soon follow suit.
The unified government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kan., is considering lifting a pit bull ban that has been on the books for nearly a quarter-century, as part of a comprehensive overhaul of its animal control policies.
The push in Kansas City (pop. 148,000) comes as Roeland Park, Kan. (pop. 6,800) recently began reviewing its ban on pit bulls. The nearby community of Bonner Springs announced this year that it was lifting its ban.
Advocates argue the bans have been ineffective in reducing dog bites and led to millions of dogs being euthanized. They say too often animal control officials, law enforcement and the media misidentify offending dogs as pit bulls.
"The only ones that are being affected by these bans are responsible dog owners," said Janelle Holland, a pit bull owner who was forced to leave Roeland Park more than a decade ago after learning she was violating the ban.
There's been action on the statewide level as well.
This year, South Dakota and Utah joined 17 other states in passing laws to prevent local governments passing "breed-specific legislation," or BSL, making it illegal for cities to pass bans targeting pit bulls or any other breed. (The South Dakota law went into effect in July, and Utah's prohibition on pit bull bans will be law on New Year's Day.)
Breed-specific legislation began spreading in communities throughout the country in the mid-1980s after a surge in fatal dog bitings, including a disproportionate number of incidents initially attributed to pit bull-type dogs.
The pit bull was popular in illegal dogfighting rings, and the breed developed a reputation as a favorite accessory of drug dealers and gangsters.
This month, residents in the Denver suburb of Aurora, Colo., voted by a 2-to-1 ratio in a referendum to keep their pit bull ban on the books. The Aurora vote follows a vote in 2012 in Miami-Dade County, where voters opted to keep the ban by a similarly wide ratio.
Fourteen-month-old Daxton Borchardt was fatally mauled last year by two pit bulls. (Photo11: Jeff Borchardt)
Jeff Borchardt, an East Troy, Wis.-man whose 14-month-old son, Daxton, was fatally mauled last year by two pit bulls while being cared for by a babysitter, says government leaders should look to the Aurora and Miami examples before overturning bans.
"There's this pro-pit-bull movement that tries to paint these dogs as nanny dogs and sweet, lovely and kind," Borchardt said. "It's disgusting, it's dangerous, and it's irresponsible."
Some groups, including the American Veterinary Medical Association, the Humane Society and the American Bar Association, have suggested governments would be better off focusing attention on problem animals in a community rather than banning any particular breed of dog.
The push to end pit bull bans got a boost last year, when the Obama administration — in response to opponents of such laws petitioning the White House — said it was opposed to breed-specific legislation.
Stakeholders on opposite sides of the issue cast aspersions about the evidence the others use to back their arguments. A lack of recent government or third-party data on pit bull bites further muddies the national conversation.
The National Canine Research Council, which opposes breed-specific legislation, points to a 2013 study it partly funded that suggests a dog's environment has more to do than its breed with the likelihood of a dog making a deadly attack.
The study, published in the Journal of the |
Austin. I think he’s just misguided in his assessment of who’s got the better breakfast tacos.”
READ MORE: Who invented breakfast tacos? 'NOT AUSTIN,' new website says
Krier spends a lot of time in Austin, and he prefers tacos made in the Alamo City. Every Thursday, before taking up city business at council meetings, he dines on chorizo-and-egg from Poblano’s, next to Municipal Plaza.
Regardless of where the challenge occurs, there will have to be ground rules, such as what can go inside the tortillas?
Krier’s a fan of traditional — chorizo-and-egg on flour. He’s good, too, with bacon and egg, though he deems those “non-purist.”
“I suspect we may need to appoint some neutral mediators for the categories, and then we’ll have to pick neutral judges.”
That could easily get sticky.
But the starting ground rule should be clear and simple: No New Yorkers need apply.
[email protected]’s often noted as a contradiction and an oddity: The fact that even fans of the goriest, most violent horror movies hate to see animals getting hurt on film—especially dogs. Even though we know it’s fake, there’s something so upsetting about cruelty to canines that even those with nerves of steel can be seen flinching.
Personally, I believe that 99% of people on earth suck, so I have no problem watching them get slaughtered. On the other hand, 99% of dogs are awesome, amazing creatures, so even a fictional portrayal of violence against one is offensive.
Horror filmmakers know exactly how unsettled we get by depictions of animal cruelty, and they use this to their benefit—or rather, to our disadvantage. Because, let’s face it, when a dog goes chasing after something that goes bump in the night in a movie, we automatically assume its doomed. This gets an audience emotionally invested, and increases hatred towards an antagonist.
Some people will flat out refuse to watch a horror movie if it depicts a dog getting killed. For these folks, there’s a handy online resource to reference at www.DoesTheDogDie.com. This site lists over 1,000 films featuring canines with a legend that lets you know at a glance if the dog lives, dies, or escapes with injury.
After reviewing this online resource, as well as the titles in my personal horror collection, I’ve compiled the below list: the Top 10 Horror Movies Where the Dog Lives. Enjoy!
Poltergeist (1982, Hooper)
The Freeling family dog, E. Buzz, is one of the first to sense ghostly apparitions in the new home, but he makes it until the film’s conclusion alive—just like every other character in Poltergeist. The film has a body count of zero. In fact the only life lost in Poltergeist was Carol Anne’s bird, Tweety; Tweety may have been killed by otherworldly forces, or her death might just be a coincidence.
Bait aka Bait 3D (2012, Rendall)
This natural disaster saga from Down Under delivers a triple-threat with an earthquake, followed by a tidal wave, followed by an invasion of bloodthirsty great white sharks! Kyle and Heather (played by Lincoln Lewis and Cariba Heine) are trapped in a flooded underground parking lot teeming with man-eaters. Making their situation more stressful is Heather’s tiny dog who won’t stop yapping. Annoying dogs are especially at risk of dying in horror movies, but this little bugger makes it out just fine—which is more than I can say for Kyle!
The Amityville Horror (1979, Rosenberg)
Like Poltergeist, The Amityville Horror packs powerful thrills and inspires genuine terror without any characters dying—and that includes Harry, the Lutz family dog. Unfortunately, his counterpart in the 2005 remake doesn’t fare so well, meeting an untimely demise after at the business-end of an axe. Add this to the long list of reasons this remake quite inferior to the original.
Mama (2013, Muschietti)
Don’t get me wrong, Mama is emotionally devastating—but at least the dog doesn’t die!
Gremlins (1984, Dante)
In the original screenplay, the titular Gremlins actually ate Billy’s dog, Barney! They also killed Billy’s mom and used her head as a bowling ball! We’ll never know how a more violent version of Gremlins might have faired theatrically, but in the version we all know and love, Barney lives to bark another day (even after getting strung-up in Christmas lights).
Tucker and Dale vs Evil (2010, Craig)
Poor Tucker and Dale. They’re just a couple of friendly hillbillies looking to relax at their vacation cabin in the woods—but without warning, they’re beset upon by a gang of drugged-out, psychotic, suicidal college students! They even kidnap Jangers the dog! The good news is, Tucker, Dale, and Jangles all live through this terrifying ordeal.
Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones (2014, Landon)
One of the most shocking moments of Paranormal Activities: The Marked Ones comes when possessed Jesse (played by Andrew Jacobs) uses demonic powers to telekinetically push his poor dog along the ceiling. It’s difficult to watch as the dog yips and yaps in terror while Jesse laughs with wicked delight. While witnessing any degree of canine discomfort sucks, we’re eventually relived when the dog is released unharmed.
Pumpkinhead (1988, Winston)
Horror fans with a soft spot for canines will be pleased to know that Ed Harley’s dog, Gypsy, survives the film. Of course, the only thing more difficult to watch than a dog dying is a child dying, so don’t expect an easy watch!
Dawn of the Dead (2004, Snyder)
Few dogs display the kind of heroism shown by Chips in 2004’s remake of Dawn of the Dead. This pooch with nerves of steel managed to maneuver through a horde of zombies unscathed to deliver supplies to a stranded comrade across the street.
The Lost Boys (1987, Schumacher)
Sam’s dog Nanook doesn’t simply survive The Lost Boys, he even kills one of the vamps himself by knocking the blood-sucker into a bathtub filled with holy water. Good boy, Nanook!
BONUS: The Cat with Nine Lives
Alien (1979, Scott)
Cat people love their feline friends as much as dog people love their canines. To that end, I decided to include Jones from Alien. Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) risks her life to retrieve her pet cat from the Nostromio, even though the ship’s self-destruct sequence is quickly counting down. Ripley may have lost her entire crew, but at least she had Jones to keep her company during her long trip home again.
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Do you squirm whenever a dog gets hurt or killed in a horror movie? Sound off in the Comments Section!
Follow me on Twitter @josh_millican
And stay up to date with all the latest horror news, reviews, interviews, and more by liking The Blood Shed on Facebook HERE!On November 18, 2016, ten days after Donald Trump won the Presidential election, graffiti appeared on a Brooklyn Heights playground named after Adam Yauch, a founding member of the Beastie Boys. Yauch, who died in 2012, was Jewish; a vandal had spray-painted two swastikas on the equipment and, beneath them, had written, “Go Trump.” The incident received national attention not just for its hateful nature but because it happened in a liberal enclave. To me, though, one of the most disturbing aspects wasn’t the swastikas themselves but the fact that they had been drawn incorrectly—one was backward and the other was misshapen. Apparently, the person engaging in hate speech didn’t know what a Nazi swastika looked like. This was someone trying on the role of anti-Semite for size—someone who hadn’t been a rabid neo-Nazi his whole life but who felt emboldened by the election of the new President. It was a new behavior prompted by a new event. Were such incidents, then, the new “normal”? And, if this shift of norms could happen with such speed, in such an improbable location, then how quickly and how much might the norms of our whole society change?
Understanding the psychology of changing norms starts from a simple insight: although we may wish to be perfectly rational and impartial, bias is an inescapable part of what it means to be human. At three months old, we already prefer the faces of people who share our skin color over the faces of those who don’t. By five years old, we’re aware of our group’s status and have imbibed certain community ideas about how various groups are perceived and treated. As we grow older, these ideas are constantly reinforced by popular culture, our social environments, and even our language and symbolism. The question, therefore, isn’t “Do biases exist?” but, rather, “How much do we let them affect our behavior?” In 1990, Susan Fiske and Steven Neuberg, then psychologists at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and Arizona State University, respectively, described the process by which bias sways behavior using what they called the “continuum model of impression formation.” According to their model, our reliance on stereotypes in decision-making exists on a continuum and shifts by degrees, rather than operating in absolutes. No one is ever bias-free, but some people let their biases influence their actions more than others. “You can’t help it if you live in a certain culture,” Fiske, who is now at Princeton University, explained to me. “But are you motivated to go beyond stereotype?”
To a large extent, our motivation to overcome our biases depends on implicit social norms, which we assimilate from a variety of sources. Sometimes we find them in the environment; people are more likely to litter in a dirty place than in a clean one, for instance. We also find them in the behavior of people we respect, or who occupy positions we respect. If someone in a powerful position acts in a certain way or expresses a certain view, we implicitly assume that those actions and views are associated with power, and that emulating them may be to our advantage. As a result, while our biases may be slow to change—they’re based on long-standing stereotypes, and we have been learning them since birth—our norms can shift at the speed of social life. We might think of anti-Semitism as stemming from deeply rooted beliefs, and, in some sense, that’s true, but the expression of anti-Semitism depends on highly changeable facts about our social environment.
Betsy Levy Paluck, a psychologist at Princeton University who just received a MacArthur “genius” grant, has spent her career studying how shifting social norms affect behavior. In the early aughts, she studied the profound shift in relations between the Hutus and the Tutsis at the time of the Rwandan genocide. Prior to the carnage, Paluck told me, “Hutus reported such good relations with their Tutsi neighbors”; then, in an instant, one group massacred the other. What Paluck observed during her time in Rwanda wasn’t the power of age-old hatreds—Hutus and Tutsis had always had stereotyped ideas about one another—but of quickly shifting social norms. To a great extent, the norms in Rwanda shifted so rapidly because they did so from the top: influential radio stations broadcast a powerful, persuasive, and constantly repeating message urging listeners to join killing squads and organize roadblocks. “That was the voice of authority,” Paluck explained. Suddenly, people saw violence as something that wasn’t just possible but normal.
The voice of authority speaks not for the one but for the many; authority figures have a strong and rapid effect on social norms in part because they change our assumptions about what other people think. In the United States, one way to study that effect is to examine the decisions of the Supreme Court, a universally acknowledged source of authority. In a study in the September, 2017, issue of Psychological Science, Paluck and Margaret Tankard, of the RAND Corporation, look at the change in American attitudes toward same-sex marriage before and after the Supreme Court decision that established it as a constitutional right, in June, 2015. In the months before the decision, Paluck and Tankard surveyed people in cities all over the country; they then repeated the survey after the decision was announced. They found that, while personal opinions on same-sex marriage hadn’t shifted in the wake of the ruling, people’s perception of others’ opinions had changed almost immediately. Americans, whether liberal or conservative, thought that their fellow-citizens now supported same-sex marriage more than before, even though, in reality, the only thing that had changed was the ruling of a public institution. The impression created by the ruling was that “more Americans currently support same-sex marriage, and that even more will support it in the future,” Paluck said.
Our tendency to extrapolate the opinions of others from the opinions of authority figures helps explain phenomena like the incorrectly drawn swastikas on the playground in Brooklyn. The psychology of norms suggests that you don’t “need a nation of raging anti-Semites to license the use of anti-Semitism as a social weapon,” Paluck said. Instead, an authority figure could make the expression of anti-Semitism—an old bias that had previously been subtle, implicit, and almost imperceptible—suddenly appear to be one of the broadly “acceptable” ways of showing pent-up anger. “A leader could whip up everyone’s frustration and channel it to these scapegoats and make it normative to use this language,” Paluck said, “encouraging people to say, ‘Ah, this is how to express my frustration, to lash out against liberalism and so-called élites.’ ” Such an authority figure can create the impression of a social consensus where none exists.I often say that the hardest part about learning a language like Arabic is not the speaking.
Speaking can be picked up pretty quickly believe it or not (made even easier by amazing sites like italki that connect you with Arabic speakers).
The hardest part about Arabic is actually learning to listen – training your ears to grasp what you’re hearing.
What sucks is that this is the one part of language learning where there are no shortcuts. To become better at listening you just need time and lots of exposure to Arabic.
You need to listen constantly.
Surround yourself with Arabic every spare moment you get.
Even when you’re not studying you should be having active rest time which means that although you’re not in study mode, you’re doing fun, recreational activities that involve Arabic in some way.
These could be things like watching movies or listening to music for example – things that are relaxing and enjoyable but still keeping your mind in the ‘Arabic zone’.
So today I’m going to help you out. 🙂
Here you’ll find some excellent links to high quality material online that will improve your listening skills in Arabic.
There are many many more than this online and probably a lot that I don’t know about but what I’ve listed here are high quality listening resources (mostly free, some paid) in a wide variety of dialects.
If there’s a site, YouTube channel, station or podcast that you think should be listed here, share it in the comment section below. 🙂
Arabic TV for listening practice in all major dialects
There are actually tonnes of channels in Arabic, many of which have online streams to watch.
What I’ve listed here are only a small handful of TV channels but these are the ones I’ve found the most helpful to me.
A lot of online streams rarely (if ever) work unfortunately and the ones that do work more often than not just aren’t great quality for listening practice.
So here you’ll find direct links to the stations that I watch personally or have used in my studies in the past.
These stations work very well and are great quality for listening.
I’ve tried to provide one link here for most major dialects.
CBC Egypt (Egyptian)
There are quite a few stations in Egypt but this by far my favorite.
You can also watch CBC Extra and CBC Sofra (all YouTube streams).
LBC (Lebanese)
You can watch individual episodes of shows on demand for free here.
The live stream doesn’t seem to work in Australia but might work in other countries outside the Mid East (let me know if it does for you).
Al-Aoula (Moroccan)
I’m currently using this in my own Moroccan study to improve listening.
Click the live play button at the top right.
Al-Wataniya (Tunisian)
You’ll find streams for a few Tunisian channels here on Tunis Vista.
Ro2ya (Jordanian)
There’s some awesome stuff on this channel.
I can’t find the live stream but you can watch tonnes of videos on their site or YouTube channel.
Saudi TV 1 (Saudi)
Al-Baghdadiya (Iraqi)
PBC Palestine (Palestinian)
BBC Arabic (MSA)
Al-Jazeera (MSA)
Also check out the Arabic section on Streema or search by country on wwiTV.
There are a lot of Arabic streams on these sites but most of them don’t work at all unfortunately (just try your luck).
Remember too that because Egyptian and Levantine TV shows and movies are so popular in the Arab world, you’ll often find them on the stations for other dialects as well.
Don’t be surprised if you turn on a Gulf TV station and hear Egyptian. 🙂
The best YouTube channels for Arabic listening
Let’s face it – there’s an endless supply of listening material on YouTube for Arabic. 🙂
So much that it’s just impossible for me to list them all here!
But what I’ve listed here are the channels on YouTube that I personally follow and find very helpful in various dialects.
N20Comedy (Jordanian)
Easy Languages
There’s not a whole lot here but this is an excellent website for a lot of languages.
You’ll find a decent selection of Egyptian “street language” videos with subs to listen to.
Ali Gamal
Not exactly ‘listening material’ per se but this Egyptian guy has some great videos with slowed dialogue and subs.
It’s great for new learners of Egyptian.
El-Bernameg
This is the Egyptian spin-off of the American Today Show with Bassem Youseff (it’s no longer running but was hugely popular in Egypt when it was).
Amr Khaled
If you’re Muslim, this might interest you.
Amr Khaled’s unique in that he’s an Islamic evangelist who speaks in colloquial Egyptian dialect about spirituality and religious topics (in contrast with most Islamic scholars who use MSA/Classical Arabic). If Islam’s important to you but you want to learn a spoken dialect rather than standard Arabic, check it out.
Sa7i (Saudi)
EyshElly (Saudi)
Myrkott
This is an interesting Saudi cartoon channel.
I recently shared a post on my other blog from one of their cartoons (see here).
Shankaboot
The “world’s first Arabic web series” in Lebanese Arabic.
Great show with English subs too.
I haven’t discovered any remarkable Maghrebi YouTube channels yet (Moroccan/Algerian/Tunisian/Libyan).
If you know of any please share them with me. 🙂
Children’s (or low level) Arabic video
Try these resources out if you’ve got kids learning Arabic or you’re at a low level yourself.
Cartoons are usually spoken in much simpler language which is perfect for learners.
Sometimes they’re spoken in Modern Standard Arabic but for many of them you’ll find them spoken in Egyptian.
Disney Arabic YouTube channel
This is not an official channel but one of several that have uploaded lots of Disney cartoons in Arabic.
You can find quite a few of these on YouTube (nobody seems to complain that whole Disney movies are being uploaded).
CartoonArabi (Arabic Cartoon)
This is one of the coolest sites I’ve ever seen for Arabic.
It’s full of old school cartoons like the Flintstones and tonnes of anime cartoons – all in Arabic.
Most are full collections too!
You’re welcome. 🙂
Arabic audio (podcasts) and music for listening practice
For news/current event audio and podcasts check out:
SBS Arabic
This probably won’t interest many people but if you’re interested in Australian news in Arabic, then SBS runs an Arabic service (and many other languages).
AiringPods Podcasts
There are a few excellent Arabic podcasts here but most of them are of a religious nature.
JUBA Arabic
I listen to this one quite a bit because it’s a really good Sudanese dialect resource. It’s listed on the AiringPods site too.
Depending on your tastes, Arabic music can be incredibly helpful to improving your listening comprehension.
The reason I say this is because music is very repetitive so when you listen to the same words and expressions repeated over and over, it catches quickly. Music’s also enjoyable of course so it’s a perfect downtime activity (unless you’re using it for study!).
Check out:
Mazika.com
Mazika’s good if you know the artist you’re looking for (and better if you can write the name in Arabic).
If I’m looking for specific music from a particular singer, I go here.
Yala Music + Yala.fm
This site is one of my absolute favorites. I usually use the Country selector and choose the Arab country I want to hear music from, then select from loads of popular artists in that country.
Make sure to get the mobile app for this one.
Last.fm
This one just scrapes and sequences music videos from YouTube. I usually just click Play Arabic tag and let it surprise me. 🙂
MelodyTV
Melody’s a station in the Mid East and their YouTube channel has tonnes of music in it.
TuneIn
TuneIn’s a really handy website that allows you to search online radio station streams by location.
Just select the Arab country and you’ll get a list of radio options.
Arabic study resources with a strong focus on listening comprehension
Finally there are actual study products that are designed specifically to help improve your listening comprehension skills in Arabic.
There are quite a lot more than I’ve listed here of course but these are hands down the best available resources.
Rapid Arabic (MSA)
Think of this is as an audio phrasebook spoken over the top of specially designed music that causes the phrases to get ‘stuck’ in your head.
All based on research too.
See my review here.
ArabicPod101 (Moroccan, Egyptian and MSA)
This is one of the best online resources for Moroccan Arabic.
They do have material in Egyptian and MSA too but I’d mostly just recommend this to people who can’t find decent Moroccan material.
See my review here.
Rocket Arabic (Egyptian)
This is probably the most comprehensive Egyptian dialogue resource I’ve seen online.
Highly recommend this to anyone learning Egyptian. I explain why I like it here.
TalkInArabic.com (Egyptian, Levantine, Iraqi, Saudi, Tunisian, Sudanese, Moroccan and Algerian)
Our own resource put together for this very purpose. 🙂
We’ve been attempting to cover every major dialect with quality video and audio resources for listening (including subs, transcripts and dialogues).
Here are some samples:
Pimsleur Arabic (Egyptian and Levantine)
I’m hesitant to put this here because frankly the accents aren’t that great and there’s way too much English for it to be overly useful as a listening resource.
But in case you’re interested, see my review here.
DLIFLC – G.L.O.S.S
So these 3 resources (provided freely by the US military to the public) are pretty amazing.
They’re definitely suited to higher-level learners however. This resource (G.L.O.S.S) contains a lot of lessons in various dialects but the interface is quite old and even the “beginner” lessons are definitely way above a beginner level.
DLIFLC – Phone Conversations
Available in Arabic and Spanish dialects.
These are excellent for listening practice. Basically they’re just natural phone conversations.
Pretty cool idea 🙂 (no written transcripts however)
DLIFLC – Accents Library
This is also an amazing resource.
You can listen to the same recording said in something like 10 different dialects.
It doesn’t provide written transcripts either but it’s great to hear the differences in the way the same thing is said by different dialect speakers.
So that’s it!
I hope those suggestions help you somewhat.
If you’ve got recommendations please let us know below in the comments. Thanks!Inter Milan have no intention of selling star striker Mauro Icardi this summer.
Reports in Italy claimed Inter could put the Argentina international on the market at the end of the season if the Nerazzurri fail to qualify for the Champions League in the 2015-16 campaign.
Inter sporting director Piero Ausilio vehemently denied those rumours and insists that Icardi, who is a reported target of Premier League sides Chelsea and Liverpool, will remain at the club for the foreseeable future.
He told his club's official website: "What would happen if they offered me 40 million euros this summer for Icardi? We have no intention of negotiating.
"We are thinking about the present and the future with Icardi. Our intentions are clear, we are building a team that will last for a long time, with young valuable players.
"To talents like [Croatian midfielder Mateo] Kovacic and Icardi, we have brought in other players of quality like [Croatian midfielder Marcelo] Brozovic and [Swiss midfielder Xherdan] Shaqiri. This is in the direction that we want to move forward.''
Icardi, 22, joined Inter from Sampdoria in 2013 and has scored 14 goals in 24 Serie A appearances for the Nerazzurri this season.
The South American is expected to sign a one-year contract extension with Inter this week which will keep him tied to the San Siro outfit until June 2019.
"We know we have to recognise the good work he [Icardi] had done and that will be done,'' Ausilio said. "He has made his requests and we are working towards that.
"What matters is that we will soon reach an agreement, I'm convinced.''
Inter, coached by Roberto Mancini, are ninth in Serie A, 10 points adrift of Napoli, who are third and hold the last Champions League qualifying spot.
The Nerazzurri are through to the last-16 of the Europa League where they will face German outfit Wolfsburg later this month.CTV Montreal
Montreal and the province of Quebec have outlined more details about a $2 million centre to stop the radicalization of Canadian citizens who are tempted to join jihadist groups.
In March Mayor Denis Coderre said the centre would support the parents of youths who sympathized with Islamist and terrorist groups.
At the time it included a phone number to a police department for those seeking help, but not much more.
Now the centre has a specific director who will fight jihadist ideology: Herman Okomba-Deparice.
He has spent the past decade working in the Montreal police department as a specialist in cultural relations, and most recently in dealing with radicalized groups.
The centre is meant to prevent and detect violence and to help the radicalized person reintegrate into society. The situations reported would not necessarily become criminal matters.
“It's really to support those who are worried, parents, family members friends,” said Immigration, Diversity and Inclusion Minister Kathleen Weil.
Coderre said the plan doesn’t just target Muslim extremists.
“We need to fight islamophobia, we need to fight anti-Semitism; we need to fight any kind of intolerance and racism,” he said.
Much of the groundwork did, however, involve the Muslim community, said Weil.
“The consultations that we held, it was really was with the Muslim communities,” she said.
The plan must have targets, said Montreal Imam Omar Kone of the Soufi Naqshbandi Centre.
He said the Muslim community must be more involved in stopping radicalization among its youth.
“The community should obviously be involved in addressing this issue because they are obviously the main source for it and part of the answer is within the community itself,” said Kone.
Freedom of expression must be protected, said constitutional lawyer Julius Grey.
“People should be allowed to say things that are abhorrent to most of us,” said Grey, but adds there is must be a limit if one calls for violence.
“Every state, every society may have its own forms, so we have to understand what’s happening in Quebec,” said Grey.
Coderre and Public Security Minister Lise Theriault said the need for an agency to work against radical Islam became apparent with several incidents in the past year.
In January four men and two women from Laval and Montreal left Canada and are believed to have joined Islamic State fighters in Syria and Iraq.
Ten teenagers had their passports confiscated in May for attempting to leave the country, allegedly to join the same religious war.
In April two teenagers were arrested and are facing charges for aiding a terrorist group and possessing explosive materials.
Last October Martin Couture-Rouleau ran down and killed an off-duty soldier in St. Jean sur Richelieu.
In the months before the attack Couture-Rouleau's family had contacted police to say the man was becoming radicalized, and authorities confiscated his passport when he tried to travel to Turkey.
The telephone number to reach the centre is 514-687-7141 or 1-877-687-7141.Whether it’s a Friday leak to the press (meant to overtake a damaging narrative on Sunday news programs) or a Friday “document dump” of damaging material (meant to be overlooked by reporters ready to start their weekend), such news events rarely happen as a result of a reporter’s intrepid independent digging.
They’re orchestrated, leaked, planted and timed.
And too often, we in the media serve as willing repositories for propaganda, talking points and spin du jour, whether generated by Democrats, Republicans or corporate interests. Deals are cut in secret. Backs are scratched. One hand washes another.
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The transactional nature of relationships between newsmakers and the media can make it easy for special interests to advance a narrative or accomplish a smear. Sometimes, it’s as if the newsmakers have state-run media or free advertising at their disposal, masquerading as news.
In October 2011, the Department of Justice was roiling in controversy over the multi-layered cover up of Operation Fast and Furious, where federal agents secretly allowed the trafficking of thousands of weapons to Mexican drug cartels.
“Where are our surrogates,” then-Attorney General Eric Holder Eric Himpton HolderHolder: 'Time to make the Electoral College a vestige of the past' Obama political arm to merge with Holder-run group Barack, Michelle Obama expected to refrain from endorsing in 2020 Dem primary: report MORE asks his top press aide Tracy Schmaler in an email.
“Gave our stuff to some of the regular dem pundit and bloggers on cables,” replies Schmaler. “Lanny D – was on o’reilly this week and pushed back. Talked w/him at length last night and gave him our stuff…Reaching out to some others.”
In another email, adviser Matthew Miller recommended, to Holder: “Find a way for you to get in front of a reporter or two about this…you could find a way to ‘run into’ a couple of reporters on your way to something. Maybe Pete Williams, Carrie, Pete Yost – that part can be managed. Most important is that you’re in front of a camera in a relaxed manner giving a response you have rehearsed.”
Other emails from the 2016 campaign show Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham ClintonREAD: Cohen testimony alleges Trump knew Stone talked with WikiLeaks about DNC emails County GOP in Minnesota shares image comparing Sanders to Hitler Holder: 'Time to make the Electoral College a vestige of the past' MORE officials confident that they can plant stories and dictate terms of news coverage with multiple national news outlets.
Fortunately, not everyone in the press plays along all the time.
An email on May 2, 2015 showed Hillary’s camp was furious that NBC supposedly violated an agreement dictating how a story was to be written in exchange for an interview with former President Clinton.
“Going in, NBC agreed to do 70 percent of the piece on work of the [Clinton] Foundation and 30 percent about the book,” the Clinton campaign’s Jennifer Palmieri wrote to staff.
“Cynthia McFadden was the interviewer and didn’t ask one question about work of the Foundation. Not one,” Palmieri complained. “Absurdly, NBC is still promising Craig that they will stick by 70-30 agreement by using footage of the events and Cynthia describing the work of the Foundation.”
Palmieri added, “Not sure it will help, but I called Chuck Todd (as head of [NBC] political unit) to let him know how outrageous and ludicrous this was and that our side of the house is watching to see how NBC handles this…I think we have to make this public.”
How pervasive is all of this? Surely Republicans seek to be as successful as Democrats. But one of the best in the business is the pro-Hillary super PAC Correct The Record, one of the myriad of partisan groups started by Hillary Clinton ally David Brock of Media Matters.
In internal memos revealed by WikiLeaks in October 2016, Correct The Record boasted it conducted “over 900 on-the-record and off-the-record media interviews” and sent “80 sets of talking points, background materials and briefings on topical issues” to defend Clinton to “372 surrogates including influential and frequent pundits on broadcast and cable news.” It also sent “media advisories” and “talking points” to “960 members of the national media and 10,756 regional reporters in 28 states,” and to “369 televisions producers and bookers.”
In the end, I don’t blame the PR flacks, the spinners or the politicians for trying to work us. It’s our fault in the media for being so eminently susceptible to manipulation.
Knowing all this, I view news differently than I used to. I don’t assume it’s false, but I also don’t assume it’s true. Even if true, I don’t assume it’s the whole story or that it’s presented in context until I can find out more. More frequently, I ask myself:
Who wanted this story placed at this time?
Who wants me to believe this, and why?
Answers to those questions can generate entirely different stories. Those stories aren’t being pushed by influential people, companies or political interests. Instead, they are stories that the powerful are trying to censor, “controversialize” or mute. These stories, I would argue, may be more important and insightful. And they’re not told often enough.
Sharyl Attkisson (@SharylAttkisson) is an Emmy Award-winning investigative journalist, author of the New York Times bestsellers “The Smear” and “Stonewalled,” and host of Sinclair’s Sunday TV program “Full Measure.”Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Trust chief executive Dr Gordon Coutts apologised for ''letting patients down''
A hospital cancer unit is being investigated by police after staff said they were being "pressured or bullied" to falsify data relating to patients.
"Inaccuracies" were found with waiting time data relating to cancer treatment at Colchester hospital, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) found.
Patients' lives may have been put at risk, the hospitals inspector said.
Essex Police said it was looking into whether a "criminal investigation" was needed.
Staff told inspectors they were "pressured or bullied" to change data relating to patients and their treatment to make it seem people were being treated in line with national guidelines, the CQC said.
New management
The findings were reported to police "due to the serious failings identified", it added.
Such a situation is unprecedented in the NHS - and as a result the temptation is to dismiss it as a one-off that should be seen in isolation. Unfortunately, it would be complacent to do so. Read more from Nick Triggle
Dr Gordon Coutts, chief executive at the Colchester Hospital University NHS Foundation Trust, said: "We are truly sorry that in some cases cancer patients, their carers and families have not always received the high quality of care that they should have expected from our trust."
Professor Sir Mike Richards, chief inspector of hospitals, recommended the trust be put into special measures, which could lead to a new management team being installed or another trust put in charge.
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Prof Sir Mike Richards: ''It's serious that patients have had their diagnosis and treatment... delayed''
He said: "It is shocking to think that people's lives may have been put at risk for the sake of the waiting-time figures."
Criminal investigation
NHS England said it would lead an incident management team of cancer specialists to ensure the safety of cancer patients at the hospital.
There will also be a review looking back as far as 2010 to check whether any other patients had their records changed or "inappropriately recorded".
The CQC said its inspectors visited the trust in August and September after receiving complaints about waiting times for cancer treatment.
It said some patients did not get their treatment within the required 62 days and in three cases delays exceeded 100 days.
"Six people described problems experienced in their treatment, including delays in receiving care," the report said.
"The provider did not have adequate systems to maintain the safety and welfare of cancer patients."
Analysis The story of Colchester Hospital is a battle over patient safety versus reputation. Ever since the trust which runs Colchester Hospital was named among 14 with higher than expected death rates in February, it has been fighting to regain its reputation for excellence. Many hospitals inspected by Sir Bruce Keogh readily conceded failing and went into special measures. Colchester escaped and with some good reason. Its finances are in good shape, and inspectors found fewer issues on the wards and in the operating theatres. Since the summer, the hospital has felt the pressure. It is desperate to persuade the Keogh Review action team that improvements are being made. But in July there was a blip. Monthly performance data should be a sea of green showing the hospital was meeting targets. But after a year of meeting its cancer targets, those targets were breached and the chart turned to red. The latest CQC inspection has further dented its reputation.
The CQC identified 22 cases where patients experienced delays in their care.
Essex Police said it had been contacted by the CQC and was "reviewing information" to "establish whether a criminal investigation is necessary".
In a statement, the CQC said: "We found that the concerns raised by staff in relation to changes made to people's cancer pathways were not appropriately managed, investigated or responded to by senior staff of the trust.
"Staff we spoke to provided examples of bullying and harassment by the management team in respect of changes of the cancer pathways.
"We found that managers did not show clear leadership in a way that ensured the safety and welfare of patients by providing a high quality of care |
There were players vomiting inside the Sri Lanka dressing room. There were "oxygen things" used. Eventually they were reduced to only 10 fit and able cricketers who could go out and field in the Delhi pollution when Virat Kohli declared India's innings closed on 536 in order to "get on with the game". India felt the stoppages in play, when the Sri Lankan medical staff looked after their players and match officials deliberated, were unnecessary and unfair.
It was a bizarre day's cricket, played in the notoriously poor air of Delhi. After lunch, with Kohli set to give a maiden triple-century a fair go, and with India's sights set on a mammoth total, at least five of Sri Lanka's fielders came out wearing masks. About 20 minutes into the session, fast bowler Lahiru Gamage complained of respiratory problems, which resulted in a 17-minute stoppage. In the next hour, there were more complaints. When Suranga Lakmal went off the field to vomit inside the dressing room, Kohli, who was dismissed on 243 during this stop-start period, declared the innings closed. It was only 127.5 overs old.
Prior to that, India coach Ravi Shastri had come out and seemed to have a stern word with the umpires. "Ravi was pretty simple," bowling coach B Arun said at the end of the day's play. "He said. 'Please get on with the game, don't stop, you don't need to stop. You take a decision, and just get on with the game.'
"I think the umpires and the match referee, they have a job on hand and it's not up to the players to go and protest. They know what they are doing. When the play was unnecessarily being stopped, we just wanted to get on with the game because our focus is to win this Test match."
Asked if, as a fast bowler himself, he felt any sympathy for the Sri Lankan seamers who were ill, Arun said: "Why should we? We are focused on what we have to do, and what we need to do in the Test match. I don't think we need to be thinking about what the opposition does. It's their lookout, and their problem to keep their bowlers fit."
That was not the only dig at the Sri Lanka players. "Virat batted close to two days, he didn't need a mask," Arun said. "We are focussed on what we need to do, what we need to achieve as a team. The conditions are the same for both teams, we aren't too bothered about it."
When asked if a review was needed when it comes to playing in Delhi, because the air quality is not great for athletic activity, Arun said: "I think pollution is everywhere in our country. We are not too worried about the pollution. The BCCI schedules these matches, and our job is to go out and play and get the best out of our team. Focus is more on that." Incidentally, Arun was the coach of the Hyderabad side last year, when their Ranji Trophy match against Tripura was called off due to heavy smog, along with the match between Bengal and Gujarat. The air quality was much worse at that point. On Sunday, Kuldeep Yadav, India's 12th man, wore a mask when he came on to the field with drinks in the first session. This was even before the first drinks break, when physio Patrick Farhart came on to check on Kohli's back.
Arun didn't expressly say that Sri Lanka held the game up in order to break the rhythm of India's batsmen, but he didn't deny that the stoppages might have resulted in it. That was the farthest thing on Sri Lanka's minds, according to coach Nic Pothas. They were more worried about the safety of their players.
"It is well documented that Delhi has high levels of pollution," Pothas said. "They had got extremely high at one point, we had players coming off the field and vomiting. There were oxygen things in the dressing room. It is not normal for players to suffer in that way while playing the game. From our point of view, it has to be stated that it is a very very unique case.
"I thought all the officials, the match referee and others handled the situation very well. When it is a new situation for everybody, it is not easy to make decisions. I feel for the umpires, and I feel for the match referee. It's not easy but the job of myself and the manager is to make sure that the players are safe. That's all what we were trying to do."
Apart from Lakmal and Gamage, Dhananjaya de Silva vomited. "The bowlers obviously were struggling," Pothas said. "Suranga and Lahiru were struggling. The match referee was in our change room and the doctors, and Suranga, poor guy, was just continuously vomiting. Doctors were in there as well. Dhananjaya de Silva was vomiting. It was tough."
Pothas himself had to go out to discuss matters with Dinesh Chandimal as they were left with only 10 players to put on the park. Trainer Nick Lee had changed into whites when Kohli did declare. Pothas clarified, though, that they never asked for play to be stopped but wanted clarity from the officials regarding players' safety.
"We are here to play cricket," Pothas said. "Under most circumstances we wanted to play cricket. This wasn't a case of us wanting to stop. We just wanted to have some clarity on the safety of players. You could see the two fast bowlers fast bowling is a high-intensity activity. The two guys were struggling. When it becomes unsafe that is when the conversation started. The safety of the players is of paramount importance."
The final decision regarding player safety rests with the ICC. An exchange between the ICC and the officials is expected overnight. "That (future course of action) is in the hands of match referee and umpires, and I am sure they will have meetings tonight and try and put together some sort of precedent if that happens tomorrow again."
Asked if he would personally like to see a precedent being set, Pothas stayed non-committal. "It is an abnormal case," he said. "I will leave that with the ICC. The match referee and the umpires will file a report, and it will go back to the ICC. Our job is to play cricket."
Pothas also refused to comment on the crowd's reaction - they booed Sri Lanka and chanted "loser, loser" - or the appearance that India were less than understanding of their plight.MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - JUNE 14: Ben Hart and his family are seen during the 2016 AFL Hall of Fame dinner at the Crown Palladium on June 14, 2016 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Adam Trafford/AFL Media)
Adelaide’s first 300-game player Ben Hart has been inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame.
The two-time Crows premiership defender was among six members of the football community honoured at a function in Melbourne on Tuesday night.
Hart is the fifth Crow (who played all or most of their career with the Club) to be inducted, joining Mark Bickley, Mark Ricciuto, Darren Jarman and Andrew McLeod.
The Hall of Fame recognises those who have made "significant contributions" to the game at any level since 1858.
Hart, who is now an assistant coach at Collingwood, was the youngest player in Adelaide’s inaugural squad in 1991. He was wearing his Rostrevor College uniform when the 16-year-old Year 12 student was first introduced to the media in 1991.
A year later, he became the youngest ever Crow on AFL debut (17 years, 256 days).
Hart moved quickly from combining SANFL with North Adelaide and his school commitments to starring for Crows in defence, where he won All-Australian selection in his first season (1992) and was named AFL Rookie of the Year.
In both 1997 and 1998 he was a key contributor to Adelaide’s Grand Final triumphs. And although the Crows crashed in 1999, Hart’s form was rewarded with a Club Champion award and selection in a third AFL All Australian team.
He won his second Club best-and-fairest in 2002, when he also was chosen for a fourth time as an All Australian.
In 2006 Hart became the first Adelaide player to reach the 300-game milestone.
After spending a season year back in the SANFL with North Adelaide, he returned to the Crows for the 2008 season as an assistant coach. He has worked with Collingwood since 2012.
Last year Hart was one of eight inaugural inductees to the Adelaide Football Club’s Hall of Fame.
Crows Chairman Rob Chapman said Hart was not only a fine footballer but also a quality person.
“Ben is a true champion of our Club and deserving of every accolade that comes his way,” Chapman said.
“We watched him grow from a fresh-faced teenager in the Club’s early days and become a premiership defender who was hardly ever beaten.
“He was versatile and had the rare ability to play on both tall and small forwards and look at ease.
“Ben will always be a favourite of many Crows fans for the outstanding service he gave our Club over a long period of time.”
The late Richmond and South Fremantle champion Maurice Rioli, Brisbane Lions midfielder Nigel Lappin, East Fremantle's Ray Sorrell, Sturt star Paul Bagshaw and St Kilda defender Verdun Howell were the other 2016 inductees.
BEN HART
311 AFL games and 45 goals for Adelaide (1992-2006)
Member of the 1997 and 1998 premiership teams
Member of the 2003 Pre-season premiership team
Two-time Club Champion (1999, 2002)
All Australian 1992, 1993, 1999, 2002
Player life member
Youngest ever Adelaide player (17 years 257 days on debut)
First Adelaide player to play 300 games for the Club
Assistant Coach (2008-2011)
AFC Hall of Fame
8 games for South Australia (State of Origin)
4 International games for Australia
27 games and 4 goals for North Adelaide (1990-1992, 2007)
Assistant coach, Collingwood (2012-current)Power Carver high speed engraving system. You don't have to be an a artist; with our unique stenciling system, it can create colorful and fantastic artworks.
Working on the golf...
Working on the light-bulb...
EleksMaker® EleksEgg CNC Drawing Machine Egg Writing Robot DIY Education Tool
1. An EleksEgg is a compact, easy to use art robot that can draw on small spherical and egg-shaped objects.
2. EleksEgg have been used as educational and artistic pieces in museums and workshops.
4. Not just eggs but Ping pong balls, golf balls, lacrosse balls, large marbles, stone balls, ball bearings, mini pumpkins, light bulbs,holiday ornaments and wine glasses are just some of the other items that have been drawn on. You can print on almost anything that’s sturdy, spherical or ellipsoidal, will fit in the robot, and has a fairly smooth surface.
capable of light-duty marking and drawing on smooth and soft materials' surface like egg, glass,stone, and ceramic.
Photo: working directly into the surface of an egg.Gravy (@IareGravy) is 62nd on MiOM's 2015 Melee top 100 as well as the number 6 rank on the Central Florida power ranking. Currently he is the melee representivie for Hitbox, a company known for making perphiles for FGC play, and more so recently have released a product they say could potentially be the future of Smash. Amongst some controversy Gravy appeared as the most outspoken voice for the Equipment. I invite him onto The Wave to discuss what exatly the Smashbox represents for him as well as the long reaching implacations of the controller in mainstream play. As always, if you enjoy the show please leave us a 5 star review on Itunes, subsribe there if you havent already, and give us a follow on twitter
Buttery soft Super WaveCast shirts will be avalible for purchase in multple colors at The NC melee Arcadian on New Years, Please contact us @SuperWaveCast or Facebook.com/SuperWavecast to place an order for the shirt if you cannot make it out on New Years to grab a shirt in person.Last month Valve confirmed that the first game coming to Steam running on Linux would be Left 4 Dead 2 (L4D2). The Valve Linux Team has been working hard to optimize both Steam and the Source engine code to run on the Linux platform, and they’ve now shared some surprising results.
When L4D2 got to the point where it would actually load and run on Linux, the game managed a rather poor 6fps. Valve has since been working to introduce optimizations and get the game working better using OpenGL. The end result? L4D2 now runs at 315fps under Linux (Ubuntu 12.04 32-bit).
Not only is that a massive improvement, Valve has admitted it is faster than they have ever achieved for the game running under Windows using DirectX. In fact, running the game using the same hardware under Windows only managed 270fps.
Valve has since improved on that by further optimizing the Windows version of the game (running using OpenGL) based on what they learned from the Linux port. But they have still only managed 303.4fps–12fps slower than the Linux version.
Valve’s explanation for the difference is that OpenGL just runs cleaner than DirectX. It has less overhead than DirectX for performing the same tasks, suggesting no amount of optimization from Valve engineers will ever bring the two inline. The DirectX APIs could improve though, to peg the gap.
This is great news for Linux gamers who will get to experience Valve’s games without any compromises being made over the Windows version. In fact, those gamers with high-end Linux machines may have bragging rights to use on their forum of choice a few months from now.
Read more at Valve Linux BlogIn a move that would have seemed like Texas A&M fan fiction months ago, Jimbo Fisher has left Florida State to become the next head coach in College Station, Tex. Fisher leaves behind a legacy that includes three ACC titles and a national championship. He also leaves the Seminoles searching for a replacement. Below, are five teams that stand to benefit from Fisher skipping town on FSU.
1. MIAMI
Miami doesn’t need the help. Not right now, anyway. Still, having a national championship coach moving out of your state and into a different recruiting hotbed is a nice perk. Florida State was seen as the state’s model program right up until this season and Fisher bolting at the first sign of real adversity should prop up the state’s other major programs. FSU’s recruiting class isn’t exactly socked, but Miami could make run at defensive back Asante Samuel, center Verdis Brown or any number of other prospects it covets. The real payoff from this move may take place with the 2019 class, as uncertainty begins to spread. Miami is now, by far, the most stable program in the country’s most fertile recruiting ground and that’s never a bad thing. Rivals250 linebacker Amari Gainer, and FSU commit, has set a visit to Coral Gables and seems to be giving the Hurricanes a look in the wake of the Fisher’s exit.
2. FLORIDA
Dan Mullen AP
Misery loves company and the Gators will certainly take a coaching change at another in-state program. The fact that FSU hit the coaching market after the Gators may also work in UF’s favor. As Dan Mullen hits the ground running in Gainesville, FSU must scramble to get a staff in place and somehow convince players to sign during the early signing period. Florida still has a long way to go in its rebuild, but the fact that it didn’t lose a proven coach with a winning track record makes FSU’s situation look grimmer than the one in Gainesville. If Mullen wants any of FSU’s current commits, the door is open for him to snatch them.
3. OREGON
Rivals100 wide receiver Warren Thompson was planning to take an official visit to Florida State in the month ahead, but those plans went up in smoke when the news of Fisher and Texas A&M began to get traction. The Ducks have recruited against the Seminoles often since Willie Taggart arrived in Eugene and the path to snatching Florida players out of the Sunshine State just got a bit easier. Oregon wants to bulk recruit Florida going forward and the Fisher Era coming to an abrupt conclusion should help that cause. The catch is that the Ducks will vanish from this list if Taggart finds himself as FSU’s next head coach, which seems possible.
4. LSU
Florida State was seen as a major threat to snatch five-star Patrick Surtain, who has long been seen as an LSU lean, away from the Tigers. Those days are over now. There are still threats to steal Surtain away from the Tigers, but the Seminoles now face an uphill climb. Still, watching FSU fall out of that group has to be pleasing to Ed Orgeron and staff. Extracting a five-star from Florida is never easy, so FSU being forced to address a coaching vacancy during a contested recruitment like Surtain’s is a godsend for the Tigers.
5. CLEMSON
Clemson always grabs a top player or two out of Florida and many times they do so at the expense of FSU. That will get easier in the near future as the ACC-bound players looking for a winning program and stability may well look at the Tigers, who are in the position FSU was in 2013. The 2019 class in Florida may hold off to see what becomes of the new FSU regime and that will likely give Clemson the time it needs to steal another player or two from the Tampa area, which is becoming the Tigers’ recruiting trademark.
Honorable mention - TexasOMNISPORT
Filipe Luis suffered a hamstring injury in Atletico Madrid's Champions League defeat to Chelsea.
The Brazil international completed the 90 minutes against his former club on Wednesday, but complained of discomfort in his thigh in the closing stages.
Atleti sent the full-back for tests on Thursday, with the initial indications suggesting he has a hamstring injury.
The Spanish side were beaten 2-1 at the Wanda Metropolitano, with Michy Batshuayi scoring the winner in the final minute of stoppage time.
Diego Simeone's men face Leganes in their next LaLiga fixture on Saturday.
From the club statement:
"Filipe Luis finished the Champions League match against Chelsea with some pain in his hamstring. On Thursday morning, September 28, he underwent some exams in the Fremap Majadahonda Medical clinic to understand the severity of the injury. The medical exam revealed that Filipe suffered an injury in his hamstring."Welcome back for Episode 78 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans. In this episode, taped live at the Origins convention in Columbus, Ohio (we apologize for the somewhat subpar audio), we look at the connections between writing and gaming with two veterans in the field, John Helfers and Aaron Rosenberg. During the discussion we touch on how to get into writing for games, both face to face and computer-oriented, and consider whether the lines between narrative in games and narrative in stories have begun to blur–and if so, what the implications might be. If you enjoy the conversation, make sure to check out more of John and Aaron’s work, and don’t forget to check back for our next episode, a discussion about book blogging in the speculative fiction field with Justin Landon of Staffer’s Book Review. Until then, thanks as always for listening, and please continue to spread the word!
Like this: Like Loading...A Palm Desert man has been arrested in connection with Friday's fire at the Islamic Society of the Coachella Valley that authorities are calling a potential hate crime.
Carl James Dial Jr., 23, was taken into custody in Palm Desert on Friday and booked into the Riverside County Jail in Indio on felony charges, including commission of a hate crime, maliciously setting a fire, second-degree burglary and two arson charges, Coachella Chief of Police Andrew Shouse confirmed.
The sheriff's department announced late Friday that a person of interest had been detained shortly after the fire. Dial was placed under arrest shortly before 9 p.m. Friday and booked into the jail at the Indio Larson Justice Center at about 1:46 a.m. Saturday, according to jail booking records.
More details were to be forthcoming, Shouse said. The sheriff's department provides police services for the city of Coachella.
Flames were reported just after noon Friday at the mosque in the 84-600 block of Avenue 49, in the city of Coachella, according to the Riverside County Fire Department. The fire was contained to the small building's front lobby but smoke damaged other areas. No one was injured.
By late Friday night, the Sheriff's Department released a statement calling the blaze "an intentional act" and saying it would use all available resources to investigate.
People at the mosque described hearing a "loud boom" and seeing flames, said Reymundo Nour, the mosque's acting imam, who was not on the site at the time. He said the mosque had been "firebombed."
Authorities provided no details on how the fire was set or whether the department has any suspects.
State fire investigators, the federal Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the FBI are assisting in the investigation.
The mosque is about 75 miles from San Bernardino, where last week a couple who federal officials say were inspired by Islamist extremists killed 14 people. Some Muslims in Southern California and beyond have worried about the potential for reprisals, while leaders of various faiths have called for tolerance.
AP video
In a statement released Friday evening, U.S. Rep. Raul Ruiz, whose district includes the area in which the mosque is located, called on authorities to investigate the blaze as a possible hate crime.
"Our faith in humanity will not be intimidated," he said. "And we stand together against any form (of) violence towards the innocent."
County and city officials also condemned the attack.
"We see this as a cowardly act of vandalism that we not tolerate in our community," Coachella Mayor Steven Hernandez said.
The mosque was hit by gunfire in November 2014 in what authorities investigated as a possible hate crime. No one was injured in the early morning incident. The case remains under investigation, and no arrests have been made.
"We see this as a cowardly act of vandalism that we not tolerate in our community,” Coachella Mayor Steven Hernandez said in a statement. "Freedom of religion is one of our core values in this country, so any time we witness violence or vandalism directed at a religious institution, it flies in the face of everything we stand for and believe in as Americans.”
An FBI spokesperson told KPCC that the agency was responding to the mosque to assist local law enforcement partners, adding that anytime there is concern a house of worship may have been targeted, the FBI would respond to investigate the cause and whether or not it was deliberate. A Riverside County Sheriff's Department forensic services vehicle was also at the scene.
"Law enforcement agencies are investigating this crime as potential arson attack and we will support their efforts as much as we can to ensure that those who are responsible for this crime are taken into custody and face the legal consequences of their actions," Hernandez said.
"I would think that this is terrorism," Riverside County Supervisor John Benoit said, according to the Desert Sun.
We encountered a problem, and this photo is currently unavailable.
Salah Alwishah, who attends the mosque regularly, said he arrived while firefighters were extinguishing the flames. He posted a video of the scene on Facebook.
Alwishah said a friend who had been in the mosque told him they'd heard a loud "thud" — which might have been the front door slamming — and saw flames spreading in the entrance and along the walls. "And that's when they stepped down and ran outside through a back door and called 911," he said.
When he arrived, Alwishah said worshippers were gathered behind yellow tape in front of the building.
"They were all just in shock, devastated that this had happened here in our own backyard, in our community," Alwishah said. "We just took a break from work — from being a doctor, from doing whatever career we're into — just to go worship God with our families and to show up to our mosque being burnt. And they expected us to be in there. That's very devastating."
Alwishah added that the incident wouldn't change anything about when or how often he attends services at the center.
"Nothing at all. Everything stays the same," he said. "Our ultimate view of everything is that, you know, God is our protector no matter what happens. We worshipped God today in the street, because you can worship God anywhere. But that's just the mosque that we have and we want to be safe in it."
— This story was updated from a previous report.Antonov State Company (Ukrainian: Державне підприємство "Антонов"), formerly the Aeronautical Scientific-Technical Complex named Antonov (Antonov ASTC) (Ukrainian: Авіаційний науково-технічний комплекс імені Антонова, (АНТК ім. Антонова)), and earlier the Antonov Design Bureau, is a Soviet, and later a Ukrainian aircraft manufacturing and services company. Antonov's particular expertise is in the fields of very large aeroplanes and aeroplanes using unprepared runways. Antonov (model prefix An-) has built a total of approximately 22,000 aircraft, and thousands of its planes are currently operating in the former Soviet Union and in developing countries.[2]
Antonov StC is a state-owned commercial company. Its headquarters and main industrial grounds were originally located in Novosibirsk, and were later transferred to Kiev.[3] On 12 May 2015 it was transferred from the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade to the Ukroboronprom (Ukrainian Defense Industry).[4]
In June 2016, Ukraine's major state-owned arms manufacturer Ukroboronprom announced the creation of the Ukrainian Aircraft Corporation within its structure, to combine all aircraft manufacturing enterprises in Ukraine.
History [ edit ]
Soviet era [ edit ]
Foundation and relocation [ edit ]
The company was established in 1946 at the Novosibirsk Aircraft Production Association as the top-secret Soviet Research and Design Bureau No. 153. It was headed by Oleg Antonov and specialised in turboprop military transport aircraft. The An-2 biplane was a major achievement of this period, with hundreds of these aircraft still operating as of 2013.[5] In 1952, the Bureau was relocated to Kiev, a city with a rich aviation history and an aircraft-manufacturing infrastructure restored after the destruction caused by World War II.
First serial aircraft and expansion [ edit ]
47-year-old An-12 still in operational condition in 2011.
The 1957 introduction of the An-10/An-12 family of mid-range turboprop aeroplanes began the successful production of thousands of these aircraft. Their use for both heavy combat and civilian purposes around the globe continues to the present; the An-10/An-12 were used most notably in the Vietnam War, the Soviet–Afghan War and the Chernobyl disaster relief megaoperation.
In 1959, the bureau began construction of the separate Flight Testing and Improvement Base in suburban Hostomel (now the Antonov Airport).
In 1965, the Antonov An-22 heavy military transport entered serial production to supplement the An-12 in major military and humanitarian airlifts by the Soviet Union. The model became the first Soviet wide-body aircraft, and it remains the world's largest turboprop-powered aircraft. Antonov designed and presented a nuclear-powered version of the An-22. It was never flight tested.
In 1966, after the major expansion in the Sviatoshyn neighbourhood of the city, the company was renamed to another disguise name: "Kiev Mechanical Plant". Two independent aircraft production and repair facilities, under engineering-supervision of the Antonov Bureau, also appeared in Kiev during this period.
Prominence and Antonov's retirement [ edit ]
In the 1970s and early 1980s, the company established itself as USSR's main designer of military transport aircraft with dozens of new modifications in development and production. After Oleg Antonov's death in 1984, the company was officially renamed as the Research and Design Bureau named after O.K. Antonov (Russian: Опытно-конструкторское бюро имени О.К. Антонова) while continuing the use of "Kiev Mechanical Plant" alias for some purposes.
Late Soviet-era: superlarge projects and first commercialisation [ edit ]
An-225 is the largest operating aircraft in the world.
In the late 1980s, the Antonov Bureau achieved global prominence after the introduction of its extra large aeroplanes. The An-124 "Ruslan" (1982) became the Soviet Union's mass-produced strategic airlifter under the leadership of Chief Designer Viktor Tolmachev.[citation needed] The Bureau enlarged the "Ruslan" design even more for the Soviet space shuttle programme logistics, creating the An-225 "Mriya" in 1989. "Mriya" is still the world's largest and heaviest aeroplane.
The end of the Cold War and perestroika allowed the Antonov company's first step to commercialisation and foreign expansion. In 1989, the Antonov Airlines subsidiary was created for its own aircraft maintenance and cargo projects.
Independent Ukraine [ edit ]
Antonov Design Bureau remained a state-owned company after Ukraine achieved its independence in 1991 and is since regarded as a strategic national asset.
Expansion to free market [ edit ]
Rollout of the first serially-produced An-148 at Antonov's hangar in Kiev, 2009. An An-124 under maintenance seen in the far corner of the hangar.
Since independence, Antonov has certified and marketed both Soviet-era and newly developed models for sale in new markets outside of the former soviet-sphere of influence. New models introduced to serial production and delivered to customers include the Antonov An-140, Antonov An-148 and Antonov An-158 regional airliners.
Among several modernisation projects, Antonov received orders for upgrading "hundreds" of its legendary An-2 utility planes still in operation in Azerbaijan, Cuba and Russia to the An-2-100 upgrade version.[5]
In 2014, following the annexation of the Crimea by Russia, Ukraine cancelled contracts with Russia, leading to a significant income reduction in Ukraine's defense and aviation industries.[6] However Ukraine has been slowly recovering the deficit from breaking ties with Russia by entering new markets and expanding its presence in old ones such as India.[7][8][9][10] [11][12][13]
In July 2018 Antonov was able to secure a deal with Boeing in order to procure airplane parts which were no longer available due to the military conflict with Russia.[14]
Production facilities' consolidation [ edit ]
During the Soviet period, not all Antonov-designed aircraft were manufactured by the company itself. This was a result of Soviet industrial strategy that split military production between different regions of the USSR to minimise potential war loss risks. As a result, Antonov aeroplanes are often assembled by the specialist contract manufacturers.
In 2009, the once-independent "Aviant" aeroplane-assembling plant in Kiev became part of the Antonov State Company, facilitating a full serial manufacturing cycle of the company. However, the old tradition of co-manufacturing with contractors is continued, both with Soviet-time partners and with new licensees like Iran's HESA.[15]
In 2014, the Antonov State Company produced and delivered only 2 An-158 airplanes.[16] This trend continued onto 2015, producing one An-148 and one An-158.[17] In 2016, no aircraft were produced or delivered to clients, though the company has plans to start up production in 2017.[17]
In June 2016, Ukraine's major state-owned arms manufacturer Ukroboronprom announced the creation of the Ukrainian Aircraft Corporation within its structure, thereby combining all aircraft manufacturing enterprises, including the assets of Antonov State Company into a single cluster, according to Ukroboronprom's press service.[18]
On 19 July 2017, the Ukrainian government approved the liquidation of Antonov's assets,[19][20][21] starting with closing down three factories in Kiev and Kharkiv[citation needed]. The State Concern "Antonov" (a business group, created in 2005 from the merger of several legally independent companies into a single economic entity under unified management) will be liquidated as a residual corporate entity. Antonov State Company, Kharkiv State Aviation Manufacturing Enterprise and Plant No.410 of Civil Aviation were transferred under the management of another state-owned concern Ukroboronprom in 2015. Antonov State Company continues to function as an enterprise.[22]
Composition [ edit ]
Aerodromes [ edit ]
Sviatoshyn Airfield, Aviant factory in Kiev
Gostomel Airport, freight airport in Hostomel
Products and activities [ edit ]
LT-10 tram
Kiev-12 trolley bus
Fields of commercial activity of Antonov ASTC include:
Major contractors and partners [ edit ]
Contract and licensee manufacturers [ edit ]
Chief designers [ edit ]
Aircraft [ edit ]
Antonov's aeroplanes (design office prefix An) range from the rugged An-2 biplane (which itself is comparatively large for a biplane) through the An-28 reconnaissance aircraft to the massive An-124 Ruslan and An-225 Mriya strategic airlifters (the latter being the world's heaviest aircraft with only one currently in service). Whilst less famous, the An-24, An-26, An-30 and An-32 family of twin turboprop, high winged, passenger/cargo/troop transport aircraft are important for domestic/short-haul air services particularly in parts of the world once led by communist governments. The An-72/An-74 series of small jetliners is slowly replacing that fleet, and a larger An-70 freighter is under certification.
The Antonov An-148 is a new regional airliner of twin-turbofan configuration. Over 150 aircraft have been ordered since 2007. A stretched version is in development, the An-158 (from 60–70 to 90–100 passengers).
The Antonov/Taqnia An-132 is a twin-engined turboprop under development as of 2018.
Gliders [ edit ]
Aircraft Name Maiden flight Remarks A-1 1930 single-seat training glider A-2 1936 two-seat training glider derived from the A-1 A-3 Molodv A-6 A-7 1942 military glider A-9 1948 single-seat sailplane developed from the RF-7 A-10 1952 two-seat sailplane developed from the A-9 A-11 12 May 1958 A-13 1958 A-15 26 March 1960 BS-3 1934 training glider BS-4 1935 training glider BS-5 (OKA-31) 1936 training glider DIP (OKA-14) Dognat i peregna 1932 record glider developed from OKA-6 IP LEM-2 (OKA-37) 1937 motor glider M-1 1933 M-2 M-3 (OKA-24) 1934 M-4 (OKA-29) M-5 (OKA-30) 1936 OKA-1 Golub 1924 OKA-2 1925 OKA-3 1928 OKA-5 Standard-2 1930 OKA-6 Gorod Lenina 1930 OKA-7 Bubik 1930 OKA-13 Chest Uslovii Stalina 1932 OKA-21 1933 training glider based on DIP PS-1 (OKA-11) training glider PS-2 (OKA-12) training glider RF-1 (OKA-17) 1933 RF-2 (OKA-18) 1933 RF-3 (OKA-19) 1933 RF-4 (OKA-20) 1933 RF-5 (OKA-23) 1934 RF-6 (OKA-28) RF-7 1937 sports glider RF-8 1941 troop glider, enlarged RF-7; redesignated A-7 US-1 1931 training glider US-2 1931 training glider US-3 1932 training glider, first mass-produced Soviet glider US-4 training glider, redesignated A-1 US-5 (OKA-32) 1936 training glider US-6 training glider, redesignated A-2
See also [ edit ]
References [ edit ]US No Safer Than on 9/11 Says DIA Chief
LTG Michael Flynn says the United States is no safer after 13 years of war
James Joyner · · 44 comments
LTG Michael Flynn, the outgoing head of the Defense Intelligence Agency, says the United States is no safer after 13 years of war and that the danger from Islamist terrorism is likely greater than ever.
Speaking at the Aspen Security Forum, he declared, “We have a whole gang of new actors out there that are far more extreme than Al Qaeda.” Flynn directly challenged the notion, repeatedly declared by President Obama and other senior administration officials, that al Qaeda is “on the run.” Indeed, he contends, “It’s not on the run, and that ideology is actually, it’s sadly, it feels like it’s exponentially growing.” He argues that the various jihadist “organizations that are out there that are well-organized, they are well-funded, they reach into these young people and they pull them in. And there seems to be more and more of them today than there were when I first started this thing in, post 9/11.”
Asked point blank whether we’re safer by a reporter who noted that Flynn’s commentary would be disappointing to Americans after so much blood and treasure spilled in the global war on terrorism, Flynn replied, “Yeah, my quick answer is that we’re not,” Anna Mulrine reports for the Christian Science Monitor |
victims would be a difficult challenge.
Also on Twitter, Farc leader Timochenko said: "I congratulate President Juan Manuel Santos, Cuba and Norway, who sponsored the process, and Venezuela and Chile, who assisted it, without them, peace would be impossible."
Earlier, he had written: "The only prize we aspire to is peace with social justice for Colombia, without (right-wing) paramilitary groups, without retaliation or lies. Peace in the streets."
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Former Farc captive Ingrid Betancourt: "We have been in a roller coaster of emotions"
A deal that wasn't: By Jonathan Marcus, BBC diplomatic correspondent
This was a Peace Prize for a peace deal that wasn't. President Santos joins a long line of Nobel Peace Prize winners who have been rewarded for effort as much as achievement.
But it is too easy to be cynical. The Nobel Peace Prize has often been controversial. In recent years a variety of international bureaucracies have won - the EU, the IAEA and the OPCW.
Why, some have argued, should people get a prize for simply doing their job? What, others ask, had US President Barack Obama actually done to merit the prize in 2009, other than be elected?
But the Nobel has often gone to extraordinary individuals who really have gone above and beyond to bring peace - in Northern Ireland and East Timor to name just two examples. Maybe the award to President Santos may yet galvanise public opinion in Colombia to think again about the deal.
Critics, led by former president Alvaro Uribe, said the deal was too lenient to the rebels.
Under the agreement, special courts would have been created to try crimes committed during the conflict.
Those who confessed would have received lighter sentences and avoided serving any time in conventional prisons.
The Farc would also have been guaranteed 10 seats in the Colombian Congress in the 2018 and 2022 elections.
Despite the rejection by voters, Mr Santos vowed to continue with talks with the rebels.
Government negotiators have already returned to the Cuban capital Havana for further discussions with Farc leaders.
Kaci Kullman Five, from the Nobel committee, said the award was also meant as "encouragement" to the rebels.
"Giving the prize to Santos is not a belittlement to any of the other parties.
"The Farc is obviously a very important part of this process.''
The Farc's 52-year fight
Image copyright Reuters
1964: Set up as armed wing of Communist Party
2002: At its height, it had an army of 20,000 fighters controlling up to a third of the country. Senator Ingrid Betancourt was kidnapped and held for six years along with 14 other hostages
2008: The Farc suffers a series of defeats in its worst year
2012: Start of peace talks in Havana
2016: Definitive ceasefire
Full timeline of Farc conflict
Mr Santos was selected from a list of 376 candidates - 228 were individuals and 148 were organisations. They included:
the Syrian White Helmets, civil defence volunteers who rescue bomb victims
the negotiators of the international deal to limit Iran's nuclear programme
Greek islanders on the front line of Europe's refugee crisis
The main candidates for the 2016 Nobel Peace Prize
Image copyright Twitter - @SyriaCivilDef
How the prize is decided
Image copyright AP
Eligible nominators from around the world can put forward candidates up to 1 February of the award year, while Nobel Committee members have more time
All nominations are reviewed by the committee - whose five members are chosen by the Norwegian parliament - before a shortlist of 20-30 candidates are selected
A group of Norwegian and international advisers write individual reports on the shortlisted candidates. Using these and further reports, the committee narrows the selection down to a handful
A decision is reached in the last meeting of the committee, usually in late September or early October, before the prize is announced
If a unanimous decision cannot be reached, a simple majority vote is used
After the announcement, the award ceremony takes place on 10 December, the date of Alfred Nobel's death
Why are Nobel laureates getting older?
Winners throughout the yearsMilo Moiré gives birth to her PlopEgg paintings naked. It's a long way from the groundbreaking power of performance art pioneers... and gives those who satirise the art world yet another target
Performance art is a joke. Taken terribly seriously by the art world, it is a litmus test of pretension and intellectual dishonesty. If you are wowed by it, you are either susceptible to pseudo-intellectual guff, or lying.
Is that overstating the case? Probably. There have been some powerful works of performance art – but most of them took place a long time ago, in the early 1970s, when the likes of Marina Abramovic and Chris Burden were risking all. Or perhaps the golden age of performance art was even longer ago, in the days of the Cabaret Voltaire in Zurich in 1916. Back then, Dada performance was a real menace to society, when Hugo Ball stood in a wizard costume declaiming words that made as little sense as the world war then raging.
Today, most art that claims to part of this modern tradition of performance is an embarrassing revelation of the art world's distance from real aesthetic values or real human life. Take, for instance, the latest nude egg layer from Germany.
Performance artist Milo Moiré creates abstract paintings by pushing eggs filled with paint and ink out of her vaginal canal. She does this while standing naked in front of an audience. The nudity, apparently, is artistically essential. As for the act of pushing paint-filled eggs out of her body, it is – as no doubt you perceive – a powerful feminist statement about women, fertility and creativity.
And yet it's not a strong statement at all. It is absurd, gratuitous, trite and desperate. Anywhere but an art gathering, this would be regarded as a satire on modern cultural emptiness.
Reading on mobile? Watch film of Milo Moire creating a PlopEgg painting
And this is the thing about performance art – it has quite rightly become the stuff of satire. When the film director Paolo Sorrentino wants to capture the brittleness of contemporary European culture in his film The Great Beauty, what does he show? Performance art, naturally. A group of arty folk watch as a woman runs towards a stone aqueduct and bashes her head against it. Afterwards she struggles to explain herself in an embarrassing interview.
Yet in mocking the art world's weakest tic, its indulgence of ludicrous performers, Sorrentino is not even that original. It's an old joke that fits his nostalgic mood. As long ago as the 1970s, performance art was already comical. The perfect satire on it was created by the Muppet Show when the Great Gonzo bashes a rock with a hammer while shouting "Art!"
Performance art is funny for a very simple reason – it takes itself more seriously than appears justified. Anything that takes itself seriously invites mockery, from politics to religion: but when the gap between ostentatious importance and self-evident silliness is as vast as it is in so much performance art, the only honest response is laughter. Add to this the pomposity of an art cult that defends such stuff against the mockery of the multitude, and you have a recipe for biting satire.
If performance art did not exist, bile-filled commentators on the modern world would have to invent it. For what else so perfectly captures the cultural inanity of our time?Bruce Bartlett held senior policy roles in the Reagan and George H.W. Bush administrations and served on the staffs of Representatives Jack Kemp and Ron Paul. He is the author of “The Benefit and the Burden: Tax Reform – Why We Need It and What It Will Take.”
Before the recent brouhaha about John Maynard Keynes fades from memory, I’d like to make a few final comments about Keynesian economics.
Today's Economist Perspectives from expert contributors.
When I began studying economics in the early 1970s, the term “Keynesian” was already losing its luster. In fact, one can date the precise moment when it became passé: Jan. 4, 1971. On that day, President Richard Nixon gave a joint interview to several television journalists. After the cameras were off, he made an offhand comment to Howard K. Smith of ABC News that he was “now a Keynesian in economics.” The New York Times reported this statement in a brief article on Jan. 7, 1971.
The article says Mr. Smith was taken aback by Nixon’s statement, because Keynes was viewed as being well to the left, politically and economically, and Nixon was viewed as an arch-conservative. Mr. Smith said it was as if a Christian had said, “All things considered, I think Mohammad was right,” referring to the prophet who founded Islam.
The Times’s economics columnist Leonard Silk quickly noted the significance of Nixon’s remark and said the president was actually carrying out Keynesian policies at that moment. His budget for the next fiscal year, which would be released in a few weeks, would be “expansionary,” Nixon had said in his television interview. Instead of aiming for budgetary balance in nominal dollar terms, Nixon said he would aim to balance the budget on a “full employment” basis.
This statement was really no less controversial than the one Nixon made about Keynesian economics. Conservatives viewed it as a license to run budget deficits forever. The idea, now called the “cyclically adjusted deficit,” is to separate the share of the budget deficit resulting from a downturn in the economy, which automatically raises spending and reduces revenue, from its “structural” component, which is a function of the basic nature of the budget itself.
The point of looking at the deficit on a cyclically adjusted basis, which the Congressional Budget Office calculates regularly, is to avoid cutting spending that is only temporarily high and will fall automatically as the economy expands, or raising taxes that will automatically rise. Such actions would exacerbate the economic downturn.
According to the C.B.O., the economic downturn has increased the budget deficit by about 2.5 percent of the gross domestic product annually since 2009. It also calculates that if the economy were operating at its potential based on its productive capacity – what used to be called “full employment,” a term now in disuse among economists – G.D.P. would be $1 trillion larger this year.
Conservatives still don’t like calculating the deficit any way except literally. All adjustments are assumed to be tricks to make it look smaller, they believe. But back in 1971, having a Republican president talk about an expansionary budget policy and balancing the budget on a full employment basis was radical stuff indeed.
The irony, of course, is that Keynesian economics, which had dominated macroeconomic thinking since the war, was already dying. For decades it had been under intellectual assault by economists associated with the University of Chicago known as “monetarists.” Their most well-known spokesman was Milton Friedman, who argued against the Keynesians’ focus on fiscal policy – federal spending and taxing policy – and their inattention to monetary policy, which is conducted by the Federal Reserve.
As it happens, Friedman had said in 1965 that “we’re all Keynesians now” in the Dec. 31 issue of Time magazine. He later complained that his quote had been taken out of context. His full statement was, “In one sense, we are all Keynesians now; in another, nobody is any longer a Keynesian.” Friedman said the second half of his quote was as important as the first half.
But it wasn’t only those on the right, such as Friedman, who were abandoning Keynes; so were those on the left such as the Harvard economist John Kenneth Galbraith, an early and energetic supporter of Keynesian economics. In July 1971, he said that Keynes was obsolete because big business and big labor so controlled the economy that Keynesian economics didn’t work.
Galbraith said that it was “sad that Mr. Nixon has proclaimed himself a Keynesian at the very moment in history when Keynes has become obsolete.”
By 1976, it was common to hear world leaders denigrate Keynesian economics as primarily responsible for the problem of inflation. That year, Prime Minister James Callaghan of Britain, leader of the left-wing Labor Party, gave a speech to a party conference that repudiated the core Keynesian idea of a countercyclical fiscal policy. It only worked, he said, by injecting higher doses of inflation that eventually led to higher unemployment.
The following year, Chancellor Helmut Schmidt, of West Germany’s left-wing Social Democratic Party, likewise repudiated Keynesian economics. The German economy, he said, had avoided inflation by resisting the temptation to implement countercyclical fiscal policies during economic downturns. “The time for Keynesian economics is past,” Mr. Schmidt explained, “because the problem of the world today is inflation.”
On his blog last week, Paul Krugman took me to task for misconstruing the generality of Keynesian theory. My point was that policy makers in the early postwar era routinely accepted the idea that Keynesian stimulus was justified whenever the economy wasn’t doing as well as they wanted.
I acknowledge that this view derived mainly from economists who called themselves Keynesians rather than Keynes himself. He was, in fact, a strong opponent of inflation who would have opposed many “Keynesian policies” of the 1950s and 1960s, which contributed to the problem of stagflation in the 1970s that ultimately discredited those policies.
Economists and policy makers mostly forgot that Keynes prescribed budget surpluses during economic upswings to offset the deficits that he correctly advocated during downturns. In his 1940 book, “How to Pay for the War,” he advocated balancing the budget over the business cycle.
I think Milton Friedman was right that in a sense we are all Keynesians and not Keynesians at the same time. What I think he meant is that no one advocates Keynesian stimulus at all times, but that there are times, like now, when it is desperately needed. At other times we may need to be monetarists, institutionalists or whatever. We should avoid dogmatic attachment to any particular school of economic thought and use proper analysis to figure out the nature of our economic problem at that particular moment and the proper policy to deal with it.Seven weeks of relative calm at Toronto City Hall will come to an abrupt end Monday as Mayor Rob Ford returns from seven weeks in rehab to revive his re-election campaign.
After a year of scandal that featured Ford admitting to using crack, multiple recordings of embarrassing, inebriated rants, and the removal of most of his mayoral powers by council, Ford will now try to somehow scrub clean his reputation enough to give him a shot at re-election on Oct. 27.
For this football-loving mayor, executing such a comeback would be the political equivalent of a Hail Mary touchdown pass in the dying seconds of the fourth quarter.
But Ford has proven his critics wrong before, so with that in mind, here's a look at five key questions Rob Ford faces as he prepares to make a re-entry into the political fray at Toronto City Hall.
1. Will the rehab work?
Last November, Ford told CBC's Peter Mansbridge he was "finished" with alcohol. We know what happened next. More recordings of drunken rants and other outlandish behaviour that eventually forced Ford to enter rehab in early May.
So does Ford finally have a handle on his addiction or will we see a return to the antics that forced him to step away from the mayor's race? Michael Krausz, a professor in UBC’s department of psychiatry who specializes in addiction treatment, says support after rehab is crucial to a patient's success.
"Addiction is a chronic condition," he said. "If support is provided as early as possible and on an ongoing basis, recovery rates are much higher. Just addressing substance abuse is often not enough."
Krausz was commenting about addiction generally. He didn't have any specific information about Ford's treatment and recovery (and neither do we). It's clear, though, that it's over-simplistic to say any patient is "cured" after a stint in rehab.
In restarting his election campaign, Ford will need to attend evening campaign events where alcohol will freely flow. He'll have to avoid temptation and the dreaded viral video that will surely emerge if he slips up.
2. Can his fractured relationship with other politicians be repaired?
With the exception of his brother Coun. Doug Ford, the mayor appears to have few allies left in politics. A near unanimous council vote stripped Ford of many of his powers in November. Earlier this year, the provincial Progressive Conservatives moved to distance their party from the Ford vortex, saying they wouldn't consider Doug Ford a candidate in the June 12 election.
Premier Kathleen Wynne — who has since secured a majority — gave Ford the cold shoulder during last winter's ice storm. Federally, the Fords lost a key ally when Jim Flaherty died in April.
But it's at the council level where the loss of political allies will hurt Ford the most. Toronto has a weak mayor system, one that forces the city's chief magistrate to build bonds with like-minded councillors who then tend to vote together as a bloc. But many of the right-of-centre councillors who supported Ford after his 2010 election have moved away from him, including Denzil Minnan-Wong. Another, Coun. Karen Stintz, is now running against Ford for mayor.
Many councillors were shocked when Ford made lewd comments about Stintz in one of his recorded rants. Unless Ford can repair at least some of those fractured relationships, it will be difficult for him to register any accomplishments before voters head to the polls.
3. Will Ford return defiant, or humble?
In the past, Ford has showed little contrition when confronted about his bad behaviour. News reports on Friday suggest Ford will make a public statement on Monday (without taking reporters' questions), then open his door to any councillor keen to discuss city business. Is this a sign we'll see a less combative, more conciliatory Rob Ford? Or will attacks from his opponents (like the one we saw in radio ads from the Chow campaign this week) trigger his fight response?
4. Does the world outside Toronto still care?
Ford's antics made him a worldwide celebrity over the past year, and not in a good way. At the height of the crack scandal he was pilloried nightly by U.S. late-night talk show hosts as the scandal made headlines around the globe. It will be interesting to see if the international media still care enough to give the Ford story more prominent play. Ford's opponents have charged him with dragging Toronto's name through the mud, so if he can't behave, Ford's antics won't only be fodder for Jimmy Kimmel.
5. Can he still win?
It's hard to trust political polls these days, but a Forum Research poll published this week pegged Chow at 34 per cent, Ford with 27 per cent, John Tory with 24 per cent, David Soknacki at six per cent, and Stintz at three per cent. Chow, a former NDP MP, benefits from being the only left-of-centre runner in the race, but it's clear Ford can't be counted out and could be within striking distance of re-election should either Chow or Tory slip up down the stretch.Methane leaks in Boston area. Yellow indicates methane levels above 2.5 parts per million. Via NY Times.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports that methane (CH4) is far more potent a greenhouse gas than we had previously realized.
This matters to the fracking debate because methane leaks throughout the lifecycle of unconventional gas. Natural gas is, after all, mostly methane (CH4).
We learned last month that the best fracked wells appear to have low emissions of methane, but that study likely missed the high-emitting wells that result in the vast majority of methane leakage. Back in August, a NOAA-led study measured a stunning 6% to 12% methane leakage over one of the country’s largest gas fields — which would gut the climate benefits of switching from coal to gas.
We’ve known for a long time that methane is a far more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide (CO2), which is released when any hydrocarbon, like natural gas, is burned.
But the IPCC’s latest report, released Monday (big PDF here), reports that methane is 34 times stronger a heat-trapping gas than CO2 over a 100-year time scale, so its global-warming potential (GWP) is 34. That is a nearly 40% increase from the IPCC’s previous estimate of 25.
The global-warming potential (GWP) of methane over 20 years and 100 years, with and without climate-carbon feedbacks (cc fb). Via IPCC.
Amazingly, the EPA has been using a GWP of 21 for its estimate of how methane compares to carbon dioxide — a figure that is nearly twenty years out of date. That means methane is a whopping 60% stronger than EPA calculates in its GHG inventory. Back in April, EPA finally said it was thinking about raising the GWP — to 25!
EnergyWire (subs. req’d) reports:
“The IPCC presents the scientific consensus, so its conclusions are inherently conservative,” said Hugh MacMillan, senior researcher with Food and Water Watch. “It’s bizarre that the EPA is just now moving to adopt the GWPs from 2005. Is the agency going to wait until 2025 to use these new GWPs?” If a new GWP of 34 were adopted, the contribution of methane to U.S. emissions would significantly increase.
The revised number means fracking is worse for the climate than we thought and the benefit of replacing coal with fracked gas is lower than we thought. “There is a very real sense in which using dated numbers downplays the problem [from the] oil and gas industry,” MacMillan said.
Significantly, although the 100-year GWP is by far the most widely used, the IPCC drops this mini-bombshell 86 pages into the report:
There is no scientific argument for selecting 100 years compared with other choices (Fuglestvedt et al., 2003; Shine, 2009). The choice of time horizon is a value judgement since it depends on the relative weight assigned to effects at different times.
The IPCC reports that, over a 20-year time frame, methane has a global warming potential of 86 compared to CO2, up from its previous estimate of 72. Given that we are approaching real, irreversible tipping points in the climate system, climate studies should, at the very least, include analyses that use this 20-year time horizon.
Finally, it bears repeating that natural gas from even the best fracked wells is still a climate-destroying fossil fuel. If we are to avoid catastrophic warming, our natural gas consumption has to peak sometime in the next 10 to 15 years, according to studies by both the Center for American Progress and the Union of Concerned Scientists.
The post More Bad News For Fracking: IPCC Warns Methane Traps Much More Heat Than We Thought appeared first on ThinkProgress.My friends are in the midst of finalizing their first home purchase this week, and after going through the home inspection with them, I have a new-found respect for people who really put the work into their home in order to help it sell. The house they are buying is immaculate, and a lot of it is because the current owners put a ton of effort into making it that way. They really wanted to sell it! After giving some thought to what they did to make it so attractive, I came across this article that talks about mistakes that some owners make when trying to sell, and figured I would share it with you in case you were trying to sell your house in this market. Here are the 10 common mistakes home sellers make:
1. Failing to vet your real estate agent.
2. Setting the price too high.
3. Waiting for a market rebound.
4. Skimping on listing photos.
5. False advertising.
6. Failing to incentivize buyers.
7. Waiting to fix up the place.
8. Taking offense at lowball offers.
9. Failing to make sure the buyer can afford the house.
10. Being inaccessible.
Read the details of each point here, and congrats to my friends on buying their first home!Artificial sweeteners may contribute to soaring levels of diabetes, according to a controversial study that suggests the additives could exacerbate the problem they are meant to tackle.
Researchers in Israel found that artificial sweeteners used in diet drinks and other foods can disrupt healthy microbes that live in the gut, leading to higher blood sugar levels – an early sign of diabetes.
Sweeteners such as saccharin, aspartame and sucralose are widespread in western diets and are often used to cut calories or prevent tooth decay. The additives are so common that scientists behind the latest study called for a reassessment of the “massive usage” of the chemicals.
“Our findings suggest that non-caloric artificial sweeteners may have directly contributed to enhancing the exact epidemic that they themselves were intended to fight,” the authors write in the journal Nature.
Eran Elinav, a senior author on the study at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, said that while the evidence against the sweeteners was too weak to change health policies, he had decided to give them up.
But the study has left many experts unconvinced. The findings draw largely on tests of just one sweetener in mice, raising doubts about their relevance for people, and to other sweeteners. Large studies in humans have found that sugar substitutes can help people maintain a healthy weight and protect against diabetes.
“This new report must be viewed very cautiously,” said Stephen O’Rahilly, director of the Metabolic Diseases Unit at Cambridge University, “as it mostly reports findings in mice, accompanied by human studies so small as to be difficult to interpret.”
Brian Ratcliffe, professor of nutrition at Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen, said: “Most of the effects that they report relate to saccharin with little or no effect of aspartame. Their paper ought to be limited to ‘saccharin’ in the title rather than attributing the effects to all artificial sweeteners.”
The UK is poised to fall in line with World Health Organisation recommendations to halve sugar intake to 5% of daily calories, a move expected to drive sales of diet drinks and low-calorie foods.
In the first of a series of experiments, the Israeli group found that mice fed on three artificial sweeteners – saccharin, aspartame and sucralose – developed high blood sugar levels. But when the mice were given antibiotics to kill off their gut microbes, the ill effects disappeared.
The scientists then focused on saccharin. They transferred gut microbes from mice fed on the sweetener to different mice that had no gut bacteria of their own. Soon after, the recipient mice developed high blood sugar levels themselves. Genetic analyses of the gut microbes from mice fed on saccharin found that as a group they behaved differently, breaking down more carbohydrate in the diet than normal.
The scientists ran tests on 400 people and found that those who consumed the most artificial sweeteners had different gut microbes than others, and on average were heavier and more glucose intolerant.
In their final set of experiments, the scientists gave seven people the maximum allowed daily dose of saccharin for a week. Each dose was enough to sweeten around 40 cans of diet cola. At the end of the week, four in seven had high blood sugar levels and their gut microbes mirrored the changes seen in mice fed on the additives.
To round off the study, the researchers transferred bugs from the people who developed high blood sugar after massive doses of artificial sweeteners into mice that had no gut bugs of their own. These mice went on to develop high blood sugar too.
According to Elinav, the study shows that artificial sweeteners may contribute to higher blood sugar in mice and some people. One possible explanation is that artificial sweeteners let some microbes thrive at the expense of others, leaving a population that extracts more energy from the diet than normal.
“This large body of work we’ve performed should be studied further because of the potentially harmful effects that could be happening from sweetener consumption to very large subsets of the population,” said Eran Segal, a co-author of the paper.
There are studies that report more diabetes among people who consume lots of diet drinks. But in many cases it is impossible to work out what is to blame. Lots of people are already fat and on course to develop diabetes when they turn to diet drinks to lose weight.
Nita Forouhi, head of nutritional epidemiology at Cambridge, said the study suggested artificial sweeteners were not the “innocent magic bullets” they were intended to be. “But it does not yet provide sufficient evidence to alter public health and clinical practice,” she said.
Christopher Corpe of King’s College London, who studies how the gut senses sugars, said that future work needed to draw on much larger numbers of healthy and obese or diabetic people who consume more realistic amounts of artificial sweeteners.Nadezhda Kevorkova has worked at RT since 2010, before which she was a special correspondent for ‘Novaya gazeta,’ ‘Nezavisimaya gazeta,’ and ‘Gazeta.’ Kevorkova has also worked extensively in Russian mass-media. As a war correspondent, she covered the Arab Spring, military and religious conflicts, and the anti-globalization movement. She has worked as a reporter in Egypt, Sudan, Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Hungary, Greece, Turkey, Cuba, and in the republics of the North Caucasus, Tatarstan, and in the Far East. In 2001, after an invitation from US State Department, Kevorkova visited a number of states, including Alaska. As a correspondent of 'Gazeta' she reported from Indian settlements in the US. She covered the ‘Gaza Freedom Flotilla’ in 2008, 2010 and 2011; she also visited Gaza several times during the blockade. In 2010, Kevorkova was nominated for the ‘International Women of Courage’ award.
The only Palestinian Orthodox Christian bishop in the Holy Land speaking about the suffering of Palestinian Christians, their unity with Muslims in the Palestinian struggle, about Orthodox Christian martyrs, and Ukraine.
Archbishop Sebastia Theodosios (Atallah Hanna), 49, is the only Orthodox Christian archbishop from Palestine stationed in Jerusalem and the Holy Land, while all other bishops of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem are Greeks. The Israeli authorities had detained him several times, or stopped him at the border, and taken away his passport. Among all Jerusalem clergymen he is the only one who has no privilege of passing through the VIP gate in the airport – because of his nationality. “For the Israeli authorities, I am not a bishop, but rather a Palestinian,” explains his Beatitude. When talking on the phone he says a lot of words you would normally hear from a Muslim: “Alhamdulillah, Insha’Allah, Masha’Allah”. He speaks Arabic, and the Arabic for ‘god’ is Allah, whether you are a Christian or a Muslim.
Your Beatitude, what’s it like being the Palestinian bishop in the Holy Land?
Firstly, I’d like to confirm that I am the only Palestinian bishop in the Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem. A fellow bishop is serving in the city of Irbid in the north of Jordan; and there are also several Palestinian priests.
I take pride in belonging to this great religious institution that’s over 2,000 years old.
My church has been protecting the Christian presence in the Holy Land and the sacred items related to the life of Christ and Christian Church history.
I am proud of my religion and nationality, I am proud to belong to my fatherland. I am a Palestinian, and I belong to this religious people who are fighting for the sake of their freedom and dignity to implement their dreams and national rights.
I support Palestinians and share their cause and their issues. We the Palestinian Orthodox Christians are not detached from their hardships.
The Palestinian issue is a problem that concerns all of us, Christians and Muslims alike. It’s a problem of every free intellectual individual aspiring for justice and freedom in this world.
We the Palestinian Christians suffer along with the rest of Palestinians from occupation and hardships of our economic situation. Muslims and Christians suffer equally, as there is no difference in suffering for any of us. We are all living in the same complicated circumstances, and overcoming the same difficulties.
As a church and as individuals we protect this people, and we hope a day will come when Palestinians get their freedom and dignity.
For those coming to visit the Holy Land there are few opportunities to see how hard the Palestinians’ situation is. What would you like to say to those wishing to understand better the Palestinian problem?
The Israel authorities treat the Palestinian people in a way we can never accept or approve, first and foremost because Israel treats Palestinians as foreigners, as if we were strangers in our land.
Palestinians have never been strangers either to Jerusalem or to the entire homeland. Israel is an occupation force which treats us as visitors or some temporary residents. But we are the native people of this land. We didn’t come here, we have always been here. In contrast, Israel appeared out of the blue.
They are treating us as if we came here from elsewhere, as if we accidentally and recently strayed into this land. But we are the rightful owners of this land. We didn’t intrude into Israel. Israel intruded into our lives in 1948, and in 1967 it occupied Eastern Jerusalem. We have been here long before Israel. By the time Israel came here, our forefathers had been living here for many centuries.
This is why we cannot accept Israel treating us like strangers to our own homeland. I shall be honest and say it over again: both Christians and Muslims suffer the same from the Israeli authorities.
Is visiting Jerusalem as difficult to a Christian Palestinian from the West Bank as for a Muslim?
They don’t ask if a person arriving from Beit Jala or Ramallah to Jerusalem is a Christian or a Muslim. They only ask one question, “Do you have a permit to enter Jerusalem or not?”
The pass allowing a Palestinian to enter Jerusalem is issued by Israel. No one can come through without one. In pursuing its racist policy towards the Palestinian people Israel disregards different confessions. We are all targeted just the same. It all depends on getting a pass, whether you’re a Christian or a Muslim.
We all are their targets.
On top of that, Israel took control of a lot of property of the Orthodox Christian Church and is interfering with the internal affairs of the Church. They put pressure on the Palestinian Christians in all sorts of ways trying to force them to leave.
There is only one cause of suffering for both Christians and Muslims in the Holy Land.
The recent attack on the French satirical magazine triggered a wave of anti-Muslim marches in Europe. Netanyahu walked in the front row of such a march. What it your attitude to what happened?
We denounce the attacks in Paris which were committed by the people allegedly representing a particular religion.
But they do not represent any religion – they are murderers.
This attack was committed by the people, who claimed to have faith, but they definitely don’t represent Islam and cannot act on behalf of Islam, they only do harm and hurt the image of Islam through what they do.
At the same time, we denounce just as much terrorist operations in Syria and Iraq as we denounce the terrorist attacks in Paris.
Those who committed the terror attack in Paris and elsewhere, belong to the same groups that are engaged in terrorism in Syria and Iraq and attack sacred places, desecrate churches and kidnap religious leaders.
They attack women and children in Syria, Lebanon and Iraq.
We were witnesses of the terror act in Lebanon’s Tripoli just days ago which killed dozens of innocent people who were at a café.
We condemn the terror attacks in Paris and we equally condemn any such attacks in any part of the world. We strongly oppose the idea of connecting these attacks to Islam.
We are currently preparing for an international conference that religious figures – Christian, Muslim and Judaist – from many countries will take part in to assert that we, the representatives of the three monotheistic religions, are against terror, fanaticism and violence used under religious slogans. The conference might take place in Amman, Jordan.
To a Western mind, Allahu Akbar sounds like a threat. What do Christians of the Holy Land think about them?
We Christians also say Allahu Akbar. This is an expression of our understanding that the Creator is great. We don’t want this phrase to be related to terrorism and crimes.
We refuse to associate these words with massacres and murders.
We speak against using this phrase in this context. Those who do, they insult our religion and our religious values.
Those using these words while taking some unreligious, unspiritual, uncivilized actions are harming the religion.
Allahu Akbar is an expression of our faith.
One must not use these words for non-religion-related purposes in order to justify violence and terror.
Do people say Allahu Akbar in church?
Of course.
For us, Allah is not an Islamic term. This is a word used in Arabic to indicate the Creator who’s made the world we are living in. So when we say Allah in our prayers we mean the Creator of this world.
In our prayers and pleas, in our Orthodox Christian religious ceremonies we use exactly this word. We say, glory be to Allah in all times. We say Allah a lot during our liturgy. It’s erroneous to think that the word Allah is only used by Muslims.
We the Arab Christians say Allah in our Arabic language as a way to identify and address the Creator in our prayers.
Is this all about Christ? Was he the one to provoke a religious split in the Holy Land? Christians and Muslims recognize that Jesus Christ had been born, and they are awaiting his second coming, and the judgment day. Jews deny this however, and await their Messiah.
We Christians believe that Jesus has already come. We have recently celebrated Christmas as a reminder that Jesus came into this world, that he was born in Bethlehem, and began his road here in the Holy Land for the sake of all mankind, and for the salvation of the world.
So as far as we are concerned, Jesus has already come.
Jews believe that he hasn’t come yet, and await his coming. This is the main disagreement between Jews and us. We believe that Jesus has already come, whereas they don’t.
Despite this fact, we are not at war with Jews. We do not express aggression against Jews or anyone else in the world, despite any differences in our beliefs.
We pray for those who disagree with us.
When Jesus came into this world he didn’t tell us to hate, ignore, or be at war with one or the other; he didn’t tell us to kill this one or that one. He gave us one very simple instruction: to love one another. When Jesus told us to love one another this |
300 hundred workers could still be trapped inside.By The Metric Maven
Bulldog Edition
In response to the We The People Petition to make the metric system the exclusive system of measurement in the US, the now former director of NIST, David Gallagher indicated that it is his policy on measurement to just “do your own thing.” Standards are just so restrictive for the (former) director of NIST. One of the catch phrases of 1960s America was to “do your own thing.” While in some contexts this may be admirable, when it comes to creating a consistent measuring of the world, it is generally not.
When I wrote my essay Brannock and Barleycorns, I thought it would be the last essay I would ever write on shoe size, after all there is a metric international standard called mondopoint, and there it is—for all to use. Unless of course you live in the US and feel constrained and oppressed by logical “establishment standards.” Just as a quick review, mondopoint is a standard which uses the length of a human foot in millimeters as a size designation. According to Wikipedia:
The International Standard is ISO 9407:1991, “Shoe sizes—Mondopoint system of sizing and marking”,[2] which recommends a shoe-size system known as Mondopoint.
It is based on the mean foot length and width for which the shoe is suitable, measured in millimetres. A shoe size of 280/110 indicates a mean foot length of 280 millimetres (11 in) and width of 110 millimetres (4.3 in).
Because Mondopoint also takes the foot width into account, it allows for better fitting than most other systems. It is, therefore, used by NATO and other military services. Mondopoint is also used for ski boots.
I’ve never snow skied more than once, so I don’t normally look into the size of ski boots. One day I was corresponding with Peter Goodyear in Australia by email and mentioned that I had heard we use mondopoint for ski boots, so perhaps there is some hope in the next century or two to get this sizing of shoes introduced more generally. Here is what you find if you look at an Australian website for mondopoint:
There it is, nice integer shoe size numbers in millimeters as mondopoint was designed to produce, and as nature intended. All was well with the world until I began looking at US websites for ski boots. The first one has this:
Yes, the US “do your own thing,” measurement spirit invaded the mondopoint standard. The international standard, which is in millimeters, had been unilaterally changed to centimeters by US ski boot vendors. We must have numbers which are like inches, (i.e. pseudo-inches), and insert decimal points or we just feel too constrained by the unfamiliar. I’m sure NIST would approve of this, if they aren’t concerned their act of approval of anything metric might be too constraining and make people feel uptight. When wearing ski boots one doesn’t want to have a bad trip.
One US website feels overly-constrained to even be bothered with units. They boldly use centimeters without bothering to tell us they are now two steps away from the mondopoint standard:
One website even has a history of mondopoint for us to read. It is most enlightening:
So, mondopoint was developed by ski boot manufacturers?—as a universal measurement for ski boots and is designated in centimeters? That’s not what the international standard indicates, as I understand it. Perhaps this is a Hollywood version of metric history. You know, like U-571, where it was the British that captured an enigma machine in WWII in reality, but we’ll just change it so that the US did it instead for the movie version. Who would know the difference? Thank heavens the UK has become mostly metric. I’m sure I can trust them to get history—what?–wait—what’s this?:
No! not centimeters again! e tu UK? Then I run across a UK online ski forum with this question: “Can a Mondo Point 28 be marked as 328 mm?” Well, talk about a shoe on the wrong foot.
Why is it the only people who take metric seriously, and also speak English, appear to be the Australians. Is it because they are so far away from our bad influence? I believe much of the problem is that in the US, millimeter-only metric rulers are almost non-existent, and the desire for a pseudo-inch is so attractive, that we cannot think outside the centimeter. Without the extraneous comfort of an unnecessary decimal point or fraction to contemplate, we break out in a sweat considering the possibility that actual change might be encountered. Perhaps the biggest problem in the US when it concerns measurement, might be that we simply don’t view innumeracy as a serious personal deficiency, and perversely seem to celebrate this inability to understand magnitudes. The confusion of a factor of ten can really mess up a dimension. Perhaps this explains the origin of platform shoes?
If you liked this essay and wish to support the work of The Metric Maven, please visit his Patreon Page.By Cait Stevenson
I know, I know. The Middle Ages aren’t the “Dark Ages” anymore, and we’re beyond the Gothic literary legends of infanticidal nuns and beyond the tourist trap museum “medieval torture devices” and even beyond necessarily taking our actual medieval sources at face value.
But even if some of these reports skirt the boundaries among truth, rumor, and legend, let’s do this thing because GAME OF THRONES COMES BACK SUNDAY; DO YOUR WORST, HBO.
Simon Hannabaert of Audomarois, 1302
In a world where driving a massive wooden post through someone’s chest was considered a humane shortcut to a full execution by live burial, it’s pretty clear that there was no such thing as a “cushy” medieval execution. Still, contemporary commenters and law codes seemed to settled on two particular modes as the worst: drawing and quartering, and breaking on the wheel. In the first, whose brutality and finesse merited the highest compensation for the executioner, the condemned person would be strangled just far enough to still be conscious, then have to witness and feel their own slow disembowellment. At the sentencing judge’s discretion, they might have their limbs chopped off, have to watch various body parts burnt in the fire, or experience the “mercy” of being beheaded before their body was chopped into pieces to finish off the spectacle.
To break someone on the wheel, the execution would tie the person down to a wagon wheel spread-eagled. With a heavy blunt object, he would smash the person’s limbs in the spaces between the spokes, so the limbs would snap. In a variation, the condemned person might be staked to the ground with blocks placed underneath their limbs to simulate the spokes of a wheel. The executioner would start from the feet and gradually work their way up—bone-snapping hit by hit by excruciating hit. Sometimes there might be a finishing blow to the neck or head; other times, the wheel would be hoisted onto a pole and the person left to die. These two modes of execution were, all agreed, the worst handed down by law.
In 1302, Simon Hannabaert was broken on the wheel and then drawn and quartered.
Queen Brunhild, 613
For someone perhaps best known for her means of death, Brunhild thrived through an astonishing seventy years of reaping revenge for her sister’s murder, ruling through her husband as queen consort, seizing rule as regent for her sons, seizing rule again as regent for her grandsons, and seizing rule as regent for her great-grandson. She won the friendship of Gregory the Great and Gregory of Tours and played a pivotal role in the Catholic Christianization of Francia. Ultimately, it took every duke in two united kingdoms to defeat her forces in battle.
When she and the nominal king were captured, he was executed quickly. But Brunhild? Each of her limbs was tied to a different horse, which were sent galloping off in four different directions.
Anselmuccio Gherardesca of Pisa, 1289
In Canto 33 of Inferno, Dante and Virgil happen across two sinners buried together in the same hole, with just their heads sticking out. And one of them, Ugolino della Gerardesca, is eternally gnawing at and consuming the head of the other. The story of Ugolino’s prophetic dream and his heart-rending report of his children’s suffering are Dante’s invention, but the origin is not. After falling out of favor with the citizens of Pisa in 1288, Ugolino and his male family members were arrested and imprisoned in the tower of Muda. And one day in 1289, rather than send up soldiers with food like normal, the archbishop ordered the tower sealed, the keys thrown away, and the abandoned family to slowly realize their grim fate.
An unpleasant end for all the warring parties present, but let’s remember that Dante even places the one he likes, Nino Visconti, in purgatory. Anselm (“little Anselmuccio”), on the other hand? Was only fifteen at the time of his murder.
John de Lanzous in Laon, 1296
John de Lanzous was a noble from the countryside around Laon who picked a bad time to pick a fight with a city official. He fled to the local cathedral for safety after punching the clerk in the face, but it offered little sanctuary in the end. John, along with another noble and his brother, were dragged through and out of the cathedral by their hair and street. They were beaten with sticks, weapons, and fists by any townsperson who wanted a chance. John somehow managed to survive the mob violence, so he was tossed into the local jail. He was tortured to death by having the bottoms of his feet and the tendons of his joints sliced.
Henry le Dale, 1160s
Sometimes the horror of a death lies less in a method than its causes. Henry was a reforming prior placed in charge of a small, struggling community of canons near Nottingham. Under his leadership, the canons clawed their way toward self-sustenance through legal and extralegal means. Henry apparently found solace amidst the trials and poverty with a local woman, even making a new home with her. When he and his canons were called back to the mother-house, Henry refused to leave his lover. The monks showed up and forcibly kidnapped Henry back to Tupholme. This proved lethally devastating to the poor monk:
Henry’s heart was smitten by melancholy. Taking guidance from the Devil he got into a hot bath and opened veins in both arms; and in this way of his own free will, no, free folly, ended his life.
John Patrick of Scotland, in southern France, c. 1384
Now, our primary chronicler for this entry and the next, Michel Pintoin (the “Monk of Saint-Denis”), was describing events in southern France from quite a safe distance in Paris. But he assures us that every word came from “witnesses worthy of trust,” and wouldn’t you take at face value the writing of the official royal propagandist chronicler who had a vested interest in making the Tuchin rebels look as barbaric as possible, or as he says, even worse than barbarians? John Patrick, according to Pintoin, wasn’t even involved in the revolt or fighting against the revolt. He was an ambassador from Scotland to Aragon just passing through France on his way. But the rebels took him for an example of the royal (taxing) authority they rejected, seized him, and forced a red-hot iron crown onto his head.
Anonymous priest, in southern France, c. 1384
Pintoin isn’t done describing the atrocities committed by the Tuchins, and he’s also not done explaining why diplomatic immunity is a very good invention:
On another day, they stopped a priest on his way to the papal curia in Rome, and out of hatred and distrust for his ecclesiastical dignity, they cut off the ends of his fingers, peeled the skin from his body with shears, and then burnt him alive.
Dancers at the Bal des Ardents, 1393
A proper medieval feast had more to do with the pageant than the food, and the wedding reception the Queen of France threw for one of her ladies-in-waiting was no exception. Royal adviser Hugh of Guisay had the bright idea to stage the traditional mocking/celebrating of a remarriage by having performers dance around wildly dressed as uncivilized, oversexed “savages.” He had the even more incendiary notion that King Charles VI should be among them. The dancers donned (or were sewn into) full-length cloth suits dipped in resin or tar to which a shaggy outer layer was adhered, making them appear as monsters or beasts. Although both contemporary and later accounts offer slightly different takes on the reason for subsequent events, they all agree that the Duke of Orleans had a torch, the torch got a bit too close to one of the dancers—and their costumes, with them inside, blazed up in a roaring inferno. The king survived when a quick-thinking duchess threw her skirts over him to staunch out the oxygen flow; another dancer flung himself into the nearest source of liquid—a barrel of wine. The other four men burned gruesomely to death in full view of everyone at the party.
Victims of the Jacquerie, France, 1358
As noted above, it sometimes seem like there is little that stirs the passions of elite chroniclers more than cataloguing the atrocities committed by those horrible, uncivilized, subhuman peasants (it’s always peasants in the sources, even when historically it wasn’t). So when Jean le Bel writes, “I would not dare write or tell of their atrocious deeds or of the indecorous things they did to ladies,” you know it is time to steel your stomach and your heart. Because of course he continues:
Among other indecent acts, they killed a knight, put him on a spit, and roasted him with his wife and children looking on. After ten or twelve of them raped the lady, they wished to force feed them the roasted flesh of their father and husband.
Real or rumour, by including then transcending even sexual violence to force their victims into the ultimate taboo of cannibalism, descriptions of unfathomable violent acts like this one portray the perpetrators as irredeemable savages. And medieval people often considered the symbolism of violence very, very carefully in order to make it serve a larger purpose. Such as:
György Szerémi Dózsa of Hungary, 1514
The bevy of textual and woodcut sources documenting Dózsa’s execution make it Example A of “anything a fiction author can come up with, history has already done it worse at least once.” For leading a crusade/rebellion that ultimately failed, Dózsa received a sentence that unites all the means and meanings of inflicted violence we’ve seen so far. To mock him as a “peasant king”, he was tied onto an iron “throne” that was slowly (slowly) heated. A red-hot iron crown was forced on his head and a burning scepter shoved into one hand. Dózsa endured this for over an hour—and that wasn’t even the worst part.
In the middle of a veritable party atmosphere, with musicians playing and hymns of praise being sung around them, a group of Dózsa’s followers were let loose on the wounded, dying man. Let loose, that is, to eat him. On penalty of their own immediate executions, they had to rip out Dózsa’s flesh with their own teeth.
Ultimately, Dózsa’s corpse was quartered as a final indignity. The pieces were dispatched to different parts of Hungary to be displayed to the public as a bloody, graphic warning. Even beyond the subhumanity of forced cannibalism by the other defeated rebels, the rending of the flesh and its consumption completes the inverted Passion of Dózsa’s death. Whereas Christ stormed into the hellmouth to defeat Satan, in 1514 Hungary, the mouths of hell closed around the failed crusader forever.
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our weekly emailOP. This is why Trump is so eager to start shit with DPRK, (and also prod India & Japan to start shit with China). They want to do to the far East what they did to the Middle East, but x10 and with nukes and bio. They want to kill Asia's century before it happens.
But it is not a race war, since you have India, Japan, and other willing proxies who are allowing themselves to be thrown like irons into the fire at the behest of the west. But the hands driving it all, the gears, are WallStreet, the Pentagon, and even west Euro interests. They need to hit Asia in the next five years or so before China surpasses the US in 2030.
So you are incorrect, it is not a race war. It is really about Makinder's one world island convergence versus the incumbent superpower based on sea/ air power projection. The Atlantic centers of power want to prevent Eurasian convergence, and they are getting desperate and consequently more vile.
But a race-war could happen theoretically in a walking dead scenario. In a situation where the US or the world is destabilized by either an outbreak, or EMP takes down the grid, then you could have a scenario where society breaks down into bandenkrieg / race-war / total chaos mad max style stuff. A race war might happen within broken multi-cultural countries. But in more homogeneous ones, it would be just a matter of surviving with or against your neighbors.newyorklawjournal
We must all be proud of the 25 year old girl, who after getting allegedly raped by Uber driver Shiv Kumar Yadav, didn't back down from attacking the negligence of Uber, a multinational app-based transportation network and taxi company. After testifying against the man who sexually assaulted her in India, she's now planning to to sue Uber in the United States. And for this, she's got Douglas Wigdor, one of the toughest New York litigators on her team. The last time he was in the news, Douglas Widgor had represented Nafissatou Diallo, a hotel maid who secured a rumoured $6 million dollar amount from IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn over an alleged assault.
Right now, Wigdor is seeking out a United States court to begin trial. He told the Guardian: "I can confirm that I have been retained by the young lady who was raped by an Uber driver in Delhi, India, last December. Having met extensively with her and her family while in Delhi, I can only compliment them for their bravery and fortitude during this very difficult time. We will use all of our resources to vindicate my client’s rights, hold those responsible for their actions and ensure that this doesn’t happen again," Wigdor was quoted as saying by the Guardian.
reuters
Shiv Kumar Yadav has already been charged under sections 376(2)(m) (while committing rape causing grievous bodily harm or endangering life of a woman), 366 (kidnapping or abducting woman), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) of the Indian Penal Code. She wants to fight a civil case against Uber in America about how they conduct driver background checks.
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Uber has been in damage control mode, promising safer trips and “going above and beyond required government verification” in its background checks. It is also planning better police and document verification, and in-app safety features.FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- In the moments after the New England Patriots' 27-26 victory over the New York Giants on Sunday, my instant reaction was that we had just witnessed one of the team’s best regular-season games in the Bill Belichick era.
What struck me was the high level of energy in the stadium from start to finish, the numerous momentum swings, a handful of you-don’t-often-see-them individual plays or coaching decisions, and a dramatic ending.
That got me to thinking about the best regular-season games in Belichick’s tenure (2000-present), just to see if perhaps I got a little carried away in the moment.
My top five:
1. Dec. 29, 2007 -- Patriots 38, Giants 35 -- An easy choice for me. This felt like a Super Bowl atmosphere in the regular season finale in the Meadowlands as the Patriots were going for 16-0. The Tom Brady to Randy Moss back-to-back long bombs -- the first incomplete, the second helping both players set records for most touchdown passes/touchdown catches in a season -- was simply off the charts.
2. Nov. 30, 2003 -- Patriots 38, Colts 34 -- Indianapolis had the ball on the New England 2-yard line with 40 seconds remaining, and couldn’t punch it in. It was the goal-line stand of all goal-line stands, with Willie McGinest surging off the left edge and tackling Edgerrin James on fourth down. The Patriots led 31-10 at one point and then survived a ferocious comeback. Lots of drama.
3. Nov. 15, 2015 -- Patriots 27, Giants 26 -- A 54-yard field goal by Stephen Gostkowski to win it with six seconds remaining was the most clutch kick of his 10-year career and a dramatic ending. Meanwhile, the fiery yet respectful 1-on-1 matchup of Odell Beckham Jr. and Malcolm Butler reflected the way these two teams went at each other.
4. Nov. 3, 2003 -- Patriots 30, Broncos 26 -- The visiting Patriots trailed 24-23 with 2:49 remaining and had the ball at their own 1-yard line when Bill Belichick called for snapper Lonie Paxton to rifle the ball off the upright for an intentional safety. It was unconventional and effective. The Patriots then forced a three-and-out, and quarterback Tom Brady found David Givens for the game-winning 18-yard touchdown.
5. Nov. 24, 2013 -- Patriots 34, Broncos 31 (OT) -- Fall behind 24-0 at the half to a Peyton Manning-led team and it’s usually over. But playing their best 30 minutes of the season (and an additional 13:02 in overtime), the Patriots roared back to record the improbable win. The poor first half almost kept this game off the list from a perspective of a solid start-to-finish game, but the final 43 minutes were so impressive it trumped other options.On a windy day in Ypenburg, the Netherlands, you can sometimes see sculptures the size of buses scuttling across a sandy hill. Made mostly from intricately conjoined plastic tubes, wood and sails, the many-legged skeletons move so fluidly and autonomously that it’s tempting to think of them as alive. Their maker, the Dutch artist Theo Jansen, certainly does. “Since 1990, I have been occupied creating new forms of life,” he says on his website. He calls them Strandbeest. “Eventually I want to put these animals out in herds on the beaches, so they will live their own lives.”
Poetic, most would say, but Strandbeest are not alive. They are just machines — elaborate, beautiful ones, but inanimate contraptions nonetheless. A few months ago I would have agreed with this reasoning. But that was before I had a remarkable insight about the nature of life. Now, I would argue that Strandbeest are no more or less alive than animals, fungi and plants. In fact, nothing is truly alive.
What is life? Science cannot tell us. Since the time of Aristotle, philosophers and scientists have struggled and failed to produce a precise, universally accepted definition of life. To compensate, modern textbooks point to characteristics that supposedly distinguish the living from the inanimate, the most important of which are organization, growth, reproduction and evolution. But there are numerous exceptions: both living things that lack some of the ostensibly distinctive features of life and inanimate things that have properties of the living.
Crystals, for example, are highly organized; they grow; and they faithfully replicate their structures, but we do not think of them as alive. Similarly, certain computer programs known as “digital organisms” can reproduce, mate and evolve, but ushering such software through the gates to the kingdom of life makes many people uncomfortable. Conversely, some organisms — such as gummy bear-shaped microanimals called tardigrades and brine shrimp (whose eggs are sealed up in little packets like baker’s yeast under the brand name Sea Monkeys) — can enter a period of extreme dormancy during which they stop eating, growing and changing in any way for years at a time, yet are still regarded as living organisms.But contrary to expectation Alby is no night rider - instead he displays his wheely good skills in front of stunned shoppers in Folkestone, Kent.
Brian Maxted, 73, who runs Folkestone Owl Sanctuary, said he discovered Alby's unusual talent during a trip to the local shopping centre.
He said: "I often take some owls into town to try and get some donations from shoppers.
"I had the owls out one day last week and a young lad stopped to look at them.
"He put down his skateboard and Alby, who'd been fast asleep, saw it and jumped on.
"Someone pulled it along the ground and he loved it so much, we had to get him one of his own."
Alby, who is 13, has now developed his technique, which involves him swooping onto the board, using the momentum from his flight to push him along.
When the board comes to a stop, Alby takes off and flies in a small circle before re-landing on the board, pushing it along again.
Student Paul Lendon, 17, from Folkestone said: "I was stunned when I saw him riding along on his miniature board.
"I'm aware of the famous skateboarder Tony Hawk, but I've never before heard of Tony Owl."The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, is concluding a weeklong visit to Mexico, where she expressed concern over abuse of citizens by police and soldiers fighting organized crime groups. The major effort against drug cartels and other criminal organizations that began shortly after Mexican President Felipe Calderon took office in December, 2006, has now claimed around 40,000 lives. Experts say ending official corruption and impunity is the biggest challenge the government faces in trying to win the war.
On her visit to Mexico, U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay looked into problems including abuse of migrants and women. In a meeting with President Calderon, Pillay mentioned allegations against police and military forces in the war on drug traffickers.
"I view with concern the increasing reports of human rights violations attributed to state agents in the fight against organized crime," Pillay said.
She said authorities should not view respect for human rights as an obstacle, but as part of the solution in combating crime.
President Calderon responded that the worst abusers of human rights in Mexico are the criminal gangs that have tortured, mutilated and killed thousands of people. The drug cartels are fighting the government and each other as they compete for lucrative smuggling routes and drug profits.
At the inauguration of a new criminal investigation laboratory, supported in part by funds from the United States, President Calderon spoke of the need for reform and modernization of police forces.
Calderon said human rights are protected when police use evidence to prove their case rather than confessions that might be made under duress.
Human rights groups complain that, in far too many cases, police without proper investigative skills detain suspects and torture them until they confess.
But President Calderon also condemned faults in the system that have allowed criminals to escape justice.
Calderon added that as long as criminals get away with crimes and go unpunished they will continue their illegal operations. He said Mexico must break the vicious cycle of impunity that allows transnational criminal organizations to operate.
To circumvent corrupt police, Calderon has used military forces against the powerful drug cartels. But deploying soldiers while trying to protect human rights is problematic, according to Mexico expert George Grayson of the College of William and Mary.
"Mexico has never, never had an honest, reliable, professional police force and this goes back to colonial times," Grayson noted. "So Calderon had no choice, when he found areas of the country dominated by cartels, but to use the military and the military is trained to pursue, to capture, to kill and, in the process, there is often collateral damage of civilians."
There have been many complaints from human rights activists about military abuses, but many citizens in violence-wracked areas often see soldiers as their only defense against the well-armed criminal gangs.
Citizen attitudes about police in Mexico may be part of the problem. Surveys have shown that Mexicans have little respect for their police and that paying small bribes to avoid such inconveniences as a traffic ticket is still common practice in much of the country. Mexican police are usually paid little and given only minimal training.
For the government to tackle such problems it will need public support in both spiritual and material terms. George Grayson says Mexicans in the upper and middle classes, who have been absent from this effort, need to do more and pay more.
"The elite pay little in taxes, about 10 percent of gross domestic product," Grayson added. "To give you an idea, Brazil pays 33 percent of gross domestic product in terms of taxes. Without more taxes you cannot have job creation programs, you cannot engage in regional development, you cannot restructure the public school system, you cannot improve health delivery services and, as a result, 40 percent of Mexicans live in poverty."
Part of the reason wealthy Mexicans pay so little in taxes is the government's reliance on revenues from the state-owned oil sector, which cover about a third of the federal budget. But Mexico's oil reserves are in decline and President Calderon has had limited success in opening the sector to foreign investment. So that issue, like the drug war and the effort to curb human rights abuses, will await the person who succeeds Calderon after next year's presidential election.There's been a lot of talk about how the Chargers offense performed against the Patriots and how they were outmatched, out coached, and didn't make the needed adjustments. This is mostly true. Players we're used to seeing didn't play to the level they did and Frank Reich didn't seem to have an answer for the Patriots press-man Cover 1 scheme that doubled Antonio Gates on passing downs. What I've seen a lot during and post game was that "Rivers didn't have time" and "maybe if he wasn't facing constant pressure it would've been different. I didn't feel that way during the game so I decided to re-watch the game with someone smarter than me and see what how he felt the offense line performed.
I got the offensive line coach from the high school I coach at to sit down and go through each play with me to grade the line. He played football at the University of Iowa and I respect him his opinion so I thought this would be a fun task. Just how most teams do it, you get a "+" if your technique was right and you didn't get beat. You get a "-" for reverse and in the end you get a percentage grade. So that's what we did for this game. We understand that guys are going to get beat so ideally you'd like them in the low to mid 80's. I will go from left to right.
King Dunlap - 87% effective
King only had 7 plays where he received a minus. While he allowed 2 QB hits late in the game, this was about as good of a game as you could ask from your left tackle. The Chargers ask Dunlap to climb to the 2nd level quite a bit and he had no issues getting there and sealing off LBs. Dunlap also did a good job of blocking down when asked as well. It's impressive to see a man like Dunlap move for his size. All in all, it was a very good game. Something we're used to seeing with Dunlap. I think because Dunlap isn't flashy, he doesn't really get the credit he deserves, but more often than not he resembles the vine below. He just gets the job done.
Dunlap blocks down on the defensive tackle, and then seals off the linebacker. Very good play that won't get much recognition.
Chad Rinehart - 78% effective
Playing in between the 2 best lineman on the team, you would think Rinehart would be better on a week-to-week basis, but he's making the same mistakes week in and week out. Whether it's falling off blocks after he made good initial contact or completely whiffing when he's asked to block the linebacker at the next level. I think the biggest concern is that, for the most part, Rinehart isn't even losing to the oppositions best player. There were a few runs where if he just sustained his block a half count longer the run would've hit, or Philip Rivers would've been able to get the pass off.
These are simple plays that need to be executed for this run game to work. It's something that just hasn't happened. Don't be surprised if there are 2 starting guards next year.
Chris Watt - 78% effective
Up until this week, Watt was giving Dunlap a strong run for the best offensive lineman on the team. Hell, if you told me he was the best lineman I don't know if I would argue that. This was probably his worst game and it all started with the 1st sack he yielded. It's funny how 1 play can alter an entire teams game plan. The Patriots would sugar those A-gaps just like they showed the past few weeks. Watt didn't pick up the linebacker, gave up a sack. After that, New England smelled blood. They used a similar blitz a handful of times and had success up the middle. If Watt handles the 1st blitz initially, I don't think we see them run it nearly as much as they did. So it was just good coaching on their part. In the vine below, New England puts their best blitzer over Watt and he just uses his athleticism for the sack.
No way am I writing off Watt. It was a bad game for a guy who didn't practice all week against a tough matchup. We've seen him do some very good things recently and he continued to show those things this game, too. He looked like Nick Hardwick last week. I fully expect for him to bounce back against the Broncos.
Johnnie Troutman - 82% effective
Such a confusing player. There are times where Troutman can look like he has a spot on the roster for years to come. Then there are times where you question why he is on the field. Troutman has the balance of a toddler who is just learning to walk. He also has a tendency to play too high, and good defensive lineman will get up under him and put him on skates. He still hasn't found the chemistry with D.J. Fluker just yet, but I think they've gotten better. Troutman showed this game when he's the aggressor, he can take you where he wants you to go and sometimes even put you on your back. I wouldn't be surprised if the team upgraded at the position in the offseason, but Troutman is not lacking talent. It's his limited athleticism that's holding him back in my opinion.
Here is "bad Johnnie." Where he gets stood up and thrown to the side like a rag doll. These are the plays that drive you nuts because when he's the aggressor.
He can do things like this. In the run game, he's good on combo blocks but has a tendency to hold on to the initial block a little long. It's the small things like this he needs to iron out to take his game to another level.
D.J. Fluker - 84% effective
The whipping boy of the offensive line had another good game. I would compare Fluker to a closer in baseball. Fans are going to remember the 2-3 home runs you give up every now and then and completely block out the 11 inning hitless streak you just pitched. That's the case with Fluker. He'll give up a home run, many times it's a grand slam, but for the majority of the game he's a good player. He has his lapses and I mentioned the miscommunication is still an issue with him and Troutman(led to a sack).
Fluker gave up 2 QB hits and a sack this game, but only blew 1 true block. That's less than Dunlap. It was his technique that caused him to grade out lower than Dunlap. Fluker's issues in the run game are when he has to cut off a second level defender that's at an angle where he just can't cross his face. In the passing game he'll get beat once on a speed move, but the real issue is not making first contact, and getting bull-rushed into Rivers. I think we counted 3 times where he did this in the run game.
That's so impressive to me that Fluker seemingly does this every game, yet all I hear is moving him inside. Fluker is fine where he is, you guys.
I think my biggest takeaway was that the line, while they certainly had their faults at times, wasn't as big of an issue as many made them out to be. It was just an off day by the quarterback and not a great game plan by Reich. That's going to happen and when it does, these are the results. Hopefully, the offense can bounce back next week, and I think that they will.Boom: Michael Flynn pleads guilty to lying to the FBI; but an Obama aide went to Russia and huddled with Russian officials BEFORE Obama was even elected
by Jon Rappoport
December 3, 2017
Michael Flynn has pled guilty to lying to the FBI about his conversation with the Russian Ambassador to the United States, Sergey Kislyak.
The conversation occurred AFTER Trump won the 2016 election and before he was inaugurated. The conversation involved US sanctions against Russia and a UN resolution concerning Israel.
Why did Flynn lie? There was nothing wrong with him speaking to the Ambassador during the presidential transition phase. Claims that he was undermining Obama’s policy toward Russia are nonsense. It’s common practice for an incoming president’s staff to speak with foreign officials, in order to set up future goals and policies.
The prosecution against Flynn is of the so-called “process” variety.
That means, in this case, he lied to federal officials about a matter that was itself inconsequential |
it has been used to signify in recent neoliberal decades, and also more control by the people.
C&J: With regard to the return of communism in leftist discourse, you pointed to a strategic problem — the fact that this discourse also comes with its own set of problems, its own assumptions, historical baggage, etc. Would you also say that it suffers from a certain obliviousness to something that a Foucauldian might want to insist on, namely the social conditions and framings of political practices? Sometimes the return to communism has a somewhat decisionistic and even heroic undertone to it, which insists on the autonomy of the political act, that is strangely oblivious of these power relations and how they frame and limit politics. I was wondering how you would frame this problem with the discourse.
Brown: Foucault had one way of naming this problem, which was to suggest that communism, Marxism more generally, never developed what he called a political rationality of its own and as a result was terribly available to other political rationalities, anything from absolutism to liberalism. Long before Foucault, others have pointed out that there’s a very thin theory of politics in Marx, not only in his critique, but also in the very brief imaginary he gives us of communism, one that’s entirely focused on the organization of production and the emancipation that the organization of production, owned and controlled collectively, would offer individuals and the whole. I think you’re right that even today when people speak of communism as an alternative they are eliding the fundamental question of who controls, who rules, who governs, what the apparatuses are and what the compatibility or incompatibility is of communism with direct democracy. And briefly I would say that in very, very small scale it is perfectly possible to imagine the relation of communism to direct democracy as being a very good one, e.g. in workers’ cooperatives or other kinds of collectives — but at the level of the nation-state, let alone the world? It’s impossible to imagine that. And that’s where we have to do our thinking. It’s unrealistic, but on the other hand that doesn’t mean we want to say, as somebody like Slavoj Žižek does, that yes of course we must have the violent and the brutal arm of the state at the level of the larger political economy, because that’s the only solution. I’m giving a crude version of his account, but he would be happy with it, I think. I am not suggesting that we give up on communist ideals, but that we need to do a great deal of work to think about its viability in a globalized twenty-first century and we need to think through the problem of politics.
C&J: In your contribution to Democracy in What State, you also point to ‘the panoply of social powers and discourses constructing and conducting us’ that seem to pose a limit to democratic control; to the fact that ‘we and the social world are relentlessly constructed by powers beyond our ken and control’, which seems to undermine notions of sovereignty, according to which the addressees of social norms should be their authors, and self-legislation at the heart of the modern idea of democracy, and to make it necessary to rethink democracy more in terms of its being embedded in forms of governance and subjectivation (or citizenization). What would a Foucauldian notion of democracy look like that takes such power relations into account? What are the theoretical resources and the practical possibilities of such a notion of democracy?
Brown: I don’t think it is possible to think democracy from a Foucauldian perspective for several reasons, and I think it’s telling that Foucault himself seemed utterly uninterested in the question of democracy. I don’t mean he was an anti-democrat. He became interested in the question of counter-conducts, individual efforts at crafting the self, to subvert, interrupt or vivisect forces governing or constructing us, but that’s very different from attending to the question of democracy. I want to say one other thing here before I then directly answer your question. I’ve lately been rereading his lectures on neoliberalism and one thing I’m very struck by is that there is an absent figure in Foucault’s own formulation of modernity, when he offers us the picture of homo economicus and homo juridicus as the two sides of governance and the human being in modernity. Foucault just says you’ve got on the one hand the subject of interest, homo economicus and on the other hand homo juridicus, the derivative from sovereignty, the creature who’s limiting sovereignty. But for Foucault there’s no homo politicus, there’s no subject of the demos, there’s no democrat, there’s only a creature of rights and a creature of interest. It’s an extremely individually oriented formulation of what the modern order is. There’s the state, there’s the economy and then there’s the subject oriented to the economy by interests and toward the state by rights. But isn’t it striking for a French thinker that there’s no democratic subject, no subject oriented, as part of the demos, toward the question of sovereignty by or for the people? Here Foucault may have forgotten to cut off the king’s head in political theory! There are just no democratic energies in Foucault.
So one of the reasons one can’t think democracy with Foucault has to do with his own inability to think it. The other reason has to do with the extent to which he has given us such a thick theoretical and empirical account of the powers constructing and conducting us — there’s no way we can democratize all of those powers. So I think there one has to accept that if democracy has a meaning for the left today, it’s going to have to do with modest control of the powers that govern us overtly, rather than that of power tout court. So it’s going to be a combination of the liberal promise and the old Marxist claim about the necessary conditions of democracy. It’s going to be at some level a realization of the Marxist critique of the liberal promise. We have to have some control over what and how things are produced, we have to have some control over the question of who we are as a people, what we stand for, what we think should be done, what should not be done, what levels of equality should we have, what liberties matter, and so forth. It will not be able to reach to those Foucauldian depths of the conduct of conduct at every level. The dream of democracy probably has to come to terms with that limitation. If we can, we will be able to stop generating formulations of resistance that have to do with individual conduct and ethics. In other words, I think that the way Foucauldian, Derridean, Levinasian and Deleuzian thinking has derailed democratic thinking is that it has pushed it off onto a path of thinking about how I conduct myself, what is my relation to the other, what is my ethos or orientation toward those who are different from me — and all that’s fine, but it’s not democracy in the sense of power sharing. It’s an ethics, and maybe even a democratic ethics. But an ethics is not going to get us to political and economic orders that are more democratic than those we have now. The danger of theory that has too much emphasized the question of the self’s relationship to itself, or to micropowers, as useful as it has been for much of our work, is that it has derailed left democratic thinking into a preoccupation with ethics.
C&J: In your recent book Walled States; Waning Sovereignty, you argue that the walls that are increasingly being built all over the Euro-Atlantic world to keep migrants out are irrational: walls are the symbols of sovereignty at the time of its definitive waning, while not being effective in re-establishing sovereignty in practice. If we look at it from a governmentality perspective, walls do have a certain practical effectivity in connection to other bordering practices such as detention and deportation. In the European Union, for instance, there is definitely no Fortress Europe, but there is population regulation. There is both empirical regulation, and also regulation of what we consider desirable future citizens and selves: formal citizenship makes way for the selection of persons on the basis of ethnicity, religion, poverty, education. What is your view of those developments?
Brown: There is a difference between border control and walls. What happens at immigration, at the airport, is extremely effective in determining who gets in and who gets out. You don’t get in without a passport. But walls are much less effective at this. So the reason I was specifically dealing with walls and not border controls is to understand why walls have arisen at a time when those kinds of security and immigration technologies, checkpoints, border controls, are so available and effective. My question was, why pour billions of dollars into these particular edifices that are crude, that are surmountable, that can be tunneled under, that can be circumvented in many ways?
And yet, my claim is not that walls are ‘merely’ symbolic and have no effects. That’s already an impoverished understanding of the symbolic. Walls in many cases are shoring up an image of nation-state sovereignty that is weakening as sovereignty, that is detaching from states themselves. I’m not saying that state sovereignty is finished, I’m not saying that there’s no such thing as states, I’m not making the claim that all we have are transnational powers now. I also accept the formulation that one of the things we have in nation-states are new forms of governmentality producing who the ‘we’ is: who’s in, who’s out, who’s needed, who’s not needed, identities that are racialized, ethnicized, and ‘religionized,’ sometimes in incoherent yet consequential ways. For example, in US post-911 discourse, there is a constant interchangeability between the dark, the Islamic, the Arab and the Middle Eastern that scrambles who people actually are. So yes, there are these new forms of governmentality and securitization, and there is an intersection between what happens at the borders and what happens within. There are forms of policing, securitizing, categorizing and identity-making that saturate the internal lives of nations engaged in them, and that do not just happen at their borders. All this is very important.
But I was writing a different book. It was focused on just one question: country after country today is building walls — concrete, iron, barbed wire, brick, plexiglass walls. Literal, obdurate objects. For the most part, they are not very effective as part of this governmentality that you have described. In many cases, they actually make the process more difficult, because they make it more difficult to see, to monitor, to check, and to classify and categorize what’s on the other side or trying to get in. They are also producing more and more criminality at the borders that they limn. They intensify organized crime to smuggle in people, goods, drugs and weapons. So my question was this: during a period in which we have a governmentality of securitization that also intersects with neoliberal regulation of labour, why these walls?
The other question in the book is: what does it mean to say that nation-state sovereignty is waning? Where are we? What is the post-Westphalian political formation that both refers to and beyond the nation-state? We have nascent and struggling post-national constellations, e.g. the EU. We have important transnational institutions, the IMF, World Bank, World Court, and so forth. But we are still nation-state centric, even as state sovereignty is being weakened by globalization itself, by the flow of ideas, religions, labour, capital, political movements, across borders. Neoliberal rationality is also weakening state sovereignty. Now can this help us understand why these walls are being built? Walls which are not fundamentally abetting the governmentality you describe — they’re hugely expensive and often produce more and worse versions of the problem that they would purportedly address as they intensify violence and crime, and make more expensive the immigration and smuggling they aim to interdict. Are these walls resurrecting an imago of the nation and the sovereignty of the state even as both recede materially? And does this in turn generate a certain political imaginary with which we (theorists and activists) need to reckon today?
C&J: One interpretation could be that your understanding of walls would help us explain why phenomena such as deportation and detention are taking place.
Brown: Part of what I’m suggesting is that what walls do is help to establish the ‘us’ and the ‘them,’ the threat of the outside to the supposed purity and integrity of the inside. Certainly this facilitates detention, deporting, and very harsh forms of governmental regulation. Yet again I was trying to isolate something about walling that was different from the whole panoply of border control on the one hand, and governmentality and managing multiculturalism on the other. Maybe it’s less acute here in Europe precisely because most of this is happening in the absence of actual walls. Here you have the imago of ‘fortress Europe’, and the arguments about ‘fortress Europe,’ without the actual fortress. Whereas what we’re looking at in the United States is now 650 miles of wall (out of a planned 2,000). The concrete portions are not quite as tall as the separation barrier in Israel, but they are mammoth. It costs $21 million per mile to build and will cost another estimated $7 billion to operate and maintain over the next 20 years. Do you grasp these numbers? And the Border Protection Agency had to repair more than 4,000 breaches in the wall in 2010 alone. The wall is not stopping a thing, but it is having a tremendous effect on the American political imaginary.
C&J: What do you think of interpretations like those of William Walters, who stresses that there is also some resistant agency within the walling, for example by the organisations that fill water tanks on the U.S.-Mexican border? Counter-conduct takes place throughout different levels of society, by squatters, but also by lower-level governments, churches, border personnel, NGOs, medical personnel, and, not to forget, irregularized migrants themselves. Given what you were saying before regarding the individualist perspective on resistance, how do you see their contribution to the formation of complexly layered identities from ‘within’, particularly in contrast to the highly securitized, reactionary ones that you highlight in your book?
Brown: Yes, but that said, let me be clear, I think these more individual or smaller efforts of resistance matter, both because sometimes you’re literally saving a life, and also to the extent that they can be part of a broader politics of resistance. We, like you, are having a big struggle over the question of who we are and what the place of so-called ‘new’ immigrants is in the ‘we’. This is a huge struggle, and a complicated one in the US about belonging, about healthcare, about education, about the price of labour. It touches everything. Okay, so here’s how it plays out in the desert borderlands. There are self-designated ‘Angels’ who leave bottled water and maps out in the desert where the immigrants cross, trying just to help them stay alive during their crossing that the wall has made more difficult. On the other side, there are organized groups who go and pick up those bottles of water, or replace them with foul bottles of water, to actually poison and kill the migrants, or pick up the maps that the ‘Angels’ leave and replace them with maps that lead nowhere, that is, to their death. There’s a very concrete political struggle going on there between non-state agents. To the extent that this struggle is known, to the extent that it’s publicized, to the extent that it gains a political face, it’s not nothing. So, on the one hand, there’s a moral side to the story, trying to save a life. On the other hand, there is a political battle going on between two citizen groups, with big symbolic things at stake. And to the extent that it gets into the larger political discourse, it’s doing a lot of work.
C&J: The bad thing is that we can’t say resistance is just on the side of the NGOs providing the water.
Brown: No. The ‘Minutemen’ who I talk about are the ones who are galloping through the desert and picking up the clean water and replacing it with foul water, and picking up the maps and replacing them and so forth. So they are engaged in resistance, right? Even if it’s resistance to the failure of the state to persecute illegal entrants.
C&J: We would be interested to know more about the struggle over the ‘we,’ and how it’s linked to recent protests, resistance movements. One thing that was much debated within and around the Occupy Wall Street movement, and that you also have been emphasizing in your comments on it, is that one of the successes seems to be in showing the possibility of a new sense of collectivity. Some people think that this is already a huge achievement, because this mode of ‘we’ as a progressive collectivity didn’t seem possible. Could you say a bit more about this collectivity, and, more concretely, about where from today you see the possibilities and limitations of the Occupy movement and how it frames this kind of collectivity or political action?
Brown: The Occupy movement was exciting when it erupted in the US. I’m going to speak from the perspective of the US, because it is everywhere, but the one I know best is there. It was exciting for the reasons you just described, the re-emergence of the demos. What was telling was that it emerged not as a set of labour unions, students, consumers, etc. but as a kind of mass that I want to suggest is the effect, in part, of the neoliberal destruction of solidarities, the destruction of unions, the destruction of separate groups or forces within the demos. (Those destructions have been very literal at the level of law in the US over the past ten years) So one thing that was interesting about the emergence of the 99% was that it was an emergence as a mass of individuals coming together, not as various kinds of groups making an alliance. This is partly the effect of the neoliberal breakdown of the demos into individuals rather than group solidarities, and Occupy is the first major left expression of this reconfiguration. The second thing I’d note is that Occupy has been successful, in the US, in changing the conversation about equality and inequality. No matter whether Occupy re-emerges in a massive way and becomes the future of left social organizing or not, it has still succeeded in an extraordinary and unanticipated way in making it possible, in a way that wasn’t the case just two years ago, to criticize the deeply inegalitarian effects of the neoliberal order. It has also reintroduced into mainstream liberal discourse the idea of the value of public goods. You can see Obama make the shift. You can see the Regents of the University of California make the shift in the wake of Occupy. They don’t credit it expressly, but you can see the shift in the discourse. Those are two things — legitimate extreme inequality and the destruction of public goods — that I thought neoliberalism was just going to produce so successfully that we would not be able to recover, we wouldn’t be able to get them back into our conversations. I think there have been tremendous effects of Occupy in this regard.
The beauty of Occupy and the difficulty for Occupy was its attachment to horizontalism. As we were saying in the beginning of this interview, it is one thing to have the commitment to direct democracy, and absolute participation in every decision, in a group of twelve, or even fifty. It’s another thing to do that across thousands and still another to do that across millions, and in an ongoing way. It’s not possible. So what do we do with that? I think many people in Occupy are asking this question. It raises a whole other set of issues, about the difference between leaders and rulers, the difference between participation and voice on the one hand and absolute shared decision-making on the other. It raises questions that radical democratic theory has asked for a long time, but hasn’t had to answer immediately. So it’s time to do that work and I think many people involved with Occupy want to do that work. I think even the die-hards got worn out by the ten-hour general assembly that produced one decision about tomorrow’s action. And you will not get ordinary people to do that work. So that’s one big issue facing Occupy.
The other thing I want to talk about is the problem of Oedipalization in politics, and what it means to get your target right. What is beautiful about Occupy is the focus on the destruction of public goods, the production of a debt and derivatives economy that drives most people down while consolidating wealth for the few, and the importance of recovering decision-making and democratic rule for the people — those are all wonderful things to affirm. But the difficulty is that many times attachments to tents or skirmishes with the police derail that larger agenda. The police, the state, the one-on-one collisions with what was taken to be the face of power, became distracting to the point of absorption, which I want to call a certain Oedipalization, and a personification of power in the father, the state, the cops, or the chancellor of a university. Once you do that, you’ve lost the big picture and lost the big agenda. So some of the occupations I’ve seen or been a part of have run aground here. When the focus becomes ‘Will we be able to keep our tents here? What are the police going to do next? Why didn’t the mayor or the chancellor protect our occupation?,’ then you’re just having an ordinary kind of scrap over property rights, police power and hierarchy. At that point, the big and splendid agenda of Occupy gets lost. This problem is especially acute in student politics.
C&J: One challenge seems to be institutionalization without reproducing the problems of formal forms of political parties, political organizations, etc; another problem is what you’ve described as Oedipalization, sometimes a militant infantilism that one can’t confront state power directly. Yet another problem seems to be with the effectivity of largely symbolic protest. I can’t help going back to Marcuse’s idea of repressive tolerance in terms of how the state reacts to protests. It’s always a double strategy, it seems. Accept nice forms of protests that are easily controllable, that might still be radical in some sense, but do not really pose a challenge, even celebrate them. For instance, in Germany, every major politician seemed to be in favour of Occupy. The chancellor, Merkel, the opposition, everyone. ‘It’s great that those young people bring up these important questions. Even in this unorthodox way, that’s really nice. That’s what our democracy is about.’ So on a symbolic level, the protest was immediately sanitized, introduced into the political cycle, etc. And of course, this one strategy of answering goes hand in hand with the criminalization of forms of protest that do not as easily lend themselves to this first kind of response. This is a problem that all kinds of civil disobedience or protests in that tradition seem to face. You can’t go down the militant road, because that ends up with a fetishized idea of attacking the state on the street, but on the other hand symbolic protests also seem to run into real problems concerning their effectivity.
Brown: These dangers though don’t cancel the importance of protests. The Civil Rights Movement, for example, faced both of those dangers, as did other groups that followed in the civil rights frame, and still I think we can say there was success. But of course: those are social reform movements. With Occupy, we’re talking about the fundamental restructuring of the economy. And here, the double dilemma that Marcuse outlined and that you just reprised so well is very apt. That said, I don’t think there are many alternatives. The thing about dilemmas in politics, and about paradoxes in politics, is that you often just have to navigate them. You can’t just say ‘Oh well, there must be some purer form’. Politics is such an impure field, and you have to have a stomach for that impurity, as Weber reminds us in ‘Politics as a Vocation.’ Politics is fundamentally impure and paradoxical, which is why so many people make the turn to ethics. It feels like it will be cleaner, and you’ll be able to execute a complete and coherent sentence in ethics. You’ll be able to say, ‘this is what my ethical conduct should be, this is what it will be, and this is what it is.’ Politics does not operate like that. It features unpredictable gaps between intentions, actions and effects. It features a medium in which ‘principle’ can backfire or simply be irrelevant.
I do think you’re right about the response in most of the Euro-Atlantic world to Occupy, being ‘This is good, and in fact we’ll even make a space for this as long as it doesn’t take a very militant form.’ Unfortunately, I think this leads some activists to think that militancy must be the next step. That means violence, or tangling with the police, or occupying a building they will not let us occupy. We’re then ‘in the game’, as Foucault would put it, that the administrators have organized, where this is okay and that’s not okay and therefore you go for what’s not okay. But where is the agenda, where’s the political point? An example of this containment happened at the University of California. It was very funny. The president of the university combined with the dean of the law school and someone from public relations to have a forum called ‘How should we handle the next Occupy?’ And it was all about developing ‘best practices,’ for preevent planning, and for civilian watch, and for monitoring; best practices should certain things erupt. It was all about fitting this whole thing into a neoliberal governance language that everybody was supposed to participate in: all the ‘stakeholders’. So the cops, and the students and the staff and the faculty and the administrators were supposed to show up as stakeholders and plan the next Occupy together, to establish what would and would not be best practices for participants, police, etc. It was almost a comedy version of neoliberal ‘buy-in’ and consensus, except the Administration was very serious about it.
C&J: How do you consider your own role, and that of leftist intellectuals, in thinking about Occupy and other movements and changes at the moment? What can the political theorist do when on the one hand, we seem to have become teachers in a kind of factory-like educational environment, and on the other hand, the classical role of the public intellectual is no longer unproblematically there. On the one hand, the changing media environment has seemed to dislocate the classical figure of the public intellectual, on the other hand, it seems to also have been bound up with a set of pretty problematic, epistemological, social understandings, quasi-paternalistic authoritarian in some respects. There are obviously many differences between public cultures which frame the public intellectual in very different ways, and which plays a very different historical role in the US, in France, in Germany, in the Netherlands, etc. But we were wondering what you thought about the self-understanding of critical theorists today.
Brown: I find the fetishism of ‘the’ public intellectual particularly annoying today, so let me instead say something about what critical theory can offer, or how it articulates, with these political movements. On the one hand, I continue to think that the most important way that academics can contribute to what I’m going to call roughly a ‘left agenda’ (reconceiving democracy in a more substantive and serious way, addressing the organization of life by capital, re-establishing the value of public goods). The most important thing that we can do is be good teachers. By that, I don’t mean teaching those issues; I mean teach students to think well. Whatever we are teaching, whether it’s Plato or Marx, economic theory or social theory, Nietzsche or Adorno, we need to be teaching them how to read carefully, think hard, ask deep questions, make good arguments. And the reason this is so important is that the most substantive casualties of neoliberalism today are deep, independent thought, the making of citizens, and liberal arts education as opposed to vocational and technical training. We faculty still have our classrooms as places to do what we think is valuable in those classrooms, which for me is not about preaching a political line, but teaching students that thinking is fundamental to being human and is increasingly devalued except as a technical practice. This is an old claim, from the Frankfurt School, but it’s on steroids now. So I believe our most important work as academics is teaching students to think deeply and well. Our books come and go.
On the issues of the day, the blogosphere and its relatives actually have a pretty big impact. So when critical theorists do speak intelligently about something current, and that speaking is captured and disseminated through social media, it can be significant. So maybe we differ a little on the question of what the media has done to the public intellectual. If the pontificating public intellectual in Le Monde is on the wane, I do think she or he is on the rise in these other places. Maybe I’m encouraged in this area because in the US we’ve always had a dearth of intellectual life in most of our media until now. When we talk about public intellectuals, we’re talking about a tiny group who read the New Yorker or The Nation, which is about.0001 percent of our population. By contrast, the new media has made it possible for serious analysis to circulate in all kinds of ways. Critical theory should take advantage of this. It affords a relation between politics and the academy not just through books or classroom lectures but through episodic interventions.
C&J: You have recently written critically about secularism. In France and elsewhere, we have seen that critical reflection on secularism has been taken up — and stimulated and politicized — by right-wing, conservative and/or anti-emancipatory organizations. Apparently one has to be very careful when being critical about secularism. Perhaps it’s important to stress that there are different versions of secularism and that we need to think critically about these various versions. Or if one criticizes secularism more or less generically, it seems important to formulate the aspects we do want to save, in terms of basic rights, for instance. What’s your view on that?
Brown: In a way, we’re back to the democracy question. Do we hang on to the term, secularism, and try to give it some new shape, or abandon it? I say we hang onto it. But you’re also posing the problem of right-wing appropriations of left-critiques. There is always a danger that one’s internal critiques of left or liberal discourse will be appropriated by the right. That’s the peril of doing those kinds of critiques, whether it’s a critique of identity politics or certain aspects of feminism, or Oedipalization in protest politics. Now the contemporary American right, of course, has its own independent source of anti-secularism. They accuse liberals and leftists of ‘secular-humanist nihilism,’ which means we’ve emptied out the world of meaning. That said, the right also backed two wars that took place under the sign of ‘they’re fundamentalists, we’re secular,’ ‘we’re tolerant, they’re intolerant.’ So things are all mixed up here.
Now, to your question: what is to be saved? I don’t think we can answer it generically, because I think there are distinct formations of secularism, varieties of secularism, so we have to ask it in the context of the secular discourse in each society that secularism governs. What I am committed to trying to save in the US context is the important distinction between church and state, a distinction that aims to secure a religion-free public realm and personal religious freedom. It doesn’t do either completely, of course, but one then has to figure out how to extend secularism beyond its Christian-Protestant roots, so that it can make good on its promises. One also has to give up the idea that there is some neutral, secular space. So it’s a question of making these problematic conceits part of our lived work on secularism.
If we leave the terrain of secularism for a moment, this might become clearer. We used to have these debates about whether universalism’s absurd or useless, whether there’s always a constitutive outside. Well of course, there’s always a constitutive outside, nothing is truly universal, but that the same time one doesn’t want to give up on the notion of universal inclusion of all humanity into the Kantian idea of the dignity of humans, or the idea that everyone is entitled to survival as well as thriving beyond survival. But one has to know at the same time that there will always be a constitutive outside, that the universal will never truly be universal. There will always be some humans who are ‘not human enough’ to be included. Just as with secularism, it will never achieve the neutrality it pretends to have. We must always be pushing it toward a greater neutrality, knowing that it won’t achieve it, that it will always be operating from a standpoint, and it will always be a religious standpoint. Similarly, knowing that secularism doesn’t simply address religion but defines it, we can become attentive to what it’s defining. What is it saying religion is? What counts as religion, and what does it cast as good religion and bad religion? These become things for us to work on, politically, in the culture but also in law. This is how we might save something like secularism. Instead of saying ‘Don’t attack it, it’s all we’ve got to prevent the opposite’ where the opposite is imagined as theocracy or fundamentalism, I think secularism becomes strengthened by becoming more self-critical and available to revision. I think it’s an emancipatory and inclusive modality for all political cultures, but it unfolds in different ways in India, Turkey, Egypt, Germany. And it will also be weaponized in different ways in each place. So we ‘save’ it precisely by working on its false conceits, and attempting to remake secular law and secular debates; rather than by burying these conceits, or simply defending secularism as better than the alternatives.
Robin Celikates teaches political and social philosophy at the University of Amsterdam. He is the vice-director of ASCA and a co-editor of Krisis.
Yolande Jansen is a Researcher at the Amsterdam Center for Globalisation Studies (ACGS) of the University of Amsterdam.
We [the interviewers] would like to thank Wendy Brown for having this conversation with us in Giessen, at the conference Democracy and Resistance (June 18-20, 2012), as well as Julien Kloeg and Nina Hagel for assistance in transcribing the interview.
(CC) Krisis, 2012, Issue 3
www.krisis.euDespite being a highly decentralized peer-to-peer network, the Bitcoin ecosystem is vulnerable to one of the most basic and widespread Internet attacks today — BGP hijacks, which is the act of falsely advertising to nearby ISPs/routers that an IP is found on your network, or it can be reached faster through your servers.
This type of attacks have caused immense problems to many Internet Service Providers during the past decades, but BGP, or the Border Gateway Protocol, remains one of the cornerstones of Internet routing.
BGP hijacks — an ancient Internet problem
Most ISPs today are well aware of the problems with BGP, already being highlighted and discussed in 2012, after the Department of Homeland Security issued a report on the topic, and in 2014 and 2015, through a series of reports by Dyn. Despite this, little progress has been made to find or develop a better solution.
A BGP hijack attack has serious consequences, as a rogue ISP could tell other ISPs that it’s the home of sensitive services, sniffing or altering traffic it wouldn’t normally handle.
For example, just last week, Rostelecom, a state-operated Russian ISP had hijacked the BGP routes for several financial services. The purpose? Currently unknown, as the company declined to comment the incident.
Similarly, in 2008, Pakistani ISPs hijacked YouTube’s BGP routes, redirecting the entire YouTube traffic through local servers, before Google intervened 9 hours later and resolved the problem.
In late 2015, Doug Madory, Director of Internet Analysis at Dyn Inc. revealed that some threat actors were using BGP hijacks as DDoS cannons, rerouting Internet traffic from larger networks to small ISPs, crashing their servers.
Topology of Bitcoin network helps BGP hijackers
In a study released last week, three researchers from universities in Israel and the Switzerland presented two scenarios where BGP hijacks could be leveraged to damage the Bitcoin network. The end result is that these attacks could reduce mining revenue, render the Bitcoin network susceptible to “double spending,” or prevent users from performing Bitcoin transactions.
They say this is possible because the Bitcoin network, despite counting thousands of nodes, is largely hosted on a small number of ISPs (networks, Autonomous Systems — AS). For example, 13 ISPs host 30% of the entire Bitcoin network, while 39 ISPs host 50% of the whole Bitcoin mining power.
Furthermore, most of the traffic exchanged between Bitcoin nodes passes through a small number of ISPs. In exact numbers, just three ISPs handle 60% of all Bitcoin traffic, right now.
“Together, these two characteristics make it relatively easy for a malicious ISP to intercept a lot of Bitcoin traffic,” researchers say.
Partition attack
The first attack the team described is called a “partition attack.” This type of attack involves a rogue ISP advertising fake routes for half the Bitcoin network while dropping the rest. This allows the attacker to split the network into two sections and carry out malicious operations in his sector.
These attacks can be used to sneakily siphon off some of the mining proceeds into an attacker’s account.
As we mentioned before, because just 39 ISPs handle 50% of the entire Bitcoin mining power, such an attack would be extremely effective if ever carried out, even if some Bitcoin nodes support multihoming.
Delay attack
The second attack isn’t as intrusive or dangerous as the first. Called a “delay attack,” its purpose is to delay the delivery of a Bitcoin mining block up to 20 minutes.
“The impact of this attack varies depending on the victim. If the victim is a merchant, it is susceptible to double spending attacks. If it is a miner, the attack wastes its computational power,” researchers explain.
Bitcoin network is already seeing BGP hijacks
With its highly precious cargo, the Bitcoin network is handling content as sensitive and important as the one handled by the world’s largest financial institutions. For its part, the Bitcoin network sees its fair share of BGP hijack attacks.
Based on statistical data, researchers say they’ve found that around 100 Bitcoin nodes are the victims of BGP hijacks each month, with the largest number of BGP hijacks happening in November 2015, when 8% of the entire Bitcoin nodes (447 at the time |
in the same direction, one gets identically opposite outcomes, when both measured in opposite directions they always give the same outcome. The only way to imagine how this works is that both particles leave their common source with, somehow, the outcomes they will deliver when measured in any possible direction. (How else could particle 1 know how to deliver the same answer as particle 2 when measured in the same direction? They don't know in advance how they are going to be measured...). The measurement on particle 2 (after switching its sign) can be thought of as telling us what the same measurement on particle 1 would have given.
Start with one setting exactly opposite to the other. All the pairs of particles give the same outcome (each pair is either both spin up or both spin down). Now shift Alice's setting by one degree relative to Bob's. They are now one degree off being exactly opposite to one another. A small fraction of the pairs, say f, now give different outcomes. If instead we had left Alice's setting unchanged but shifted Bob's by one degree (in the opposite direction), then again a fraction f of the pairs of particles turns out to give different outcomes. Finally consider what happens when both shifts are implemented at the same time: the two settings are now exactly two degrees away from being opposite to one another. By the mismatch argument, the chance of a mismatch at two degrees can't be more than twice the chance of a mismatch at one degree: it cannot be more than 2f.
Compare this with the predictions from quantum mechanics for the singlet state. For a small angle θ, measured in radians, the chance of a different outcome is approximately f 1 = θ 2 / 4 {\displaystyle f_{1}=\theta ^{2}/4} as explained by small-angle approximation. At two times this small angle, the chance of a mismatch is therefore about 4 times larger, since f 2 = ( 2 θ ) 2 / 4 = 2 2 θ 2 / 4 ≈ 4 f 1 {\displaystyle f_{2}=(2\theta )^{2}/4=2^{2}\theta ^{2}/4\approx 4f_{1}}. But we just argued that it cannot be more than 2 times as large.
This intuitive formulation is due to David Mermin. The small-angle limit is discussed in Bell's original article, and therefore goes right back to the origin of the Bell inequalities.
CHSH inequality [ edit ]
Generalizing Bell's original inequality,[4] John Clauser, Michael Horne, Abner Shimony and R. A. Holt introduced the CHSH inequality,[18] which puts classical limits on the set of four correlations in Alice and Bob's experiment, without any assumption of perfect correlations (or anti-correlations) at equal settings
( 1 ) C h ( a, b ) + C h ( a, b ′ ) + C h ( a ′, b ) − C h ( a ′, b ′ ) ≤ 2. {\displaystyle (1)\quad C_{h}(a,b)+C_{h}(a,b')+C_{h}(a',b)-C_{h}(a',b')\leq 2.}
Making the special choice a ′ = b + π {\displaystyle a'=b+\pi }, denoting b ′ = c {\displaystyle b'=c}, and assuming perfect anti-correlation at equal settings, perfect correlation at opposite settings, therefore ρ ( a, a + π ) = 1 {\displaystyle \rho (a,a+\pi )=1} and ρ ( b, a + π ) = − ρ ( b, a ) {\displaystyle \rho (b,a+\pi )=-\rho (b,a)}, the CHSH inequality reduces to the original Bell inequality. Nowadays, (1) is also often simply called "the Bell inequality", but sometimes more completely "the Bell-CHSH inequality".
Derivation of the classical bound [ edit ]
With abbreviated notation
A = A ( a, λ ), A ′ = A ( a ′, λ ), B = B ( b, λ ), B ′ = B ( b ′, λ ), {\displaystyle A=A(a,\lambda ),A'=A(a',\lambda ),B=B(b,\lambda ),B'=B(b',\lambda ),}
the CHSH inequality can be derived as follows. Each of the four quantities is ± 1 {\displaystyle \pm 1} and each depends on λ {\displaystyle \lambda }. It follows that for any λ ∈ Λ {\displaystyle \lambda \in \Lambda }, one of B + B ′ {\displaystyle B+B'} and B − B ′ {\displaystyle B-B'} is zero, and the other is ± 2 {\displaystyle \pm 2}. From this it follows that
A B + A B ′ + A ′ B − A ′ B ′ = A ( B + B ′ ) + A ′ ( B − B ′ ) ≤ 2, {\displaystyle AB+AB'+A'B-A'B'=A\left(B+B'\right)+A'\left(B-B'\right)\leq 2,}
and therefore
C h ( a, b ) + C h ( a, b ′ ) + C h ( a ′, b ) − C h ( a ′, b ′ ) = ∫ Λ A B p d λ + ∫ Λ A B ′ p d λ + ∫ Λ A ′ B p d λ − ∫ Λ A ′ B ′ p d λ = ∫ Λ ( A B + A B ′ + A ′ B − A ′ B ′ ) p d λ = ∫ Λ ( A ( B + B ′ ) + A ′ ( B − B ′ ) ) p d λ ≤ 2. {\displaystyle {\begin{aligned}C_{h}(a,b)+C_{h}\left(a,b'\right)+C_{h}\left(a',b\right)-C_{h}\left(a',b'\right)&=\int _{\Lambda }ABpd\lambda +\int _{\Lambda }AB'pd\lambda +\int _{\Lambda }A'Bpd\lambda -\int _{\Lambda }A'B'pd\lambda \\&=\int _{\Lambda }\left(AB+AB'+A'B-A'B'\right)pd\lambda \\&=\int _{\Lambda }\left(A\left(B+B'\right)+A'\left(B-B'\right)\right)pd\lambda \leq 2.\end{aligned}}}
At the heart of this derivation is a simple algebraic inequality concerning four variables, A, A ′, B, B ′ {\displaystyle A,A',B,B'}, which take the values ± 1 {\displaystyle \pm 1} only:
A B + A B ′ + A ′ B − A ′ B ′ = A ( B + B ′ ) + A ′ ( B − B ′ ) ≤ 2. {\displaystyle AB+AB'+A'B-A'B'=A\left(B+B'\right)+A'\left(B-B'\right)\leq 2.}
The CHSH inequality is seen to depend only on the following three key features of a local hidden variables theory: (1) realism: alongside of the outcomes of actually performed measurements, the outcomes of potentially performed measurements also exist at the same time; (2) locality, the outcomes of measurements on Alice's particle don't depend on which measurement Bob chooses to perform on the other particle; (3) freedom: Alice and Bob can indeed choose freely which measurements to perform.
The realism assumption is actually somewhat idealistic, and Bell's theorem only proves non-locality with respect to variables that only exist for metaphysical reasons[citation needed]. However, before the discovery of quantum mechanics, both realism and locality were completely uncontroversial features of physical theories.
Quantum mechanical predictions violate CHSH inequalities [ edit ]
The measurements performed by Alice and Bob are spin measurements on electrons. Alice can choose between two detector settings labeled a {\displaystyle a} and a ′ {\displaystyle a'} ; these settings correspond to measurement of spin along the z {\displaystyle z} or the x {\displaystyle x} axis. Bob can choose between two detector settings labeled b {\displaystyle b} and b ′ {\displaystyle b'} ; these correspond to measurement of spin along the z ′ {\displaystyle z'} or x ′ {\displaystyle x'} axis, where the x ′ − z ′ {\displaystyle x'-z'} coordinate system is rotated 135° relative to the x − z {\displaystyle x-z} coordinate system. The spin observables are represented by the 2 × 2 self-adjoint matrices:
S x = [ 0 1 1 0 ], S z = [ 1 0 0 − 1 ] {\displaystyle S_{x}={\begin{bmatrix}0&1\\1&0\end{bmatrix}},\quad S_{z}={\begin{bmatrix}1&0\\0&-1\end{bmatrix}}}
These are the Pauli spin matrices, which are known to have eigenvalues equal to ± 1 {\displaystyle \pm 1}. As is customary, we will use bra–ket notation to denote the eigenvectors of S z {\displaystyle S_{z}} as | 0 ⟩, | 1 ⟩ {\displaystyle |0\rangle,|1\rangle }, where
| 0 ⟩ ≡ ( 1 0 ), | 1 ⟩ ≡ ( 0 1 ). {\displaystyle |0\rangle \equiv {\begin{pmatrix}1\\0\end{pmatrix}},\qquad |1\rangle \equiv {\begin{pmatrix}0\\1\end{pmatrix}}.}
| Φ − ⟩ {\displaystyle |\Phi ^{-}\rangle }
| Φ − ⟩ ≡ 1 2 ( | 0, 1 ⟩ − | 1, 0 ⟩ ), {\displaystyle |\Phi ^{-}\rangle \equiv {\frac {1}{\sqrt {2}}}\left(|0,1\rangle -|1,0\rangle \right),}
| 0, 1 ⟩ ≡ | 0 ⟩ ⊗ | 1 ⟩, | 1, 0 ⟩ ≡ | 1 ⟩ ⊗ | 0 ⟩. {\displaystyle |0,1\rangle \equiv |0\rangle \otimes |1\rangle,|1,0\rangle \equiv |1\rangle \otimes |0\rangle.}
Consider now the single statedefined aswhere we used the shortened notation
According to quantum mechanics, the choice of measurements is encoded into the choice of Hermitian operators applied to this state. In particular, let us consider the following operators:
A ( a ) = S z ⊗ I A ( a ′ ) = S x ⊗ I B ( b ) = − 1 2 I ⊗ ( S z + S x ) B ( b ′ ) = 1 2 I ⊗ ( S z − S x ), {\displaystyle {\begin{aligned}A(a)&=S_{z}\otimes I\\A(a')&=S_{x}\otimes I\\B(b)&={\frac {-1}{\sqrt {2}}}\ I\otimes (S_{z}+S_{x})\\B(b')&={\frac {1}{\sqrt {2}}}\ I\otimes (S_{z}-S_{x}),\end{aligned}}}
A ( a ), A ( a ′ ) {\displaystyle A(a),A(a')}
B ( b ), B ( b ′ ) {\displaystyle B(b),B(b')}
whererepresent two measurement choices of Alice, andtwo measurement choices of Bob.
To obtain the expectation value given by a given measurement choice of Alice and Bob, one has to compute the expectation value of the corresponding pair of operators (for example, A ( a ) B ( b ) {\displaystyle A(a)B(b)} if the inputs are chosen to be a, b {\displaystyle a,b} ) over the shared state | Φ − ⟩ {\displaystyle |\Phi ^{-}\rangle }.
For example, the expectation value ⟨ A ( a ) B ( b ) ⟩ {\displaystyle \langle A(a)B(b)\rangle } corresponding to Alice choosing the measurement setting a {\displaystyle a} and Bob choosing the measurement setting b {\displaystyle b} is computed as
⟨ A ( a ) B ( b ) ⟩ ≡ ⟨ Φ − | ( − 1 2 S z ⊗ ( S x + S z ) ) | Φ − ⟩ = − 1 2 ⟨ Φ − | [ | 0 ⟩ ⊗ ( | 0 ⟩ − | 1 ⟩ ) + | 1 ⟩ ⊗ ( | 1 ⟩ + | 0 ⟩ ) ] = 1 2. {\displaystyle \langle A(a)B(b)\rangle \equiv \langle \Phi ^{-}|\left({\frac {-1}{\sqrt {2}}}S_{z}\otimes (S_{x}+S_{z})\right)|\Phi ^{-}\rangle =-{\frac {1}{2}}\langle \Phi ^{-}|{\Big [}|0\rangle \otimes (|0\rangle -|1\rangle )+|1\rangle \otimes (|1\rangle +|0\rangle ){\Big ]}={\frac {1}{\sqrt {2}}}.}
⟨ A ( a ) B ( b ) ⟩ = ⟨ A ( a ′ ) B ( b ) ⟩ = ⟨ A ( a ′ ) B ( b ′ ) ⟩ = 1 2 ⟨ A ( a ) B ( b ′ ) ⟩ = − 1 2. {\displaystyle {\begin{aligned}\left\langle A(a)B(b)\right\rangle =\left\langle A\left(a'\right)B(b)\right\rangle =\left\langle A\left(a'\right)B\left(b'\right)\right\rangle &={\frac {1}{\sqrt {2}}}\\\left\langle A(a)B\left(b'\right)\right\rangle &=-{\frac {1}{\sqrt {2}}}.\end{aligned}}}
S {\displaystyle S}
⟨ A ( a ) B ( b ) ⟩ + ⟨ A ( a ′ ) B ( b ′ ) ⟩ + ⟨ A ( a ′ ) B ( b ) ⟩ − ⟨ A ( a ) B ( b ′ ) ⟩ = 4 2 = 2 2 > 2. {\displaystyle \left\langle A(a)B(b)\right\rangle +\left\langle A\left(a'\right)B\left(b'\right)\right\rangle +\left\langle A\left(a'\right)B(b)\right\rangle -\left\langle A(a)B\left(b'\right)\right\rangle ={\frac {4}{\sqrt {2}}}=2{\sqrt {2}}>2.}
Similar computations are used to obtainIt follows that the value ofgiven by this particular experimental arrangement is
Bell's Theorem: If the quantum mechanical formalism is correct, then the system consisting of a pair of entangled electrons cannot satisfy the principle of local realism. Note that 2 2 {\displaystyle 2{\sqrt {2}}} is indeed the upper bound for quantum mechanics called Tsirelson's bound. The operators giving this maximal value are always isomorphic to the Pauli matrices.[19]
Testing by practical experiments [ edit ]
Scheme of a "two-channel" Bell test
The source S produces pairs of "photons", sent in opposite directions. Each photon encounters a two-channel polariser whose orientation (a or b) can be set by the experimenter. Emerging signals from each channel are detected and coincidences of four types (++, −−, +− and −+) counted by the coincidence monitor. The source S produces pairs of "photons", sent in opposite directions. Each photon encounters a two-channel polariser whose orientation (a or b) can be set by the experimenter. Emerging signals from each channel are detected and coincidences of four types (++, −−, +− and −+) counted by the coincidence monitor.
Experimental tests can determine whether the Bell inequalities required by local realism hold up to the empirical evidence.
Actually, most experiments have been performed using polarization of photons rather than spin of electrons (or other spin-half particles). The quantum state of the pair of entangled photons is not the singlet state, and the correspondence between angles and outcomes is different from that in the spin-half set-up. The polarization of a photon is measured in a pair of perpendicular directions. Relative to a given orientation, polarization is either vertical (denoted by V or by +) or horizontal (denoted by H or by -). The photon pairs are generated in the quantum state
1 2 ( | V ⟩ ⊗ | V ⟩ + | H ⟩ ⊗ | H ⟩ ) {\displaystyle {\frac {1}{\sqrt {2}}}\left(|V\rangle \otimes |V\rangle +|H\rangle \otimes |H\rangle \right)}
where | V ⟩ {\displaystyle |V\rangle } and | H ⟩ {\displaystyle |H\rangle } denotes the state of a single vertically or horizontally polarized photon, respectively (relative to a fixed and common reference direction for both particles).
When the polarization of both photons is measured in the same direction, both give the same outcome: perfect correlation. When measured at directions making an angle 45° with one another, the outcomes are completely random (uncorrelated). Measuring at directions at 90° to one another, the two are perfectly anti-correlated. In general, when the polarizers are at an angle θ to one another, the correlation is cos(2θ). So relative to the correlation function for the singlet state of spin half particles, we have a positive rather than a negative cosine function, and angles are halved: the correlation is periodic with period π instead of 2π.
Bell's inequalities are tested by "coincidence counts" from a Bell test experiment such as the optical one shown in the diagram. Pairs of particles are emitted as a result of a quantum process, analysed with respect to some key property such as polarisation direction, then detected. The setting (orientations) of the analysers are selected by the experimenter.
Bell test experiments to date overwhelmingly violate Bell's inequality.
Two classes of Bell inequalities [ edit ]
The fair sampling problem was faced openly in the 1970s. In early designs of their 1973 experiment, Freedman and Clauser[20] used fair sampling in the form of the Clauser–Horne–Shimony–Holt (CHSH[18]) hypothesis. However, shortly afterwards Clauser and Horne[16] made the important distinction between inhomogeneous (IBI) and homogeneous (HBI) Bell inequalities. Testing an IBI requires that we compare certain coincidence rates in two separated detectors with the singles rates of the two detectors. Nobody needed to perform the experiment, because singles rates with all detectors in the 1970s were at least ten times all the coincidence rates. So, taking into account this low detector efficiency, the QM prediction actually satisfied the IBI. To arrive at an experimental design in which the QM prediction violates IBI we require detectors whose efficiency exceeds 82.8% for singlet states,[21] but have very low dark rate and short dead and resolving times. This is now within reach.
Practical challenges [ edit ]
Because, at that time, even the best detectors didn't detect a large fraction of all photons, Clauser and Horne[16] recognized that testing Bell's inequality required some extra assumptions. They introduced the No Enhancement Hypothesis (NEH):
A light signal, originating in an atomic cascade for example, has a certain probability of activating a detector. Then, if a polarizer is interposed between the cascade and the detector, the detection probability cannot increase.
Given this assumption, there is a Bell inequality between the coincidence rates with polarizers and coincidence rates without polarizers.
The experiment was performed by Freedman and Clauser,[20] who found that the Bell's inequality was violated. So the no-enhancement hypothesis cannot be true in a local hidden variables model.
While early experiments used atomic cascades, later experiments have used parametric down-conversion, following a suggestion by Reid and Walls,[22] giving improved generation and detection properties. As a result, recent experiments with photons no longer have to suffer from the detection loophole. This made the photon the first experimental system for which all main experimental loopholes were surmounted, although at first only in separate experiments. From 2015, experimentalists were able to surmount all the main experimental loopholes simultaneously; see Bell test experiments.
Metaphysical aspects [ edit ]
Most advocates of the hidden-variables idea believe that experiments have ruled out local hidden variables. They are ready to give up locality, explaining the violation of Bell's inequality by means of a non-local hidden variable theory, in which the particles exchange information about their states. This is the basis of the Bohm interpretation of quantum mechanics, which requires that all particles in the universe be able to instantaneously exchange information with all others. A 2007 experiment ruled out a large class of non-Bohmian non-local hidden variable theories.[23]
If the hidden variables can communicate with each other faster than light, Bell's inequality can easily be violated. Once one particle is measured, it can communicate the necessary correlations to the other particle. Since in relativity the notion of simultaneity is not absolute, this is unattractive. One idea is to replace instantaneous communication with a process that travels backwards in time along the past light cone. This is the idea behind a transactional interpretation of quantum mechanics, which interprets the statistical emergence of a quantum history as a gradual coming to agreement between histories that go both forward and backward in time.[24]
A few advocates of deterministic models have not given up on local hidden variables. For example, Gerard 't Hooft has argued that the superdeterminism loophole cannot be dismissed.[25][26]
A possible (but not universally accepted) solution is offered by the many worlds theory of quantum mechanics. According to this, not only is collapse of the wave function illusory, but the apparent random branching of possible futures when quantum systems interact with the macroscopic world is also an illusion. Measurement does not lead to a random choice of possible outcome; rather, the only ingredient of quantum mechanics is the unitary evolution of the wave function. All possibilities co-exist forever and the only reality is the quantum mechanical wave function. According to this view, two distant observers both split into superpositions when measuring a spin. The Bell inequality violations are no longer counterintuitive, because it is not clear which copy of the observer B will be seen by observer A when they compare notes. If reality includes all the different outcomes, locality in physical space (not outcome space) places no restrictions on how the split observers can meet up.
This point underlines the fact that the argument that realism is incompatible with quantum mechanics and locality depends on a particular formalization of the concept of realism. In its weakest form, the assumption underpinning that particular formalization is called counterfactual definiteness. This is the assumption that outcomes of measurements that are not performed are just as real as those of measurements that were performed. Counterfactual definiteness is an uncontroversial property of all classical physical theories prior to quantum theory, due to their determinism. Many worlds interpretations are not only counterfactually indefinite, but are also factually indefinite. The results of all experiments, even ones that have been performed, are not uniquely determined.
If one chooses to reject counterfactual definiteness, reality has been made smaller, and there is no non-locality problem. On the other hand, one is thereby introducing irreducible or intrinsic randomness into our picture of the world: randomness that cannot be "explained" as merely the reflection of our ignorance of underlying, variable, physical quantities. Non-determinism becomes a fundamental property of nature.
Assuming counterfactual definiteness, reality has been enlarged, and there is a non-locality problem. On the other hand, in the many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics, reality consists only of a deterministically evolving wave function and non-locality is a non-issue.
There have also been repeated claims that Bell's arguments are irrelevant because they depend on hidden assumptions that, in fact, are questionable. For example, E. T. Jaynes[27] claimed in 1989 that there are two hidden assumptions in Bell's theorem that could limit its generality. According to him:
Bell interpreted conditional probability P(X|Y) as a causal inference, i.e. Y exerted a causal inference on X in reality. However, P(X|Y) actually only means logical inference (induction). Causes cannot travel faster than light or backward in time, but deduction can. Bell's inequality does not apply to some possible hidden variable theories. It only applies to a certain class of local hidden variable theories. In fact, it might have just missed the kind of hidden variable theories that Einstein is most interested in.
However, Richard D. Gill has argued that Jaynes misunderstood Bell's analysis. Gill points out that in the same conference volume in which Jaynes argues against Bell, Jaynes confesses to being extremely impressed by a short proof by Steve Gull presented at the same conference, that the singlet correlations could not be reproduced by a computer simulation of a local hidden variables theory.[28] According to Jaynes (writing nearly 30 years after Bell's landmark contributions), it would probably take us another 30 years to fully appreciate Gull's stunning result.
In 2006 a flurry of activity about implications for determinism arose with the paper: The Free Will Theorem[29] which stated "the response of a spin 1 particle to a triple experiment is free—that is to say, is not a function of properties of that part of the universe that is earlier than this response with respect to any given inertial frame."[30] This theorem raised awareness of a tension between determinism fully governing an experiment (on the one hand) and Alice and Bob being free to choose any settings they like for their observations (on the other).[31][32] The philosopher David Hodgson supports this theorem as showing that determinism is unscientific, and that quantum mechanics allows observers (at least in some instances) the freedom to make observations of their choosing, thereby leaving the door open for free will.[33]
General remarks [ edit ]
The violations of Bell's inequalities, due to quantum entanglement, provide near definitive demonstrations of something that was already strongly suspected: that quantum physics cannot be represented by any version of the classical picture of physics.[34] Some earlier elements that had seemed incompatible with classical pictures included complementarity and wavefunction collapse. The Bell violations show that no resolution of such issues can avoid the ultimate strangeness of quantum behavior.[35]
The EPR paper "pinpointed" the unusual properties of the entangled states, e.g. the above-mentioned singlet state, which is the foundation for present-day applications of quantum physics, such as quantum cryptography; one application involves the measurement of quantum entanglement as a physical source of bits for Rabin's oblivious transfer protocol. This non-locality was originally supposed to be illusory, because the standard interpretation could easily do away with action-at-a-distance by simply assigning to each particle definite spin-states for all possible spin directions. The EPR argument was: therefore these definite states exist, therefore quantum theory is incomplete in the EPR sense, since they do not appear in the theory. Bell's theorem showed that the "entangledness" prediction of quantum mechanics has a degree of non-locality that cannot be explained away by any classical theory of local hidden variables.
What is powerful about Bell's theorem is that it doesn't refer to any particular theory of local hidden variables. It shows that nature violates the most general assumptions behind classical pictures, not just details of some particular models. No combination of local deterministic and local random hidden variables can reproduce the phenomena predicted by quantum mechanics and repeatedly observed in experiments.[36]
See also [ edit ]
Notes [ edit ]
References [ edit ]
Further reading [ edit ]
The following are intended for general audiences.Why Are the Children of Gay Parents Newly Unwelcome in the Mormon Church?
Jonathan Ellis Blocked Unblock Follow Following Nov 8, 2015
(An updated version of this article has been posted in light of the changes released on Nov 13.)
Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs. [Matthew 19:14]
Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’
And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’ [Matthew 25:37–40]
If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were fastened around your neck and you were drowned in the depth of the sea. [Matthew 18:6]
This week, news leaked of two changes to the Mormon General Handbook of Instructions, the manual with which the Church hierarchy from Salt Lake City specifies in minute detail how the congregations of Mormonism are to be run everywhere in the world.
In the first update, the Handbook specifies that a disciplinary council (leading to disfellowship or excommunication) is now mandatory for gay members who choose to marry. (By contrast, it is not mandatory for “attempted murder, forcible rape, [or] sexual abuse.”)
It is the second update that concerns us here, new Handbook section 16.13:
A natural or adopted child of a parent living in a same-gender relationship, whether the couple is married or cohabiting, may not receive a name and a blessing.
A natural or adopted child of a parent living in a same-gender relationship, whether the couple is married or cohabiting, may be baptized and confirmed, ordained, or recommended for missionary service only as follows:
A mission president or a stake president may request approval from the Office of the First Presidency to baptize and confirm, ordain, or recommend missionary service for a child of a parent who has lived or is living in a same-gender relationship when he is satisfied by personal interviews that both of the following requirements are met:
1. The child accepts and is committed to live the teachings and doctrine of the Church, and specifically disavows the practice of same-gender cohabitation and marriage.
2. The child is of legal age and does not live with a parent who has lived or currently lives in a same-gender cohabitation relationship or marriage.
Some of the implications here may not be obvious at first, but there is no mistake: the language is deliberate. The Handbook is vetted by too many lawyers (including many General Authorities) for these to be oversights:
This applies even to children of gay parents who remain faithful members of the church. A married gay couple is automatically considered apostate now, but the Handbook leaves the door open for cohabiting-but-unmarried gays to remain members. However, their children may not participate in any of the traditional rituals that mark Mormon life. This applies to children whose parents share custody. Either parent can trigger this, most commonly when a gay man or woman enters a heterosexual marriage in an attempt to follow Church teachings, and has children. 85% of these marriages last less than three years. There are no limits on the effect of this ban on the children of a parent who “has lived” in a gay relationship. If a woman lived with another woman in a same sex relationship back in her wild college days, then later repented and then married a man in the temple, their children could not be baptized until they turned 18, moved out, and got special permission from the First Presidency.
How Does the Church Explain This?
D. Todd Christofferson (facing camera) and Michael Otterson
Apostle D. Todd Christofferson explained in an interview with the Church public affairs director:
This policy originates out of [compassion]. It originates from a desire to protect children in their innocence and in their minority years. When, for example, there is the formal blessing and naming of a child in the Church, which happens when a child has parents who are members of the Church, it triggers a lot of things. First, a membership record for them. It triggers the assignment of visiting and home teachers. It triggers an expectation that they will be in Primary and the other Church organizations. And that is likely not going to be an appropriate thing in the home setting, in the family setting where they’re living as children where their parents are a same-sex couple. We don’t want there to be the conflicts that that would engender. We don’t want the child to have to deal with issues that might arise where the parents feel one way and the expectations of the Church are very different. And so with the other ordinances on through baptism and so on, there’s time for that if, when a child reaches majority, he or she feels like that’s what they want and they can make an informed and conscious decision about that. Nothing is lost to them in the end if that’s the direction they want to go. In the meantime, they’re not placed in a position where there will be difficulties, challenges, conflicts that can injure their development in very tender years.
The situation with polygamist families, for example, and same-sex marriage couples and families really has a parallel. For generations we’ve had these same kinds of policies that relate to children in polygamist families that we wouldn’t go forward with these ordinances while they’re in that circumstance and before they reach their majority. That’s the same sort of situation we’re dealing with here, so it’s something we have had a history with. It’s a practice that really is analogous that’s been the case over many generations.
Is this Explanation Consistent with the Gospel of Christ?
I have advocated applying critical thinking to truth claims in the past. Let’s see what happens what light some probing questions can shed here.
Are children of gay parents truly in an uniquely conflicted position with respect to Church membership?
Judging from the past few days on social media, most Mormons picture a hypothetical gay couple, both nonmembers, tracted out by the missionaries. It is true that the child of such a couple might be a poor candidate for baptism, given the Church’s teachings against homosexuality and gay marriage. But is that really who this policy affects?
Tiffany Hales writes,
My three beautiful children are the product of my former marriage to a gay man. My ex-husband is an incredible human being with a very generous and compassionate heart. I loved him when we were married and I still love him to this day.
When my ex-husband and I divorced we agreed that our children would continue to be raised LDS. While I know my ex-husband has a number of issues with the LDS church to his credit he has been incredibly supportive of raising our children LDS. He has attended baptisms, we have always worked out our custody schedule so that the kids can attend church, he does not disparage the church to the children, and is supportive of the children as they advance in the church. This only contributes to the continued feelings of love I have for him because he has chosen not to let his personal feelings toward the LDS church impact his relationship with the children or with me. Likewise I don’t disparage my ex-husband and his partner to my children. I NEVER want my children to have to choose between their religion and their father. My ex-husband is the father of my kids and they LOVE him.
Landon Buzelli writes from the perspective of a gay man in a similar situation:
[My son] Andrew was baptized in February. Andrew and Sophia will continue to go to the LDS church every other week as they spend time with their mother. These kids (and thousands just like them) will still be going to the Mormon church regardless of the fact that they have two dads (or two moms).
Andrew chose to get baptized. We had many talks about it and it was something he wanted to do. His gay dads supported that choice, we were at the baptism, so was his gay uncle. Two of his LDS aunts spoke at the baptism, and two of his LDS grandpas performed the baptism and confirmation. The only part that looked any different from any other baptism is that the stake saw two dads standing and supporting their kid and having a happy, healthy, loving, family.
Now if Sophia chooses to be baptized she will be told no. How is that to make sense to her?
Tiffany and Landon, Andrew and Sophia are the face of who this policy affects. It is the thousands of children of members who followed the counsel of Church leaders to marry heterosexually, only to find out that was not possible to maintain against their nature.
Do these policies actually protect children from conflict?
Clearly, preventing children from participating in Church ordinances when they are already attending church with the approval of both parents only serves to tell them they are second-class citizens, and protects them from nothing.
Further belying this justification is the disavowal requirement for a child of gay parents to eventually join the Church. A few months ago, D. Todd Christofferson, the same apostle in the interview, explained to the media that members are free to support gay marriage. Why impose a requirement on their children, that does not apply to the children of heterosexuals? It almost feels vindictive. It is certainly not protective. Far from promoting peace, it adds to conflict in the home.
Are there alternatives to such harsh measures if protecting children were truly the goal?
The handbook already requires the consent of custodial parents before baptizing a minor. Surely if protecting children from conflict were our primary concern, we would extend this policy to include the consent of non-custodial parents as well, whether gay or straight.
Creating a special class for the children of gay parents is neither necessary (because many gay parents are or were Mormons themselves, and approve of their children’s participation), nor sufficient (because many non-gay parents harbor even deeper distrust of the Church) to protect children from conflict in the home.
Is “nothing lost” by making children of gay parents wait ten years to be baptized?
The Church teaches that we should not wait to baptize our children because “When we are baptized and keep the covenants of baptism, the Lord promises |
in Salt Lake City and the founder/leader of what is now the Apostolic United Brethren, a breakaway sect of polygamous Mormon fundamentalists in Utah, Colorado, Montana, and Arizona, United States. He was murdered on the orders of Ervil LeBaron, the head of a rival polygamous sect (Wikipedia).
Vance Allred is Rulon’s Allred’s son, and at one point was a chief apologist for Mormon fundamentalist polygamy, and was being groomed to succeed his father as prophet of the AUB. In this three part series, Vance Allred discusses:
Part 1: His father’s rise to power, via the founding of the Apostolic United Brethren, and Vance’s early years as the son of a polygamist prophet.
Part 2: The events leading up to Rulon Allred’s assassination, and Vance’s candid critique of his father’s work, and
Part 3: The sexual abuse in the AUB that led Vance to leave the AUB, and the events that led Vance to join the LDS church (requiring an interview with two LDS apostles). Finally, Vance discusses the factors that led to him becoming inactive LDS.
Part 1:
Part 2:
Part 3:The latest Republican bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act died in the Senate on Tuesday. But the party’s effort to repeal the law remains very much alive.
As long as the GOP controls Congress, they’ll keep trying.
“We are going to fulfill our promise to repeal and replace,” Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) promised at a press conference announcing there would be no vote on his proposal with Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA).
Already, Republicans are discussing how to overcome procedural hurdles to getting it done with just a simple majority, Politico reports. One aide said they’ve got their eye on a must-pass budget proposal. “It’s not like we couldn’t slip it in anyway,” the aide told Politico.
The last few bills Republicans have tried, and failed, to pass were wildly unpopular, rejected by health care groups and scored poorly by the Congressional Budget Office. Still, the party believes that it must make good on its seven-year promise to repeal the law. Republican voters say it’s a priority, and donors do too.
Republican legislators want to vote for a bill to repeal Obamacare
Consider, for a moment, all the things that didn’t deter Republican senators from continuing to pursue Obamacare repeal.
Republicans didn’t stop working on Obamacare repeal after House Speaker Paul Ryan declared it “the law of the land,” when the House couldn’t muster enough votes for a bill offered in March.
Republicans didn’t stop working on Obamacare repeal when they learned that the House bill, the American Health Care Act, would cause 22 million Americans to lose coverage.
Republicans didn’t stop working on Obamacare repeal this past summer, after the Senate rejected three separate Obamacare repeal bills within the course of three days.
They didn’t stop working on repeal as patient group after patient group came out in opposition to their bills — or after all 50 Medicaid directors, including 33 who serve Republican governors, came out against the latest bill, Graham-Cassidy.
Republicans have continued to pursue Obamacare repeal despite opposition and poor polling numbers. Rank-and-file members have continued to agitate for Obamacare repeal even after leadership seemed to want to put it to rest.
Failed votes haven’t dampened the enthusiasm for Obamacare repeal in the past. So far, we’ve typically watched a cycle where Republicans take a month or two to regroup, and then begin to work anew on a slightly different plan. There is little reason to think this failed vote won’t lead to the same outcome.
The Republican base still wants to see the Affordable Care Act turned back
Republicans have good political reasons to pursue repeal, even if their policy proposals aren’t holding up well.
Last week, the Kaiser Family Foundation released a poll that asked 1,179 adults what they thought Congress ought to focus on for the remainder of 2017.
Seventy-one percent of those who identified as Republican said it was “extremely” or “very” important that Congress continue to focus on repealing the Affordable Care Act.
When the question was phrased as a choice — should Congress work to stabilize the Affordable Care Act or repeal it? — the results looked pretty similar. Two-thirds of Republicans would prefer to focus on getting rid of Obamacare rather than fixing it.
The individual Obamacare repeal bills tend to poll poorly; a minority of Republicans supported the Graham-Cassidy plan. But more generally, the idea of repealing Obamacare still has valence among conservative voters.
This is something I understood a bit better after my reporting last fall in Kentucky, talking to Obamacare enrollees who voted for President Trump. Many of them did have real problems with their coverage. They were especially frustrated with how high their deductibles had grown, regularly upward of $2,000 or $3,000.
The idea of “Obamacare repeal,” in their minds, represented a plan to fix those problems. None of the Republican plans offered so far actually deliver on that kind of fix. They would make the problem of high out-of-pocket spending significantly worse. But the idea that there is something broken in the health care system, and Republican legislators ought to fix it, seems to be at the heart of the desire for the party to keep on working towards repeal.
Obamacare repeal is still a live possibility
Republicans control Congress for another year, at minimum. They have different vehicles they could use to pursue another push for Obamacare repeal, must-pass legislation that could become a new way forward.
There are generally 45 or so Republicans who have shown themselves to be willing to vote for any Obamacare repeal bill. It’s been the handful of final votes from the caucus’s moderate and conservative wings that has sunk every previous plan.
Those obstacles still remain: We still have not seen Sens. Susan Collin (R-ME) or Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) support a single repeal bill through this whole effort. Then again, they’ve often been reticent to oppose them up until the last minute — Murkowski still hasn’t come out against Graham-Cassidy, even after the decision not to hold a vote.
This is no doubt an obstacle but, in my view, not an immovable one. One thing I’ll be watching closely is how the Trump administration manages the Affordable Care Act. In about a month, it will begin its first open enrollment season. So far, it has taken steps that will hurt the marketplaces, slashing the advertising budget by 90 percent and in-person assistance by 40 percent.
Premiums will be higher in 2018 because the Trump administration has waffled on whether to make key payments.
If the marketplace ends this enrollment period in bad shape, that could change the dynamic in 2018. It could make the case for repeal stronger if the Affordable Care Act seems to be in dire straits.
Republicans lost an Obamacare battle on Tuesday. But right now, all evidence suggests they are not ready to stop fighting the war.
Join the conversation
Are you an Obamacare enrollee interested in what happens next? Join our Facebook community for conversation and updates.Now this is a great ad from Jack Conway, taking Rand Paul to task for having said a "the real answer to Medicare would be a $2,000 deductible":
Voice Over: More from Rand Paul Rand Paul: The real answer to Medicare would be a $2,000 deductible. KY Senior 1: A $2,000 deductible? KY Senior 2: Rand Paul wants us to pay $2,000 just to get Medicare? KY Senior 3: That’s crazy. KY Senior 4: I can’t afford that. Rand Paul: The real answer to Medicare would be a $2,000 deductible. KY Senior 1: I don’t know what planet he’s from. KY Senior 5: Rand Paul is off the wall with a $2,000 deductible. KY Senior 6: Doesn’t he know that we can’t afford that. KY Senior 3: The more we learn about Rand Paul, the worse it gets. Attorney General Jack Conway: I'm Jack Conway. I approve this message.
This ad works because it is credible, entertaining, and important. It's credible because it uses Rand Paul's own words; it's important because raising the Medicare deductible to $2,000 would be a serious burden on seniors; and it's entertaining because instead of a traditional voice over, you get to hear from actual Kentuckians responding to Paul's extreme proposal, and they do so with a biting sense of humor.
The ad also works strategically because older voters tend to vote more heavily in midterm elections and Rand Paul has had loose lips when it comes to his plans to raise Medicare costs for seniors. Just last week, for example, he said seniors need to "bear more of the burden." So this is an issue that impacts likely voters and it's not going away anytime soon.
With Conway and Paul in a dead-heat, Kentucky is very much in play.
Help keep Conway's ad on the air -- chip in $5 or $10 to his campaign today.The city of Chelyabinsk is situated to the south-east of the Urals, close to Kazakhstan and serves as a gateway to Russia’s vast Asian expanses. It lies on the Trans-Siberian Railway and is one of a string of railway towns that grew to service this immense trans-continental corridor.
It was this geographic location that ensured Chelyabinsk would grow to become a town of 45,000 by 1913. But it was its strategic position far from European Russia that ensured it would burgeon into a city under Stalin’s 1930s industrial drive and into wartime production.
Put simply, the 1,750 kilometres of Russian territory between Chelyabinsk and Moscow ensured the former’s future as one of the Soviet Union’s key armaments centres. The city was far from the encroaching German forces, safe from the ravages of the Luftwaffe and protected by unimaginable stretches of the Russian Steppes, raging rivers and the looming Ural Mountains.
Very soon, the small railway town was buzzing with new development. Vast factory complexes and uniform housing units bordered the city’s long, wide and straight boulevards. The population swelled as tens and then hundreds of thousands of people were brought to work for the motherland.
In just a few years, Chelyabinsk was transformed from a staging post into an industrial behemoth. The city became Tankograd, hosting factories for the legendary T-34 tank and a centre for the production of the Katyusha rocket launcher. Whole factories and industrial districts were relocated – Leningrad’s S.M. Kirov Factory no. 185 was sent east before German forces reached the city.
What wasn’t relocated was built from scratch – the vast Chelyabinsk Tractor Plant and Chelyabinsk Metallurgical Plant would soon be put to war work churning out the tanks that were matching German panzers. Soon, the city’s T-34s would be amongst the columns repulsing the German advance and would roll into Europe.Controversy recently ignited when a popular Northern California restaurant posted a sign aggressively banning unruly children and babies from their establishment.
Yesterday, on the heels of this, I shared an old post I wrote about the divide between parents and non-parents, which, if the collection of comments and emails and death threats I receive whenever I post something on The Huffington Post is any indication, seems pretty wide these days.
Whether you’ve read that old post of mine or not, you probably assume I’m outraged at the restaurant for its “no loud kids” policy, like a lot of my fellow parents. But I actually don’t have a problem with it.
Funny thing about parents: we hate kids.
Nobody hates kids more than parents. Nobody.
Let me clarify: notwithstanding the fact that I joke a lot about hating my own kid, I love him more than anything and will not hesitate to go full Orlando Bloom on someone if they attempt to mock him, or harm him, in any way. As the children’s book says, I love Detective Munch to the moon and back (even if I occasionally wish I could make that trip a reality for him).
But that doesn’t mean I love your son. Or your daughter.
Becoming a parent changes your perspective on a lot of things. One of the primary things it changes is how you feel about other parents. Despite my resistance to joining the Parenting Borg, and my reluctance to surrender my identity to the all-encompassing label of “Dad”, when I became a parent I couldn’t help but identify with other members of my tribe. Suddenly, I was empathizing with them.
Before I had a kid of my own, not only did I find it impossible to empathize with a harried mom or a stressed dad trying to control a tantrum-ing toddler – shut that baby UP! – I didn’t even bother to try to sympathize with them. Instead I just blamed them, for not being able to control their kids, for being shitty parents, for bringing such an obnoxious, ungrateful kid into the world. It was naive and intolerant and pretty gross. And once I had an obnoxious, ungrateful, unruly kid of my own to contend with, I woke up.
I stopped blaming parents and I started putting the blame where it belongs: on the kids.
Kids suck. And no kids suck more than Other People’s Kids.
It’s not their fault, most of the time; they’re just kids. But that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s their parents fault either. Again: THEY’RE JUST KIDS. Obviously there are exceptions: if your kid is going H.A.M in public and you’re blithely scrolling your Facebook page, oblivious or apathetic to the disruption/destruction, and you don’t even bother to correct or at least contain the situation? You are the problem. But assuming you are an attentive parent whose kid’s kidness is just getting the better of them? You’ll get nothing but sympathy from me.
But I hate your kids. And I don’t want to be around them. I’ll tolerate them, and I’ll empathize with what you’re going through because I’ve been through it myself, but that doesn’t mean I’ll be happy about it. Parents deserve time away from kids as much as non-parents do. Hell, we might deserve it more!
Which is why a restaurant banning kids is A-OK with me. And I bet you’d be surprised at how many parents agree.
With all due respect to the psycho childless – sorry, childfree – people who attack parent bloggers every time they don’t get a joke – nobody hates kids more than we do.
You think they’re annoying at restaurants and on planes and in stores? We live with them. We deal with their bullshit every day. No one needs a break from them more than us. Despite all the controversy and uproar, I bet that NorCal restaurant is fucking JAMMED with parents this weekend – parents who left their kids with a sitter and ran to the childless oasis that this eatery has now become.
(I know, I know; we made the choice to have kids, it’s our problem, we need to stop inflicting our kids on other people. Cool, man. Do you kiss your mother with that intolerant, hateful mouth?)
Yes, I’m a parent. And I love my kid. And I understand how difficult kids can often be. So you’ll get no judgment from me. But neither will a business that chooses to draw a line. Because I remember what it was like to not have kids, and before you become a parent, it’s understandable that you might want to take advantage of the perks of that lifestyle. God knows when I have a chance to get out without the kids, Mom and Buried and I don’t go to Chuck E. Cheese.
(I know it’s hard to believe, but parents and non-parents are both people, and while neither group deserves special treatment, both groups have equal rights. We can all get along and co-exist and even share space in public places, like airplanes and restaurants and movie theaters. The key is to not be dicks to each other.)
So I’m all for the occasional banning of children at local restaurants. (Emphasis on “occasional”. I have no problem bringing my kid to a bar once in a while, and leaving when he becomes an issue. If all restaurants suddenly went anti-kid, my day-drinking would take a major hit!) Sure, it can be a little inconvenient, since neither babysitters nor the money they cost grows on trees. But this is America, we have a lot of options. After exercising the one that allows me to have as many kids as I want, I can accept the fact that some people want to live without them, even if it’s just for a few hours.
More power to the owners of that restaurant. But they shouldn’t expect an invite to my son’s birthday party.
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Like this: Like Loading...Unity Editor Download Assistant
Component Installers Windows
Component Installers Mac
We are happy to announce Unity 5.4.5p2. The release notes and the corresponding issue tracker link for issues fixed in this release are as shown below.
As always, patch releases are recommended only for users affected by those bugs fixed in that patch.
Improvements
Android: Improved WebRequest performance.
Fixes
(780958) - Android: Disabled Debug markers on PowerVR Series 5 devices.
(888859) - Android: Fixrf android application building with the latest android sdk.
(867508) - Android: Fixed a rare crash on application exit due to UnityWebStreams not getting cleaned up properly.
(851523) - Android: Fixed a dangerous permission popup issue.
(892203) - Android: Fixed an unnecessary internet permission requirement in empty project.
(none) - Android: SoftInput - Fixed input field hidden under keyboard when translucent flag was set.
(898505) - Animation: Changing Animator.Speed during an animation transition will now correctly affect the cross-fade speed.
(892043) - Animation: Fixed IK on Feet not working properly when interrupting transitions.
(890636) - Editor: Fixed OSX editor load failure when loading on case-sensitive file systems.
(878724) - Graphics: Fixed SceneView GUI elements being very bright when HDR and Linear mode are enabled.
(none) - IL2CPP: Fixed a a rare crash in IL2CPP on some Visual Studio installation setups with message "Unhandled Exception: System.InvalidOperationException: Builder was unable to build using selected toolchain (MsvcDesktopToolChain) or architecture (Unity.IL2CPP.Building.x64Architecture)!"
(898861) - IL2CPP: Modified the implementation of the IL Switch opcode to workaround a possible C++ compiler bug in Xcode 8.3.
(882013) - iOS: Fixed inclusion of ReplayKit framework in plugins.
(889321) - Purchasing: Fixed an issue with Unity IAP emitting DuplicateTransaction failure for all non-consumable purchases when initialized.
(883080) - Shaders: Fixed an incorrect translation from HLSL assembly for AND and OR operands. Fixes a crash when compiling shaders for GLCore.
(886258) - UI: Removed an extra call to CanvasRenderer.OnTransformChanged when canvas was set to ScreenSpace.Camera render mode, and the camera was transformed
(none) - VR: Updated Oculus to version 1.13 and GearVR to version 1.13.1. Fixes plugin loading issue in paths with non-ASCII characters.
(895766) - Windows Store: Fixed a rare case where games can get stuck in a busy loop on dual core devices.
Known Issues
(905903) - Animator: BlobWrite errors after selecting transition in Animator window.
Revision: e6ffa1986af7''We'd never made a high-definition optical system before,'' Mr. Milbourn said.
''It was really difficult to get an accurate estimate early on,'' said John Taylor, a spokesman for Zenith, discussing the price.
The retail price of an HDTV set is also driven by other issues. For instance, Thomson and the other manufacturers all say they do not expect to make or sell large numbers of these extraordinarily pricey television sets. ''I think we'll see a flurry of activity and interest this fall, but not much volume,'' Mr. Meyer said.
Despite the high price, and despite the fact that most of these televisions will be huge rear projectors that will dominate almost any room in which they are placed, retailers say they expect to sell as many as the industry can make.
This may not say a lot, since set makers don't intend to manufacture very many -- probably no more than 100,000 this year. But Americans already buy nearly one million conventional projection televisions a year, including tens of thousands that sell for $5,000 to $50,000.
And when the first high-definition monitor made by a mass-market manufacturer, Panasonic, went on sale Aug. 6 in two stores on the West Coast, one of the stores, Dow Stereo/Video in San Diego, reported that 15,000 people trooped through to see the set over the first weekend.
Dow quickly sold out its first order -- reported by industry journals to be 30 units. And on Tuesday, Thomas Campbell, an executive with Dow, reported that 18 more people had placed orders for the monitor, with full payment in advance. The list price for the monitor is $6,000, though Dow is selling it for $5,500.
But to receive high-definition programming when digital broadcasting begins in the fall, owners of these monitors will also have to buy a digital tuner box. Panasonic's goes on sale in October for $1,700, bringing the total list price to $7,700.
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The television industry sells nearly 25 million sets a year, so the sale of a few HDTV's is barely consequential. In fact, the low volume contributes to the pricing problem.
Or, as Mark Knox, a senior manager for Samsung Electronics Company, put it, ''the costs are extraordinarily high because the volume is so small.''
Samsung's first HDTV, a 55-inch rear projection model, will go on sale in November with a $7,999 price tag.
Mr. Knox and others also pointed to another reason for the high price of a set. They said it was important for the industry to show the best products they could at the start, no matter the cost, so consumers who see HDTV for the first time would be impressed.
''Some of these sets are intentionally overbuilt because it is critical that we make the right impression with the consumer at this point,'' Mr. Knox said.
As a result, these first sets are loaded -- like a car that comes with a power sunroof, leather-wrapped steering wheel, heated seats and a global positioning system. The TV's have fancy multichannel audio systems, digital processors that upgrade the quality of conventional television images and every other bell and whistle normally built into high-end television sets. That's one reason Thomson's first set will cost $8,000 and Zenith's $10,000.
Still, all of the manufacturers swear that the prices will fall -- and fast. This isn't of concern just to them. Television stations that begin digital broadcasting, starting on Nov. 1, are spending millions to make the transition. The money is wasted, they say, as long as the TV sets required to receive digital signals are so expensive that almost nobody has one.
And the Federal Government is eager to speed the transition to digital broadcasting. Every one of the nation's 1,600 television stations has been lent a second channel for digital broadcasts. When the transition is complete, when most everyone has a digital television set, the old channels -- the ones on the air today -- are to be taken back and auctioned for other uses.
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The proceeds from those future auctions, estimated now at $6 billion, are already being counted in Federal budget projections. But no one believes the bulk of the population will embrace digital television until prices for the sets fall by 90 percent or more.
Todd Thibodeaux, a senior economist with the Consumer Electronics Manufacturers Association, collects and analyzes sales data for all sorts of consumer electronics products, including televisions. And he said the industry's record showed that prices for new products generally fall by about 50 percent after a decade. VCR's, for example, cost an average of $1,955 in 1974, when they were first introduced, adjusting the numbers for inflation. It took until 1983 for the average price to fall to half of that.
By that calculation, the least expensive high-definition televisions will still cost nearly $4,000 in 2007 -- hardly encouraging to sellers and consumers alike. But manufacturers say such a comparison is flawed.
Newsletter Sign Up Continue reading the main story Please verify you're not a robot by clicking the box. Invalid email address. Please re-enter. You must select a newsletter to subscribe to. Sign Up You will receive emails containing news content, updates and promotions from The New York Times. You may opt-out at any time. You agree to receive occasional updates and special offers for The New York Times's products and services. Thank you for subscribing. An error has occurred. Please try again later. View all New York Times newsletters.
A year or two from now, many manufacturers, including Thomson, will begin offering several more models. Some will provide a full high-definition picture without all of the expensive extra features. By then, the integrated circuits needed to translate and display the digital signal, now a rarefied and expensive piece of circuitry, will almost certainly have dropped in price considerably.
Today the chips alone contribute $2,000 or more to the retail cost of an HDTV. But these chips should respond to Moore's Law, the computer-industry guideline that says a microprocessor's capability will double, and the price halve, every 18 months.
Given the universal appeal of televisions -- far greater than that of computers -- Mr. Perry, the Mitsubishi executive, said he believed the cost of the microprocessors will drop by 50 percent each year for the next three.
Mr. Knox said an HDTV will probably sell for $3,000 by 2002. Mr. Milbourn said he believed his company would sell an HDTV for half the current price by the time the second-generation models come out in a year or two. Mr. Perry said ''they'll cost $3,500 a couple of years from now.''
That's certainly better than $8,000, but still out of the reach of most television buyers, who now pay $500 or less on average for a new set. In fact, Mr. Thibodeaux's research shows that consumer electronics products reach true mass acceptance only after the price falls below $500.
And how long before the industry is able to sell a high-definition television set for $499.95? Within the industry, that question generally is greeted with heavy sighs and pessimistic shakes of the head. No one is willing to even guess.
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What You Should Know
The introduction of high-definition television will bring changes for TV viewers. Here are the answers to some questions about those changes:
Q. When will the first high-definition televisions go on sale?
A. Several manufacturers have pledged to put their first models on the market next month, and others will come through the fall and winter. By January or February 1999, almost all major consumer-electronics manufacturers should have sets for sale.
Several companies already sell high-definition monitors. They have been available for years from high-end manufacturers. Panasonic put a new one on the market early this month, the first from a mass-market manufacturer. These sets are capable of displaying a digital, high-definition picture but need a new, digital tuner to receive the signal. The first of these tuners will go on sale this fall.
Q. If I buy an HDTV set, how much high-definition programming will I see?
A. Residents of the nation's 10 largest cities will be able to watch a small sampling of high-definition programming on 24 network-owned television stations starting no later than Nov. 1.
Under an agreement with the Federal Government, the stations have promised to begin digital broadcasting by that date, but they are not required to broadcast in high-definition. Most have promised to show only a few hours of high-definition programming, principally movies.
By next spring, every network-affiliated television station in the 10 largest cities will be required to begin digital broadcasting. And by Nov. 1, 1999, all of the network-owned and -affiliated stations in the 30 largest cities must go on the air. The rest will begin over the following three years.
In addition, DirecTV, the nation's largest direct-broadcast satellite service, has promised to broadcast two channels of HDTV starting early next year. Unity Motion, a start-up, direct-broadcast satellite company, plans to begin airing two channels of HDTV by Sept. 30.
HBO and a couple of other cable channels plan to begin broadcasting some HDTV early next year. But in the early days, at least, there will be no way to receive any high-definition programming transmitted by cable. The technology for that has not been finalized.
Q. Do I have to buy a new TV? Will the conventional TV's I have now stop working?
A. Maybe one day, but not for a long time. Every one of the nation's 1,600 television stations has been lent a second channel for digital broadcasts. All of the TV stations that are on the air now will continue broadcasting in their regular places, and the new digital programming will appear on the second, digital channel. (Channel 4 in one city, as an example, might also broadcast on channel 54.)
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But after a period of years, the Government wants to take one of these channels back, leaving only the digital channels on the air. The present rule says the old channels will go off the air in 2006 -- unless fewer than 85 percent of the viewers in each city have digital TV's by then. No one really believes that target date will be met.
Both the old and new channels will probably remain on the air for many years. In fact, given the politics of this transition, broadcasters are unlikely to give up their old channels until they are ready. Even then, anyone still using a conventional set will be able to buy an inexpensive converter box that will translate the digital signals for display on the old sets.
Q. When I get an HDTV set, will I still be able to watch all my old videotapes -- movies and the recordings I made with my video camera?
A. Yes. In the beginning and probably for a long time, digital-television sets will also include a conventional analog tuner. That means you will be able to watch digital programming on the digital channels, analog programming on the original channels -- and all of the videotapes, Laserdiscs, DVD's and everything else you have collected over the years.
Q. Is digital, high-definition television better than what we have today? Why?
A. HDTV offers more than twice the resolution of today's television. At its highest level, a high-definition signal holds 1,080 horizontal lines and 1,920 vertical lines, compared with 480 by 704 lines for today's television.
Properly displayed, these images are so sharp, so clear, that for many people the improvement changes the way they relate to television. Often, first-time viewers say they have the impression they are gazing through a window rather than looking at a picture.
But at least as important is the nature of the transmissions. The new system is digital, so televisions can become interactive and carry all kinds of information and data -- not just video and audio signals. JOEL BRINKLEYA Winnipeg school yard became the scene of a homicide investigation after a violent incident unfolded there Wednesday morning.
According to police, it happened at around 2:30 a.m. in the 100 block of Charles Walk near David Livingstone School.
Police said they responded to the report of an injured person after an incident started in the field of the school.
Officials said they arrived on scene to find two men with serious injuries. One man was unconscious and not breathing. An officer performed CPR until paramedics arrived. Another man suffered serious injuries.
Both men were transported to hospital in critical condition. One man later died, police said.
The Winnipeg School Division said staff directed students coming to school through another entrance away from the investigation.
It said access to the field will be restricted to students during the investigation, but classes will proceed as normal.Silver Shortage Pre Panic Trend Line, 21st Century Bull Market Junctures
For years we have heard of the coming silver shortage but somehow price was always contained and was a wild swinging commodity. But that changed last spring when allegations of silver manipulation made it to mainstream internet sites and became a focal point of testimony by Bill Murphy of GATA to the CFTC in early spring.
Since last August the silver market has been on a tear to the upside and the physical market is now again facing reported shortages. The demand for coin is at its highest levels in 25 years as reported by coin dealers.
Once silver broke above $20 dollars there was a triple demand factor that came into play.The first is the industry that uses silver. It’s made a mad dash to the buy line to secure supplies. No user in his right mind is going to stick around and wait for the shortage to become acute and hold up production. That is a show stopper and industrial use is the largest demand factor in the fabrication of silver. I was informed by a person who was building a database for a company in late October that the company she was doing business for was in panic mode buying up to a year’s worth of silver so as to hedge for future price increases. She did not even work there and was providing a service for the business. She said that the talk was rampant among the executives.Consider what Ted Butler, http://www.butlerresearch.com/ who was way ahead of the curve wrote in 2006World silver inventories are at the lowest point in 200 years. Industry requires over 900 million ounces each year. Silver is the best conductor of electricity. Every computer, server, monitor, cell phone and switch must have silver. Lasers, satellites, high-tech weaponry and robotics, all require silver. Digital technology and telecommunications need silver. Around the house there's silver in every TV, washing machine, wall switch and refrigerator. Conductors, switches, contracts and fuses use silver because it does not corrode or cause overheating and fires. Silver is used heavily in photography and in prints. Meanwhile, new and exotic uses for silver are expanding.A new double layer of silver on glass is sweeping the window market, as it reflects away almost 95% of the hot rays of the sun. A new electronic application for "smart tags" that are replacing bar codes could use significant quantities of silver.Silver achieves the most brilliant polish of any metal and is the best reflector of light, allowing it to be used in mirrors and in coatings for glass, cellophane or metals. Chemical reactions can be significantly increased by adding silver. Approximately 700 tons of silver are in continuous use in the world's chemical industry for the production of plastics.Batteries are now manufactured with silver alloys. Lead-free silver solder is used heavily for joining materials and producing leak-tight joints. Silver is also widely used in silk-screened circuit paths, membrane switches, electrically heated automobile windows, and adhesives. Silver has a variety of uses in pharmaceuticals. Silver sulfadiazine is the most powerful compound for burn treatment. Catheters impregnated with silver eliminate bacteria. Silver is increasingly being tapped for its bactericidal properties and water purification. In the face of all these industrial uses there is less silver available.Here we have a vital material, known to all men for all time, literally disappearing before our eyes, both above and below ground. It is a material upon which modern life and rising standards of living are dependent. It is beyond indispensable, it is a miracle metal.The second factor that is coming into play is the loss of confidence in paper money and the realization by many that silver is not only an industrial metal but was a monetary metal.Silver has been around for just as long -- if not longer --- than gold. It was currency in the past --- and who is to say it will not be currency in the future? Indeed -- gold bugs who favor a return to the gold standard -- would stand a better chance if they were pushing a bimetallic system of both gold and silver. At least there would be more "currency" to go around. As nations that look to establish the former glory -- it might not be beyond the realm of China to go that route.Silver Sycee in one form or another was a means of exchange in China for over 1000 years. In fact -- a quick history of money is simply -- barter -- livestock/Crops -- cowry shells (tools) -- silver -- leather banknotes (deer skin) -- paper currency (first introduced by China 9th to 15th Century) -- potlatch -& wampum (north American Indians)--- gold standard -- paper currency. So if we exit paper currency --- there are only two choices on the above list --- silver and gold. And silver has been used more times and more places than gold has.Silver certificates we're re-issued by the Kennedy Administration in USA and were in fact redeemable in silver until June of 1968. So the thinking that silver can't come back as a monetary instrument is not impossible. In fact -- what will be the alternative to gold and silver? Nothing. Black market or not -- gold and silver will always have their place.The second factor influencing silver is the loss of confidence in paper currency and the public awareness that is fast becoming a major factor in PHYSICAL DEMAND. Consider the following from http://news.coinupdate.com/us-mint-bullion-sales-silver-eagles-achieve-new-record-0557/
Finally the third factor that comes into play is the massive amount of short positions that have been sold forward by the manipulators of silver. According to the latest statistics there are 154 days of silver production that is currently sold short. As prices rise the shorts have only two choices. Sell more contracts short – or cover the positions. Each drop in silver since the summer has not been met with new short positions. It has been met with short covering. This triple whammy is turning the supply side equation and demand into a runaway freight train.
Silver price points
The chart below uses the silver ETF (SLV) and currently trades about 60 cents below the price of spot silver. The current price point in silver is reaching the major resistance line that was touched during the first week of November. After a $4 dollar correction to $25, silver has rebounded once again to the $29 dollar area. This line is certainly important resistance on the price charts and from a technical perspective certainly should be respected. But the short positions remain very high and the demand is increasing. If investor demand for physical continues and price moves above the 30-31 dollar area it could produce another bout of panic buying. If that were to occur the next target |
More News:Correction (2 February): This story originally and erroneously said Quisquater had fallen victim to a quantum insert attack. This was based on the original report stating that he was targeted using the same technique or a similar one to that used on Belgacom, which also used LinkedIn as a vector. However, that was reportedly a quantum insert attack, and Quisquater’s quotes describe a type of phishing attack. That said, NSA/GCHQ still seem to be involved, as this spun out of the existing investigation.
Belgium’s federal prosecutor is looking into the likely hacking of noted cryptographer Jean-Jacques Quisquater by the NSA and its British counterpart GCHQ, as first reported on Saturday morning by De Standaard.
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Quisquater’s targeting became apparent during the investigation into the hacking of telecoms firm Belgacom, shown by Edward Snowden’s leaks to be the work of GCHQ.
The Université catholique de Louvain professor fell victim to an emailed LinkedIn “request” from a non-existent European Patent Office employee. Quisquater, who holds 17 patents and is particularly noted for his work on payment security, told me the attack was “related to a variant” of MiniDuke, an exploit that quietly puts backdoors into the target’s system.
“The Belgian federal police (FCCU) sent me a warning about this attack and did the analysis,” Quisquater told me by email. As for the purpose of the hack: “We don’t know. There are many hypotheses (about 12 or 15) but it is certainly an industrial espionage plus a surveillance of people working about civilian cryptography.”
Whatever the precise motive, on the face of it Quisquater is very much a civilian target — a professor emeritus, not a spy, a terrorist nor a member of government. It would be difficult for any intelligence agency to claim that stealing information from him is a matter of crucial national interest. The aftermath of this revelation will be worth watching.
This article was updated at 9am PT to include Quisquater’s quotes and again at 9.50am PT to include comment.Jim Profit works for a multinational company, and isn't above using any means necessary to get ahead, and that includes bribery, blackmail, intimidation, extortion, and even murder. Now everyone at the company, including the president, Charles Gracen are oblivious to his dark side, as a matter of fact, Gracen thinks of him as a golden boy. But Joanne Meltzer, the company's security chief looks into his eyes, she sees something sinister. And when her boss, Jack Walters is looking into some irregularities at the company, he asks Joanne to look into and initially, the person she cornered said it was Profit who was behind it, but when Profit learned of this, he convinced this person to change the story she told Joanne. But Joanne knows that Profit is evil and so she tries to get the goods on him, at the same time, Profit tries to find a way to neutralize her and anyone else who might believe her. Written by <[email protected]>Recently, the renowned Australian journalist and filmmaker John Pilger published an article based on a speech he gave at the University of Sydney titled, "Why Hillary Clinton is More Dangerous than Donald Trump." The morning it was posted, I immediately received emails, texts, and tweets asking me to comment. My response to everyone was that I simply could not answer. I was too infuriated to find the words. I promised, however, that I would have a rebuttal.
Let me preface by stating, I have long admired Pilger's work, from his relentless critiques of journalists during the Iraq War, to his most recent project that sheds light on U.S. nuclear tests in the Marshall Islands. I have also worked on the issue of nuclear testing, most notably with the Atomic Veterans. Let me also state that I am not a Hillary Clinton supporter. I have consistently criticized Clinton's hawkish foreign policy, support for NAFTA, her husband's crime bill, and her use of the term "super predator" when she was first lady.
While Pilger begins his piece discussing the nuclear tests that occurred after WWII, he then turns to President Obama. Obama, Pilger contends, is a "liar," for stating in Prague in 2009, that he was going to work towards a "world without nuclear weapons." I have written extensively on Obama and nuclear weapons here and in my book, African Americans Against the Bomb. While I join Pilger in criticizing Obama's nuclear weapons budget and failure to significantly reduce the U.S. nuclear arsenal, Pilger's over the top condemnation of Obama is shameful. Did Obama, through diplomacy, not stop Iran from building a nuclear weapon? How many lives did he save then by not bombing Iran? Did Obama not get the Ukraine, Argentina, Chile, Mexico, Kazakhstan, and Vietnam to eliminate their nuclear materials, including hundreds of pounds of highly enriched uranium? Did he not sign a new START Treaty? Is there not talk that Obama may visit Hiroshima?
Pilger mocks the notion that Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize. However, one could argue the moment Henry Kissinger received the Prize, it lost its credibility. Moreover, Obama didn't even think he deserved it and said as much. But the committee gave the Nobel Peace Prize to Obama, not for what he did, but what they thought he would do. Are the Iran nuclear deal, normalizing relations with Cuba, and refusing to invade Ukraine worth nothing? When voices in the U.S. wanted to go to war with Russia, Obama refused to invade. Pilger, however, hammers Obama on the Ukraine, never once uttering the name Vladimir Putin.
This criticism of Obama is certainly not new. Pilger is part of a segment on the Left who, no matter what Obama does, considers him "Bush-lite." I say this as someone who identifies as far more left than liberal. But this idea that Obama is the same as Bush or Reagan is ludicrous. Pilger even goes so far as to remove blame from the Right by arguing "most U.S. wars" were started by Democrats (Truman, Kennedy, Johnson, Carter, Clinton, and yes, Obama).
While I disagreed strongly with Pilger's thoughts on Obama, it pales in comparison to my reaction to his attempt to assess the U.S. presidential election. Arguing that the U.S. has always been a country that committed atrocities and caused the world much pain, Pilger maintains that Hillary Clinton is more dangerous than Donald Trump. Let me repeat that: Hillary Clinton is more dangerous than Donald Trump. Indeed, Pilger refers to Trump as simply a "media hate figure," who is actually a "maverick" because Trump now states he was against the war in Iraq. Pilger goes on to call out "one prodigious liberal commentator," who said "Trump is unleashing the dark forces of violence" in the United States. Pilger questions this notion, asking, "How could Trump be unleashing them, since the U.S. government has always been doing so much harm?"
Let me answer Pilger directly: How dare you, sir. Tell the Muslim students who have sat in my office shaking, as tears ran down their faces because they are so scared of a Trump presidency, that Clinton is worse. Tell my undocumented student from Florida who now calls me with anxiety and panic over what will happen to her if Trump is elected, it won't be that bad. Your response is "Obama, not Trump" is the "Deporter-in- Chief." Yes, and Obama also passed DACA and DAPA. You sir, clearly have no idea the racism and xenophobia Trump has unleashed in this country. Have you seen the hate in the eyes of Trump supporters towards African Americans who protest? It is easy to live thousands of miles away and cast dispersions on Hillary Clinton or President Obama while calling Trump a "maverick."Image copyright West Midlands Police Image caption The men were arrested in August
An undercover officer has described how secret agents found a bomb in the car of a convicted terrorist.
The officer, known as Vincent, told the court how he infiltrated the group, known as the Three Musketeers.
Naweed Ali, 29, from Sparkhill in Birmingham, is on trial at the Old Bailey accused of preparing terrorism acts along with three other men from the West Midlands.
They were arrested on August 26 after a pipe bomb was found in Ali's car.
Both Ali, of Evelyn Road, and his co-accused Khobaib Hussain, 25, also of Evelyn Road, have previous convictions for attending a terror training camp.
The officer said he had posed as the boss of a courier firm which had employed Ali to travel around the country delivering parcels.
Image caption Ali's car was searched when it was left in Birmingham city centre
On Ali's first day, he left his Seat Leon at the depot in Birmingham city centre and took a van on a delivery run to Luton, the court heard.
Meanwhile, British security services searched Ali's car.
Giving evidence from behind a screen, Vincent said they found what appeared to be a pipe bomb and a handgun inside a JD Sports bag in the car.
He said he and another officer had eased the contents of the bag on to a ground sheet and carried it into a different room.
Image copyright Julia Quenzler Image caption The men deny the charges at the Old Bailey
Vincent told jurors the bag contained a black self-loading pistol with an empty magazine strapped to it, chrome-coloured pipe, a hatchet knife, gunshot cartridges and a single 9mm bullet.
There were also latex gloves, a roll of gaffer tape and some napkins, he said.
Jurors have previously heard the pipe bomb turned out to be only partially constructed and the pistol was an imitation firearm.
Ali and Hussain, Mohibur Rahman, 32, of High Lane, Stoke-on-Trent, and Tahir Aziz, 38, of of Wulstan Road, Stoke-on-Trent, deny the charges.
The case will resume on Monday.In the past we’ve featured websites and art created by our incredible fans… but today we’re honoring one of the fans themselves. Many of you have distinguished yourselves over the past weeks, but one man in particular has gone above and beyond. That man is David “Pleasure” Brennan, known far and wide in the Star Citizen community for his creative skills and his intense dedication to the game! We were so impressed with his work that we made his “Wingman’s Hangar” logo the symbol of the show. For this spotlight, we’ve asked Pleasure to introduce himself:
My name is David Brennan, best known as “Pleasure.” I’m from Germany and I found out about Star Citizen through a German gaming magazine. At first I could not believe it… because it was so long ago that a good space sim was published on the PC and here I was reading that Chris Roberts was doing one!
I immediately signed on, I think three days after the Golden ticket (damn!) and started pledging for Star Citizen, spending almost the entire time getting to know the community and the chat guys. I fell in love so deeply with the community and Cloud Imperium that I started to do what I do best: designing logos and wallpaper (inset) for everyone. I also started running contests for people to create themselves and win prizes.
I did that so that I could inspire people to create artwork and wallpapers themselves. I also designed some merchandise (see above) and had it made for Wingman and CIG… unfortunately the package still has not arrived!
Other than wallpapers, I created some signatures and designed some logos for the various fleets and guilds in the community. And we have created a team, Team Raptor, with Xane, Eddie, Kajisan, Fallarnon and myself… and we’re working on a secret project for the community! I cannot tell you anything about it yet, but it will be awesome!
Last but not least, I love this community and Star Citizen… so I have expressed my dedication to this project with a Squadron 42 tattoo! And if you guys rename the game, I will HATE you! :D
Now THAT’S dedication! Thank you, Pleasure, for setting the bar high for everyone in this community. We’re floored that we have fans as dedicated as you are and promise to deliver a project worthy of the effort you’ve put into it!Lavrov Says Attacking Iran Would Be 'Serious Mistake'
Faced with a round of threats and speculations of an impending war so shrill that it has sent oil prices soaring, Russia and China were quick today to caution the United States against launching an attack on Iran.
Attacking Iran would be a “very serious mistake fraught with unpredictable consequences,” warned Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, while China expressed concern that the threats were harming the prospects of diplomacy.
They are just the latest in a growing chorus of nations to express concerns about starting another major war. Germany has also said they oppose such a move.
A growing number of US officials past and present have expressed a preference for launching a military attack on Iran soon, with an IAEA report alleging some vague allegations about computer simulations serving as the latest pretext.
Israeli officials have also been hyping the prospect of launching an attack on Iran themselves, with President Shimon Peres insisted the war was “more likely” than any sort of diplomatic solution. Israeli military officials are said to prefer an attack before winter.
Last 5 posts by Jason DitzIt’s not polite to call someone out of the blue anymore. Best to text them first. That’s why Facebook thinks video calling will live naturally inside Messenger. Today, Messenger is launching free VOIP video calling over cellular and wifi connections on iOS and Android in the U.S., Canada, UK, and 15 other countries.
Facebook’s goal is to connect people face to face no matter where they are or what mobile connection they have. With Messenger, someone on a new iPhone with strong LTE in San Francisco could video chat with someone on a low-end Android with a few bars of 3G in Nigeria.
Here’s a quick video from Facebook showing Messenger video calls in action:
Facebook first introduced desktop video calling in partnership with Skype in 2011, but eventually built its own video call infrastructure. Bringing it to mobile could Messenger a serious competitor to iOS-only FaceTime, clunky Skype, and less-ubiquitous Google Hangouts.
With 600 million Messenger users and 1.44 billion on Facebook, the new VOIP video feature has a massive built-in audience. Mark Zuckerberg said on last week’s Facebook earnings call that Messenger already accounts for 10% of global mobile VOIP calls. He believes free, high audio quality VOIP will displace traditional phone calling, and video calling could accelerate that.
Messenger has no plans to charge for audio or video calling. Instead, it knows more messaging drives lock in with Facebook’s News Feed where it makes tons of money from ads. Facebook Messenger’s Head Of Product Stan Chudnovsky who led the video calling feature tells me, “Whatever’s good for Messenger is good for Facebook as a company.”
Messenger Face-To-Face Time
Video calling in Messenger will become available today for iOS and Android users in Belgium, Canada, Croatia, Denmark, France, Greece, Ireland, Laos, Lithuania, Mexico, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Poland, Portugal, the United Kingdom, the U.S. and Uruguay. More regions will be added in the coming months.
If you have access, you’ll see the video camera icon in the top right corner when you’re having a Messenger chat with a friend who can be called. Tapping it starts a video call, which opens when the recipient accepts. Cameras start in selfie mode but you can toggle to the backside camera to show a friend what you’re doing.
Messenger will adjust the quality of the call according to your connection. The demo I saw showed just a hint of pixelation and strong frame rate with 2 bars of LTE service in SF. It’s easy to switch to just VOIP audio, and Facebook will gracefully notify you if the connection weakens to where video won’t work. It’s all free on Facebook’s side, and users will only be charged for data use by their mobile operator, which they can avoid by using Wi-Fi.
One smart thing Messenger allows is for one person to turn off their video feed to make the other person’s high quality. This way if you’re sitting at home and a friend is on a mountain in Norway, you can give them the extra bandwidth because what matters is seeing their scenery, not them seeing your bedroom.
This is v1, though, and Chudnovsky said the Messenger team was working on a bunch of secondary features I asked about, including group video calling and video stabilization. “Group video calling is definitely a use case that a lot of our people might be interested in at some point…[and] it would be a big deal if the whole [shakes hand to simulate lack of video stabilization] thing goes away.” Those could help Messenger compete with Google’s Hangouts, which is filled with bells and whistles.
A big question raised by the launch is whether this could pave the way for Facebook to enter the mobile livestreaming market, where Meerkat and Twitter’s Periscope are making waves. “We’re building infrastructure that will allow us to do anything we want with video” Chudnovsky explains. Still he wouldn’t say if Facebook’s moving in the livestreaming direction. “We’re not thinking about what our second, third, fourth, and fifth steps will. We’re goingto look at the data and decide what we need to do. there’s are 20 different ways we can take it.”
Perhaps the most glaring omission for now is that mobile Messenger users can’t video call with desktop Facebook users, but Chudnovsky says that should be patched relatively soon. On mobile, he thinks video calling in Messenger will be much more convenient than having to either video call someone suddenly, or switch apps. “You don’t have to close it, go to another app, launch that app, connect with them in that other app, and then finally starting the call with brain damage from how you’re actually doing it.”
Software Is Eating Phones…And Data Plans
Chudnovsky knew Facebook needed to build mobile video calling after doing feedback sessions about Messenger’s audio calling feature. “Unprompted, a lot of people said ‘we’d like to have a face-to-face conversation over Messenger” he tells me.
Building video into a chat app means these conversations can be emergent, spontaneous experiences, rather than scheduled occurrences. “Everything starts from a text conversation these days” Chudnovsky explains. “I’m not going to call you any more. I’m going to text you and ask if you have three minutes for a phone call.” Instead they can text in Messenger, and switch to video with one tap.
This will also let Facebook promote Messenger video calling without being too annoying. For example, Chudnovsky imagines two people Messenger text chatting for hours, one in a hotel room in NY, another in a room in Paris, both on Wi-Fi. Messenger could notify them that they could turn their chat into a video call for free. It will let them go out and find the feature if they’re on on a cellular connection, but will remind them they could have a more vivid connection for free when possible.
This is all part of Facebook’s philosophy that its products have to be good enough to grow without massive cross-promotional help. It’s often let products like Facebook Deals or Home die rather than pester its nearly one and a half billion people to use them. “It’s survival of the fittest inside the company. Only products and features people actually want survive and that’s how the product keeps getting better and better” Chudnovsky reveals. Hocking something that doesn’t work? “That’s not our mojo”, he says.
Protecting people from their own data usage will be important for the feature. Though Facebook offers a way to disable auto-play of News Feed videos when you’re not on Wi-Fi to save people’s data plans, some users who didn’t still felt burned when they saw their bills.
The Messenger team has done extensive work to try to crunch the data needed for video calling as small as possible. When I asked how Messenger compares to Skype or Hangouts’ data usage, Chudnovsky wouldn’t be specific but said “We’ve been doing a lot of benchmarking and we’re very happy. Very happy.”
Overall, Messenger’s voice and video quality were strong despite an imperfect mobile connection. And since everyone you know is probably already on Facebook and connected to you, and you can easily find new contacts there, Messenger could take the hassle out of simulating a face-to-face conversation. Chudnovsky concludes, “This is what Facebook is supped to be doing, which is removing friction from everything.”The former Molly Malones building sits on the corner of Courtenay Pl and Taranaki St.
A building which once housed popular Irish pub Molly Malones is set to be demolished.
Resource consent documents show the building, on the corner of Courtenay Pl and Taranaki St in Wellington, will come down before the end of the year, and will be left empty for 18 months.
The building's owners have tentative plans to rebuild on the land, though designs are yet to be finalised.
In the meantime, the site may be let to pop up retailers and hospitality operators.
READ MORE:
* Ewan Henderson, the former Wellington director of Molly Malone's bar, bankrupt
* Molly Malone director claims scaffolding catalyst for business failure
The 7.8 magnitude earthquake in November caused significant damage to the three-storey building, including cracks in the brick walls. One wall moved 3 centimetres and had to be temporarily stabilised with timber strapping.
RUBY MACANDREW/FAIRFAX NZ The building was gutted after Molly Malones went into receivership.
In a resource consent application letter to Wellington City Council, Cornerstone Partners chief executive Andrew Cotterrell said the company was committed to demolishing the building as it had been "significantly compromised" by the earthquake.
It was also committed to rebuilding on the site, he said.
"We have already held one pre-application meeting to explore the potential form and design of the new building and we are proceeding with discussions with likely tenants."
Prior to gaining consent to rebuild, an investigation would be conducted to determine whether any archaeological evidence related to Te Aro Kainga was present on the site.
In the decision document, Wellington City Council senior consents planner Lisa Hayes said open space at ground level in the central city was "generally discouraged by the council as they diminish the streetscape character and the city's commercial viability".
SUPPLIED Cracking in a brick wall inside the building.
"In this case, the building has been identified by the council as earthquake prone … [and] the applicant contends that the building 'is a clear and present danger to the public'."
In addition, the owners planned to fill the space in the interim, and eventually rebuild, meaning any effects on the streetscape would be temporary, Hayes said.
However, the council's senior heritage advisor Vanessa Tanner opposed the demolition.
She said that while the build was not heritage listed, it had significance in terms of the build and social context.
Heritage New Zealand also weighed in, saying the loss of the Molly Malones building was regrettable due to both the heritage qualities of the building and its place in more recent social history.
SUPPLIED Timber strapping was installed to prevent further damage.
Hayes said there were no rules preventing its demolition as it was not a heritage building.
"While I acknowledged the advice of Ms Tanner that there will be an adverse heritage effect associated with this loss, this will be a public effect and needs to be balanced with the risk to public safety if the unsafe building is to be retained," Hayes said.
The demolition is expected to start within the third quarter of 2017.
The 1908 building was originally home to the Clarendon Hotel.
Molly Malones director Ewan Henderson, who was declared bankrupt in May 2016, is a former director of the Heritage Property Group which sold the building in 2011 to Wellington property investor Chao (Charlie) Zheng.
Molly Malones was put into liquidation in 2015.
The landlord's court documents say Molly Malones, and another bar owned by Henderson, 3C, owed hundreds of thousands of dollars in rent.Learning Japanese Through the Japan iTunes Store.
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As you may know, my two great passions in life is gaming and Japanese language and culture. As a person who has studied Japanese for well over half a decade, I understand now what is needed to help immerse yourself into the language with ease. One of my greatest pastimes is to take a look at children's games and apps on the Japan iTunes Store. When learning a language, you have to start at the very beginning, so the more you inject a language at a basic level (children's games is a great way!) into your everyday life the more you will succeed. Today, I am going to show you a game called どうぶつしょうぎ (Doubutsu Shougi), or roughly translated as "Animal Chess". This game is incredibly simple, but the fact that the menus are in very basic Japanese kana will help a new learner of the language get comfortable with Hiragana and Katakana characters.
The object of the game is simple: You swipe to match animals to get points. A bit of strategy and a bit of puzzle to this simplistic game. Luckily, no real language skill is required to begin playing. The interface of the game is written in very simplistic Japanese, which has been tailored for children. The reason that I find this so important, is that if you are just starting to learn Japanese it will help reinforce the characters into your memory, because you are using them. When you do not use a language you tend to lose your skill. The advantage of this game on the Japan iTunes Store is that it is available for both iPhone and iPad, so if you are looking for a bigger experience on your tablet, look no further! Below, I have included a video of どうぶつしょうぎ (Doubutsu Shougi) on an iPad. Enjoy!
I found this game to be awesome for the beginner of the Japanese language. It may seem minimal, but your skill will go a long way if you practice in very small steps, as shown through this game. For only ¥100 (Roughly 1 US dollar) you can't go wrong picking up this app, for your Japanese language-learning-Adventure. どうぶつしょうぎ (Doubutsu Shougi) or "Animal Chess" is exclusive to the Japan iTunes Store. Pick up your Japan iTunes Gift Card and Credit at JapanCodeSupply.I came to the conclusion that budgets don’t work for everybody because it doesn’t really work for me. Especially since I have a significant other and we don’t always see eye to eye. Yea a budget helps me to see if I’m spending more money than I’m taking in but I’ve learned to use Outright.com to keep track of that. Yea it’s for small business but it does the job of keeping track of my total income and expenses without having to worry about setting up categories.
My “You Know” theory
My theory is that we all know what we’re doing when it comes to spending. We know if we’re spending too much but we just don’t want to face up to it. Well you won’t be helped by this. In fact, you really can’t be helped by any plan until you change your attitude. Go get help.
Cut down on the extras
For everyone else that actually wants to change their situation try this idea. Just cut out half of what you do. No I’m not talking about fixed expenses like rent or mortgage. I’m talking about things you can actually control. If you eat out for lunch 5 days a week, try to make your own lunch 2 days or even 3 if you’re feeling spunky. If you don’t want to cut out buying lunch then cut out something else more than half. Instead of shopping every weekend so shopping just once a month. Sign up for Outright.com so you can see how you’re making progress.
No this isn’t going to work for everyone but if you’re having a problem sticking to a budget or you don’t know how to start, try this.
This is going to teach you to sacrifice. Yea it’s a tough word but it’s just that, a word. It’s not going to kill you to sacrifice, but it will make you stronger financially. I tried looking up another word for sacrifice that was nicer sounding but there isn’t one. But here’s a word that is good, Freedom. Freedom to live without the stress of debt and without knowing how you’re going to pay to fix your car because it just broke down.
Start now
Don’t wait to have to sacrifice when you’re in a crunch and have to stop everything you’re doing. Sacrifice a little now so you’ll get financial freedom. So don’t start a budget, start sacrificing.
What do you think about this?Pope Francis's visit to Poland this week celebrates the country's rich Catholic heritage, but it also highlights tensions with the Polish Catholic culture and the current right-wing government's anti-immigrant stance.
Here & Now's Meghna Chakrabarti speaks with historian Piotr H. Kosicki, a University of Maryland professor and a former scholar at the Wilson Center, about Poland's evolving relationship with Europe and the world.
Interview Highlights: Piotr H. Kosicki
On the power of right-wing Law and Justice Party leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski
"So this is a party that he co-founded with his late twin brother about 15 years ago. What I can say is that he commands the personal loyalty of several generations within the party and of substantial numbers of people in the Polish populace who feel like he represents something different to what's been going on in the past 15 or 20 years that hasn't worked perfectly for them."
On contrasting generational support for Kaczynski
"I would say two things. First, there are big generational differences in terms of education. Particularly, if you look at the 20-somethings or 30-somethings who have had the opportunity since Poland joined the European Union to go and study abroad, then you really get a tremendous difference in terms of them being firmly opposed to Jaroslaw Kaczynski.
But if you're looking at generations who have university educations but feel like in some way they've been held back — maybe they didn't get the European Union grant they were applying for, 'It's not just about working classes for me' — I think that those who feel like they haven't fully gotten to take advantage of the opportunities of the past 26, 27 years feel like this is their moment and he is their leader."North American anime distributor Viz Media announced at its Neon Alley panel at Anime Expo on Friday that it has licensed the Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet anime and the Blood Lad anime.
Viz Media will stream Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet series on its website and on Hulu. Its license includes streaming, home media, and merchandise rights. The company plans to release the series, with OVAs, on DVD and Blu-ray Disc in 2014.
Production I.G's original science-fiction adventure anime begins in the distant future in the far reaches of the galaxy. The Human Galactic Alliance has been constantly fighting for its survival against a grotesque race of beings. During an intense battle, the young lieutenant Ledo (played by Kaito Ishikawa) and his humanoid mobile weapon Chamber are swallowed up into a distortion of time and space.
Waking from his artificially induced hybernation, Ledo realizes that he has arrived on Earth, the long forgotten planet. On this planet that was completely flooded by the seas, people live in fleets of giant ships, salvaging relics from the seas' depths in order to survive.
Ledo arrives on one of the city fleets called Gargantia. With no knowledge of the planet's history or culture, he is forced to live alongside Amy (Hisako Kanemoto), a 15-year-old girl who serves as a messenger aboard the Gargantia fleet. To Ledo, who has lived a life where he knows nothing but fighting, these days of peace continue to surprise him.
With this project, manga artist Hanaharu Naruko (Shōjo Material, Kamichu!) created his first original character designs for an anime. Gen Urobuchi (Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Fate/Zero) of Nitroplus supervised and wrote the scripts. Taro Iwashiro ( Red Cliff, Fullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos, live-action SHINOBI - Heart Under Blade and The Prince of Tennis) scored the music, and Kazuya Murata (Fullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos) directed the series. (Murata and Urobuchi collaborated on the original concept of the anime.) Crunchyroll streamed the 13-episode anime as it aired.
Viz Media will stream Blood Lad on its website and on Hulu. Viz Media's license includes home media, download-to-own, and streaming rights. The series will be stream on Neon Alley in 2014, and will also get a Blu-ray Disc and DVD release in 2014.
The dark comedy anime adapts Yūki Kodama's manga that follows a vampire named Staz who has his figurative heart stolen by Fuyumi, a human high school girl who suddenly appears in his world. Unfortunately, she is just as suddenly killed, and thus she becomes a ghost. Staz tries to bring Fuyumi back to life.
Joining Ryota Ohsaka (Valvrave the Liberator, The Devil is a Part-Timer!) in the cast is Iori Nomizu (Is this a zombie?, Problem children are coming from another world, aren't they?) as Fuyumi Yanagi, Takuma Terashima (The [email protected], Kokoro Connect) as Wolf, Chiwa Saito (Rosario + Vampire Capu2, Bakemonogatari) as Mamejirō, Ryohei Kimura (Valvrave the Liberator, Neo Angelique) as Blood D. Bloods, Taichi Komesu as Deck, Yuuka Nanri (Wandering Son, Problem children are coming from another world, aren't they? ) as Blood T. Liz, Kazutomi Yamamoto (Majestic Prince, Makai Ōji: Devils and Realist) as Mimic Yoshida, and Koji Yusa (Zettai Karen Children, Valvrave the Liberator) as Papladon Achim.
Shigeyuki Miya (Lupin III: Green vs Red, Buzzer Beater) will be directing the anime at Brains Base from scripts by Takeshi Konuta (Library War, Toshokan Sensō: Kakumei no Tsubasa), and Kenji Fujisaki (chief animation director on Battle Girls - Time Paradox) will be handling the character designs. May'n (Macross Frontier) will be performing the anime's "ViViD" opening theme, while Yuuka Nanri (.hack//Roots) will be performing the ending theme "BLOODY HOLIC."
The anime will premiere on Japanese television on Sunday, and it will stream that same day.
Viz Media also announced that the Neon Alley service is now available online for PCs and Macs. Neon Alley will also have a new feature coming soon that will allow subscribers to catch up on episodes they've missed on either on the Xbox 360 or PS3 app or online.
Viz Media revealed the Neon Alley will stream the Puella Magi Madoka Magica anime and the Magi anime this fall. Aniplex of America had previously revealed on Thursday that Magi would stream on Neon Alley.Ariel Pink has announced a new album. Dedicated to Bobby Jameson, the follow-up to 2014’s Pom Pom, is out September 15 via Mexican Summer. Check out the cover art and tracklist below, as well as a new video for his latest single, “Another Weekend,” directed by Grant Singer. Ariel Pink will tour in support of the record this fall: find his itinerary below. The album title refers to Los Angeles musician Bobby Jameson, who died in 2015. “His book and life resonated with me to such a degree that I felt a need to dedicate my latest record to him,” Pink said in a statement. Earlier this year, Ariel Pink released the collaborative Myths 002 EP with Weyes Blood.
Dedicated to Bobby Jameson:
01 Time to Meet Your God
02 Feels Like Heaven
03 Death Patrol
04 Santa’s in the Closet
05 Dedicated to Bobby Jameson
06 Time to Live
07 Another Weekend
08 I Wanna Be Young
09 Bubblegum Dreams
10 Dreamdate Narcissist
11 Kitchen Witch
12 Do Yourself a Favor
13 Acting [ft. Dam-Funk]
Ariel Pink:
10-13 Joshua Tree, CA - Desert Daze Festival
10-14-15-16 San Francisco, CA - The Chapel
10-19 Portland, OR - Revolution Hall
10-20 Vancouver, British Columbia - The Venue
10-21 Seattle, WA - Neumos
10-23 Salt Lake City, UT - Metro Music Hall
10-24 Denver, CO - Bluebird Theater
10-26 Minneapolis, MN - Fine Line Music Cafe
10-28 Chicago, IL - Thalia Hall
10-29 Detroit, MI - El Club
10-30 Toronto, Ontario - The Phoenix Concert Theatre
10-31 Montréal, Québec - Le National
11-02 Boston, MA - Brighton Music Hall
11-03 Philadelphia, PA - Union Transfer
11-04 New York, NY - Le Poisson Rouge
11-05 Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
11-07 Atlanta, GA - The Earl
11-08 New Orleans, LA - Tipitina's
11-10 San Antonio, TX - Paper Tiger
11-11 Dallas, TX - Trees
11-12 Austion, TX - Sound on Sound Festival
11-14 Phoenix, AZ - Crescent Ballroom
11-15 Tucson, AZ - 191 Toole
11-16 San Diego, CA - Belly Up
11-17 Los Angeles, CA - TBD
Watch Ariel Pink’s episode of Pitchfork.tv’s “Pitchfork Playlist”:The surplus is nearly $1b less than forecast at last month's budget, says Finance Minister Bill English.
The Government's surplus is nearly $1 billion less than forecast at the budget.
The Government's financial statements, released on Friday, showed the operating balance before gains and losses (Obegal) was $297 million in the black for the 10 months to April.
Finance Minister Bill English said it highlighted the monthly volatility in the Crown accounts.
The surplus was $941m smaller than forecast in Budget 2016, largely as a result of core Crown tax revenue coming in $1.1 billion lower than |
Around this time, El Cid, with a combined Christian and Moorish army, began maneuvering in order to create his own fiefdom in the Moorish Mediterranean coastal city of Valencia. Several obstacles lay in his way. First was Berenguer Ramon II, who ruled nearby Barcelona. In May 1090, El Cid defeated and captured Berenguer in the Battle of Tébar (nowadays Pinar de Tévar, near Monroyo, Teruel). Berenguer was later released and his nephew Ramon Berenguer III married El Cid's youngest daughter Maria to ward against future conflicts.
Along the way to Valencia, El Cid also conquered other towns, many of which were near Valencia, such as El Puig and Quart de Poblet.
El Cid gradually came to have more influence on Valencia, then ruled by Yahya al-Qadir [es], of Berber Hawwara Dhunnunid dynasty. In October 1092 an uprising occurred in Valencia inspired by the city's chief judge Ibn Jahhaf and the Almoravids. El Cid began a siege of Valencia. A December 1093 attempt to break the siege failed. By the time the siege ended in May 1094, El Cid had carved out his own principality on the coast of the Mediterranean. Officially El Cid ruled in the name of Alfonso; in reality, El Cid was fully independent. The city was both Christian and Muslim, and both Moors and Christians served in the army and as administrators.
Death [ edit ]
El Cid and his wife Jimena Díaz lived peacefully in Valencia for five years until the Almoravids besieged the city. El Cid died on June 10, 1099.[13] His death was likely a result of the famine and deprivations caused by the siege.[13] Valencia was captured by Masdali on May 5, 1102 and it did not become a Christian city again for over 125 years. Jimena fled to Burgos, Castile, in 1101. She rode into the town with her retinue and the body of El Cid.[13] Originally buried in Castile in the monastery of San Pedro de Cardeña, his body now lies at the center of Burgos Cathedral.
Defeat [ edit ]
After his demise, but still during the siege of Valencia, legend holds that Jimena ordered that the corpse of El Cid be fitted with his armour and set on his horse Babieca, to bolster the morale of his troops. In several variations of the story, the dead Rodrigo and his knights win a thundering charge against Valencia's besiegers, resulting in a war-is-lost-but-battle-is-won catharsis for generations of Christian Spaniards to follow. It is believed that the legend originated shortly after Jimena entered Burgos, and that it is derived from the manner in which Jimena's procession rode into Burgos, i.e., alongside her deceased husband.[13]
Warrior and general [ edit ]
Battle tactics [ edit ]
During his campaigns, El Cid often ordered that books by classic Roman and Greek authors on military themes be read aloud to him and his troops, for both entertainment and inspiration before battle. El Cid's army had a novel approach to planning strategy as well, holding what might be called "brainstorming" sessions before each battle to discuss tactics. They frequently used unexpected strategies, engaging in what modern generals would call psychological warfare — waiting for the enemy to be paralyzed with terror and then attacking them suddenly; distracting the enemy with a small group of soldiers, etc. (El Cid used this distraction in capturing the town of Castejón as depicted in Cantar de Mio Cid (The Song of my Cid). El Cid accepted or included suggestions from his troops. In The Song the man who served him as his closest adviser was his vassal and kinsman Álvar Fáñez "Minaya" (meaning "My brother", a compound word of Spanish possessive Mi (My) and Anaia, the basque word for brother), although the historical Álvar Fáñez remained in Castile with Alfonso VI.
Taken together, these practices imply an educated and intelligent commander who was able to attract and inspire good subordinates, and who would have attracted considerable loyalty from his followers, including those who were not Christian. It is these qualities, coupled with El Cid's legendary martial abilities, which have fuelled his reputation as an outstanding battlefield commander.
Babieca [ edit ]
Babieca or Bavieca was El Cid's warhorse. Several stories exist about El Cid and Babieca. One well-known legend about El Cid describes how he acquired the stallion. According to this story, Rodrigo's godfather, Pedro El Grande, was a monk at a Carthusian monastery. Pedro's coming-of-age gift to El Cid was his pick of a horse from an Andalusian herd. El Cid picked a horse that his godfather thought was a weak, poor choice, causing the monk to exclaim "Babieca!" (stupid!) Hence, it became the name of El Cid's horse. Another legend states that in a competition of battle to become King Sancho's "Campeador", or champion, a knight on horseback wished to challenge El Cid. The King wished a fair fight and gave El Cid his finest horse, Babieca, or Bavieca. This version says Babieca was raised in the royal stables of Seville and was a highly trained and loyal war horse, not a foolish stallion. The name in this instance could suggest that the horse came from the Babia region in León, Spain. In the poem Carmen Campidoctoris, Babieca appears as a gift from "a barbarian" to El Cid, so its name could also be derived from "Barbieca", or "horse of the barbarian".
Regardless, Babieca became a great warhorse, famous to the Christians, feared by El Cid's enemies, and loved by El Cid, who allegedly requested that Babieca be buried with him in the monastery of San Pedro de Cardeña. [3] His name is mentioned in several tales and historical documents about El Cid, including The Lay of El Cid.
Swords [ edit ]
A weapon traditionally identified as El Cid's sword, Tizona, used to be displayed in the Army Museum (Museo del Ejército) in Toledo. In 1999, a small sample of the blade underwent metallurgical analysis which confirmed that the blade was made in Moorish Córdoba in the eleventh century and contained amounts of Damascus steel.[14]
In 2007, the Autonomous Community of Castile and León bought the sword for 1.6 million Euros,[15] and it is currently on display at the Museum of Burgos.[16]
El Cid also had a sword called Colada.[17]
Marriage and family [ edit ]
El Cid depicted on the title page of a sixteenth-century working of his story
El Cid was married in July 1075 to Jimena Díaz, said to have been a kinswoman of King Alfonso. The Historia Roderici calls her a daughter of a Count Diego Fernández de Oviedo. Tradition states that when El Cid first laid eyes on her, he was enamoured of her great beauty. El Cid and Jimena had two daughters and a son. The latter, Diego Rodríguez, was killed while fighting against the invading Muslim Almoravids from North Africa at the Battle of Consuegra in 1097. As both the Poem and Chronicle state, Cristina Rodríguez and María were originally married to the Infantes de Carrión along with the generous wedding gifts of his two famous swords, Tizona and Colada. However, in revenge for an incident that the Infantes blamed El Cid for, they tied their wives to trees and left them to die. El Cid saved their lives and avenged himself upon the Infantes, and found them more favorable husbands. [18] Cristina Rodríguez, (known as Elvira by the Poem and the Chronicle) married Ramiro, Lord of Monzón and grandson of García Sánchez III of Navarre. Her own son, El Cid's grandson, would be elevated to the throne of Navarre as King García Ramírez. The other daughter, María (also known as Sol), is said first to have married a prince of Aragon, presumably the son of Peter I, and she later wed Ramon Berenguer III, count of Barcelona.
El Cid in literature, music and film [ edit ]
The figure of El Cid has been the source for many literary works, beginning with the Cantar del Mio Cid, an epic poem from the 12th century which gives a partly-fictionalized account of his life. This poem, along with similar later works such as the Mocedades de Rodrigo, contributed to portray El Cid as a chivalric hero of the Reconquista,[19] making him a legendary figure in Spain. In the early 17th century the Spanish writer Guillén de Castro wrote a play called "Las Mocedades del Cid", on which French playwright Pierre Corneille based one of his most famous tragicomedies, Le Cid.[20] He was also a popular source of inspiration for Spanish writers of the Romantic period, such as Juan Eugenio Hartzenbusch, who wrote "La Jura de Santa Gadea", or José Zorrilla, who wrote a long poem called "La Leyenda del Cid".
Georges Bizet worked on a Don Rodrigue in 1873 that was set aside and never completed. Jules Massenet wrote an opera, Le Cid, in 1885, based on Corneille's play of the same name. Claude Debussy began work in 1890 on an opera, Rodrigue et Chimène, which he abandoned as unsuitable for his temperament; it was orchestrated for performance by Edison Denisov circa 1993.
El Cid is portrayed by American actor Charlton Heston in a 1961 epic film of the same name[21] directed by Anthony Mann, where the character of Doña Ximena is portrayed by Italian actress Sophia Loren.[22][23]
Theatrical poster of El Cid by Anthony Mann.
Gallery [ edit ]
See also [ edit ]
References [ edit ]
Further reading [ edit ]
McNair, Alexander J. "El Cid, the Impaler?: Line 1254 of the Poem of the Cid." Essays in Medieval Studies, Volume 26, 2010, pp. 45–68
Sources [ edit ]
Primary [ edit ]Top U.S. intel officer in Afghanistan to leave post
The top U.S. military intelligence officer in Afghanistan, who has led an aggressive and controversial push to change what kinds of intelligence the military collects, will be returning to Washington, a defense official said.
Army Maj. Gen. Michael Flynn is expected to be promoted to lieutenant general and take a job with James Clapper, the new director of national intelligence, who had pushed hard for Flynn to work for him, the official said.
Flynn arrived in Afghanistan in June 2009 with Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, who had been appointed the previous top commander in Afghanistan. The two officers had worked together on several previous occasions and had a close relationship.
McChrystal resigned under pressure in June following the publication of a Rolling Stone article in which some of his staff made derogatory remarks about senior Obama administration officials. Several senior officers from his staff have left their positions in recent months.
Still, McChrystal's successor, Gen. David H. Petraeus, has retained many of his key advisers. Petraeus has also recruited many senior officers who played prominent roles for him in Iraq in 2007.
In Afghanistan, Flynn produced a controversial report entitled "Fixing Intel," which criticized the military intelligence apparatus for being too focused on gathering information about the Taliban and failing to understand the cultural, economic and tribal dynamics that influence security and governance throughout Afghanistan.
Flynn controversially published his article through the Center for a New American Security, a nonpartisan think tank in Washington, instead of releasing it through official channels. The move drew a mild disapproval from Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, who said he largely agreed with Flynn's assessment.Ever felt a little pressure when confronted with a restaurant’s wine list? You are not alone.
Amongst my friends (apart from those who have also worked in the drinks business), I am often singled out as ‘the one who orders the wine’ when we eat out together.
Wine lists positively fly at me from all corners of the table, and to be honest with you, it can all get very intimidating. You see, the only thing wine aficionados can ever tell you with authority, is what they personally like.
Annoyingly, many friends expect me to be able to know what they all individually like, and to find it on a wine list for them.
This reliance upon the ‘most knowledgeable’ member of the group is driven not by their oft-misplaced faith in my abilities to mind-read (I frequently order what I would have chosen, getting it wrong for them), but by a general nervousness about ordering wine in public.
Happily, it is very a simple thing to do, but in order to take the pain out of it you need to understand what the pressures are.
There are four reasons why it feels daunting to order restaurant wine. Firstly, there is time pressure, and often waiting staff will ask you for your drinks order first. Secondly, if in company, there is performance anxiety as your fellow diners will hope (if not expect) that the ordered beverage will be up to scratch. Thirdly, diners generally assume that there is superior knowledge on the part of the waiting staff, so are worried about looking silly in front of them and, lastly, there is that ever-awkward moment when they pour the first tiny little bit out of the bottle for you to “try the wine”. Nightmare. What to do?
1 If you are asked for your wine order before the dinner order, say you’d like to order your meals first so you can pick wine accordingly. This buys you more time, makes you look considered, and increases your chances of getting a good wine.
If you are parched but don’t want to waste money on pre-wine drinks (but are equally embarrassed to ask for tap water) say: “can we have a jug of iced water for the table please?” Works every time!
2 Take the pressure off by making it collaborative. Get your fellow diners to order their meals first and then ask them all what they normally like to drink, or what they think would be good with their chosen meal.
Equally, for the one left holding the wine list, learning up some basic food matching notes (I’m sure this will come up in this blog in the future), or taking a surreptitious glance at your smartphone under the table never hurts.
3 Use the staff’s knowledge (or lack thereof) to your advantage. No wine expert in the world walks into a restaurant they have never been to expecting to know every wine on the list. People that work there every day, on the other hand? They are very likely to have tried most of the wines, and if the establishment is worth its salt, it will have given them some rudimentary training on food matching.
In my experience, recommendations are great nine times out of ten. If you are worried they will point you to the £200 bottle (but feel uncomfortable specifying a budget), preselect a shortlist within your price range, and ask for their recommendation out of those. If your server is flummoxed by your requests, then you look less ignorant by comparison. Win!
4 ‘Trying the wine’ is always awkward, not least because waiting staff always seem to ask a man to do this – even if it was a female compatriot who ordered! The myth is that you try it and if you don’t like it, you send it back, but this isn’t the case; you are checking for flaw or damage.
This isn’t as expert as it sounds. Let them pour the wee splash, then swirl it round the glass holding the base firmly on the table (practice this at home first, or it might go everywhere...) then simply nose it – no sipping! If it smells fruity, say: “that’s perfect, thank you”. If it smells like rotting wood, wet dogs, seaweed or anything nasty like that, do not be afraid to say that you think there might be a problem with the wine, and ask the staff to check it for you. Invariably, they will at least open you a new one.
And that’s it! Follow these steps, and hopefully that will relieve some of the pressure next time you are dining out. Phew – that’s a load off!
Click here for Reading Between the Wines: beyond the supermarketNew technologies make it possible for state and local law enforcement agencies to engage in surveillance that used to be prohibitively expensive and/or effectively impossible. The ACLU has been working with legislators across the country to put in place rules to ensure that we can take advantage of these new technologies without becoming a surveillance society in which our every movements are tracked, monitored, and scrutinized by the authorities. Much of our work to that end focuses on: law enforcement access to electronic communications content, location tracking, automatic license plate readers, and domestic surveillance drones.
If we can address these four issue areas, we will go a long way toward protecting privacy in the digital age. This map provides a snapshot of the states that have already provided privacy protections for some or all of them. Of course, the devil is in the details of these laws, and we encourage you to review the bill text or to check out the ACLU’s blog for more information on just how much protection there is in your state.When a D.C. Council member has offered wacky, nanny-esque legislation, I teasingly have blamed ganja for his action. That joke could have new meaning if the council approves a proposal that would make possession of less than one ounce of marijuana a civil offense instead of a criminal offense. Watch out for the contact high.
“The Simple Possession of Small Quantities of Marijuana Decriminalization Amendment Act of 2013” was rolled out last week by Tommy Wells (D-Ward 6), a mayoral candidate, with Marion Barry (D-Ward 8), Anita Bonds (D-At Large), Kenyan R. McDuffie (D-Ward 5), Mary M. Cheh (D-Ward 3), Jack Evans (D-Ward 2) and David Grosso (I-At Large) as co-introducers. The bill would establish a $100 base fine for anyone caught with less than one ounce of the drug. Those younger than 18 would be required to attend a drug-awareness program.
“If you get a drug conviction, it’s near impossible to get a job,” Wells told me. “You can not get a commercial driver’s license, and young people are not getting hired on [District] construction sites.”
Two words most of us learned early in life — consequences and responsibility — apply here. But D.C. officials are unfamiliar with those concepts. Can’t meet the academic demands of the federal No Child Left Behind legislation? No problem; get a waiver. Can’t complete the requirements for continuing to receive public assistance? Don’t worry; the deadline’s extended. Want to smoke that joint on a city street? No problem; here’s a ticket. What happens when those fines aren’t paid?
Wells said that he’s mostly concerned about youngsters, including those using synthetic marijuana. “They are messing themselves up.” He isn’t keeping up: Mayor Vincent C. Gray (D) talked to merchants Thursday about the dangers of synthetic marijuana, known as K2 or “spice,” which has been addressed by the council and in federal law. That and the fact that his bill surely would invite more folks to use marijuana show that Wells’s actions defy his intent.
Supporters of decriminalization have been spun by recent reports touting the difference in arrests between blacks and non-blacks, mostly whites, in various jurisdictions, including the District. Using Public Service Areas (PSA) 204 and 602, the American Civil Liberties Union of the Nation’s Capital (ACLUNC) has asserted that D.C. police officers are discriminating against blacks.
It isn’t the first time the ACLU has needlessly used race to frame public policy debates. In the process, it casts African Americans as victims and stirs historic animosities between African Americans and police. Now the ACLUNC is using an apples-to-oranges comparison: PSA 204 is a racially diverse, middle- to upper-income community in Northwest with a population of 24,389; fewer than 10 percent (2,118) are under 18. By contrast, PSA 602 is a predominantly black community east of the Anacostia River with a population of 9,647; nearly 25 percent (2,184) are younger than 18, according to government documents.
What’s more, as Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier has noted, in 2010, the period covered by the ACLUNC’s report, there were 12 calls dealing with drug complaints in PSA 204; in PSA 602, there were 518. Civic leaders in Wards 7 and 8 have been pushing merchants to stop selling paraphernalia associated with marijuana, including rolling papers. They don’t want drug use in their communities.
Unsurprisingly, every arrest doesn’t lead to conviction. William Miller, spokesman for the U.S. attorney’s office, told me: “The vast majority of misdemeanor marijuana possession cases is resolved through pre-trial diversion programs or otherwise dismissed.” Those programs help reduce “recidivism and tackle the underlying problems that may contribute to crime without using traditional criminal justice sanctions.”
And getting a job after an arrest doesn’t have to be an issue. Arrest records can be sealed for most first-time offenses, according to D.C. law, although only a judge may order a record expunged. Instead of decriminalizing marijuana, the process for sealing or expunging arrest records could be made simpler.
If, as Wells and others have claimed, there’s a war on marijuana or blacks who possess it, my recent experiences don’t offer supporting documentation. Last week, for example, while waiting for a bus at 16th Street and Park Road NW, a high-traffic area where police cars often pass, I observed two guys — both African American — passing a joint in a nearby public park. The smell was so strong, I almost ran to a nearby convenience story for chips while visions of Haight-Ashbury screamed in my head.Media reports suggest that President-elect Donald Trump is being pushed to nominate Richard Haass to work as the top deputy for proposed Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. But Haass would be a poor choice for at least eight reasons:
1. He’s been the president of the Council on Foreign Relations for Fourteen Years: For those unfamiliar with its work, the CFR is a think tank which is disliked for its globalist outlook by many advocates of Trump’s “America First” nationalist position. For those who are familiar with the CFR and strongly critical of it, the previous sentence will read like a considerable understatement.
For example, ardent Trump supporter Roger Stone, a onetime member of his presidential campaign, stated in July that Trump “does not want a globalist, he does not want someone who belongs to the Council on Foreign Relations, he does not want someone who is part of the Washington-New York elite” as vice-president. (Incidentally, Stone correctly listed Governor Mike Pence as one of the three top candidates for the veep slot on that occasion.)
Suffice to say that the economic-nationalist wing of the Trump base, including many of the Democrat-leaning voters he attracted in 2016, do not like the thought of seeing anyone from the council assuming a high-profile job in the Trump administration, much less its longtime president.
2. He worked for both Bush Administrations. Haass is no stranger to the State Department, having served in the early Aughts as a principal adviser to Secretary of State Colin Powell. Before that, he was on President George H.W. Bush’s National Security Council. Strong Bush associations are not a resume enhancement for many in the Trump coalition, including the aforementioned Democrat-leaning voters.
Despite having worked for Powell, Haass said in 2009 that he was “60 percent against going to war in Iraq,” and claimed he would have resigned if he had known for certain that Saddam Hussein didn’t have the weapons of mass destruction cited as one of the primary reasons for the invasion.
3. He supports open-borders trade rules, which are exemplified by the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Haass himself has acknowledged this is a significant difference of opinion he has with Trump. After Haass had a meeting with Trump in March, he told NPR he thought free trade has “been a net-plus for the United States, it’s created a lot of jobs, it’s given consumers a lot more choice, it’s driven down inflation.”
In the same interview, he said if the United States doesn’t agree to the TPP, “it would raise real questions around the world, again, as to American reliability and predictability.” Or to put it less diplomatically, he’s willing to trade Americans’ wages and jobs in exchange for a few extra bullet points in the agency’s year-end review. His brief in favor of TPP is explained in an April 2015 op-ed he co-authored for the New York Times.
4. He thinks Trump has already damaged the NATO alliance. During the campaign, Haass said Trump was “exaggerating the cost and underestimating the revenues” from membership in NATO. Trump, Haass’s potential boss, has called NATO “obsolete and extremely expensive for the United States, disproportionately so.”
5. He favors the claim that voters should hand over power to multinational governing organizations filled with globalists just like himself. So he wrote in 2006, naming climate change as one of the specific reasons nation-states “must be prepared to cede some sovereignty to world bodies if the international system is to function.”
In a 2012 commencement address, Haass argued “the future is global,” and predicted “climate change will probably alter global temperatures, sea levels, and weather patterns.” He said that our “age of globalization,” the world is inescapably defined by “large and swift flows across borders of tourists, businessmen, students, dollars, greenhouse gases, oil and gas, manufactured goods, services, emails, television and radio signals, technology, drugs, germs, weapons, terrorists, viruses, and much more.”
6. He disagrees with Trump about China policy. In the NPR interview mentioned above, Hass said he had “real differences” with Trump over China. “I do believe that the one-China policy serves American interests well,” he added.
China looks like it could be a major headache for Trump, and would have been for any other U.S. president between 2017 and 2020. Trump has been seeking to chart a different course with China, and has mused in public that the one-China policy (i.e. Taiwan is a permanent part of communist China) need not be considered sacrosanct when he negotiates with Beijing.
7. He’s part of a disturbing “path of least resistance” strategy for Trump appointments. So says Daniel Horowitz at Conservative Review, who is also strongly critical of Secretary of State nominee Rex Tillerson. Horowitz worries that “liberal” Haass is being tapped for Deputy SecState instead of former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton, much as Kris Kobach was “passed over as DHS secretary.” That process bypasses nominees who would effectively implement contentious elements of Trump’s campaign platform, but favors establishment retreads who are acceptable to liberals, globalists, and the political establishment.
8. He’s not John Bolton. This is, obviously, not a major loss for those who oppose John “American First” Bolton for Deputy SecState, who seems to be the major alternative to Haass. CNN reported Thursday on a “revolt” against Bolton brewing among some Republicans, notably including Tillerson.
Reassuringly, perhaps, that piece ended with CNN’s source inside the transition team insisting that “at no time” was the State Department job raised with Haass during his recent phone call with Trump or his meeting at Trump Tower with transition officials. Haass himself said the same thing in an NPR interview on Monday morning, and frankly didn’t sound thrilled by the prospect of becoming Deputy Secretary of State. With any luck both Haass and Trump agree on one major issue — that Haass would not be the best No. 2 at Trump’s Department of State.Rusthaven: An Iron Wind Sourcebook for Numenera
Author: Andrew Montgomery-Hurrell & Karl Larsson
Art Team: Storm Stewart, Nizar Ilman, Noemi Konkoly, Gennifer Bone,
Radu Cosmin, Hoang Phuc and Enmanuel Martinez Lema.
Publisher: Dark Liquid Games
Page Count: 131
Available Formats: PDF
Cost: PDF – $9.99
PREMISE
Rusthaven is a sourcebook for the roleplaying game Numenera and adds new creatures, organisations, descriptors and foci, new NPCs, a completely new set of Iron Wind-caused mutations known as ‘corrosions’ and, of course, the location of Rusthaven itself. It covers multiple types of Iron Wind, how society reacts to them and the prejudices that exist out of fear and ignorance towards the Wind and the people affected by it. A new system for creating random cyphers created by the Wind itself is included, alongside a collection of new artifacts and oddities.
Filled with new artwork, a complete mini-adventure, and several adventure seeds, Rusthaven has everything you need to bring the Iron Wind into your game. Taking inspiration from the body horror subgenre and the weird of Numenera itself, Rusthaven explores both the dark and the bizarre, the bleak and the hopeful. (Credit: DTRPG page)
QUALITY
The overall quality of this PDF only product is top notch! Upon loading the PDF in my viewer, I thought I was looking at a Monte Cook Games (MCG ) produced supplement. The design team took the necessary steps to ensure the layout and design choices look and feel just like an official Numenera product published by MCG. They went so far as including margin notes and page references, just official products, great layout choice.
The choices of artwork are also top notch. Each art piece looks as if it belongs in both content and context to the section of the book it is supporting. The art team is wicked talented!
For once, it was nice to read a quality supplement without glaring grammatical errors. The editing staff did an outstanding job editing and proofreading the supplement; just wanted to point this out.
GENERAL OVERVIEW
Rusthaven provides Numenera fans with a new and unique supplement that is sure to please most 9th Worlders.
There are several things presented in this supplement that are both bold and exciting. The first section a reader will encounter is the most prominent section of the book, Iron Winds. The Iron Winds are a new and devastating phenomenon that cyclically plaques parts of the Steadfast and Beyond. The wind can kill, mutate and create things from non-tangible origins. The Iron wind itself is the source of obscure mutations and other wild and crazy things that plague some, but not many; for the Iron Winds are rare. The Iron Winds present a climatic event to weave in your stories as you see fit. The second prominent section is the section dedicated to
Readers will next encounter Rusthaven itself. Rusthaven is a domed city that can be placed wherever the GM chooses, this is done on purpose to provide GMs with the greatest of flexibility. The town is richly detailed only insomuch as to give the GM a nice foundation to build from. The details presented, which include living in the town, notable places, and prominent people, are enough to use “as is” should a GM want to just drop the town somewhere on the map and go from there, plug and play! Locations and notable personalities are detailed just enough to be engaging and pique a GM’s interest and get their creative juices flowing.
The creatures and characters chapter will provide the GM and players alike with lots of new and exciting material. It all begins with new Foci and Descriptors that will be sure to excite new and seasoned adventurers! There is quite a bit of depth and diversity in these new options that are Rusthaven and Iron Wind specific. The bestiary included is awesome! Lots of weird beasts to add to this or any other game where you might want hints of the Iron Winds. The short section on NPCs is really nicely presented. The design team ensured that not only notable NPCs were included, but common Rusthaven inhabitants were as well.
The short chapter dedicated to Cyphers, Artifacts and oddities may be short but it’s packed with really cool stuff. A nicely thought out rust-cypher generator is included in this chapter. While it is obviously not exhaustive, it will give the GM plenty of options to work with or stand as a solid foundation to further develop new and unique cyphers. The lists of artefacts and oddities are short but are just long enough to give the GM some useful things to work with.
No supplement would be complete without a thematic adventure included and Rusthaven is no exception. The three-part, multi-scene, adventure is really cool! It all begins when the normally self-sufficient residents of Rusthaven must look outside of its dome for help when the far too many strange and disturbing things have been happening within the dome–as if the place was haunted. You’re going to have to play it to find out what’s going on! There is also a handful of creative adventure seed included too.
There are lots of other little details scattered throughout the book’s chapters. For example, there organizations and societies detailed that should give a GM plenty of material to work with!
PROS
– A unique idea that will add depth and richness to any Numenera game
– A creative product that is very easy and engaging to read
– New Foci and Descriptors are useful outside of this supplement
– The mini-adventure is fully developed and nicely crafted
– The adventure seeds are well throughout and inspirational
– A well thought out and wonderfully presented supplement
– Hyperlinked index for quick access to material
– Evocative art
– Great look and feel
CONS
– While I love every art piece, I wish there was just a little more continuity in the art styles used. Products that use a wide array of artists, such as this one, will face this from time to time. bear in mind that this is my personal opinion and you may not feel the same way.
PARTING SHOTS
I am sold on this supplement; after reading it, the Numenera game concept I have been working on is going to need to be changed! I want to incorporate some, not necessarily everything, of what this supplement has to offer in my own game. Even just hinting at the weird and seldom encountered Iron Winds in my upcoming game will leave me with lots of creative options for future sessions with my players. If you love running Numenera games or love having source books from which to harvest creative ideas from, you can’t go wrong with Rusthaven: An Iron Wind Sourcebook for Numenera!
~ Modoc
Join the Boxcar Nation on G+ or on TwitterGet ready, there are a lot of surprises and superlatives in this one. Using the Very Large Telescope, scientists have realized that this hypergiant star is actually the largest yellow star ever found -- and they caught it in a very rare moment.
Scientists and amateur observers have been watching the yellow hypergiant star HR 5171 A for over 60 years. Now, using the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope Interferometer, an international team of researchers have discovered that the yellow hypergiant is even bigger than expected: It’s 1,300 times the diameter of the Sun and about a million times brighter. They thought it was only going to be 400–700 times that of the Sun.
HR 5171 A easily claims a spot in the Top 10 Largest Stars ever discovered. It’s even 50 percent larger than the famous red supergiant, Betelgeuse, which makes up one of Orion’s shoulders.
Only about a dozen for so of these yellow hypergiants are known in our galaxy. (You may have heard of Rho Cassiopeiae.) They’re some of the biggest, brightest stars, and we’re seeing them while they’re at a particularly unstable and rapidly changing stage of their lives -- where materials expel outwards, forming an extended atmosphere around the star.
Additionally, this one was found during a very short-lived phase. You see, HR5171 is a massive interacting binary, or a double-star system where the companion star is still in contact with the main yellow hypergiant star. This is one of the few systems caught in this phase of mass transfer.
“The new observations also showed that this star has a very close binary partner, which was a real surprise,” study researcher Olivier Chesneau from Observatoire de la Côte d’Azur in France says in a press release. “The two stars are so close that they touch and the whole system resembles a gigantic peanut.”
The smaller one, which orbits the hypergiant every 1,300 days, is slightly hotter than the bigger one’s surface temperature of 5,000 degrees Celsius. “The companion we have found is very significant as it can have an influence on the fate of HR 5171 A,” Chesneau adds, “for example, stripping off its outer layers and modifying its evolution.”
In at least the last four decades of observations, HR 5171 A has been getting bigger, cooling as it grows; only a few stars are caught in this very brief phase. (Is there anything not rare about this star?) It’s nearly 12,000 light years away from Earth, but if you’ve got eagle eyes, I hear it’s visible to the naked eye.
The findings were published in Astronomy and Astrophysics this month.
Images: ESO (top) & ESO/Digitized Sky Survey 2 (below)Get the biggest daily stories by email Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Could not subscribe, try again later Invalid Email
THEY claim to have seen UFOs, investigated Bigfoot sightings and hunted spirits said to take on animal shapes to haunt humans.
Now the pair, known as the Native American X-Files, are heading to Scotland to share their experiences.
It was while driving across the Arizona plains that Jonathan Dover says he witnessed his first UFO.
Since then Jonathan and fellow federal ranger Stan Milford have spent years investigating the unexplained in south-west America.
The pair will be guests of honour at the first Scottish Paranormal Festival in Stirling over Halloween weekend.
The Visit Scotland-backed |
had joined his wife, Cheryl, a vocal Clinton supporter, at the event. He allowed that Clinton's jobs-focused speech had included some appealing touches.
"See, I swayed him already," Cheryl Schaible said.
Her husband shook his head.
Clinton's team might settle for such a split in white households. The campaign is generally underperforming relative to Obama's 2012 numbers with white men, leading aides to believe there are still minds to be changed. But she is outperforming Obama with white women.
In particular, the campaign is targeting college-educated whites, a group that Mitt Romney won handily four years ago. Clinton's relative success with this portion of the electorate has improved Democratic prospects in states like Colorado, where the Clinton campaign recently pulled ads in a sign of growing confidence. A recent CNN/ORC poll gave her a lead of 5 points nationally, 44 percent to 39 percent, among white voters with college degrees.
At the same time, across regions where blue-collar jobs in manufacturing and other sectors have evaporated, Clinton is attempting a delicate balancing act: insisting she is not satisfied with the economy even as she defends Obama's work, positioning Democrats as the party of optimists.
"We like being the upbeat, positive people," Kaine said in Johnstown, hours before entertaining fellow campaign bus passengers with a harmonica rendition of "Wagon Wheel."
Clinton allies believe that surrogates like Kaine, Bill Clinton and Vice President Joe Biden could be best positioned to make Hillary Clinton's case for her in front of wary audiences. Biden is scheduled to campaign with Hillary Clinton in Scranton, Pennsylvania, his birthplace, on Aug. 15.
For the hearty minority of white male attendees, Clinton's standard events can already be a heady brew. The men shuffle along in loafers or boots, brushing past young girls in bejeweled jackets, decorated with Clinton's name and likeness.
They chuckle at, and occasionally wear, "Bill for First Lady" shirts. There are extended stretches when the soundtrack, still heavy on Taylor Swift and Katy Perry, reaches peak machismo with a Hall and Oates song, "You Make My Dreams Come True."
"A world of women," John Kochis, an app developer, said at a recent event in Raleigh, North Carolina, where a female gospel choir crooned behind him.
Some marveled at their own uncommon voter profile, wondering aloud how they had not become Trump voters.
"I'm a white non-college!" said Michael Gitt, 55, waiting for Clinton to arrive in Harrisburg. "I'm not straight, so that helps."
In every crowd, the anomalies lie in wait.
As Clinton's rally in Pittsburgh ended Saturday, Don Toy, 63, was strolling out quietly with his wife, Helen. Suddenly, a Jennifer Lopez song came on. Don Toy, a mustachioed former physical education teacher, began dancing in his Crocs, breaking into a sort of rhythmic jog.
Most people say Clinton cannot win men like her husband, Helen Toy allowed. But they also say white men can't dance.Image caption Chancellor George Osborne has called for transport investment to boost cities including Manchester
Representatives from five cities in the North of England are calling for a £15bn 15-year plan to be adopted to improve transport.
The One North report says a 125mph trans-Pennine rail link, a faster link to Newcastle and better access to Manchester Airport are needed.
It has been developed by an alliance of five cities - Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle and Sheffield.
George Osborne has pledged support to the "Crossrail of the North" plan.
The plan, presented at a press conference at Manchester's Beetham Tower, was described as "affordable" by the chancellor.
It comes after he called for a "northern global powerhouse" in a speech in June.
The chancellor previously said the cities in the north of England were individually strong but were "collectively not strong enough".
He said better road and rail links would allow cities across northern England to "take on the world", as London had done.
'Autumn statement centrepiece'
The chancellor said: "Of course £15 billion is a lot of money - it's about the size of the Crossrail project in London. We have got £100 billion capital budget to the end of the decade.
"I think this kind of proposal is affordable."
He added the plans would be "a centrepiece" of his autumn statement and "part of our long-term economic plan for the country".
By 2030, the report proposes:
A new tunnelled trans-Pennine route at 125mph
A fast and frequent intercity rail network joining up the cities, including a faster link to Newcastle and Manchester airports
Improving regional rail networks to allow additional capacity and electrification of existing lines
Increasing East/West rail freight capability across the Pennines
Improving road networks and access to ports
The moves would work with the existing HS2 scheme for the North
Image copyright Getty/Geograph images Image caption The report has also been developed by representatives from Leeds, Liverpool, Newcastle and Sheffield (cities shown clockwise from top left)
Shadow Treasury minister Shabana Mahmood said: "We welcome this report and the city regions of the North of England working together to strategically plan to deliver the growth and jobs we need.
"But only Labour will properly back our city and county regions with ambitious plans to devolve more funding and economic power to them."
Sir Richard Leese, Labour leader of Manchester City Council, said: "The current constraints on our transport networks, the product of years of neglect and under-investment, affect the competitiveness of the North.
"East-West journeys take almost twice as long as equivalent journeys in the south and our rail links are too slow and unco-uncoordinated."
Pat Richie, Newcastle City Council chief executive, said: "Ensuring that Newcastle and the North East are part of an integrated approach to transport is essential to delivering our vision for economic growth in the region."
'Better connectivity'
Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson said the government could not forget the North if it was serious about rebalancing the economy.
He said: "When we talk about economic powerhouses, Manchester and Liverpool, if you just take those two cities in the North together, of course we are one economic powerhouse, it is just we haven't got the connectivity."
He said £350m was being invested in building a super-port which would allow freight from the east to come directly to the UK.
Image caption The green line between Manchester and Leeds shows the existing route which Chancellor George Osborne says could form the basis for a new high speed link
Mr Anderson said: "We want the capacity, the ability to ship that freight further north, east and across to Hull and the Humber."
Mick Cash, acting general secretary of the RMT union, said: "These plans are totally at odds with those outlined in the government's current consultation on Northern Rail and TransPennine Express which, far from recommending expansion, actually slash services to ribbons."
In June, the chancellor said a so-called HS3 should be considered as part of a review into the second phase of the HS2 high-speed rail project.
He said HS3 could cut the journey time between Leeds and Manchester from about 50 minutes to 30 minutes, with trains travelling at up to 140mph, compared with the current maximum of 90mph.
The plan for a high-speed rail link connecting the cities could cost up to £7bn - but could be cheaper if existing rail lines were updated, he added.Gay, lesbian, and bisexual workers already have employment discrimination protections under federal law, the EEOC just ruled.
After decades of fighting for protections against discrimination in the workplace, gay, lesbian, and bisexual employees are actually covered under federal law already, the EEOC has ruled this afternoon. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission finds GLB workers are protected under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
The EEOC finds today that "allegations of discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation necessarily state a claim of discrimination on the basis of sex," as Buzzfeed's Chris Geidner first reported.
Today's ruling is historic, and sets an important precedent that no doubt will lead to a Supreme Court case in the future.
Technically, the ruling covers federal workers directly, but, as Geidner notes, "it also applies to the entire EEOC, which includes its offices across the nation that take and investigate claims of discrimination in private employment. And, while only the Supreme Court could issue a definitive ruling on the interpretation, EEOC decisions are given significant deference by federal courts."
In short, the commission today has ruled that discrimination based on sexual orientation is discrimination based on sex, and thus covered under federal law.
In today's ruling, the EEOC states that "allegations of discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation state a claim of discrimination on the basis of sex. We further conclude that allegations of discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation necessarily state a claim of discrimination on the basis of sex."
Late last year, the U.S.Department of Justice also announced that it viewed transgender employees are covered under the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Chris Johnson at the Washington Blade cautions, "the ruling affects only employment law. The EEOC doesn't have authority to determine whether gender provisions in housing and education law also cover sexual orientation discrimination."
An upcoming LGBT non-discrimination comprehensive bill that Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.) and Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) are set to introduce in Congress should explicitly prohibit sexual orientation and gender identity discrimination in these areas in addition to employment, public accommodations, federal programs and credit.
"We applaud the EEOC's historic determination that sexual orientation is inherently a sex-based consideration, and we encourage all gay men, lesbians and bisexual Americans who face harassment or discrimination on the job to consult an attorney and file Title VII sex discrimination claims with the EEOC," Tico Almeida of the LGBT organization Freedom to Work, told NCRM via an email statement today.
"It's time for LGBT advocates to retire the incorrect talking point that gay Americans can get married at Noon and fired at 2:00 pm without legal recourse."
Almeida is urging the LGBT movement to "take this historic EEOC decision and run with it by turning to the federal courts to win workplace protections across all fifty states," and suggests the Supreme Court will be more responsive than the U.S. House of Representatives.
See a mistake? Email corrections to: [email protected]11:38 am: That concludes today’s media event. iPhone 4S, Siri, new iPods. Hope you had fun!
11:37 am: Oops, available on all three carriers: AT&T, Verizon and now Sprint.
11:36 am: On Oct. 28, it’ll hit a bunch more countries, and by December, over 70 countries, over 100 carriers. This is the fastest rollout ever for an iPhone.
11:35 am: Preorders start on Friday, Oct. 7, and the iPhone 4S will be available Oct. 14 in the United States, Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Japan.
11:33 am: The iPhone 4S will be avilable in black and white. 16 GB for $199, 32 GB for $300, $64 GB for $400, with a two-year contract. The 3GS will now be available for free, and an 8 GB iPhone 4 will now be available for $99.
11:31 am: Video still going on, basically summarizing the points we already mentioned. Processor, camera, Siri, iOS 5 and iCloud. “We’ve thought about every square millimeter that goes inside the iPhone 4S.” And that concludes our video.
11:29 am: Phil is showing a video of the iPhone 4S. The video shows us the inside of the phone, almost like an x-ray. “Siri is a whole new way of interacting with your iPhone, using just your voice,” Scott says in the video.
11:28 am: Now we know all the features that are added in the iPhone 4S. To be clear, Siri is iPhone 4S specific.
11:27 am: With Siri you can use natural language. It’s conversational, contextual, personal. It works with built-in apps, adds dictation anywhere there’s a keyboard. It works across Wi-Fi or 3G. It’ll be built in to the iPHone 4S and support English, French and German. It will be beta to start: More languages and services will be added over time.
11:27 am: “And that is the coolest feature of the iPhone 4S,” Phil says as he steps back onstage. On the keyboard, there’s now a microphone, which can be used to interact with Siri and dictate messages.
11:26 am: What is Siri, exactly? “I am a humble personal assistant,” Siri replies. Much laughter and applause.
11:24 am: Siri can also play any song you want, if it’s in iCloud or on the device. You can use it to make calls, send messages, set up meetings, set reminders, get directions, dictate and send email, find out the weather, get information about stocks, set alarms, find a contact’s address, write notes, perform web searches, and answer any questions you’d normally ask Wolfram Alpha.
11:24 am: If you’re counting down to a special event, you can ask Siri. How many days until Christmas? 82 days (or 2 months, 21 days; 11 weeks, 5 days; 58 weekdays;.22 years). Pretty precise there, Siri.
11:23 am: Traveling abroad? Siri finds the current exchange rates, so you can see how many euros to a dollar, for instance.
11:22 am: You can ask Siri to “define mitosis” and a definition comes up.
11:22 am: Web search is also integrated with Siri. So if you’re looking up info on the space program, you can tell Siri to “Search Wikipedia for Neil Armstrong.” The relevant Wikipedia page comes up in Safari almost instantly. Siri is also partnered with Wolfram Alpha. (Awesome!)
11:20 am: You can also set up meetings hands free, just by talking to Siri. Scott set up a meeting with Phil Schiller for Friday. But there’s more! “Remind me to call my wife when I leave work?” Siri asks for verification about the request, then confirms that it will remind him.
11:19 am: If you get a message, and your phone is in your pocket, you can ask Siri to read it to you, hands free. You just have to say, “Read my message.” Siri reads the message, and asks if you want to “reply” or “read it again”. You can also ask it questions about your calendar. Scott checks he’s open on Friday, then tells Siri to reply, “I can do Friday.”
11:18 am: You can also ask Siri Maps-related questions, and it will read you the directions. Siri has a robotic female voice in this demonstration.
11:17 am: You can ask Siri about stocks. Siri says, “NASDAQ Composite is down right now.” Siri is also partnered with Yelp, so you can ask something like “Find me a great Greek restaurant in Palo Alto.” Siri responds, “I’ve found 14 Greek restaurants; five of them are in Palo Alto. I’ve sorted them by rating.” The ranked listing follows below.
11:16 am: Now, a question about the clock. “What time is it in Paris?” Response: “The time in Paris, France is 8:16 pm.” What about the alarm? “Wake me up tomorrow at 6 am?” “OK, I set it for 6 am,” Siri says. Impressive.
11:16 am: You can also ask the question a different way to get the same result. You can also ask something conceptual like, “Do I need a raincoat today?” Siri responds: “It sure looks like rain today.” The audience laughs and applauds.
11:15 am: You can get to Siri at any time by holding down the home button for a few seconds, like Voice Control on the iPhone now. Scott asks “What is the weather like for today?” The app says, “Here’s the forecast for today,” and brings up a forecast listing. It’s 66 degrees, with a high of 70 and low of 55.
11:14 am: Now we’ve got a demo of beta Siri software. It’s a live demo. Scott Forstall will show us how it works.
11:13 am: “What we really want to do is talk to our device, and get a response. We don’t want to be told how to talk to it; we want to talk to it however we like,” Phil says. This feature that does this is called Siri, your intelligent assistant. It helps you get things done, just by asking.
11:13 am: “It’s the most best iPhone yet.” It has one more feature, all about our voice. Oh boy, you can feel the excitement in the room.
11:12 am: Phil is giving an overview of the iPhone 4S’s features: improved processor, wireless technology, camera, AirPlay, and it comes with iOS 5. It’s also part of iCloud.
11:11 am: Now, AirPlay. You can stream photos and videos straight to your Apple TV setup. It also has AirPlay mirroring. If you don’t have an Apple TV, you can plug in an HDMI cable and do wired mirroring.
11:11 am: “For many customers, the iPhone 4S will be the best video camera they’ve ever owned, the best still camera they’ve ever owned.”
11:09 am: Next, video recording. It can take 1080p HD video with real-time video image stabilization. There’s also temporal noise reduction, which helps in low-light scenarios. Now we’re going to see a sample video of the kind of quality you can expect from the camera. The colors are bright, vivid. It’s a video of three ladies hot air ballooning.
11:08 am: The photos don’t look like they’re shot with a smartphone at all. Last few shots are of the ocean, waves crashing, and wildflowers blooming near a calm beach.
11:07 am: Now we’re seeing some sample photos taken with the iPhone 4S. Sushi shot? Nope, first shot is of some mountains. Hot air balloons over tree tops, a woman with a dandelion. A squirrel! “Do you know how hard it is to get a squirrel to stand still?” (Just give it some food.)
11:06 am: We’re looking at a chart of smartphone camera speeds. The iPhone 4 takes 1.1 seconds for first photo, half a second for second photo. Droid Bionic takes 3.7 seconds for first photo, 1.6 seconds for second photo.
11:06 am: Apple also uses that A5 chip, which houses an Apple-designed image processor. There’s face detection. It has 26% better auto white balance than the iPhone 4, and the chip takes super fast photos.
11:05 am: The iPhone 4S has a five-element lens (there were four in the iPhone 4). This provides a 30% sharper image. It’s got an f/2.4 aperture, which lets in more light.
11:03 am: Third: the camera system. The iPhone 4 is the most popular camera used on Flickr. “We set our sights on competing with great point-and-shoot cameras,” Phil says. So what’s the new camera like? It’s got an 8 MP sensor, you can take photos that are 3264 by 2448. That’s 60% more pixels than the iPhone 4’s camera sensor. But that doesn’t necessarily make a picture better. The new sensor is backside illuminated, which gathers 73% more light than the iPhone 4’s sensor. It’s 33% faster than the iPhone 4 camera as well. On top of that, it’s got a hybrid IR filter for better color accuracy and more color uniformity.
11:03 am: That’s the new antenna system. A breakthrough in antenna technology, faster downloads, world phone.
11:02 am: Next, a world phone. The iPhone 4 came in two flavors: GSm and CDMA. GSM lets you roam around the world. The iPhone 4S is a world phone, as it has both GSM and CDMA.
11:02 am: The iPhone 4S is just as fast as other 4G phones.
11:00 am: Second: the wireless system. Phil’s talking about the iPhone 4’s stainless steel band. The iPhone 4S will intelligently switch between two antennas to both transmit and receive. It can do this in the middle of a call. It improves call quality and can download data twice as fast as before. It can achieve 14.4 down and 5.8 up. (That’s Mbps.) Sound familiar? It’s 4G performance, same as the Motorola Atrix 4G, HTC Inspire 4G, and LG Thrill 4G.
10:58 am: Victory! Enemy defeated. Infinity Blade II will drop on Dec. 1.
10:57 am: The graphics are super detailed. There’s koi swimming in a pond in the water, sunrays, fireflies. And of course, super detailed characters. Your character now has the option to use two swords.
10:56 am: Today they are announcing an iOS Exclusive, Inifinity Blade II. It includes some graphics techniques not even used in high-end gaming consoles. The goal of the game: track down and destroy the deathless.
10:55 am: Apple really sees this improving games. Mike Capps, president of Epic games, is going to show us something now. Last year, they showed us Infinity Blade.
10:54 am: It starts with a retina display, glass in front and back, same form factor as the iPhone 4. But “inside, it is all new.” It’s got an A5 processor. It’s an Apple-designed chip, dual core processor, dual core graphics (up to 7 times faster than the previous iPhone).
10:54 am: Today we’ve got the iPhone 4S.
10:54 am: “Despite competitors trying really hard, they haven’t come up with anything close,” Phil says. It’s the number one smartphone in the world, and number one in customer satisfaction.
10:53 am: iPhone time!
10:52 am: iOS 5 is a tremendous update for the iPod Touch, Phil says. It’ll be available in both black and white. Price drop: 8 GB for $199, 32 GB for $299, 64 GB for $399. Available Oct. 12.
10:50 a.m. Next, iPod Touch, their most popular iPod. It’s the most popular music player in the world and the most popular game player in the world. It will now run iOS 5. With iMessage, you can communicate with other iOS users even though you don’t have a data plan, since it’s free and unlimited over Wi-Fi.
10:50 am: The iPod Nano is available in seven colors, 8 GB for $129 and 16 GB for $149. Nice price drop. It’s available today.
10:49 am: Now we’re talking about iPod Nano accessories like watches. The updated Nano has 16 new clock faces for people who dig that trend. We’ve got a classic face with roman numerals, a retro-looking one, one that’s color coordinated with your Nano, and a Disney Mickey Mouse clock. The audience applauds.
10:47 am: He’s talking about iPod. We’re getting iPod updates. First, iPod Nano, which features a compact design, multi-touch display and more, but now has updates. Now you can display big icons for the features on it and swipe between them with your finger. Fitness is one of the Nano’s most popular uses, so there’s an improved fitness experience. Right out of the box, it can track walks and runs. Plug your Nano into your PC to upload your data to Nike+’s website and compete with friends, gain achievements.
10:45 am: Eddie is giving us a summary of iCloud. It’ll ship Oct. 12, the same shipping date as iOS 5. iTunes Match will ship in the United States at the end of October.
10:44 am: You can stream any song in iTunes Match by just tapping on it. You can create playlists and share them across your iOS devices. Songs you listen to most are cached right on your device. iTunes Match is $24.99 a year.
10:43 am: iTunes Match is another add-on. It gives the same benefits to music you purchased outside of iTunes. iTunes has over 20 million songs, so iTunes Match scans and matches your songs to bring your music to iCloud.
10:41 am: New app: find my friends. It lets you find the location of family and friends. It’s like Find My iPhone for people. But sometimes you just want to share your location for a few hours or a day. You can create a temporary event and share your location for a certain amount of time, like a day at the beach. You can easily locate friends and family, there’s a temporary sharing option, simple privacy controls, and parental restrictions. (Parents can restrict kids from turning it off!) All of this is part of iCloud, which is free for iOS 5 users and OS X Lion users.
10:39 am: When you purchase an app on one device, it’s available on all of your iDevices. Books works the same way. Another feature of iCloud is Backup. iCloud does a daily backup of your iOS device. Contacts are updated across all of your devices, too. Calendars work the same way; you can even share calendars with other iCloud users. Mail provides a free.me email account.
10:38 am: Documents in the Cloud. Now, when you create a new document, like in Pages, it’s automatically saved and stored in iCloud. You can open a document and start editing on any device and pick up right where you left off. Documents are available as Pages, Numbers and Keynote, and will be available on Oct. 12.
10:37 am: Now, Photos. With Photostream, you can take a photo on your iPhone, it’s saved to iCloud, and it’s pushed to your other devices. It even downloads right to iPhoto on your Mac, and you can see it on your Apple TV.
10:36 am: Now, if you download something from iTunes, say on your iPad, it’ll also simultaneously download on your iPhone and iPod Touch. With a tap of a button, you can download a song you’ve previously downloaded from the iTunes store onto another device.
10:35 am: Now, Eddie Cue will talk to us about iCloud. “iCloud stores your content and wirelessly pushes it to all your devices.” iCloud is free. Now, music, photos and documents. Over a third of the music purchased from the iTunes store is purchased on iOS devices.
10:35 am: These are just 10 of the many new features of iOS 5. iOS 5 is a free update that will be available Oct. 12, next week. That’s iOS 5, folks!
10:34 am: PC Free is the next feature we’re talking about. With iOS 5, you take a device out of a box, and there’s no need for a computer. There’s support for wireless updates.
10:33 am: Mail. Rich text formatting has been added, as well as drag-able addresses. You can flag messages and search entire messages. (Thank goodness, I’ve been waiting for this one.) You can also just swipe to get to the inbox on iPad.
10:32 am: Next up, Safari, which will have a new feature called Reader. It makes it easy to read, like Instapaper. If you don’t have time to read a story, you can add it to Reading List, and read it later. Reading List syncs to iOS devices. Tabbed browsing has been added to the iPad so you can quickly switch between websites.
10:32 am: Game Center. There’s over 67 million people signed up for Game Center. There’s friend discovery, game recommendations, and more.
10:30 am: Next up, Camera. There’s now a lock screen shortcut that you can tap to be taken directly to the camera app, you don’t even need a pass code. You can use a volume up button to take a photo. You can use grid lines to compose a photo, pinch to zoom, and you can set the auto exposure/auto focus lock. After you’ve taken a photo, you can edit them right on your iOS device, removing red eye, cropping, rotating, and a general enhance feature.
10:29 am: Newsstand now. Lets you access magazine like The New Yorker, Esquire, GQ, Vanity Fair, and newspapers like The New York Times. These subscriptions are gathered in a single place on your home screen, and new issues are downloaded in the background.
10:29 am: Twitter integration. It’s integrated into the OS. Once you’ve logged in, you don’t need to login again from another app. You can tweet photos, tweet websites from Safari, videos from YouTube, locations from Maps, and more.
10:28 am: Now another new app in iOS 5, Reminders. You can have location-based reminders, if you need to remember something on your way home from work, or simple reminders like a grocery list.
10:26 am: Now iOS 5. It comes with over 200 new user features. Top 10: Notifications, including the notifications center which is accessed with a downward swipe on the device. Less intrusive than pop-up notifications. iMessage is a new messaging service between iOS users. It supports iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. You can send photo, video, messages, and they’re pushed to all of your devices. They can be sent over 3G and Wi-Fi. Messages are securely encrypted.
10:25 am: Apple even mails it for you, and if it’s sent in the United States, you’ll get a push notification once it arrives at its destination. If you mail it to a U.S. address, the service is $2.99. Anywhere else in the world, it’s $4.99. Cards is a free download on Oct. 12. That’s Cards.
10:24 am: Cards is a new app being introduced. It lets you create and mail beautiful cards right from your iPhone or iPod Touch. You make the card, Apple does the rest, printing it out on 100% cotton paper. There’s over 21 different designs in six different categories, including birthdays, birth announcements, love, and travel.
10:24 am: Apple has paid more than $3 billion to app developers
10:23 am: The app store is the number one store for mobile apps. In a little over three years, customers have downloaded over 18 billion apps. And that rate is accelerating: 1 billion apps are being downloaded each month.
10:22 am: So Apple has sold 250 million iOS devices. iOS has 43% of the mobile market. Android has 33%, according to their pie chart. iOS makes up over 60% of the mobile browsing market. There are over 500,000 apps in the app store, including over 140,000 iPad-specific apps.
10:22 am: Scott Forstall is taking the stage to talk to us about iOS.
10:22 am: This morning they passed the quarter of a billion sales mark for iOS devices.
10:21 am: "Consumers don’t want tablets, they want iPads," Tim quotes from AllThingsD.
10:20 am: 92% of Fortune 500 companies are testing or deploying iPad. This is in less than 18 months, which is unheard of. “iPad is the undisputed top-selling tablet in the world,” Tim says. “Despite everybody and their brother trying to compete with iPad, 3 out 4 tablets in the U.S. are iPads.”
10:20 am: Over 80% of top hospitals in U.S. are now testing or piloting iPad.
10:18 am: Next up, the iPad. People have been thrilled with both the original iPad and the iPad 2, he says. 95% satisfaction score in their most recent survey. And iPads are showing up everywhere: in schools. (Cute picture of a girl in a science lab holding an iPad.) Almost a thousand K-12 schools have a 1:1 program so a child can enjoy an iPad for an entire day. Almost all school districts have an iPad program. iPads are in universities, flight cockpits. It makes the pilot and plane more efficient (fuel efficiency).
10:17 am: The iPhone has 5% share of the worldwide mobile phone market. That’s one in 20 people, worldwide. The market is 1.5 billion units annually.
10:15 am: The iPhone 4 makes up over half of the total iPhones sold since the iPhone was first introduced. It’s become the number one smartphone in the world. Year over year growth is at 125%.
10:14 am: Now iTunes. It started with 200,000 songs, they’ve now got 20 million songs, or 10 times that. It is the number one music store in the world. Over 16 billion songs have been downloaded from the iTunes store. Wow!
10:13 am: iPod is still a large and important product for Apple, Tim says. They’ve sold 45 million in the last year ending in June. Almost half of those are going to people buying their first iPod. “It remains a very important business for us.”
10:12 am: Next up, music: iTunes and iPod. It was only 10 years ago that the iPod launched, revolutionizing the way we listen to music, and the whole music industry. Tim says it also reminded us all that we love music, making music a more integral part of lives. iPod became the number one music player in the world; its market share has been above 70% for a long time. Apple has cumulatively sold over 300 million iPods around the world. It took Sony 30 years to sell 220,000 Walkman cassette players.
10:11 am: Apple’s Mac market share is now 23%, so nearly 1 out of every 4 computers sold in the U.S. is a Mac.
10:10 am: The Mac has outgrown the PC market by almost 6 times in the past year. Every single quarter for 5 years the Mac has outgrown the PC market. They are now approaching 60 million users (58 million right now).
10:10 am: Macbook Air and iMac are number one notebook and desktop in the U.S.
10:08 am: Tim is going to walk us through each of Apple’s major areas with an update. First is the Mac with OS X Lion — “It’s the best computer operating system out there,” Mossberg is quoted as saying. Results have been staggering: over 6 million downloads. This is 80% more than Snow Leopard.
10:07 am: Tim says Apple now has six stores in China, bringing Apple to 357 total stores in 11 countries.
10:05 am: The Hong Kong store offers a view of Victoria harbor. It has an even crazier glass staircase. They sold more Macs on opening day in this store than on any other store in the world. It was one of their best opening days in retail history.
10:04 am: Tim is showing us beautiful pics of the stores, one of a glass staircase. They welcomed 100,000 visitors their opening weekend.
10:04 am: A few updates: Just last weekend, Apple opened two new stores in China, one in Hong Kong and one in Shanghai.
10:04 am: Today, Apple wants to remind us of the uniqueness of their company as they announce innovations of their mobile operating system, applications and hardware, and integrating them into a single experience.
10:02 am: Tim Cook has taken the stage. This is his first product launch since being named CEO. He says it’s a pleasure to host us today, and he loves Apple. He says that this campus serves as a second home for many Apple employees. The room we’re in is called Town Hall. Nice pleasantries and introductory remarks.
9:56 am: Apple seems to be a big fan of the classic rock.
9:50 am: We’re in and seated, people are still getting settled. We’re listening to some classic Led Zeppelin.
9:32 am: Sadly, the bathrooms are not as cool as I had hoped. Pretty standard, utilitarian. Top marks for cleanliness, however. Rating: A+
9:17 am: An image of the MacBook Air graces one of the upstairs walls as art. Awesome.
9:11 am: Quite the spread! Time for a mini-muffin.
9:06 am: Oooh, fancy.
9:00 am: Media check-in has begun! Apple sure is timely. Let's get this thing started.
8:44 am: Walt Mossberg from The Wall Street Journal just got here. And Lady Gaga?! Just kidding.
8:18 am: We’re here! Waiting in line to register. We’re locked out of the Town Hall building until later this morning. We’re supposed to get a breakfast at 9. I wonder if it’ll be gourmet or continental style?
CUPERTINO, Calif. — Rumors of Apple's latest iPhone have reached epic heights over the past few months. Today — finally — they'll be laid to rest, as the company announces what's in store for its mobile products. We'll be down at Apple HQ to deliver you the news as it happens. Keep refreshing this page for the latest updates.
Read Wired.com’s previous coverage for a rundown of what we’ll hear about at the event. The keynote starts 10 am PDT, and Wired.com will be live-blogging the event. Stay tuned on this post for the news, or follow @Wired for Twitter updates in 140 characters or less.
Photos: Christina Bonnington and Brian X. Chen/Wired.comAlthough the block size debate has been the main point of conflict within the Bitcoin community over the past year, the reality is that this conversation is more about the larger topic of scalability. Different Bitcoin users would like to see the network scale via specific methods, and the two main parties in this debate are now Bitcoin Core and Bitcoin Classic.
Along with the block size limit, the Lightning Network, and Segregated Witness, another Bitcoin feature that has been covered in controversy is Replace-by-Fee (RBF). Bitcoin Core Contributor Jonas Schnelli recently discussed this new feature, which has been implemented in Bitcoin Core 0.12, during a presentation at a Bitcoin Meetup Switzerland.
Satoshi Originally Implemented Full R |
During Operation Hailstone dozens of ships, planes, tanks were sunk into the ocean. It’s one of the biggest military scrapyards, and it attracts many divers.
#9
Vehicle: Curtiss P-40 Kittyhawk
Place: Egypt
Discovered P-40 in excellent shape. Time was merciful to this one.
#10
Vehicle: Japanese plane
Place: Palau Coast, Pacific Ocean
#11
Vehicle: Mitsubishi G4Ma Hamaki
Place: Salomon Islands
Great picture of Betty resting in peace in the jungle.
#12
Vehicle: B-24D Liberator
Place: Atka Island, Alaska
The last stop of this legendary American bomber.
#13
Vehicle: Mitsubishi A6M5 Zero
Place: Pagan Island, Marinas
This wreck of the famous Japanese Zero wasn’t so lucky…
#14
Vehicle: M41 Walker Bulldog
Place: Cambodia
Not only nature and time took care of this one. The kid too, balancing on the barrel of a once-deadly machine.
Continues on Page 3He is among the most successful novelists of the last several decades; so is she. He is known for writing blood-soaked tales filled with creepy monsters and supernatural beings; she dabbles in the realm of vampires, werewolves and bloodletting. So why is Stephen King hating on Stephenie Meyer?
"The real difference is that Jo Rowling is a terrific writer and Stephenie Meyer can't write worth a darn," King told USA Weekend magazine, comparing "Harry Potter" writer J.K. Rowling and the "Twilight" mastermind. The interview will be published as the cover story of the mag's March 6-8 issue. "She's not very good."
King took the scandalous swipe at the "Twilight" author while answering a seemingly innocent question about whether his 45-year career as a published writer has influenced younger artists the same way he was influenced in his youth.
"I think [my work] has some kind of formative influence, the same way reading Richard Matheson had an influence on me," King explained to the magazine. "People always say to me, 'Well, what about H.P. Lovecraft'? And the thing was, you read Lovecraft when you were a kid, but I never felt that he was speaking my language. It was chillier than my heart was, and when Matheson started to write about ordinary people and stuff, that was something that I wanted to do.
"I said, 'This is the way to do it. He's showing the way,' " King explained, comparing his appreciation for the "I Am Legend" author to the way he has influenced the authors of the "Twilight" and "Harry Potter" franchises. "I think that I serve that purpose for some writers, and that's a good thing."
In the article, King then goes on to compare "Twilight" queen Meyer to another successful "not very good" author: "Perry Mason" creator Erle Stanley Gardner. "He was a terrible writer, too, but he was very successful," the "Cujo" author explained. "People are attracted by the stories, by the pace.
"In the case of Stephenie Meyer," he added, "It's very clear that she's writing to a whole generation of girls and opening up kind of a safe joining of love and sex in those books."
Attempting to explain the enormous success of Meyer's novels, King speculated that Twilighters simply aren't yet ready for a depiction of real, adult romance: "It's exciting and it's thrilling and it's not particularly threatening, because they're not overtly sexual. A lot of the physical side of it is conveyed in things like the vampire will touch her forearm or run a hand over skin, and she just flushes all hot and cold. And for girls, that's a shorthand for all the feelings that they're not ready to deal with yet."
Check out everything we've got on "New Moon."
For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more -- updated around the clock -- visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.SRI LANKA SQUAD ANNOUNCEMENT
Cricbuzz Staff • Last updated on Thu, 18 Feb, 2016, 03:14 PM
Lasith Malinga and Angelo Mathews - the captain and vice-captain duo - has recovered from injuries and have been included in Sri Lanka's 15-man squad for both Asia Cup and ICC World Twenty20. Sri Lanka also roped in Nuwan Kulasekara and Rangana Herath to add to the experience of the team.
Dilhara Fernando, who made a comeback to the Sri Lankan side after a gap of four years, in the India series, was left out after featuring in just one of the three T20Is against MS Dhoni's side.
Sri Lanka, who won the previous edition of the World T20 in 2014 under Malinga, are grouped with West Indies, England, South Africa and a qualifier, against whom they will open their campaign at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on March 17.
Squad: Lasith Malinga (capt), Angelo Mathews (vice-capt), Dinesh Chandimal, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Niroshan Dickwella, Shehan Jayasuriya, Milinda Siriwardana, Dasun Shanaka, Chamara Kapugedera, Nuwan Kulasekara, Dushmantha Chameera, Thisara Perera, Sachithra Senanayake, Rangana Herath, Jeffrey Vandersay
More to follow...Lenovo just announced some very exciting products, the Lenovo YOGA 900 notebook and the YOGA 900 Home all in one (AIO). I will concentrate on the notebook, as that is the form factor I am more interested in.
I just looked back at what the previous YOGA, the Yoga 3 Pro have meant for me and my family (Yoga 3 Pro: 8 months later), and now here we are with the successor to that product.
YOGA 900
This is the successor to the Yoga 3 Pro. It looks like Lenovo has been listening to what people have been complaining about:
Dedicated function keys
Core i7 CPU (instead of Core M)
Support for 16G RAM
Increased battery life.
Almost the same form factor as the Yoga 3 Pro
The hinge looks the same, except it received some color. The size is almost the same, but the new YOGA 900 is a little bit thicker and heavier. The micro HDMI port from the Y3P is gone, replaced by a USB 3 Type C connector. The same you see on the MacBook. Except the YOGA 900 has some more ports compared to that one 🙂
Here is a comparison between the YOGA 3 Pro and the YOGA 900
CPU Y3P: Core M 5Y70 or 5Y71 Y900: up to 6th Generation Core i7 processor
Operating system Y3P: Windows 8.1 Yoga 900: Windows 10
Graphics Y3P: Intel HD Graphics 5300 Yoga 900: Intel HD Graphics (the spec sheet does not specify this)
Display Yoga 3 Pro: 13.3″ QHD+ LED Glossy Multi-touch (3200X1800) Yoga 900: 13.3″ QHD+ (3200 x 1800) IPS, 300 nits
Memory Y3P: 8GB Yoga 900: Up to 16GB
Storage Y3P: 256GB or 512GB SSD Yoga 900: Up to 512GB SSD
Keyboard Y3P: 5 row keyboard Y900: 6 row keyboard (separate Function key row)
Ports Y3P: 2 USB 3.0, 1 DC-in with USB 2.0 function, 4-in-1 reader(SD, MMC, SDXC, SDHC out, audio combo jack Y900: 2 USB Type A 3.0, 1 USB Type C 3.0 with Video-out, 1 DC-in with USB 2.0 Function, 4-in-1 Card Reader (SD, MMC, SDXC, SDHC), Audio Combo Jack
Dimensions Y3P: 13″ x 9″ x 0.5″ Y900: 324 x 225 x 14.9 mm / 12.75″ x 8.86″ x 0.59″
Weight Y3P: 2.62 lbs Y900: Starting at 1.3 kg (2.8 lbs)
Battery life (given by manufacturer) Y3P: 7.2 hours (4 cell 44.8 Whr) Y900: 9 hour video playback / 10 hour web browsing
Features
As you can see from the table above, the YOGA 900 will have Core i processors. In fact Lenovo says is is the slimmest Core i7 notebook on the market at the point of release. While the physical dimensions are a little bit bigger than the Yoga 3 Pro, it still has an impressively small footprint. All in all it looks to be a very well rounded product in the 2-in-1 category. Given that Lenovo lead the way with the first Yoga notebook 3 years ago, and now other manufacturers are following along, I would say they are doing a pretty good job.
The YOGA 900 will be available in three color options: clementine orange, platinum silver and champagne gold. According to Kevin Beck (and based on the pictures in the technical specification) the hinge will reflect the color of the cover. I find this a small change but a very cool idea (and looks amazing)
By opting to go on the Core i7 route, the YOGA now is a viable alternative to the Surface Pro 4 and Surface Book. It solves the biggest complaint people had of the Yoga 3 Pro, and I beleive it will now be a good fit for a work computer – Core M could manage yes, but it had some limitations I talked about in my recent article and review.
The YOGA 900 notebook will be available in October. You can read the full press release on Lenovo.com.
The first reviews of the YOGA 900 also start to pop up.
YOGA 900 Home
The YOGA 900 Home is an All-In-One (AIO) machine from Lenovo, in the YOGA spirit. Giant tablet with an adjustable kick-stand on the back. So you can either lay it flat on the table or you can use it as a desktop when you attach a mouse and keyboard. The YOGA 900 HOME has a weight of 7.6 kg, it is not something you would be expected to carry around or hold in your hands for reading.
The YOGA 900 Home has a multitouch screen with a 27″ diagonal. The resolution is on the lower side for todays computes, being only Full HD (1920×1080). The YOGA products had recently quite high resolutions, so it is strange that a device with larger screen didn’t get a higher resolution.
The CPU options only include 5th generation Core i3, i5 or i7, but luckily it comes equipped with a dedicated nVidia GPU (GeForce 940A with 2 GB of DDR3 memory). Memory is limited to 8GB (4GB or 8GB).
Storage options are 500GB or 1TB, but only a regular HDD can be chosen – even with the 8GB SSHD option this could be better (why no pure SSD option?).
There is no word on upgradeability.
What sets it apart from the usual AIO machines is that it also includes a battery. Given the powerful internals the battery will not last you for long – 3 hours – but from a desktop like machine that is not bad.
The first reviews of the YOGA 900 Home start to pop up online.Last week University of Iowa professor Stephen Bloom published an article in The Atlantic titled "Observations Fom 20 Years of Iowa Life." I am an Iowa alumnus, though not a native Iowan, and the article caused quite a stir among my Iowa friends. Bloom’s opinion piece (the point of which I already forget) overflows with condescension, patronizing in every paragraph the people who for 20 years he has been paid to educate, and within whose communities Bloom has worked and lived and, presumably, prospered.
Certainly there are things to criticize about Iowa, as there are about every place. And while my friends were enraged by Bloom’s frequently unfair generalizations and constantly elitist tone, I was struck by something different, or perhaps I should say by something additional. I was struck by how sad it is that an academic who has lived and worked in the same place for so many years so clearly detests his home and its people so thoroughly. That must be an awful and sorry way to live.
Unfortunately, Bloom’s plight is not uncommon in the academic world, but it appears to me that he has played his hand particularly badly. In the academic life, if you get any job at all, you are likely to be flung to a corner of the country that you never imagined yourself in. It isn’t a death sentence, and it isn’t something to be resented. And all of us beginning or early in our careers should be psychologically prepared for it. Like Bloom, apparently, we may find ourselves in that "first tenure-track job" for 20 years (if we are very lucky). Hopefully, we will not be so miserable. But I also contend that Bloom’s apparent misery is his own fault. My proposition here is simple: no matter where you end up, there will be good things about your new home, things that you may grow to love deeply, but you’ll have to actively seek those things out.
See article on how faculty members adjust when they take jobs in communities in which they never imagined living.
I remember hearing, early in my grad career, a fellow graduate student say, "I can’t wait to move out of the Central Time Zone." Her implication, in case you can't read between the lines of her own condescension, was that the Central Time Zone is full of hokey rubes, and that the real cultural action is on the coasts, not in the so-called flyover states. But hell, we were in Austin, Texas, which is no slouch when it comes to culture and excitement and educated, sophisticated folk. The comment was much more a reflection of her whiny character than of any place (so too in Bloom’s piece). But, in my experience, the attitude she expressed is all too common among graduate students.
Do you imagine that you'll secure a tenure-track appointment in San Francisco or New York, despite all the evidence to the contrary? If so, statistically speaking, you’re delusional. San Francisco and New York are wonderful cities, and I love to visit them, but wonderful as well are Fargo and Roanoke and Pittsburgh. Wonderful as well are the truly rural areas of the country (yes, all of them), where your college may be the largest community for very many miles around. There are a lot of great places to live in this country, and not only the metropolitan cities or quaint college towns. In some parts of the country, and depending upon your own interests and personality, you may have to work harder to find the things and people you’ll connect with, but every locale has things and people to recommend it.
Thanks to Internet connectivity, there’s actually never been a better time to be flung into the hinterlands. Much of the fantastic culture produced in the world today can be accessed electronically. And while watching art house movies on your laptop isn’t quite the same as in the theater, it’s nonetheless a phenomenal and recent freedom. In my own case, digital technologies allow me to stay in touch with friends and colleagues alike, despite my own geographic isolation in far western, mountainous, rural North Carolina. I live in what is probably the most remote and inaccessible territory east of the Mississippi River, apart perhaps from northern Maine. Yet, I can routinely and easily share article drafts with a friend in Toronto, and play board games on Skype with friends across the country (yes, I just admitted that publicly).
While technology will keep you connected to culture and people that are maybe not readily available in your new location, it isn’t enough to build a life around. Being able to Skype with your old friends won’t make you any new friends. It is easy for academics to build their lives around their careers, but I don’t think that’s the best way to integrate into a new community, wherever that community is. In my own case I have found a connection with my new home less through my work than through my hobbies. Biking, hiking, canoeing, fishing (and associated conservation work), and refereeing high school sports — activities that I love and would engage in wherever I lived — have all introduced me to new people, and helped me to integrate into a new place. Whatever your recreational interests are, pursuing those interests will help you to connect with both the people and place of your new home.
A year before I began my current appointment, two of my friends found academic work at a college in Detroit. Many of our friends in common were initially deeply sad for the couple. After all, our disaster-porn obsessed national media has trained us all to think that Detroit is at the bleeding edge of post-apocalypse urbanism. What my friends found was a culturally vibrant and flourishing city. The economic fallout had dropped rents in the city to the point where masses of artists and restaurateurs had opened new studios and restaurants, undertaking experiments in art and food that would have been impossible in higher-rent cities. Detroit, despite what you may have heard, is overflowing with culture and energy and opportunity. My point is that my friends never viewed Detroit as anything other than an opportunity, and they found they loved the city at every turn, despite its (frequently overstated) problems. They found things that they loved about the city because they embraced the city and its quirks and culture. Detroit returned the embrace.
Midway through his bitter verbal savaging of Iowa and its people, Professor Bloom writes "I've lived in many places, lots of them foreign countries, but none has been more foreign to me than Iowa." I too felt I was in a foreign land when I moved to Iowa at the age of 19. Again, I felt I was in a foreign land when I moved to Texas for grad school. And when I returned to the Appalachian Mountains to which I am native, after so much time away, I once more felt adrift in an exotic new land. Yet, I am wonderfully reassured that a person can travel our country and feel so much difference from place to place, despite the homogenizing forces of corporatism currently crushing down upon us all.That a new part of the country feels foreign is no reason to condemn it.
When I interviewed for my current position the toughest part of the on-campus visit was not the job talk or the teaching demonstration. It was convincing the hiring committee that I really did want to live in rural North Carolina. Hiring committees at regional universities are quite justifiably both weary and wary of young academics who intend to use their offers as stepping stones or bargaining chips. And when it comes time to enter the job market, the grad students who gripe about getting the hell out of the Central Time Zone will suddenly realize that the job listing at the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology looks pretty damn good (and I bet it is pretty good — Rapid City is nestled in gorgeous country). Regardless of where you end up though — from Gary, Indiana, to Clovis, New Mexico — there are likely to be a lot of great things in your new home, despite whatever you may have heard, and a lot of great people too, if you simply get out and look, and look hard and honestly.
I suppose that there are those times when, even if the job is good, a certain place doesn’t fit a certain person, and people need to move on. There’s nothing wrong with that, and people have a right to seek work in a place where they’ll be happy. Aside from doing your job, nobody "owes" a college perpetual loyalty. You teach and research, and the institution pays you, and the obligations end there. But at least while you’re in that city or region that maybe doesn’t fit you so well and that maybe you yearn to leave, treat the place and its people with respect.Sharing is caring!
Google Patents from 2016
A couple of days ago, Gianluca Fiorelli published a thoughtful look at the Search Industry in past year, and the year to come at Moz titled SEO and Digital Trends in 2017. He included a graphic within that which listed things that he considered important events in the industry, including Google patents that had been granted in 2016. He listed patents that I had written about in that graphic, but hadn’t linked to them in the post, so I considered doing so, and mentioned in the comments that I likely would. I also wrote a number of posts on the Go Fish Digital Blog, and decided that I would link to some of the Google patents Which I wrote about that were granted in 2016 from there as well.
Here are the Google patents granted in 2016 that I thought were interesting enough to write about this year, and something about what those Google patents do:
How Google May Map a Query to an Entity for Suggestions
Google describes how they might identify and map search suggestions for different entities, by looking at properties associated with those entities.
Answering Featured Snippets Timely, Using Sentence Compression on News
Google describes how they may use News sites as sources for featured snippets, and use algorithms that can create shortened paraphrases to generate answers for those featured snippets.
Google’s Reasonable Surfer Patent Updated
A Google patent that that described how PageRank might be modified by looking at the features and characteristics of links on pages, to understand what seemed to be the most important links was rewritten with a little more emphasis on how important the anchor text in those links appeared to be, and how likely it may be that someone would click upon that link.
Selecting Entities on Sites and Performing Tasks On Them Through Google
This points to the possibility that someone might see an entity on a webpage, be given an option to interact with that entity, such as being able to make a reservation with a restaurant or being able to get driving directions to a business.
Machine Learning Inside Google
A Google patent that describes how Google used machine learning to better perform customer service for their Adwords system.
Ranking Events in Google Search Results
Ranking events in search results could be based upon PageRank and Information Retrieval Scores, but those events could also be ranked based upon how popular entities holding those events might be, and how popular the venues are where they are held. I like ranking based on the entities and venues more, myself.
Google Patents Context Vectors to Improve Search
A horse might mean an animal to an equestrian, a tool to a carpenter or an exercise implement to a gymnast; if a search engine counted up the mentions of a horse in a knowledge base under each type of meaning, it could use those numbers to create vectors that could help it index content based upon multiple meanings of words, and use that knowledge to better understand the meanings of queries; resulting in a smarter search system.
Google News Recommendations and the Google Knowledge Base
Google might identify topics and properties of entities from knowledge bases, and use that information to better verify facts on web pages when possibly recommending those pages as “news”.
Google to Use Distance from Mobile Location History for Ranking in Local Search
Local search might start using a distance from your location history than a distance from your desktop computer as a way to rank places that you might find in Google Maps.
About Those Changes to the Google Keyword Planning Tool
A Google patent describes changes to the Keyword Suggestion Planner tool from Google.
Google Glass to Perform Song Recognition, and Play ‘Name that Tune’?
A Google patent describes how Google Glass could be used to recognize songs and display the lyrics to those songs.
Clustered Entities in Google’s Search Results
Google might try to understand the different entities that appear in a set of search results and cluster those together.
Sentiment as a Ranking Signal for Entities
Rankings of entities that appear in search results could be done based upon the sentiment associated with those entities.
Future Directions for Google Maps?
We are given a view of some possible additions to Google Maps in this Google patent, including Carpool matching, Location-based reminders, Recommendations for businesses, Special events triggering alerts.
How Google May Interpret Queries Based on Locations and Entities
Imagine walking up to a restaurant that you don’t know how to pronounce the name of (on a vacation to another country, maybe), and you search using a phone for the word “reviews” to see reviews about it, and the search engine guesses that you mean the restaurant right in front of you.
How Location May Influence Search Results in Google
Businesses that have a local significance to them may be boosted in search results, and places that have a global significance may be demoted in search results.
How Google May Perform Entity Recognition
A Google patent that describes how an entity identification model might work at Google to help it better recognize entities.
Classifying Queries as Entity Triggering Queries or Description Triggering Queries
Some queries are specifically asking for entities (who directed Star Wars?) while other queries are asking for descriptions (what is Star Wars about?). If Google is able to better classify whether a query is asking for an entity or a description, it can tell if it has given a good answer better.
I often write about Google Patents, so if you are looking for some that were granted other years than 2016, I may have written about them here. If you enjoyed this post, and you haven’t done so, consider connecting with me on Facebook or Twitter.
Sharing is caring!My attraction to transgender women shouldn’t be a secret.
Aubrey Stearn Blocked Unblock Follow Following Aug 7, 2014
I want to begin this article with a warning. I have deliberately been graphic about some of my experiences because they have been pivotal points in my life and my growth. Experiencing them with me might just give you an idea about how I felt during those moments. They are very contrasting experiences; some cold and unemotional which failed to live up to my expectations and some beautiful and deep, moments I wish I could experience again and again.
I never thought that I would ever be okay with writing an article about myself with the admissions that I am about to divulge. The truth is: I’m still slightly insecure about my attractions and sexuality. I worry about what the world will think of me, I worry about it diminishing the respect that my co-worker’s have for me, loosing that camaraderie with the people I work with and the “guy atmosphere” that we currently have. I don’t want this to make me different or special.
Let’s re-wind – to a Pentium 90, 8MB EDO Ram and US Robotics Modem that was a hand-me-down from my dad’s friend. Now at some point (and it’s not a point in time that I had regarded as significant) I found porn. Now as a kid you are naturally curious and back in the days of pop-ups and Warez (Illegal download sites) usernames and passwords being bound around the internet, you occasionally get access to some new and interesting stuff.
Remember I’m 12. Sitting at my computer. Looking at porn on our 640x480 screen. I’m now presented with a gorgeous woman from Thailand who has an ample sized penis. Hold on! — there is a woman on my screen but she has a penis. She’s attractive. She has breasts. She has a penis. And I’m attracted.
Now here is where things feel like they get complicated. I’m not looking at gay male porn, I have no interest or attraction towards guys, I never have. Yet I’m attracted to a woman with a penis. As a 12 year old kid with no guidance on the matter and no Wikipedia, I have only my own assumptions. I don’t even know how this woman is real — they didn’t teach us this in sex education.
This is where my denial and lies began. This is something I carried with me, kept to myself and didn’t act on until my mid 20's. This isn’t something that I experienced and forgot about; it’s something that was always there. I cannot tell you the number of times I’ve been browsing through my movies folder on a network share and “Shemale Porn” flashes up. Instant shame and self-loathing kicks in. I try to blame my current girlfriend — it’s her fetish not mine, I’m totally just indulging her. Except — this isn’t just someone’s fetish that we are talking about. It is a type of woman that I am attracted to and it would be too easy to pass it off as a fetish, an easy way out.
I can’t tell you the number of times my heart would start racing when people crowded around my laptop or computer to type in a URL and it started with “T” or “S” or “L”. I was always living in constant fear that someone I cared about would discover this dirty little secret of mine that I could never quite shake.
Let me ask you something — imagine you are a 6’7 tall, big built, alpha male-type guy, friendly but firm, a natural leader. Not a single person in your life would ever expect you to be attracted to transgender women. Who do you talk to? Are you part of the LGBT community? Are you a “tranny chaser” or admirer?
The truth is (and I can whole-heartedly say this after spending all of my adult life living with these feelings) there isn’t an obvious place for you to go. There isn’t anyone to talk to. There are no groups.
So let’s make a quick list:
Attracted to Women: Check.
Attracted to Men: Nope.
Attracted to Men in Drag: Nope.
Attracted to Transgender women who don’t pass: Nope.
Attracted to Passable Transgender women: Check.
This by my logic and years of mulling it over makes me heterosexual. I’m not bi-sexual nor am I gay. I am attracted only to women, penis or not. This is purely a physical attraction.
I used to worry about what Jeremy Kyle or Jerry Springer used to think. And I constantly worried about what my friends would think.
It took me a long time to decide I wasn’t gay or bi-sexual and feel comfortable with that admission and truly believe it for myself. I can honestly say that I’ve never thought of a transgender woman as anything less than a woman. Knowing first-hand how it feels to wrestle with the way you feel inside and everything on the outside, these women absolutely deserve to be treated the way they feel.
Over the years I’ve met some amazing women. Some have passed through my life; some have become my closest friends whom I absolutely cherish. One of my closest friends, Emilia, has been there for me so many times I can’t even begin to count. I used to hate myself so much that I would cry myself to sleep every night when I fell in love with her but never considered myself to be worthy. In a way, I think we’ve both been there for each other, during her growing up and transitioning to me slowly getting more comfortable in my own skin. Truth be told, she has probably been my personal psychologist.
I gradually started telling my friends over the course of several years. Secrets get heavier with each year that passes and it gets harder to hide a part of yourself. I had a plan, I structured the order of my admission based on how judgemental I thought they were, how long I had known them and how devastated I would be if they called me gay and removed me from their life – these were all guy friends.
The first guy friend I confided in, Tom, I told just before I was meeting a for the first time at my apartment. This was going to be the first time I had ever slept with a woman like this, I figured I might need to talk to someone afterwards.
It hurt. It was rushed. I learnt that I had much more of a dependence on an emotional and romantic connection than I’d realised. That was the first one-afternoon-stand I had and it wasn’t the last. But this experience taught me a lot about what I needed to enjoy myself.
You might wonder why I would want to try something again that was such a bad experience first time round. But even after that event – my attraction never went away. I guess I figured it was kind of like olives. You eat enough of them and you actually enjoy them. There was a bit of enjoyment the first time. But it wasn’t the romantic, euphoric moment that I had expected to share with someone.
I guess this begs the question, why a one-afternoon-stand? Let me put it like this; you can share anything with a stranger, and I very much doubt you would be concerned about their judgements and what they think of you. In many ways, it’s much harder to tell a partner you have known for some time your deepest darkest secrets. Over the years I’ve developed the approach of being very upfront with mine because who cares if someone leaves or dumps you at the beginning over judgement? A stranger is someone you can try something new with, something you might not stick with, an experiment who won’t cast a judgement that will haunt you.
I’d like to tell you another story of when I thought my life had ended and when I found “The Scene”. I had arranged to meet an absolutely beautiful woman, think Jessica rabbit. She was almost as tall as me in heels, the most seductive smile and voice, I’d never been so smitten and my fear and self-hatred had never been so far away. Meeting her publicly for the first time should have been a big step for me. Because I was so wrapped up in just having a drink with her, I had not even considered I was meeting a transgender woman in public for the first time.
We spent the entire evening talking and flirting, I couldn’t stop looking at her eyes, and she was a seductress of the most advance level. I think I would refer to this as Hyper-Femininity, a woman more female than any female you had ever met; in a way this is one of the things that attract me to transgender women.
Now I will credit her with a few things. Primarily, the first time I had ever been to a gay club was with her. I clung to her arm like my life was at stake and I didn’t leave her side all night. She knew everyone and everyone wanted a kiss on both cheeks and I was more uncomfortable than I had ever been in any situation. Ever.
I would have done and gone anywhere with her, so it wasn’t the last time I ended up in a club like that but I never left her side while there. One of the last times we went out together was to a well-known Birmingham drag club. We were out with her female friend and her female partner, some of these experiences definitely contributed to me feeling more at ease, like this was all normal.
As we flirted and talked and watched the show, she placed my hand under the table in her underwear. I’d never touched her before and this was in public. I was so shy, I remember feeling like I was going bright red, I wasn’t even sure what I should do — what was the protocol?
What I liked about her was how she took the lead, she placed my hand in her pants, not me, she would walk further ahead when we were out, slightly tugging on my hand as if to lead me. No woman has ever been able to push me up against a wall, kiss me and leave me feeling as vulnerable and desperate for her attention as she could.
Later that night I left and she stayed out. I woke up the next morning to go to work and I was in Tesco getting some breakfast when my neighbour professed that he had not only heard what I did last night, but that every gay man in Southside Birmingham had. To make matters worse, the drag act on the stage had seen what I was doing under the table and made it part of the nights entertainment. I was devastated! My life was over. I didn’t even want to leave my apartment. But funnily enough, life went on and everything was forgotten, it’s silly how big we make these things in our mind.
Now one more thing I have to accredit this woman with is being the reason I told my dad. I had fallen for her so much I absolutely wanted to date her, she was a goddess and I was amazed that she was even talking to me. I’d cooked for her a few times (I even practiced making the dish 3 times to get it right), I had never done that for anyone. I remember calling my dad and telling him how much I liked this girl and that I wanted to date her. I also remember choking over the words “she wasn’t born a girl” like it was something I had to disclose. The simple truth was that I didn’t want her to be a secret, I didn’t want her to ever think I was ashamed of being with her or embarrassed. My dad of course was okay with it and simply said “whatever makes you happy”. I don’t know what I had expected from him, but the result was good. We talked about having kids and my feeling that I had an obligation to have them, dad reassured me that the only obligation I had was to myself alone.
She was the first transgender girl I think I loved. I didn’t even consider how anyone else felt except me and her. But it soon became clear that she was a pathological liar and more of a fantasy than a realistic partner.
Let’s move on to the second girl I felt something for, Anastasia. I met her though a mutual friend. I think we spent a Saturday, all three of us drinking and watching movies at my apartment. Now she was sitting at one end of my three-seat sofa and I at the other end. I think our feet were touching, later on she got up to get a drink and then we were sitting on the same seat of the sofa. I was attracted to her from the moment I saw her at my door. As the afternoon passed, the touching became fondling, as the alcohol flowed the inhibitions and fact that there was a third person in the room drifted away. I’m not entirely sure when our mutual friend left, but she did.
Now I can only describe this next “scene” as something resembling frightened teenagers experimenting, except I was 24. Both of us had our jeans undone and hands down each other’s pants. I think it would have been fair to say because of the mutual attraction we were both nervous as hell.
One of us, I forget who was the bravest to pull the others penis free of their underwear and the other followed, soon our jeans were off and my penis was in her mouth.
I’m going to interject before this next part, this isn’t actually the |
whatever exit bill Britain is assessed to owe to the Union, the EU will have less cash to fund economic development in poorer member states and regions, agricultural subsidies, scientific research, economic competitiveness and assistance to third countries.
It is not yet clear whether the result will be a smaller EU budget, higher contributions by the remaining members or some widening of the EU's traditional Own Resources — money received from customs duties on goods imported into Europe and a share of Value Added Tax revenue.
Over the decades, the share of customs revenue in EU funding has dwindled to about 14 percent as tariffs have fallen. The VAT Own Resource also makes up about 14 percent of funding. That means more than two-thirds of the EU's income now comes from a levy on member countries' Gross National Income (GNI).
While levying taxation remains strictly a national prerogative, the EU treaty says "Without prejudice to other revenue, the budget shall be financed from own resources." It does not specify how.
Germany and the Netherlands, both large net contributors, have also opposed any earmarking of additional revenues beyond customs and the VAT slice to fund the EU, arguing that such a move would breach their constitutions.
The Monti group, which included Commission Vice President Frans Timmermans, a Dutchman, and German economist Clemens Fuest, head of the conservative Ifo economic research institute, argues that things are not so clear-cut. They recall, for example, that German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble has proposed a Europe-wide levy on gasoline to fund additional spending on the refugee crisis.
Britain’s departure should be used to change the tone of the budgetary debate.
The report also notes that there are multiple padlocks to prevent runaway EU expenditure, with annual budgets requiring European Parliament and Council approval by a qualified majority, all within the iron corset of the MFF. What is at stake is not more or less spending, but raising the money in a way that eliminates or greatly reduces the zero-sum battles among member countries.
Monti, a former European commissioner for taxation, the internal market and competition, is too wily to recommend a single preferred option for new Own Resources, knowing it would come under immediate attack.
The EU limits its total Own Resources to 1.2 percent of gross national income. In practice, expenditure is lower at just 1.05 percent of the Union's economic output in 2016, or €155 billion — barely 1/40th of national budgets. Since the Union is not allowed to run a deficit or borrow money, each year's budget must be balanced, which becomes increasingly tricky since spending on long-programmed infrastructure projects is higher toward the end of each seven-year period.
Britain’s departure should be used to change the tone of the budgetary debate. Rather than simply looking through the distorting lens of "how much do I pay in and how much do I get back," countries should examine how much the EU as a whole and its member countries in particular benefit from cross-border spending.
Everyone would gain if the relatively modest EU budget was no longer seen only as a zero-sum game, but as an opportunity, as the Monti panel puts it, to maximize "European added value,” be it through coordinated border control or via expenditures that complement national expenditures.
Letting the EU gather more of its Own Resources, as the founding fathers intended from the outset, would be a good start.
Paul Taylor writes POLITICO‘s Europe At Large columnA mild *boilk* to begin with.
We have a late kick-off today, playing at Loftus Road against newly relegated QPR. I have to admit this game worries me a bit. Perhaps I’m just bracing myself unnecessarily, taking a slightly glass half empty outlook, but I think after their Premier League status has been sorted they might play with a measure of freedom that the relegation battle didn’t allow.
It’s certainly something Arsene Wenger is aware of, and we have to hope that the team don’t go out and think this one is going to be easy in any way. The win at home was far from convincing, and we lost this game last season. After a run of successive wins, we got a bit big for our boots, didn’t do the simple things well enough and got punished. Anything like that today will likely prove fatal for our Champions League hopes.
On the other hand, QPR’s not-giving-a-shitness might continue, the home crowd might be utterly fed up with the chancers who have played so poorly all season and it might just be perfect for us, so who knows? But as Lukas Podolski says:
I think you must not concentrate on the other team, we must concentrate on ourselves. I don’t look at what QPR are doing. They will fight but I think we have the ability to beat them.
The German is likely to continue up front, with Arsene Wenger saying:
I believe it is his best position maybe because on the flanks he needs to work so hard and he’s more a finisher than anyone else in the team. Him and Theo Walcott are two finishers. He was a little bit rusty (against Manchester United) because he had not played a lot. But of course it’s a good opportunity for him to show that he has a future in this position and that he can finish.
Considering how well others played against United it’s hard to imagine there’ll be much else changing. The only real issue is whether he brings back Jack Wilshere for Tomas Rosicky, but given that it’s an away game, and one in which we need to set the pace, I’d be tempted to start with the Czech and use Jack if needed from the bench. I don’t think anything will change in the back four, although Monreal for Gibbs might be a possibility as the Spaniard has been given the nod in our last three away games in the league.
I think if we get into them early, the same way we did against United, then we could blow them away. The intensity of our tackling and pressing should garner chances against a team which has only won twice at home all season. The key is obviously taking those chances, because while results have been good, performances have been a little under-par. The idea of going into the final nervous, heart-pounding 20 minutes of this game still needing to score doesn’t appeal in the slightest.
We know that nothing less than three points will do today, Sp*rs play at 3pm so they could add a dollop of pressure to proceedings too. That said, this is familiar territory for us. We’ve been here before, we don’t even need to wear the t-shirt, so hopefully the experience in the side, of this situation and in general, will be enough to see us over the line today. A great performance would be nice, but I’ll take the three points any way we can get them.
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Aside from the game, there was some interesting stuff from Arsene Wenger yesterday who, in my opinion, hinted at the kind of spending we haven’t seen from him in the last few years. At his press conference yesterday, he said:
We have gone through a period that was very sensitive, we are coming out of it now, in a much stronger position financially. believe that this club is today in a very, very strong position and has gone through a very sensitive period in a very intelligent way. After that, everything is here to have a great future. We have a good fanbase, we have now a strong financial situation, we have good young players and a squad with a bright future with the quality of the young players we have. It is just to manage it well now.
Before I go on, I understand that some people might think this is just about selling season tickets. I also understand people who say they’ve heard this before and those who don’t have much faith even if he did decide to spend. I think the concerns people have about the manager go beyond what he has or hasn’t spent.
However, I don’t think I’ve ever heard him talk about us being financially strong before. Certainly not in the post-stadium era. And the reality is the landscape is changing. We’ve got a massive increase in income from the renewal of the Emirates sponsorship, there is a new kit deal coming which should add something similar to the coffers, and we’ve got the 19th largest commercial bank in Kenya onside too … *cough*
There was money available to him in January, he refused to spend it believing it could be better spent this summer, and maybe my glass is now half full again, but I do think that we’ll be see something of a busy summer in the transfer market. Perhaps not in terms of quantity, but I think we’ve got the financial firepower to make a statement in terms of quality. For those who say he never spends big, he did in the past, comparatively speaking.
The reality is that we have been somewhat hamstrung by finances and tried to do things a different way. We haven’t always used everything available to us – something I’ve mentioned plenty of times and which has been a source of frustation – but hearing Arsene Wenger talk about our financial strength is a departure from the usual script and, fingers crossed, a statement of intent. I guess we’ll find out this summer.
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If you can’t see the game later, we’ll have full live blog coverage as always. Check back later on for a post with all the info or bookmark the default live blog page.
Until then, come on you reds.NEW DELHI: The Election Commission has turned down AAP’s demand for allowing change or tampering of EVM motherboard during the ensuing'EVM challenge ', saying that changing the motherboard or internal circuitry of the machine was like changing the whole device itself.“It is the considered view of the Commission that allowing any change of the motherboard or any internal circuit etc of the EVM is like saying that anyone should be permitted to manufacture a new machine and introduce newly made EVMs in ECI system, which is implausible and irrational...any ‘look-alike’ machine is just a different gadget, which is manifestly designed and made to function in a ‘tampered’ manner and has no relevance, incidence or bearing on the Commission’s EVMs,” EC said in a letter sent to AAP on Thursday.EC was responding to a communication received from AAP on May 24, urging the poll panel to reconsider the terms of the EVM challenge. The party had asked EC to allow the challenge to be an ‘open hackathon’ where tampering of any kind can be demonstrated, while recalling how MLA Saurabh Bhardwaj had shown in the Delhi assembly that tampering of EVM was possible.“Such a scenario is completely ruled out within our administrative safeguards and stringent security protocols and that’s why it is not proposed in the ensuing EVM challenge,” said the Commission.While describing the ‘EVM’ hacked by AAP MLA In Delhi assembly as a mere “look-alike” of ECI EVM, the poll panel said the “so-called demonstration on extraneous and duplicate gadgets, which are not owned by the ECI cannot be misused and exploited to mislead or vilify the EVMs used by the Commission”.EC also reiterated that in case AAP has some data or evidence suggesting that the EVM used in the recently-held assembly polls were tampered to deliver skewed results, it may use the opportunity provided as part of EVM challenge to select EVMs from the said polling stations to verify results and demonstrate the tampering.Incidentally, AAP, or for that matter any party, is yet to confirm participation in the EVM challenge, scheduled to start June 3.EC, in its letter sent to AAP on Thursday, also reiterated that the three incidents cited by it to allege tampering of EVMs in Bhind, Dholpur and a BMC poll in Maharashtra were “factually incorrect, misleading and devoid or any truth”Scientists have mapped out the genes that keep our cells alive, creating a long-awaited foothold for understanding how our genome works and which genes are crucial in disease like cancer.
A team of Toronto researchers, led by Professor Jason Moffat from the University of Toronto’s Donnelly Centre, with a contribution from Professor Stephane Angers from Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, have switched off, one by one, almost 18,000 genes — 90 per cent of the entire human genome — to find the genes that are essential for cell survival.
The data, published in Cell on November 25, revealed a “core” set of more than 1,500 essential genes. This lays the foundation for reaching the long-standing goal in biomedical research of pinpointing a role for every single gene in the genome.
More on this breakthrough from The Atlantic, Maclean's and VICE Motherboard.
By turning genes off in five different cancer cell lines, including brain, retinal, ovarian, and two kinds of colorectal cancer cells, the team uncovered that each set of cells relies on a unique set of genes that can be targeted by specific drugs. The finding raises hope of devising new treatments that would target only cancer cells, leaving the healthy tissue unharmed.
“It’s when you get outside the core set of essential genes, that it starts to get interesting in terms of how to target particular genes in different cancers and other disease states,” says Moffat, who is also a professor in the Department of Molecular Genetics and a Senior Fellow at the Canadian Institute For Advanced Research (CIFAR).
Sequencing of the human genome 12 years ago allowed scientists to compile a list of parts – our 20,000 genes – that make up our cells and bodies. Despite this major achievement, we still didn’t understand the function of each gene, or how some genes make us sick when they go wrong. To do this, scientists realized they would have to switch genes off, one by one across the entire genome to determine what processes go wrong in the cells. But the available tools were either inaccurate or too slow.
The recent arrival of the gene editing technology CRISPR has finally made it possible to turn genes off, swiftly and with pinpoint accuracy, kicking off a global race among multiple competing research teams. The Toronto study, along with the paper from Harvard and MIT, published recently in Science, found that roughly 10 per cent of our genes are essential for cell survival.
These findings show the majority of human genes play more subtle roles in the cell because switching them off doesn’t kill the cell. But if two or more of such genes are mutated at the same time, or the cells are under environmental stress, their loss begins to count.
Because different cancers have different mutations, they tend to rely on different sets of genes to survive. Moffatt’s team have identified distinct sets of “smoking gun” genes for each of the tested cancers – each set susceptible to different drugs.
“We can now interrogate our genome at unprecedented resolution in human cells that we grow in the lab with incredible speed and accuracy. In short order, this will lead to a functional map of cancer that will link drug targets to DNA sequence variation,” says Moffat.
His team has already shown how this can work. In his study, Metformin, a widely prescribed diabetes drug successfully killed brain cancer cells and those of one form of colorectal cancer — but was useless against the other cancers he studied. However, the antibiotics chloramphenicol and linezolid were effective against another form of colorectal cancer, and not against brain or other cancers studied. These data illustrate the clinical potential of the data in pointing to more precise treatments for the different cancers – and show the value of personalized medicine.
“The Moffat group has developed a powerful CRISPR library that could be used by investigators around the world to identify new treatment strategies for the treatment of cancer,” says Dr. Aaron Schimmer, a professor in the Department of Medical Biophysics and a medical oncologist at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre in Toronto, who was not involved in the study. “I would be interested in using this tool to identify new treatment approaches for acute myeloid leukemia – a blood cancer with a high mortality rate.”It has been a while since Kashmiriyat began doing the rounds — to the extent I can’t really say who or what actually coined it. It could have been a coinage of the Maharaja era, or even the separatist Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front’s accidental discovery in arguing the cultural isolation of the Kashmiris. Although, why they would ignore Jammu-yat or Laddakhi-yat, I wouldn’t know. It could also have been a National Conference plant, in arguing its case for greater autonomy for a very special people. It is a pliant enough word to have been used by the rag-tag Hurriyat, in their hurry to become amenable to any international platform that was available, and it is often used by the Indian political establishment across the floor when they want to rub in the distinction between this Kashmir and the one that is not this.WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court will decide three cases in coming months that could help or hinder President Donald Trump’s efforts to ramp up border security and accelerate deportations of those in the country illegally.
A general view of the U.S. Supreme Court building in Washington, U.S., November 15, 2016. REUTERS/Carlos Barria
The three cases, which reached the court before Democratic President Barack Obama left office, all deal broadly with the degree to which non-citizens can assert rights under the U.S. Constitution. They come at a time when the court is one justice short and divided along ideological lines, with four conservatives and four liberals.
The justices will issue rulings before the end of June against the backdrop of high-profile litigation challenging the lawfulness of Trump’s controversial travel ban on people traveling from seven predominantly Muslim countries.
The most pertinent of the three cases in terms of Republican Trump administration priorities involves whether immigrants in custody for deportation proceedings have the right to a hearing to request their release when their cases are not promptly adjudicated.
The long-running class action litigation, brought by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) on behalf of thousands of immigrants detained for more than six months, includes both immigrants apprehended at the border when seeking illegal entry into the United States and legal permanent residents in deportation proceedings because they were convicted of crimes. The case also could affect long-term U.S. residents who entered the country illegally and have subsequently been detained.
The Trump administration has said it wants to end the release of immigrants facing deportation and speed up the process for ejecting them from the country. A decision in the case requiring additional court hearings could have very direct implications for the administration’s plans, said ACLU lawyer Ahilan Arulanantham, especially since immigration courts currently have a backlog of more than 500,000cases.
The ACLU estimates that up to 8,000 immigrants nationwide at any given time have been held for at least six months. A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement official was unable to immediately confirm data on length of detention but said that in fiscal year 2016, the average daily count of detainees was just under 35,000.
“If Trump wants to put more people in deportation but does not increase the number of immigration judges, then people are going to have to wait longer and longer to get a hearing,” said Stephen Yale-Loehr, an immigration law professor at Cornell Law School.
The Trump administration has pledged to sharply curtail illegal immigration, with initiatives such as building a wall along the U.S-Mexican border and hiring thousands of federal agents to police the border and arrest and deport immigrants who live in the United States but entered the country illegally. Trump has also threatened to withhold federal funding from so-called “sanctuary cities” that offer protections to immigrants who could face deportation.
CROSS-BORDER SHOOTING
The other cases to be decided concern whether U.S. government officials can be sued over mistreatment of non-citizens in two separate contexts.
One will decide whether the family of 15-year-old Mexican teenager Sergio Hernandez, who was killed while on Mexican soil by a U.S. agent firing from across the border in Texas, can sue under the U.S. Constitution.
It is a scenario that the lawyers for Hernandez’s family say could become more frequent if the Trump administration acts on its proposal to increase the number of border guards by 5,000, raising the prospect of similar confrontations. The court hears arguments in that case on Feb. 21.
The second is a civil lawsuit brought by immigrants, mainly Muslims, who were detained in New York after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks and claim they were mistreated.
The group of Muslim, Arab and South Asian non-U.S. citizens say they were held as terrorism suspects based on race, religion, ethnicity and immigration status and abused in detention before being deported.
The long-running case focuses on whether senior officials in the administration of Republican President George W. Bush can be sued for their role in directing the action.
The Obama administration argued that the court should be wary of extending liability to the actions of senior officials, especially when it implicates national security and immigration.
Based on the skepticism of the justices during the Jan. 18 oral argument, the court seems likely to rule against the detainees. Chief Justice John Roberts expressed concern that permitting such lawsuits against senior U.S. officials would become “a way of challenging national policy” through litigation seeking monetary damages against the individuals who implemented the policy.
The three cases are separate from litigation over the legality of Trump’s travel ban, which could also ultimately be decided by the high court. The key case on that front is now pending before an appeals court in San Francisco after a three-judge panel upheld a lower court decision to put the ban on hold.
Language in the upcoming rulings that address the rights of non-citizens and analyzes how courts should review govenrment action on immigration and national security could have relevance in that case, legal experts say.
Anil Kalhan, an immigration law professor at Drexel University’s Kline School of Law, said the furor over the treatment of non-U.S. citizens affected by the travel ban could bleed over into how the court approaches the cases.
“It might be the atmospherics of what’s going on now might lead to a closer look from the justices,” he said.
(This story has been refiled to correct spelling of Ahilan Arulanantham in paragraph six.)2014 Ticket to Ride World Championship marred by irregularities in final match. Kenneth Heilfron from the USA named the official winner. Los Altos, CA; Paris, France – November 4th, 2014. Representing the USA, Kenneth Heilfron is officially declared the 2014 Ticket to Ride World Champion as the previously announced champion, Erwin Pauelsen has resigned his title. After more that 25,000 contestants played around the world, Days of Wonder gathered the 28 National Champions in Issy-les-Moulineaux near Paris, France for the final stage of the Ticket to Ride World Championship tournament. After 3 qualifying rounds, the top 8 then played a succession of head to head games for quarter, semi and then championship games. Erwin Pauelsen appeared to have won the final match and was awarded the Golden Train Trophy. However, quickly after the event ended, contestants and Ticket to Ride fans from around the world (who were able to follow the tournament live on the internet) voiced concerns about possible irregularities during the final game. Days of Wonder closely examined the final matches and unfortunately found evidence of cheating during the 2nd game of the final. Mr Pauelsen has admitted to his dishonesty and agreed to hand back his title and trophy. In accordance with the Official Rules of the 2014 Ticket to Ride Championship, the final ranking is now as follows: 2014 Ticket to Ride Champion: Kenneth Heilfron (USA)
2nd Place: Michel Hautecœur (Belgium)
3rd Place: Piotr Hrachun (Russia) While it is unfortunate that the Championship was marred by cheating, Kenneth is a true champion and Days of Wonder congratulates him on winning the title. The board game world, specifically the Ticket to Ride community, has always been one filled with friendly and fair competitors. It saddens us that this dishonest behavior occurred, especially given all the time and energy put into the Championship – not only by the company, but by the hundreds of volunteers who helped run Ticket to Ride events worldwide. Days of Wonder is thankful to those who have helped to uncover and resolve this situation in the most honorable way possible. About Days of Wonder Days of Wonder develops and publishes games that Play different.™ From its insistence on releasing only a very limited number of new games to its uncompromising board game production values and unique in-house digital development team, Days of Wonder consistently raises the bar with an unmatched string of hits that includes Ticket to Ride, the world's best-selling train game; Small World, the legendary fantasy game of epic conquests; and Memoir '44, the World War II saga with 20 expansions to its credit. Days of Wonder board games are distributed in 40 countries, with digital versions available on the iOS App Store and Google Play, as well as on Steam and on Days of Wonder's web site: www.daysofwonder.com. Days of Wonder, Ticket to Ride, Small World, Memoir '44 are all trademarks or registered trademarks of Days of Wonder, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.On September 16, 2013 by admin
Amalendu Bikas Kar Chowdhury
[Amalendu Bikas Kar Chowdhury is a renowned singer, song writer and music director, associated with All India Radio for a long period of time. This essay appears in a fine selection on the history of the wireless in India—Kolkata Betaar: 1927-1977 (edt. Bhabesh Das & Prabhat Kumar Das, Purbanchal Sanskriti Kendra, 2013). Translated by HUG]
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Two news bulletins: April 18 and April 19, 1980 from the All India Radio, Calcutta, informs us that all artists of Akashvani are free to perform with the harmonium as an accompaniment once again. Therefore, it is evident that the harmonium did actually disappear from the world of the wireless in this part of the world at some point of time. But why did such a thing happen?
There are a couple of interesting apocryphal stories about this matter. Suresh Chakraborty in his well-known essay Sudha Sagara Teere (Desh, June, 1979) writes: “What a portentous moment was that when Pandit Nehru uttered—‘I simply cannot tolerate that instrument. It is revolting to my very being.’— in his mind the cloying custom of inaugurating every meeting or congregation with an inaugural musical composition, with the omnipresent harmonium in tandem. A thoroughly middle class and utterly banal practice, it is still very much a social phenomenon that we tolerate.” So, Nehru’s minions got into the act and made sure that the harmonium made itself scarce from the radio station.
In another anecdote, E.R. Ramkumar in the Sunday Magazine, The Times of India, December 10, 1979, tells us in his informative article, Harmonium: Why the Boycott?: “Lionel Fielden, India’s first broadcasting chief, banned the harmonium in 1939 as he felt it was not suitable to the tonal inflections of Indian classical music.”
But these kinds of conjectures, as I have already hinted, are largely apocryphal, with no solid factual evidence behind them. The real reason behind this decision was Rabindranath Tagore, who did not think that the harmonium has or should have anything to do with Indian music. So, he had shot off a terse letter to the then Calcutta Bureau chief of Akashvani, Shri Asoke Kumar Sen, on 19/21 January, 1940.
Uttarayan
Santiniketan, Bengal
January 19/21, 1940
Ref: D.O. GC 1414 dated 17.1. 40
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Dear Ashoke,
I have always been very much against the prevalent use of the harmonium for purposes of accompaniment in our music and it is banished completely from our asrama. You will be doing a great service to the cause of Indian music if you can get it abandoned from the studios of All India Radio.
Yours sincerely,
Rabindranath Tagore
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Sj. Ashoke Kr. Sen
All India Radio
1, Garstin Place, Calcutta
And who can disregard Tagore of the late 1930s? Naturally the harmonium, promptly and with an air of finality, did make an exit from radio stations beginning March 1, 1940. It reappeared on July 9, 1974 on AIR, Calcutta when that wizard of a harmonium player, Montu Banerjee, initiated a solo programme and started broadcasting his pieces with a new-found gusto. Actually, it is from October 1971 that some of the performers began using the harmonium as accompanying instrument—Manindra Mohan Banerjee, Satyendranath Chakraborty, Dhiresh Chandra Mitra, Muneshwar Dayal, apart from Montu Banerjee himself, were all on the AIR roster.
Gradually, Akashvani did seem to facilitate the instrument’s coming back to vogue in group based or special programmes. But make no mistake: this happened gingerly. Because there were classists and Tagoreans of the earlier variety still on the lookout. But no dictum is ever full and final. Many artists did revere the instrument, especially those who would sing folk numbers. And they missed it hugely.
The reasons for which the harmonium had to be shown the door are still very much there, if one is persuaded by them, that is. One must remember that there has been a sea change in the manufacturing techniques of the instrument itself. Its tone and musical quality have improved tremendously mainly because of superior artisanal expertise. Though it is still debatable whether the harmonium is able to elicit the right kind of mellifluousness when broadcast through the wireless. But I am trying to question this very mirage: what is this notion of the right kind of musicality? The notion is mystical rather than logical or musical.
E. R. Ramkumar tells us that though the instrument got a new lease of life, Akashvani had still dispatched the following note to an artist at one point:
“The harmonium has not appeared in the broadcast of Karnatak music from AIR as an accompanying or solo instrument. Even in Hindusthani music, the instrument has only been tentatively introduced. We have not received orders from the Directorate to introduce the harmonium in Karnatak music. According to existing rules, there is no provision for auditions in harmonium either for playing solo or as accompaniment.” To this Ramkumar adds his own little commentary—“This was the reply of All India Radio officials in Delhi and Bombay to an artist’s request for an audition test—eight years after the instrument was supposed to have been allowed into the AIR premises ‘on parole.’”
Well, let us examine the arguments for and against banishing the harmonium. Jnan Prakash Ghosh had articulated somewhere that the vitality and colour in which the genre of Thumri finds itself today has much to do with the regular employment of harmonium in its wake. This observation is spot on. It is amazing how much of glow and dazzle an accomplished and imaginative harmonium player can bring out of the instrument revealing a host of notes which the singer himself may not have even thought of while expressing the composition in his voice.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=am66Kx_I3Ec
Some of the astounding voices of our time have used the harmonium to its fullest potential—Faiyyaz Khan, Ghulam Ali, Aamir Khan, Begum Akhtar. And this is only the North of India. If we consider the South—who can forget Chembai Vaidyanatha, S.G. Kittappa, B.S. Raja Iyengar and others. And light classical music and more popular numbers can do wonders with the help of a harmonium. It is plain injustice to keep it out of bounds.
The regular radio artists or those who are Grade B or even B High in the language of the wireless world have not yet been given permission to sing accompanied by the harmonium. A section of these artists are convinced that if such permission is granted, there will be a marked change in their rendition of the songs. The cynics and disbelievers of course feel that such an argument is advanced in order to hide the weakness in their voices and tonal quality.
Even if that be the case, what is the problem? Is there anyone who does not want to hide his or her weaknesses? We, the audience wish to listen to good music. If there are ways to hide one’s weaknesses and express oneself better by means of an instrument, what is the harm? The objection is essentially conservative and philosophically or practically untenable.
At the heart of the argument against the harmonium lies the fact that detractors essentially feel that given the hallowed position shruti occupies in the Indian classical cosmos, the harmonium is unable to capture the subtleties of individual ragas since swara and shruti are virtually fixed in the case of the harmonium. Mathematically this argument can be proven to be correct. But if we consider the rasa involved in producing and listening to the harmonium, either as a solo instrument or as an accompaniment, we find that nothing gets diminished as far as musicality goes.
Gandhar-Nishad in Malkauns or Rekhab/Rishabh in Puriya may have a slight mathematical alteration in actual playing by the way Gandhar-Nishad-Rekhab/Rishabh has been fixed in the harmonium, but for our sense of hearing, there is hardly any felt difference. It is common knowledge that there is always a minimal discrepancy between the singing voice and the note played in the sarangi or the harmonium. So, the argument that the harmonium is unable to convey the ‘proper shruti’ is a futile and misguided one.
The likes of Ganpati Rao Bhaiya Sahab and Govind Rao Tene have shown us how, by regulating the wind in the bellow or by working with the shorter and longer notes skillfully, sheer magic with mind-boggling variations can be produced; especially in developing gamak and such other such expressions through the harmonium. Have we not heard such magical compositions even in this part of the world by the likes of Jnan Prakash Ghosh, Dhiren Mitra and Montu Banerjee? If it could be used successfully in earlier times, I do not see any reason to get defensive about it now. It is for the sake of the audience that we need to get the harmonium back to the front and centre, in the world of the radio. Not by making it sound banal, as it has become in middle-class drawing rooms. But by further exploiting its hidden potentialities.
We do respect our experts. But we love our audience.
——————————————–'I was terrified I'd become a hunchback': Teenager, 18, overcomes agonising spine condition to become a model
Leanne Roberts, 18, has scoliosis which makes her spine S-shaped
It caused her severe pain every time she moved and damaged her confidence
Doctors said she'd need a risky 12-hour operation to straighten her spine
Turned down the surgery as she thought it would end her modelling career
Instead, she found relief in exercises specially designed to strengthen the muscles around her spine
A teenager who was terrified of becoming ‘a hunchback’ because of her misshapen spine has achieved her dream of becoming a model.
Leanne Roberts, 18, suffers from severe scoliosis which makes her spine curved.
The schoolgirl would spend hours in front of a mirror attempting to improve her posture.
Scroll d own for video
Leanne Roberts, 18, has scoliosis which causes her spine to bend in an S-shape. It caused her severe pain when she moved and she feared she would end up in a wheelchair
When she was diagnosed with the condition at 16, doctors told her she would need a 12-hour operation and she feared it would end her dreams of becoming a successful model.
Scoliosis causes the spine to excessively curve sideways. The condition affects around four per cent of the population and if left untreated it can lead to fatal heart and lung problems.
Current treatment techniques centre on having major operations, which are risky procedures involving metal rods being inserted either side of the spine.
Doctors told Leanne that she would need a risky 12-hour operation to correct the curvature in her spine (pictured) but she refused to have the surgery as she thought it would end her chances of being a model
Instead, she turned to a non-surgical treatment to improve her condition, and has stunned medics with her remarkable progress.
Leanne of Barnsley, South Yorkshire, said: ‘It was awful how much time I would spend crying and I was terrified of what would happen to me when I was first diagnosed.
‘I was paranoid I would end up looking awful and would end up in a wheelchair.’
Leanne, who often modelled in fashion catalogues, has a double S-shaped curved spine.
Leanne has now found relief from the pain in her back by doing exercises to strengthen the muscles around her spine
She first noticed aching pains when she was 14, but put them down to growing pains.
It was only when she started to suffer agonising sharp pains during photo shoots that she mentioned it to her mother and went to see her GP.
She was told by a consultant she would need surgery but instead discovered a clinic called Scoliosis SOS on the internet. The idea is that various exercises can strengthen the muscles surrounding the spine, stabilising the condition.
Leanne said: ‘I was ecstatic and I couldn’t wait to start the treatment. I think everyone should consider exercise before putting themselves through a risky operation.
‘I could feel the difference in my back after the first few days, and I could see the difference.
‘As long as I keep up with the exercises I shouldn’t suffer from pain and my scoliosis should stabilise. I feel like I am back in control again.’
'I lost interest in everything and I had no quality of life at all. I had gone from being really confident in my body to wanting to hide away at every opportunity. As long as I keep up with the exercises I shouldn’t suffer from pain and my scoliosis should stabilise. I feel like I am back in control again' - Leanne Roberts
The condition is likely to get worse, but Leanne has thrown herself back into modelling regardless.
She said: ‘I am so happy now - it's remarkable how far I have come. I was in constant pain on a daily basis and my whole world had fallen apart.
‘I lost interest in everything and I had no quality of life at all. I had gone from being really confident in my body to wanting to hide away at every opportunity.
‘I feel I can now finally look forward.’
A spokesman for |
a low doses. Does anyone really know what the cumulative effect of these additives is over time? Our soil is already depleted of several vitamins and minerals and the nutrition content of our food is declining every single year. How can we afford to put these chemicals in our body? Should we let the FDA tell us what percentage is safe? Or should we use our common sense and decide as a collective group not to consume these additives and chemicals?
I don’t know about you but I feel personally duped by carrageenan. I assumed that once a product was certified organic like Pacific Almond Milk, that it was perfectly safe to drink. I’ve even recommended this product and some others that contained carrageenan here on this site. I’ve since cleaned up my ingredient lists on my recipes and made sure my pantry staples list does not contain any products with this additive in it. We are all learning here together and I hope you forgive me for ever assuming this substance was safe to consume, because it is clearly not.
What You Can Do Instead
Milk substitutes are wildly popular and something many people consume almost everyday, so it’s important that if you were relying on one of these products above to start making your own milk or find another substitute. It’s so easy to make your own. Watch this video to see how I make it. I like to strain my milk through a very fine grain strainer. Check it out, just to see how easy it is! You won’t ever be tempted to buy processed almond milk in a carton again.
Even though Cornucopia estimates they are close to 300 chemical additives approved to be used in organics, there are still thousands approved for conventional products. The facts presented here should not discourage you to eat less organic food, but to encourage you to fight for its regulations and ultimate safeguard. I urge you to watch the Video by Mark Kastel and read the Full Cornucopia Report when you have time and to spread this information to as many people as possible – Please feel free to share this post on Facebook, Twitter and your own blogs.
In The Best of Health Always,
Food Babe
P.S. Check out Cornucopia’s new shopping guide to find out which products do and do not contain carrageenan (Tree of Life, 365 Brand Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s (cold section) are a few).
8/19/2014 Update: In response to this blog post and your activism, Whitewave committed to remove carrageenan in 2015, but has not been completed yet.
2/24/2015 Update: Check out my new book The Food Babe Way for nut milk recipes and strategies you can use to break free from the toxins in your food! My recipe for cashew milk takes 1 min and super easy to make!Can you prevent Geralt from entering combat stance when running?
So, I just died because Geralt acted like an idiot. I was running around exploring the numerous question marks on the Velen map, when I come across a level 20 Basilisk. As level 12 myself, I figure naww, so I turn tails that sprint away. But too bad for me: The Basilisk became aggressive, and for whatever reason Geralt decided that of course he should fight it, so he just stopped running, turned to face the Basilisk and put his fist up.
He did this while I still had both W and the sprint key pressed down.
I re-pressed sprint, and he started sprinting again, only to stop sprinting again after the next few steps. He just kept on doing this, refusing to follow my key presses because he wanted to be stupid and god damn annoying. And of course I couldn't outrun the Basilisk with Geralt stopping dead in his tracks efter 3 steps over and over, so I died... because Geralt didn't react to my key presses for more than a second or two.
This doesn't happen all the time, but it does happens often enough to be noticeable.
Am I the only one with this issue? Because if I run into a mob that is impossible for me to kill, I'd really appreciate it if the game would please stop forcing me to fight it anyway or die trying.
Because that's straight up bullshit.Offseason noise doesn't result in victories. The connection between spending in March and winning in September is tenuous at best, so we're going to try avoid simply calling all the most active teams in free agency "winners" in this column. Because this is definitely one of those "winners and losers" columns.
After 10 days of action, let's break down what we liked in free agency, what we didn't like and everything in between. AFC is up first.
Winners
Denver Broncos: I'm looking forward to the next not-so-subtle degradation of Wes Welker's skill set: "He only produces because he plays with Hall of Fame quarterbacks."
Brandon Stokley, even at age 36, produced with Manning. Welker is a massive upgrade, and the Broncos passing game will be very difficult to deal with. Broncos head honcho John Elway got veterans that can contribute right away without paying long money to any of them. Guard Louis Vasquez will be a solid starter. Cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie was a fine gamble for the money. Defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio knows exactly what he's getting in defensive tackle Terrance "Pot Roast" Knighton.
The only bugaboo here: The Elvis Dumervil fax fiasco. No matter whose fault it is, the mess has cost the Broncos.
Free-agent tracker NFL free agency is underway. Follow all of the latest player rumors and signings in our free-agent tracker. NFL free agency is underway. Follow all of the latest player rumors and signings in our free-agent tracker. More...
Tennessee Titans: The Titans might not be great this season, but their free agency plan looked like a plan. They got tougher. Guard Andy Levitre helps shore up their interior offensive line. Delanie Walker might be the best blocking tight end in football and could put up comparable numbers as a receiver to the departed Jared Cook. (Walker also will put up drops.) Defensive tackle Sammie Lee Hill and safety George Wilson were smart, cheap pickups on defense.
Kansas City Chiefs: Will all of us media suckers fall for the Chiefs again? The defense looks absolutely loaded after signing cornerbacks Dunta Robinson, Sean Smith and defensive tackle Mike Devito to go with the underrated defensive talent returning. (Derrick Johnson, Tamba Hali, Justin Houston, Brandon Flowers and Eric Berry to start.)
Coach Andy Reid is trying to remake the offense in one year, but he didn't have a choice. You know what you are getting with tight end Anthony Fasano. You have no idea what you're getting with wide receiver Donnie Avery. The Chiefs successfully kept receiver Dwayne Bowe and tackle Branden Albert off the market. (They might get value back for Albert.) Considering the talent available, Reid wasn't going to do better at quarterback than Alex Smith and Chase Daniel.
This should be a team that expects to be competitive and around.500 right away.
Winning with patience
Oakland Raiders: The word "rebuilding" is thrown around a lot, but most teams truly are never far from 8-8. The job general manager Reggie McKenzie inherited last season was a true rebuilding situation. Judge the man when he has some picks to spend and doesn't have mountains of dead money from terrible contracts of the last regime. The cheap linebacker signings (Kaluka Maiava, Nick Roach) could work. Last year's cheap linebacker signing (Philip Wheeler) got rich this offseason.
Jacksonville Jaguars: The Raiders may have more talent overall than the Jaguars, a roster that is close to expansion level. New general manager David Caldwell is smart not to chase short-term solutions like so many Jaguars GMs of the past.
Cincinnati Bengals: It's a good sign the Bengals have so many quality players to re-sign. It's a bad sign that BenJarvus Green-Ellis still is their primary running back and they didn't go after a quality third-down back.
Falling off the radar
San Diego Chargers: Maybe it's head coach Mike McCoy's press conferences, but the Chargers have become one of the most vanilla franchises in the league. There's not much to chew on here. Cornerback Derek Cox was a worthwhile upgrade for Antoine Cason, who left for the Arizona Cardinals. Danny Woodhead was a curious choice for depth in the backfield. New general manager Tom Telesco got rid of a lot of unnecessary veterans, which is a positive.
The losers
Buffalo Bills: Cutting quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick made sense, but there's just no hiding the fact that Tarvaris Jackson sits atop the depth chart. That's depressing. A draft pick is absolutely necessary. Absolutely needing a quarterback in the draft is how you end up with J.P. Losman.
The Bills lost talented guard Andy Levitre, while GM Buddy Nix continued his curious practice of giving big money to marginal players like cornerback Leodis McKelvin and linebacker Manny Lawson. McKelvin's contract looks terrible compared to the cornerback bargains that were out there.
Miami Dolphins: You "win" free agency by signing guys like linebacker Philip Wheeler to cheap one-year contracts, like the Raiders did last season. You don't get value by signing non-pass rushing linebackers to huge long-term contracts. Former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Mike Wallace was a perfect pickup for Ryan Tannehill's big arm, but otherwise GM Jeff Ireland spent like a guy trying to save his job. (Which he is.) It's also easy to ignore that plenty of talent left the building: cornerback Sean Smith, tackle Jake Long and running back Reggie Bush.
New York Jets: I expected Mark Sanchez's Jets career to end during that disastrous Monday night loss against the Tennessee Titans, guaranteed money be damned. Instead, the Sanchize is the presumptive starter once again. The meaningful competition the Jets promised is supposed to come from a guy (David Garrard) that hasn't taken a snap since 2010. Many of the Jets' best players (Dustin Keller, Mike Devito, Brandon Moore) have left or will leave soon. A Darrelle Revis trade seems inevitable.
In the right division
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New England Patriots: The Patriots are "winners" this month because they get to play the three teams above twice a year. Losing Wes Welker hurts, but Danny Amendola can do many of the same things. (And play on the outside.) The team kept cornerbacks Aqib Talib and Kyle Arrington for cheap. Safety Adrian Wilson is a perfect Patriot if he has anything left. Bringing back right tackle Sebastian Vollmer would make the month look a lot better.
Faith in leadership
Baltimore Ravens: Elvis Dumervil's addition to the roster won't numb the sting of losing eight starters, but the Ravens should be fine. Ed Reed, Ray Lewis and Bernard Pollard all were at or near the end of the line. Paul Kruger and Dannell Ellerbe were part-time players. Cary Williams was an average starting cornerback at best. Wide receiver Anquan Boldin might be the toughest piece to replace of the group. If nothing else, the Ravens remaining will have a rallying cry that few defending champions do: No one believes in them!
Pittsburgh Steelers: The Steelers lost four key contributors in Keenan Lewis, James Harrison, Willie Colon and Rashard Mendenhall. (Perhaps Harrison could come back.) But only one of those players (Lewis) was consistently available last season. The Steelers might have misjudged the cornerback market by signing William Gay before Lewis' price went down, but GM Kevin Colbert deserves the benefit of the doubt. Colbert needs a big draft and for his '12 draft class to come along.
Houston Texans: This was never going to be an active offseason for the Texans. Ed Reed might not even be an upgrade from Glover Quin at safety. The Texans can handle losing Connor Barwin, and they cut Kevin Walter. Not much to see here. Growth will have to come from within.
Boom or bust
Cleveland Browns: The Browns guaranteed $35 million for two players that have 23 career starts combined: Paul Kruger and Desmond Bryant. That usually doesn't work out well. I hope I'm wrong. (For Marc Sessler's sake.)
Team confusion
Colts GM Ryan Grigson absolutely nailed last year's draft class, and it makes sense he took some chances in free agency this offseason, because his team had a lot of roster holes and a lot of salary-cap space. Grigson didn't tie up his salary cap with too much long-term money, but he still gave big coin to a lot of players that have ranged from promising to average to sub-mediocre as pros: Tackle Gosder Cherilus, linebacker Erik Walden, cornerback Greg Toler, defensive end Ricky Jean Francois and safety LaRon Landry.
Grigson made moves in bulk, a little like the 2001 Patriots. Consider it a success if half of the moves stick. Toler and Jean Francois were my two favorite moves of the group.
Follow Gregg Rosenthal on Twitter @greggrosenthal.The "Mathematical Games" column in Scientific American that began in January 1957 is a legend in publishing, even though it's been almost 30 years since the last one appeared. The columns are still considered models of clarity and elegance for introducing fresh and engaging ideas in mathematics in non-technical ways.
As we pause to celebrate the centennial of the man who wrote them, the ever-prolific Martin Gardner (1914–2010), we note that while many of his articles fell under the umbrella of “recreational mathematics,” others touched on cutting-edge concepts involving contributions from some of the world's most creative minds. Even the articles that seemed to be purely for entertainment sometimes inspired important research, some of which led to developments with real impact on science, technology and society. This success is all the more remarkable considering that Gardner had no formal training in mathematics.
In his memoirs Undiluted Hocus-Pocus (Princeton, 2013), Gardner recalls:
"One of the pleasures in writing the column was that it introduced me to so many top mathematicians, which of course I was not. Their contributions to my column were far superior to anything I could write, and were a major reason for the column’s growing popularity. The secret of its success was a direct result of my ignorance. Even today my knowledge of math extends only through calculus, and even calculus I only dimly comprehend. As a result, I had to struggle to understand what I wrote, and this helped me write in ways that others could understand.”
How does one choose the top ten Gardner articles from the roughly 300 that he wrote for Scientific American? The vast majority of those were "Mathematical Games" columns, which appeared monthly from January 1957 to December 1980, and then sporadically until June 1986. Should we focus on the ones that are most talked about today, those that generated the biggest volume of correspondence upon publication, or those that were the scientifically influential?
The following list takes all of these points into consideration, so without further ado, I present, in order of publication, an annotated list of what are, in my opinion, Gardner’s top ten articles for Scientific American:
1. “Flexagons, in which strips of paper are used to make hexagonal figures with unusual properties” (December 1956)
Including Gardner’s “first” Scientific American article, “Flexagons,” is a no-brainer. It was actually the second piece he wrote for the magazine (“Logic Machines” had appeared as a one-off back in March 1952) but it was such a hit that editor Gerry Piel promptly invited Gardner to write a monthly column. Thus, in January 1957 "Mathematical Games" proper was born.
Hexaflexagons, as they’re known today, are hexagonal folded paper objects which can be transformed repeatedly by “turning them inside out” to reveal new faces. In his memoirs, Gardner recounts how he was introduced to them by Royal V. Heath, the man credited with popularizing the term “mathemagic” from 1951 onwards. An English graduate student named Arthur Stone had accidentally discovered flexagons at Princeton in 1939, and he and fellow students John Tukey, Bryant Tuckerman and Richard Feynman then explored them mathematically. The war intervened and the paper curiosities were forgotten. It fell to Gardner to revive them 15 years later, little dreaming that it would launch him on the most successful phase of his career.
As he noted shortly before his death, “Today there are some fifty websites devoted to flexagon theory and variants of the original forms.” Here are two from more recent times that will guide you through making your own: Hexaflexagon Templates and Make Your Own Hexaflexagons…and Snap Pictures of Them
2. “More about complex dominoes” (December 1957)
This column is remembered today for introducing readers to mathematician Sol Golomb's five-square versions of “polyominoes” – pieces formed by fitting several unit squares together along their edges. As Gardner notes in his memoirs:
“A single square is the monomino, two squares are the dominoes, three the trominoes, four the tetrominoes, and five the pentominoes. The problem of finding a formula for the number of n-ominoes, given n, is still a deep unsolved combinatorial problem. My first column on Golomb’s twelve pentominoes was an instant hit. I returned to polyominoes in several later columns.”
3. “A third collection of 'brain-teasers’” (August 1958)
Gardner’s regular compendiums of short head-scratchers (often simply called “Nine Problems”) forced readers either to buckle down and conquer the problems therein or wait a full month to see what solutions and comments the next column offered. The only “websearch” option available back in the Sputnik and Apollo eras was to write to the man himself, which many people did, but those were usually readers with new solutions or fresh material to offer.
Surveying those special columns today, one is struck by how many gems they contain: The Returning Explorer (aka one mile south, one mile east, one mile north), The Mutilated Chessboard, The Fork in the Road (aka truth-tellers and liars), the mind-boggling Hole in the Sphere, and the obvious-once-you-get-it Touching Cigarettes. (There's an exciting new development in the last problem, Gardner's bibliographer and biographer Dana Richards recently reported.)
In the face of such tough competition it's not easy to select an outright winner here, but we selected the head-scratchers from August 1958. It opens with the iconic Twiddled Bolts, depicted above, and continues with The Cork Plug, and The Sliding Pennies. Pride of place in this particular collection goes to The Colliding Missiles, however. Here’s the problem:
Two missiles speed directly towards each other, one at 9,000 mph, the other at 21,000 mph. They start 1,317 miles apart. Without using pencil and paper, calculate how far apart they are one minute before they crash.
Needless to say, one should not use a calculator, slide rule or abacus either! (Gardner's son Jim reports that the last-named device was his dad's weapon of choice when balancing his check book.) A tiny knowledge of physics helps, and we believe there is an important lesson for teachers hiding within this question's presentation. See the solution and comment at the very end below.
4. “Concerning the diversions in a new book on geometry” (April 1961)
This column, and its associated Scientific American cover, introduced many people to the pre-psychedelic creations of Dutch artist M. C. Escher. It reviewed the book An Introduction to Geometry (Wiley, 1961) by Toronto-based geometer H. S. M. Coxeter.
It's hard to believe today, but by the early 1960s geometry and visualization in mathematics had fallen out of favor in deference to more abstract branches of the subject and more formal reasoning. Indeed, it was not unheard of for mathematics books to contain few if any pictures. Coxeter’s book, as Gardner gleefully reported with wonderful accompanying images, revealed many delicious surprises, including Morley's Theorem and the difficulty of proving the Internal Bisector Theorem. Gardner then quotes "The Kiss Precise"—a verse immortalizing a curious result about any three mutually touching circles—before moving on to tessellations.
Escher's knights on horseback from Coxeter's book make an appearance, but the cover is a Scientific American exclusive, the now famous flying geese (which the art department colored without consulting the artist). As it happens, Escher was already a fan of Gardner’s and in particular of his recent book, Annotated Alice (Potter, 1960).
5. “The fantastic combinations of John Conway's new solitaire game ‘life’” (October 1970)
Better known today as “Life” or “The Game of Life,” this column ventured into very new territory as it explored a cellular automaton creation of English mathematician John Horton Conway. To quote Gardner at the time:
“Because of its analogies with the rise, fall and alterations of a society of living organisms, it belongs to a growing class of what are called ‘simulation games’ – games that resemble real-life processes. To play Life without a computer you need a fairly large checkerboard and a plentiful supply of flat counters of two colors.”
As it turned out, many people with then-rare access to mainframes seized the opportunity to program Life. But there was also great theoretical interest in the new game. Referring to the animation above, which was reported in a later column, Gardner relayed in his memoirs that, “Conway was the first to prove that Gosper’s glider gun turned Life into a Turing machine that in principle can do everything the most powerful computers can do.” He continued:
“All over the world mathematicians with computers were writing Life programs. I heard about one mathematician who worked for a large corporation. He had a button concealed under his desk. If he was exploring Life, and someone from management entered the room, he would press the button and the machine would go back to working on some problem related to the company!”
Gardner also noted that his first column on Life “made Conway an instant celebrity. The game was written up in Time.”
6. "Free will revisited, with a mind-bending prediction paradox by William Newcomb" (July 1973)
Better known today as “Newcomb's Paradox,” this column concerns a free will paradox devised by physicist William Newcomb in 1960, and then featured in a paper by philosopher Robert Nozick in 1970. Imagine two closed boxes on a table. Box 1 is known for sure to contain $1,000, whereas Box 2 contains either nothing or $1,000,000, but you don't know which. Two courses of action are open to you: either take what is in both boxes or take only what is in Box 2.
Here's the catch: we are asked to believe that a superior being has predicted in advance which choice you will make, and if the being predicts you will choose both boxes, the being has left Box 2 empty, otherwise the being has put $1,000,000 in it. Also, if the being expects you to flip a coin to decide on your course of action, the being has definitely left Box 2 empty.
Gardner goes on to present very strong arguments for why each course of action is superior to the other using expected payoff value computations, and he discusses both sides of the argument at length. He concludes, “Can it be that Newcomb's paradox validates free will by invalidating the possibility, in principle, of a predictor capable of guessing a person's choice between two equally rational actions with better than 50 percent accuracy?”
7. "Six sensational discoveries that somehow or another have escaped public attention" (April 1975)
This unprecedented April Fools prank column went over the heads of many readers. At a time when “new results” of any type could not be researched on the Internet, calculators only displayed eight digits and very few people had access to computers, Gardner got away with the astonishing claim that eπ√163 = 262,537,412,640,768,744 simply because nobody could really check, and it seemed close to true to anyone who did a ballpark calculation! He attributed it to Indian mystic mathematician Ramanujan, which was a total red herring, but this “near miss” turns out to have mathematical significance.
Gardner also revealed that Leonardo da Vinci invented the valve flush toilet, and Gardner produced convincing looking drawings (“courtesy of N.Y. Public Library”) to prove it. Then there was the announcement of a computer proof that in chess, the move “pawn to king's rook 4” is a win for white, “with a high degree of probability.”
Most dramatically, Gardner unveiled a 110-region map that he said could not be colored with fewer than five colors. If true, this would have provided a counterexample to the then long-standing four-color-map conjecture. It certainly wasn't easy to color this particular map with four colors. Gardner’s timing was impeccable: a year later Appel and Haken announced a “computer assisted” proof that all maps can indeed be four-colored. From Gardner’s memoirs:
“I received hundreds of letters showing how to color my map with four colors. Many readers, including a few scientists, thanked me for alerting them to such important discoveries but chided me for being totally mistaken about one of them.”
8. "In which'monster' curves force redefinition of the word `curve'" (December 1976)
Later known as “Mandelbrot's Fractals,” this column begins by discussing the nature of what's been understood by the word “curve” throughout history, from ancient Greece to 17th century notions based on analytic geometry, and the assumptions resulting from the age of calculus that soon followed. Early examples of so-called pathological or monster curves, such as Koch snowflakes, are next, along with their unavoidable paradoxes. How can a curve fill the plane, or space, and how can the distance between two points on a curve be infinite?
Mandelbrot's formalization of a new type of dimension, which he named fractal dimension only a year or two before this column was published, is explained in terms of self-similarity at various scales. Examples covered include square snowflakes (shown above) and Cantor dust.
Mandelbrot lived not far from Gardner when this piece was written, and around this time, at his own home, Gardner introduced Mandelbrot to Conway. As Gardner relays in his memoirs, “Conway had been making new discoveries about Penrose tiling, and Mandelbrot was interested because Penrose tiling patterns are fractals. You can keep enlarging or diminishing them, always to obtain similar patterns.”
9. "Extraordinary nonperiodic tiling that enriches the theory of tiles" (January 1977)
Gardner’s column on Penrose tiling gave him another cover story, the cover artwork having been sketched by John Conway (and later colored by a Scientific American staff artist).
It starts with traditional tilings, such as those done with squares, dominoes and hexagons, which are generally periodic. Gardner then explains how many—but not all—of these are also associated with nonperiodic tilings. He draws on images of M. C. Escher and Sol Golomb (the latter's “reptiles”) before asking, “Are there any sets of tiles that tile only nonperiodically?” This leads to the fascinating story of Penrose's mid 1970s discovery of what are now known as Penrose tiles (or, darts and kites, following a suggestion of Conway's).
In his memoirs, Gardner comments:
“To Penrose’s vast surprise, it turned out that three-dimensional forms of his tiles would tile space only aperiodically! Not only that, but such shapes could actually be fabricated in laboratories. They became known as quasicrystals. Hundred of papers have since been published about them. They are a marvelous example of how a mathematical discovery, made with no inkling of its application to reality, may turn out to have been anticipated by Mother Nature!”
In 2011, chemist Dan Shechtman was awarded a Nobel Prize for “the discovery of quasicrystals.”
10. "A new kind of cipher that would take millions of years to break" (August 1977)
This trapdoor ciphers column introduced RSA cryptography, a new “public key” method of secret communication previously not believed possible. It was based on an MIT memo by Ron Rivest, Adi Shamir and Leonard Adleman from April 1977, which they sent to Gardner. He was so impressed that he broke his usual rule of planning his column several months in advance, and quickly wrote it up for publication.
The basic idea is to secretly take two very large prime numbers (p, q) at least 40 digits long each, and form their product r=pq, assuming that it would be an insurmountable task for an outsider to factor r. It’s considered safe to reveal r, as well as a related odd number s, to all and sundry; that's the public key. Anyone wishing to send a secret numerical “word” w to the person who selected p and q does the following: find the remainder e when ws is divided by r, and communicate e openly. An easy mathematical trick allows a person who knows e to reconstruct w from it provided they know the factors p and q of n, but it seems unlikely that somebody not knowing p and q would have a chance.
To prove the point, the RSA team provided Gardner with a 128-digit coded message e, computed using a specified 129-digit n, which was the product of mysterious top-secret, 64-digit and 65-digit primes p and q, respectively. They also indicated that s = 9007. A prize of $100 was offered for anyone who could recover the original message w from which e had been computed. Given the title of the column, it was assumed that no one would crack it anytime soon. In fact, Gardner hedged his bets and prefaced the piece with an Edgar Allan Poe quote: “Yet it may be roundly asserted that human ingenuity cannot concoct a cipher which human ingenuity cannot resolve.”
RSA cryptography became an industry standard and variations of it are still in use today, though in recent times the question of how secure it is has been revisited. Despite the groundbreaking nature of Gardner’s column, it didn't quite live up to its title. The challenge message posed in it was successfully decoded as early as April 1994.
Apologies and Addendum
Opinions will of course vary on the items to include in any top ten list, and it's likely that many reader favorites are missing above. Apologies. I also regret any offense caused to fans of the late great Dr. Irving Joshua Matrix. None of his adventures made the final cut either. Maybe if the list went to 11...
There is no shortage of Gardner memorabilia to explore. Check out Scientific American’s In-Depth Report, “A Centennial Celebration of Martin Gardner,” the Scientific American e-book, Martin Gardner: The Magic and Mystery of Numbers, and the official Martin Gardner site.
Solution and comment for The Colliding Missiles
We may as well assume that one missile is stationary and the other is barreling towards it at 30,000 mph (their combined speed). Since distance traveled in this case is found by multiplying speed by time taken, it follows that in one minute (1/60 of an hour) the moving missile travels (30,000 mph) x (1/60 hour) = 500 miles. That's how far apart the missiles must be a minute before they collide.
Most readers are surprised—and some feel disappointed or cheated—that we don't need the fact that the missiles started 1,317 miles apart. Does this make it a “trick” question? That depends on one's perspective. Consider this (and there’s a lesson here for those of us in the teaching profession): in the real world, unlike in many textbook situations, we're bombarded with information and data. Learning to distinguish the essential from the irrelevant is a key skill worth acquiring. Once more, with this puzzler, Gardner the rationality champion subtly points us in the right direction.You really have to marvel the relentless determination displayed by leading anti-gay activists to use any development they can to promote their bigoted views.
Exhibit A: Peter LaBarbera weighs in on the Penn State scandal by worrying that the victims will end up becoming gay and, even worse, will be told that their being gay is okay:
[H]ow many boy victims of homosexual predator [Jerry] Sandusky will end up believing that being homosexual (“gay”) is “who they are”? How many will struggle with sexual identity issues? And how many will be told by LGBT advocates and liberal-minded people just to “accept being gay” as “who they are” because they were “born that way”? … Sandusky is married but obviously has a homosexuality (perversion) problem. Yet pro-“gay” liberals will deny any linkage between homosexuality and Sandusky’s rape/seduction of boys. In fact, after news of the Penn State scandal came to light, “gay” activists stressed that Sandusky is married and that most pedophile cases involve “straight, married men.” However, behavior is what matters — not a person’s marital status or self-described “sexual orientation.” Sandusky was married but was he really “straight” (sexually or morally)? Some inner demons or life traumas — probably in his own youth — caused him to lust for boys, wrecking untold misery in the lives of his victims. Behavior is the issue, and this was a case of a serial homosexual predator raping boys.
Not to be outdone, Bryan Fischer weighs in on the decision by the Toronto Zoo to split up a male pair of penguins in hopes of getting them to mate by calling homosexuality “an evolutionary nightmare”:DETROIT — Getting yelled at by Bob Backlund for two months might be a better training plan than we all thought. The WWE Hall of Famer’s quest to “Make Darren Young Great Again” got off to a smashing start when Mr. No Days Off, in his first bout under Mr. Backlund’s tutelage, won a Battle Royal to become next man up for The Miz’s Intercontinental Championship.
Like all great victories, it was equal parts perseverance, skill and luck. The perseverance and skill came by outlasting the majority of WWE's tag team competitors to make the final four alongside Dolph Ziggler, Apollo Crews and Baron Corbin. And the luck came when Crews and Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal winner Corbin simultaneously tossed each other in the closing seconds, leaving Young the winner and causing an overjoyed Backlund to celebrate with him in the ring. This. Is. Happening.Weekly update, Week 23
Starting from week 23 (this week), we will post a weekly update every weekend.
This is the first update.
Completed work
The community member Alitimate has helped us with our new logo. We finally decided to go with the one you see above. We want to thank Alitimate a lot, very nice job!
I (Axel) have started looking for people to help me out with the community project idea. If you're interested in what idea this is, you can read about this further down.
I have also finished the structure of the new OP, we will hopefully get this completed very soon.
David (@Radix42) has been working on the official Windows Client, until then you can use the experimental one created by Ivan Vaklinov. Link here: Experimental Windows Client
David has also been working on how development will be funded going forward. There is nothing official here yet, as soon as there is we will update everyone.
Iolar has been making updates on the website and also continued working on the rebranding, the new logo will soon have replaced the old one everywhere.
Things that will happen in a near future
Official Windows Client
New OP
Rebrand completed (logos, social media, website etc)
Hopefully we will have our project team for the community project.
If you have any questions, just ask us either here or on Slack.
Community Project Idea
"My idea is kind of a platform for people wanting to learn programming, people wanting to improve their programming skills and developers who wants to teach other community members and also attend competitions where they come with ideas, develop and the winner will be able to implement this into HUSH.
This would be good for HUSH's development and the community (more people learning programming and a more active community where people get to know each other).
If you are interested in contributing in some way, join the channel community-project on our Slack.
I would be super happy if I saw people from the community coming together and working together.
This idea isn't something our Dev Team will have time for since David's ideas are plenty enough. This is a 100% community driven project, I will only coordinate everyone.
What I need right now is a group of people helping me with developing the idea and the course of action, simply the pre-work."
Links
Website
Slack
Twitter
Facebook
Github
Bitcointalk
Telegram
News Channel
Contact e-mail
Roadmapby Sad Man’s Tongue, Photos by Sarah Oliver of Sarah Olivier Photography, Models Emily Bunclark, Natasha Gatward, Karla Louise Norcross, Laura Louise, Kiki Mccaffery, Annamaria Dollie Doré and Kelly-Marie Maleficent
Sarah Olivier’s beach pin up shoot had us thinking about summer long before it was here. When we stumbled across the photos we had to do a double take on her work, how beautiful they are. The colors struck us the most, as did the lovely ladies, but the colors drew us in, and the detail to the vintage theme had us harkening back to other times.
Not quite spring when we first saw them they reminded us of our garden. The yellows reminded us of our sunflowers, the reds and peaches reminded us of our roses, the pinks reminded us of our gardenias, the purples reminded us of our wisteria trees, and we could go on and on.
Sarah Olivier is an internationally published freelance photographer based in East Sussex, UK. Her desire ” ….to make sure you have a beautiful visual record to keep forever…” is no exaggeration. While this self taught photographer covers diverse themes her passion lies in fashion and vintage themes.
Her set here not only creates the beautiful visual record |
possible that they need to wait for a part that's on backorder. It's also possible that transmission was replaced with a chicken, and it's just not going to work the same ever again. Metaphorically.
But something is different, clearly, and it was confirmed by Bryce Harper in Thursday's post-game quotes.
"He's (throwing) 91, 93 instead of 97, 98."
The gap isn't that extreme, perhaps, but the velocity is down. Harper thinks he knows the explanation.
For what he did in the playoffs last year? To be able to come back and try to get through the playoffs? He’s one of the first guys to ever come back and go 0 to 200 [innings]. That’s tough.
We'll never know if the extra workload is the problem. Adam Wainwright didn't have a deep playoff run last year. Shelby Miller didn't have a deep playoff run last year. There are hundreds of reasons that pitchers can struggle, and workload is just one of them. Harvey's FIP is still solid, and if you watch the inning of doom on Thursday, you'll notice that the defense was pretty lousy. Even an average defense helps Harvey there, just as it would have helped him all season.
But it's an easy correlation to make, the workload after surgery, followed by the early struggles next season. So let's just pretend we're clairvoyant and all-knowing, and we can confirm with 100 percent certainty that Harvey would be perfectly fine if he had shut it down in September, Strasburg-style. That's probably not quite true, but let's just pretend.
Instead of shutting it down, he blew past the Boras limits, helping the Mets win a pennant. What do you think about Harvey now, Mets fans?
Selected Mets fans: Boooooooooooooooo.
Not a majority of Mets fans. Not a plurality, even. But enough to be heard. And were they booing Harvey the person, or were they just making a natural, traditional noise to express disappointment? Certainly the latter. Booing comes naturally. It's maybe a little less ghoulish when it's directed at a player who shouldn't be in the position he's in -- as if you're booing the GM by proxy -- but it still works as a universal expression of frustration.
Yet the lesson is simple, and it's something fans and players need to remember for every Harvey-type situation: Loyalty is, and always will be, expected far more from players than fans.
Forget the booing. You can't use that to speak for an entire fan base. Just examine what will happen if Harvey continues to struggle like this. We've seen the progression so many times.
Fans exhibit concern
Fans exhibit frustration
Fans look around anxiously
Fans start coming up with trade ideas and fake roster moves
Fans get excited about another player performing better
Fans focus on the updated roster
I can speak from experience as a Giants fan, whose team went where it never had before with the help of Freddy Sanchez. And when he broke, it took about five seconds for a majority of the fans to scream, "OKAY, WHAT NOW?" The pattern repeated a year later with Marco Scutaro, who did what Sanchez did, but better. And when he broke, the fans screamed "OKAY, WHAT NOW?"
It takes about a month for fans to move on. Players sort of have the rest of their lives to wonder if they made the right decisions about their health and careers.
That's not to say that Harvey made the wrong the decision, or that he's filled with regret. He probably wouldn't change a thing. But players should have the right to say, "Look, y'all, shutting it down. I have a career to think about" without being called quitters, without being called selfish. By definition it's selfish, but not inappropriately so. There needs to be a glimmer of self-awareness from fans when the next Strasburg/Harvey situation comes around, with fewer calls for the player to fling his body over the rampart for the cause.
Fans get to move on, and they're good at it. While researching this article, I found that I've written parts of it before.
That's what sports fans do. Should Harvey risk his career for a championship? Considering that the conveyor belt hasn't stopped spitting out new baseball players in hundreds of years, sure! There will always be a new player, ha ha. Keep 'em coming, boys. Harvey doesn't have a conveyor belt of careers, though. He's got just one career, and it's eternally vulnerable. He has to protect it. And any sense of "I need to push myself for the fans" has to be tempered with the knowledge that as soon as he isn't pitching well, the fans will ditch him. So when a surgeon says that 180 innings is probably a good limit, he listens.
So now it becomes something of an I-told-you-so. Matt Harvey is struggling, and he's hearing boos for the first time in his career. If he struggles for a long time, he'll lose his job. And if he loses his job, the fans won't care nearly as much because they'll be focused on the person who took his job. And so on and so on.
Back to reality: We're nine starts into Matt Harvey's season. An obituary for his career is so premature it makes me want to eat my computer, and there's no way to prove the extra 30 innings last year are even related to these struggles. Hose yourselves down, everyone. Everyone is overreacting, including me.
But even if Harvey bounces back with 95 mph and 40 scoreless innings, this is still evidence to prove the larger point. Look out for yourself, kid. Always and forever. Have respect for your teammates and remember that the fans pay your salary, but don't be afraid to put yourself first.
Everyone else is pretty good at putting themselves first. Especially the fans, who are goldfish looking for flakes to float down from the tank. That's not a bad thing. It's completely natural and expected. Just remember it the next time a player wants to make a decision about his own health that might supersede his team's ability to win in the short-term.In the past year or so Lucy has gained one and a half stone. Since she has always been a 'big girl' – 5ft 8in and 17st – she's not absolutely sure her husband has noticed. 'He hasn't said anything,' says Lucy. 'Though if I'm 100 per cent honest, I do think he finds me less attractive.'
One thing is certain – he'd be horrified if he knew the reason behind his wife's weight gain. Lucy, 39, meets men on the website Fantasy Feeder, and, if she likes them, agrees to an online feeding session. About once a week, when she knows she'll be home alone, her children at after-school clubs and her husband at work, Lucy sets up her laptop in her bedroom or front room, and closes the curtains. With her 'feeder' watching via webcam, she eats as much food as she wants or as much as he tells her. Sometimes she is fully clothed, sometimes barely.
Even when she isn't being 'fed' Lucy is deliberately eating more food, bigger portions. 'Essentially, I'm a foodie,' she says, 'but in the past I probably held back. Now if I want something I just eat it. I know this will sound completely alien,' she adds, 'but I've always liked the fact that I was big – and I'm turned on by men who feel the same.'
Lucy is a warm, funny and articulate Mancunian, a secondary-school teacher and the mother of two girls, aged 12 and nine. Since the age of about 11, when she was only'slightly chubby', she has felt differently about body size to everyone around her. 'I've never had any interest in being slim,' she says. 'I know we're all supposed to aspire towards a size zero. I can honestly say that if by some miracle I woke up tomorrow having lost half my body weight I'd be devastated.'
For most of her life Lucy kept her feelings to herself, until five years ago, when Googling brought her to Fantasy Feeder. Here, people swap high-fat recipes ('Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie, 500 cals a slice!'), post pictures of their naked flesh and compliment one another on their weight gain. The site works as a dating agency and much of it is given over to the exchange of explicit fat fantasies.
At the same time the discussion forum boasts a section devoted to 'fat liberation' where there is heated debate about size politics. It was six months before Lucy dared join the site and another four years before she started posting. 'If it wasn't for the internet,' she says, 'I'd still think I was the only person in the world who felt differently about weight.'
And who would blame her? Magazine covers and billboards tell us that female beauty comes in a size eight or under, and without cellulite or stretch marks. For anyone overweight each day brings a new diet that will help them shed pounds. An obese woman may be mocked, despised or pitied. No one would imagine for a moment that she had eaten her way there by choice.
And yet some do. Although Fantasy Feeder is one of the better known, there are many more websites and blogs dedicated to weight gain. Some participants practise alone, while others are spurred on by 'feeders' – mainly men – who tell them what to eat and praise their expanding size.
Until recently the issue had remained underground, with most participants keeping their habit hidden from friends, family, even partners. The American gainer Donna Simpson has raised its profile by announcing her intention to reach just over 71st, which would make her the world's fattest woman (in March she weighed in at 43st). Simpson, who met her partner/feeder on a plus-size dating site, represents the extreme end of gaining. Far more typical are women like Lucy who dip in and out the scene and live perfectly ordinary lives – yet feel a secret thrill each time the scales register a rise or their clothes feel a bit too tight.
Or women like Jess, 50. Married with a 16-year-old daughter, she teaches at a university in the north-west of England. Her flat overflows with books and periodicals, with few clues as to her other life, except perhaps the full-length mirror in her kitchen. How many women wish to see their body reflected back at them while eating? 'I have no idea where it came from, but one of my earliest memories is creating make-believe stories about expansion,' says Jess, who is 5ft 2in and 16st. 'I'd take a pill or a potion, grow larger and larger until I floated away.'
In fact, many gainers admit to similar childhood fantasies. On Fantasy Feeder one member recalls obsessively stuffing pillows up her dresses and scouring her mother's magazines for pictures of pregnant or plus-sized women.
Despite these urges, Jess knew that to 'expand' was deemed unacceptable. 'I come from a family where my parents and almost everyone around me was fat,' she says. 'As a chubby teenager, I spent years dieting with my mum, and carried on right up until my thirties. Before I got married I spent four months on a liquid diet and lost 50lb.'
Her pregnancy changed all that. 'It was a revelation to be able to eat what felt right for me and my baby without worrying,' she says. While enjoying her rising weight, Jess sought out alternative views on size. 'I'm an academic so when something happens, I read,' she says. 'I read size politics, "health at every size" literature, and consciously looked at fat art to see photographs and pictures that presented big bodies as beautiful.'
Now Jess is unashamed of her preference for fat. 'I always liked the look on men and women but I'd had decades of training in being repulsed,' she says. 'Now I don't have that ambivalence. I like the softness. I like the fact that there's mass, there's stuff to hold.' Three years ago Jess became an active gainer, eating what she wanted, whenever she wanted – sometimes alone and sometimes aided by members of Fantasy Feeder – and put on two and a half stone.
'It wasn't hard,' she says. 'I love food and really care about it. I'm the kind of person who keeps track of where the important chefs are working. Letting myself enjoy all that without limits felt naughty – not in a sexual way but in a "little kid" way. I'm doing something fun that I'm not supposed to do – there was a rebellious thing about it. I was also delighted by the results. I know it sounds bizarre but I felt closer to the body I'd like to have and curious as to what would happen next.'
Although Jess told her husband, he didn't share the fantasy. 'It's been a difficult road to negotiate,' she says. 'He loves me but I'm not his physical type. His ideal is closer to what I looked like when we married and I hadn't eaten for four months. At the moment we're living apart for a number of reasons, and that's one of them. I want to figure this out and see what it means to me and I don't want to inflict that on him.'
It isn't hard to find critics of gaining – perhaps the most vocal are from the so-called size-acceptance community, grass-roots activists who grew out of the fat-pride movement of the late 1960s and fight discrimination against overweight people. 'It's dangerous and exploitative,' says Fatima Parker, president of the Size Acceptance Association. 'There's a difference between someone accepting you for who you are and someone trying to make you actively bigger.'
Parker's view – echoed by many – is that most gainers are women with low self-esteem who have fallen prey to predatory men. 'I understand it,' she says. 'If you are big, you spend your life feeling unattractive, unloved, being ostracised, and then you find a man who tells you he finds you sexy and he wants you to eat more. You'd give your life for it. It's a way of feeling cherished and loved – but the feeder isn't happy with you being a size 16; he wants you to be a size 32 or a 45. It's about power and control and it's a dangerous game.'
Tracey Nelson, a healthcare consultant for plus-sized patients – and plus-sized herself – agrees. 'As a fat woman you are denied the chance to enjoy food under any circumstances,' she says. 'It must feel amazing to find a community that doesn't want you to lose weight, to be able to sit opposite someone – whether it's in a restaurant or on a webcam – who doesn't look at you and say, "Do you really need dessert?"'
Lucy recognises some truth in this. 'When I look at some of the other female members on Fantasy Feeder, I do think quite often there is a hint of desperation for attention,' she says, 'but it's not true for me. My size didn't stop me getting male attention when I was single and I was never seriously bullied because of my weight. I've been surprised how many good-looking, intelligent, "ordinary" men are on this site, and I'm doing this for my own pleasure. I'd never dream of doing anything I wasn't totally comfortable with.'
For Jess, gaining is an act of rebellion rather than submission. 'I'm a feminist and I started bucking the beauty norms – like make-up or shaving – before this,' she says. 'Whether it's a pink mohawk or gaining weight, going against mainstream expectations of what makes a woman attractive is a radical thing. It's about declaring publicly that you're not accepting those rules. When I look at the scene, I don't see many insecure women damaged by life and craving attention. The gainers I know are more confident, have more of an internal compass.'
Lesley Terry, a researcher at the University of Saskatchewan, in Canada, has made a study of gainers and believes there is more to it than manipulation. 'As with any relationship, when taken to extremes it can become dark and abusive,' she says.
However, many women gain independently – with no feeder in the picture. 'If you look through history, fat used to be – and still is in many cultures – considered beautiful,' Terry continues. 'The stick figures that walk down the runway wouldn't be considered capable of surviving a famine or sustaining a pregnancy. In certain African tribes and in parts of Nigeria girls still go to "fat houses" to be fattened up before marriage. In our own society we have completely different images of beauty thrown in our faces every day – but that doesn't mean that there aren't those who have different preferences.'
But what of the health implications? Few can be unaware we face an obesity epidemic, linked to diabetes, heart disease and cancer. 'Feeders and feedees would argue that there are many things people enjoy that aren't great for health,' says Terry. 'Smoking and drinking or extreme sports are a few examples.'
Jess is currently only dabbling in gaining, with the odd binge now and then, because of unrelated health problems. She has multiple sclerosis and exercise is becoming difficult. However, she remains adamant that, with care and exercise, people can safely gain weight. 'People are misled by the Donna Simpson story,' she says. 'Most gainers are talking about one or two stone, some about seven. Not many are talking about 72.'
Lucy is more cautious. 'I do worry,' she says. 'I'm a fairly active person – I do a lot of walking and swimming. If a doctor told me to lose weight I'd rethink, but I wouldn't be happy about it.'
Until that day comes she admits that she is becoming addicted to what she calls her 'double life'. 'It's almost like it's my escape,' she says. 'It's harmless online fun, and I have no interest in eating my way towards immobility – though to be honest I'd be lying if I didn't say that the attention can be quite addictive.'
In fact, one of Lucy's online feeders lives close to her and they are thinking of meeting face to face. Perhaps it's only
a matter of time before her gaining spills into her real life one way or another.
Lucy and Jess are not their real namesThe feds have seized $25,000 in Bitcoin and Litecoin from one Seattle resident--in addition to more than $7 million and other assets from a number of related suspects--as part of an ongoing investigation into what could be the largest software piracy case ever pursued by the government.
The crypocurrency, 105 BTC and 900 LTC, was seized from the home of a businessman named Rex Yang on December 10, 2014. According a court filing in the Western District of Missouri on January 30th, the seizures were part of an investigation into “multiple and high varied methods for the illegal sale of both physical software products and software product activation key codes.”
According to the filing, Yang and other participants in the software scam had allegedly worked together since 2009, obtaining and selling fraudulent product activation keys for Microsoft and other software through a number of e-commerce websites. The investigation in the alleged software piracy began in Kansas City in April 2013, when HSI agents got a tip that Casey Lee Ross, the owner of a business called “Software Slashers,” was allegedly selling counterfeit computer software and DVDs, mostly from China.
According to the filing, Ross had allegedly been working with Yang and a network of other sellers across different states, including Washington, Colorado, Maryland, and Nevada. The participants allegedly traded product key codes over email and wired money to each other between different bank accounts. They allegedly operated a series of ecommerce sites, claiming to be selling the product activation keys legally, and received many “cease and desist” letters from Microsoft.
The Kansas City Star reports that the alleged participants may have made at least $30 million in profits, according to the prosecution’s estimation. Customers likely spent $90 million on the pirated software, which falls far below market value for the software, according to the Star. So far there have been no criminal charges, but seizure of property is often the first step in these kinds of investigations.
When I asked the Department of Justice for a comment on the civil case filing, I was told, “Due to the potential of criminal charges being filed as a result of this investigation, we are not in a position to comment or provide any additional information at this time.”
At the end of 2014, HSI Special Agents began seizing bank accounts and assets connected to the software scam, according to court filings. This included $7.08 million from various bank accounts, a Porsche and other vehicles, gold and silver, four Rolex watches (one studded with diamonds), a diamond ring, and Yang’s Bitcoin and Litecoin.
The filing explains that the crypocurrency was “traceable to the illegal sale of software,” and lists the dates when the Bitcoin was purchased from Coinbase.com using a Wells Fargo Bank account tied to the software scam. Yang opened the bank account under the business name “Technolutions,” and that account is the “suspected accounting firm for virtually all of the businesses opened and operated by Yang” and his co-conspirators, according to the filing. It isn’t clear how the cryptocurrency was allegedly used in software scam, and the DOJ declined to comment.
Many well-publicized government seizures of cryptocurrency are tied to the Silk Road and other Dark Web marketplaces. When Ross Ulbricht, the now-convicted mastermind behind the Silk Road, was arrested in October 2013, authorities seized $25 million in Bitcoin from the Silk Road. During Operation Onymous, a global takedown of a number of Dark Web marketplaces including the Silk Road 2.0 in November 2014, the feds seized at least $1 million in Bitcoin from various sites.
255220761-Civil-No-15-0079-CV-WThis article is over 2 years old
Blast in Mogadishu comes less than a fortnight after election of new president, Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed
A car bomb ripped through a market in Mogadishu on Sunday, killing at least 39 people and injuring about 50.
The car was driven by a suicide bomber, said Ahmed Abdulle Afrax, the mayor of Wadajir district, where the bombing happened.
“We carried 39 dead bodies and there were many others injured,” Dr Abdikadir Abdirahman, director of the Aamin Ambulance Service, told Reuters.
Dr Mohamed Yusuf, the manager of the Madina hospital, said they received 47 injured people.
A witness, Abdulle Omar, said the market was destroyed: “I was staying in my shop when a car came into the market and exploded. I saw more than 20 people lying on the ground. Most of them were dead.”
Al-Shabaab, the Islamist insurgent group that is fighting the UN-backed Somali government, did not immediately claim responsibility.
Al-Shabaab has been able to carry out increasingly deadly attacks despite losing most of its territory to African Union peacekeepers supporting the Somali government.
This month Somalia elected a new president, Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, a dual US-Somali citizen and former prime minister.
The attack underlines the challenge facing Mohamed, who has inherited an administration with limited control over Somali territory due to the presence of al-Shabaab, and is heavily propped up by the international community.
The president’s inauguration takes place on Wednesday, although he officially took office this week at a ceremony marred by a series of mortar strikes near the presidential palacethat left two children dead.
African Union troops drove al-Shabaab militants out of Mogadishu in August 2011 but the fighters continue to control rural areas and launch repeated attacks in the capital.
Civil war has riven Somalia since 1991. Aid agencies warn that a severe drought has placed large swaths of the country at risk of famine.A surge in support for Labour has driven Fianna Fáil into third place in the latest opinion poll.
The tnsMRBI poll in tomorrow's Irish Times also shows that satisfaction with the Government and the Taoiseach has fallen again.
The poll was carried out on Monday and Tuesday, with a sample of 1,000 voters around the country.
It shows Fianna Fáil support down 5% to 22%, behind Fine Gael, 32%,and Labour, up 10% to 24%.
Sinn Féin is up 1% to 9%, the Greens unchanged at 4%, and Independents and others down 4% to 9&.
Just 14% are satisfied with the Government's performance, with 82% dissatisfied.
Taoiseach Brian Cowen has the lowest satisfaction rating of all the party leaders, down 2% to 24%, while Labour's Eamon Gilmore has the highest, up 6% to 44%.
A spokesman for the Taoiseach said that the challenges and the tough decisions facing the government are unprecedented, so it was not surprising that the poll figures are unprecedented.
He said Labour have the luxury of sitting on the fence and being populist, while the Government have to act in the national interest.
Mr Cowen's spokesman added that in unprecedented times, it is not about popularity or politics, it is about doing the right thing.
He added that the poll won't deter the Government from taking the right decisions for the country, and that while the Taoiseach realises that these decisoins could affect the party in the future, it was not now about Fianna Fáil, but about Ireland.Amazon’s $13.7 billion purchase of Whole Foods, announced Friday, will greatly accelerate what had been careful steps by the e-commerce giant into the world of brick-and-mortar retail.
But a patent dated May 30 details a possible plan for stopping customers from doing in its own stores what Amazon itself has been helping them do everywhere else for years: find better prices for the same products online.
The patent, which has been written about in Bezos’ own Washington Post, details a method for blocking, redirecting, or otherwise controlling customers’ attempts to comparison shop on their smartphones when using a store’s Wi-Fi network. The system would identify when a customer is trying to access a competitor’s website and take action. According to the patent description, it could block the action outright, redirect it to the retailer’s own website, or distract the customer with a coupon or a salesperson’s attention.
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The patent, titled “Physical Store Online Shopping Control,” has one obvious shortcoming: It can’t do much to stop people from comparison shopping using their device’s cellular network.
Nonetheless it is remarkable, though not exactly surprising, that Amazon patented the idea and not any one of the various retailers it has steadily ground down over the last two decades. With physical retailers unable or unwilling to match online prices, mobile window shopping, also known as “showrooming,” has been partly blamed for the decline of retail institutions from Macy’s to Sears to Kmart.
As the Post points out, the fact that Amazon has the patent doesn’t mean it will use it. In truth, implementing such a system would likely be a public relations catastrophe.
But there’s another interesting detail that highlights just how brilliant, and perhaps Machiavellian, Amazon can be. The patent was originally filed in May 2012. According to Google Trends, that’s nearly a year before online search interest in the term “showrooming” peaked.
In other words, Amazon was relatively early in addressing how mobile devices would impact physical retail. At a time when brick-and-mortar stores were barely a twinkle in Bezos’ eye, Amazon filed a patent that would have put the company in a good legal position to stymie retailers’ attempts to create a system that would keep customers offline.The most recent turn in Samsung and Apple’s patent case has seen Facebook, Google, eBay, Dell, HP and other Silicon Valley companies chime in to support Samsung in a “friend of the court” briefing filed to the US Federal Circuit Court of Appeals.
A jury ruled in 2012 that Samsung had willfully infringed on Apple patents and the Korean company was ordered to pay $1 billion in damages. However, the amount was later reduced to $548 million following a review.
The briefing says:
If allowed to stand, that decision will lead to absurd results and have a devastating impact on companies, including [the briefing draftees], who spend billions of dollars annually on research and development for complex technologies and their components.
Apple responded to the brief by arguing it should be dismissed, specifically calling out Google saying the company can’t be impartial because of its vested interest in Samsung given the connection to its Android OS.
➤ BRIEF OF AMICI CURIAE [via Engadget]
Read next: Samsung Pay is on its way to take on Apple’s payments service, trials begin in South Korea
Read next: Sonavation has bonded 3D fingerprint sensors to Gorilla Glass -- kiss the home button goodbyeI have an uncomfortable confession to make: I have never liked the Looney Tunes. Despite the cultural pervasiveness of these characters, and a lifelong love of animation on my part, they’ve always struck me as annoying, repetitive, and boring – for all the pandemonium that Bugs Bunny and his ilk ostensibly represent, their chaos is bland, their destruction is predictable, and their lineage is corporate.
To be fair, my exposure to Looney Tunes at the time bore that out pretty well: I grew up in the age of Space Jam and the slew of jerseys, sneakers, McDonald’s toys, pogs, and cookie jars that film spawned. Today is no better, with the Roadrunner and Foghorn Leghorn perhaps most recognizable as shills for companies like Time Warner and GEICO.
Yet this was not always the case, as demonstrated by the excellent Chuck Jones exhibit at the Museum of the Moving Image in Queens. Entitled “What’s Up Doc? The Animation Art of Chuck Jones”, this retrospective illuminates the originality and charm of Jones in particular and the Looney Tunes in general. I learned that Bugs Bunny’s smart-alecky attitude and cigar-like carrot were based on Groucho Marx, and Wile E Coyote’s design was inspired by Mark Twain’s description of the coyote as “a long, slim, sick and sorry-looking skeleton…with a despairing expression of forsakenness and misery, a furtive and evil eye, and a long, sharp face…The coyote is a living, breathing allegory of Want.”
I was also surprised to discover how topical these cartoons were – as a kid watching cartoons on Saturday mornings, I didn’t catch many of the forty-year-old references. Yet Looney Tunes was a definite forerunner to the adult animation of today, poking fun at contemporary politics and pop culture. These cartoons were far from the squeaky-clean version of today: they were vibrant, innovative, and often subversive. While this certainly makes these shorts more interesting, it also means that some of the uglier elements of the time are on full display.
Such elements are abundantly clear in the Censored Eleven, shorts from the Warner Bros catalogue that were withheld from syndication due to racially offensive content. These cartoons have not been broadcast since 1968, though they are available online. I present them below, not to glamorize them but to shed some light on an occasionally fascinating – and often appalling – corner of an American institution.
Hittin’ the Trail for Hallelujah Land
The oldest cartoon of the eleven, Hittin’ The Trail For Hallelujah Land is notable for its plagiarism as well as its offensive subject matter. Released in 1931 – the second Merrie Melodies short ever made – it bears a striking resemblance to Disney’s 1928 release Steamboat Willy, including a Mickey Mouse-like character named Piggy who drives a steamboat.
The film was censored due to the character of Uncle Tom, a doglike creature who runs afoul of some dancing skeletons (who are also markedly similar to an earlier Disney creation entitled The Skeleton Dance). The animal cast of this short makes racist portrayals less apparent, and the stereotype that Uncle Tom falls into – that of the superstitious black man – is so outmoded that I didn’t even initially recognize its bigotry. Beyond this, a lack of focus and some half-baked gags are likely to make this cartoon more of a curiosity than a joy for modern viewers.
Sunday Go to Meetin’ Time & Clean Pastures
1936’s Sunday Go To Meetin’ Time and 1937’s Clean Pastures share religious themes as well as large opening set pieces that provide an opportunity to introduce a cavalcade of racial caricatures – country folk in the former and city dwellers in the latter. Sunday Go To Meetin’ Time is a standard morality tale, about an errant man (Nicodemus) who sneaks out of church to go steal some chickens. When he’s hit on the head and has a dream about the Hell that awaits him, he awakens repentant.
Clean Pastures is, on the whole, a more entertaining and more complex offering. A parody of the film Green Pastures, this short follows the angel Gabriel – a caricature of contemporary performer Stepin Fetchit – as he tries to get Harlemites to come to Heaven (or “Pair-o-Dice” as it’s called here). He is unsuccessful until four angels – caricatures of jazz musicians – suggest using “rhythm” to get people to paradise. The music is a huge success, and droves of folks come to Heaven – including the Devil himself. Offensive stereotyping abounds, but Clean Pastures has at least provided significant critical fodder. Sunday Go To Meetin’ Time, not so much.
Jungle Jitters & The Isle of Pingo Pongo
A pair of riffs on the idea of island savages, Jungle Jitters and The Isle of Pingo Pongo (both released in 1938) share a few of the same barbarian-based gags as well as a surrealist bent. The Isle of Pingo Pongo is set up as a parody of travelogues, while Jungle Jitters is more of a fish-out-of-water scenario, following a traveling salesman who gets kidnapped by natives.
While both feature some cringe-worthy jokes (connecting savage island music with contemporary jazz, a sign reading “Eat at the Dark Brown Derby,” etc.) Jungle Jitters is stronger in terms of narrative and sheer insanity. The climax, which features the islanders’ leader, a Caucasian bird-woman, falling in love with the doglike salesman, showcases a refreshing anything-goes lunacy that’s a Looney Tunes hallmark.
Uncle Tom’s Bungalow
1937’s Uncle Tom’s Bungalow is something of a missed opportunity. Based on the famous abolitionist novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin, this short generally holds true to the themes of its source material – the slaver Legree is the clear antagonist, and the little white girl Eva and little black girl Topsy are presented as friends and essentially equals (making this the least racially segregated of the Censored Eleven). Unfortunately, the slapdash nature of this cartoon undercuts any potential message – the humor is lacking, it relies on an overuse of jokey narration, and the final punch line is a racist gambling joke.
Angel Puss
The only one of the eleven directed by Chuck Jones, Angel Puss (1944) is at once one of the most blithe and most offensive of the banned cartoons. Its storyline of a cat outsmarting an African-American man who is trying to drown him places it in line with the standard aggressor/defender of Bugs Bunny & Elmer Fudd or Tweety & Sylvester. The cartoon has the characteristic energy and wit of Jones throughout. Yet everything about the African-American character, from his design, to his name (Sambo), to his voice, to his superstitious and foolish behavior, is pure prejudicial horror, and seeing it in such a familiar context makes it all the more jarring. Note too the heightened sadism of Puss, who turns to tormenting Sambo almost immediately.
Tin Pan Alley Cats
Though Tin Pan Alley Cats (1943)is another simplistic morality tale, it’s one peppered with a number of dexterous touches, including a version of Hell that’s more agreeably insane and more effective than Sunday Go to Meetin’ Time. When a smart-alecky cat – resembling entertainer Fats Waller – chooses a nightclub over a prayer group, he’s tormented by visions of damnation. When he comes to, he repents of his sinful ways. The animation of the feline protagonist, albeit stereotypical, is particularly expressive and sincere, allowing the audience to sympathize with his plight.
Coal Black and de Sebben Dwarves
Coal Black and de Sebben Dwarves (1943)is a tricky one. On the one hand, you need go no further than the title to discover the racism that runs rampant throughout. On the other, this involved and detailed parody of the Disney classic is the most masterful cartoon of the eleven – it’s considered by some to be one of the best animated films ever made. It’s also unusual for its jazz bona fides and its use of black voice actors and musicians. Make no mistake: Coal Black is often jaw-droppingly offensive. However, its sly wit and madcap energy make it an offering well worth watching.
Goldilocks and the Jivin’ Bears
Goldilocks and the Jivin’ Bears shares a lot with Coal Black – its fairytale structure, its musical-focus, its blackface characterizations of all but the intensely sexualized protagonist. Yet while Coal Black builds a coherent and surprising story about World War II, this film is more of a hodgepodge, drawing humor from non-sequitors, contemporary references, and the lazy stereotype that black people like to dance. After the eponymous bears leave the house to let their instruments cool down (yup), Goldilocks arrives and runs afoul of a wolf – Red Riding Hood, you see, was delayed while working “as a rivetater.” After being rescued by the bears, the short ends with everybody jitterbugging.
All This and Rabbit Stew
Whereas most of these cartoons feature characters not seen elsewhere in the Looney Tunes canon, All This and Rabbit Stew (1941)features Warner Bros’ biggest star, Bugs Bunny himself. Incidentally, the lack of other Looney Tunes stalwarts on this list is not because Bugs and friends were particularly enlightened – there are plenty of objectionablescenes that were cut out of now-classic cartoons. In the case of All This and Rabbit Stew, however, the racism is so pervasive that the entire film had to be removed.
In many ways, this short resembles a typical Elmer Fudd hunting rabbit scenario, but where |
later. This was one of those rare occasions where an East Coast car wound up in California.
Head-on, Richard's 1968 Mustang fastback sports Shelby nuances, yet it remains clearly Mustang. The Heidt's IFS system with rack-and-pinion steering is pronounced underneath. It changes the car's stance putting it down on the ground. We like the LED-trimmed headlamp modules.
Magnum 500 wheels are wrapped in BFGoodrich Radial T/As. GT500 stripes add "pop" to the bright PPG Candy Apple Red. Shelby side scoops give this Fastback real dimension.
When Richard pulled the Mustang into his garage and put it on the lift, he was impressed with the restoration work. However, he knew the car needed a different agenda if it was ever going to be reliable and fun to drive. It was never going to be what he and Michelle truly wanted with a 302ci small-block, Top Loader four-speed, and 3.00:1 cogs. Not long after Richard took delivery, he began his restomod project in earnest. He gutted the interior and removed the engine and driveline.
Close friends Norv Hollinger and Dave Lembcke arrived to help Richard with the Mustang. His son, Jim, drove all the way from Arizona to help. At about the same time, a buddy called who had a customer with a 5.0L Coyote engine with just 5,800 miles on it that he wanted to sell. It became clear to Richard what was next. Conventional small-block wisdom was not going to prevail. It was time to do something completely different. He looked to Jeff Audi's Quickdraw Racing where all electrical and powertrain work would be performed. Richard further consulted with Dave Toth of Classic Resto Garage to get a realistic build sequence going.
Heidt's IFS system gives the Mustang suspension and handling technology it could only have dreamed of having 50 years ago. Rack-and-pinion steering with good suspension basics in an adjustable coilover design that enables this pony to drive like it's on rails.
Doug's long-tube headers and X-pipe take exhaust scavenging to a new level. At wide-open throttle, this Coyote has a snarly bark at the exhaust tips. Chris Alston's Chassisworks subframe connectors stiffen the platform.
"Our goal was to be methodical—not rushed—yet be focused at the same time," Richard says. "We didn't have the budget to buy parts only to find out they were not the right parts and causing delays. With both car and engine at Jeff's Quickdraw shop, the next step was going to be transmission, brakes, and suspension." Richard put his faith in Heidt's IFS, including Wilwood disc brakes, coilover shocks, mid-apron panels to replace the shock towers, subframe connectors, and numerous other chassis refinements. Other essential parts include the Doug's headers for exhaust scavenging, a PCM system from Late Model Restoration, tilt steering column from IDidIt, complete electrical system from American Autowire, and an alternator and starter from Summit Racing.
With the help of friends and seasoned professionals, Richard took a bare Mustang Fastback shell and weaved new life into its skin. "The complexity of the wiring took both patience and skill," Richard says. "What would normally be a three-day project wound up taking much more time." Once Richard and his buddies got the wiring sorted out, there were other more challenging aspects to the interior, such as how to get the seats mounted and working properly. Steel reinforcements had to be welded to the floorpan to accommodate the seats. Wiring had to be added to operate power seats.
Inside, Richard opted for classic diamond tuck with red stitching, a Kenwood entertainment and navigation system with Bluetooth, Corbeau seating with power adjustment from NPD, custom console from Summit Racing, LED lighting, speaker kick panels, and Drake billet-aluminum pedals, red Auto Custom Carpeting, and a Vintage Air in-dash system.
Richard looked to Rick Herrera of Ar Jay's Upholstery, who tackled the classic diamond-tuck upholstery with red stitching on both seats and door panels. That's a Kenwood DDX9702S entertainment and navigation system. The interior is lit with LED lighting. Around you are all of the nice appointments normally associated with a modern ride.
Ninety-five days into this project, Richard fired the Coyote engine, which ran very well. Once they had the engine running, it was hauled to the JBA Speed Shop nearby in metro San Diego for a thorough tuning. Horsepower at the rear wheels from a stock Coyote was 416 to 420, with torque bumping the scales at 383.
When you've accomplished something the likes of Richard Blackman's 1968 Mustang Fastback, you tend to wonder how you did it. A Coyote swap into any vintage Ford takes more than a sparse amount of hair on your chest. Richard understood who had the knowhow to get it done and made the decision to go forward with a project the likes he had never witnessed before. When Richard saddles up and grabs the shifter, he quickly understands the value of the decision he made and friends who helped make it happen.
We like these Zenon headlights with LED halo from National Parts Depot. Billet grille is from Summit Racing.
The trunk area is clad from quarter to quarter with custom carpeting and a Summit Racing battery box. A trunk-mounted battery helps weight distribution for better handling. This is a nice spot to store your weekend luggage for a quick getaway. Check out the quick-disconnect battery terminal for safety.When furiously scrolling through Instagram, Josh Lavallee's (@yoshigrams) photos will stop you in your tracks. It's not because he knows how to capture a great moment (he does), or that he finds all the hidden nooks and crannies to seek out a new perspective (ambitious!). It's also because he makes you think twice about how you look at Winnipeg, how you feel about it, and that's just good photography.
Josh's Instagram feed is alive with a city living on the edge between old and new. His photos shine a positive light on a city that tends to, unfairly or not, get a lot of negativity. We asked Josh to tell us about his love for snapping pics…
What's the best thing about taking photos? Sharing your images and saying, "this is how my eyes see it." I also love seeing how others capture the same subject differently than you did.
What do you think makes a memorable photograph? When you can alter perception. If a photograph can change a person's opinion on a place, a person or a thing…I think that's impactful. And a big reason as to why art is so important.
Which photos are your favourites? My favourite photo of Winnipeg. It kind of shifted my perception of the city. This photo motivated me to try to keep that feeling and try to show other people how beautiful Winnipeg can be.
(Josh Lavallee)
This shot took a lot of prep. I woke up for almost a week straight at 4:00 a.m. to get to the St. Boniface Cathedral just hoping for a phenomenal morning sunrise. Success on the fifth morn!
(Josh Lavallee)
I remember looking out the window, seeing the fog, and knowing I only had about a half hour to get a shot. It reminds me of how important it is to be ready to shoot at a moment's notice.
(Josh Lavallee)
I like to conceptualize a photo, and for this one the idea was to make the Red River actually red in colour by utilizing a sunrise or sunset.
(Josh Lavallee)
My favourite photo of Winnipeg's skyline. I like the way that it gives off a big city feel. I love shooting long exposures whenever I can, and this is probably my best one.
(Josh Lavallee)
What are your three favourite places/things to shoot?
Downtown Winnipeg : I have always loved cities in general, the sounds, the movement, the limitless perspectives. I think capturing city life is one of the most challenging types of photography, because nothing is still, and you need to anticipate and react quickly or lose the moment.
: I have always loved cities in general, the sounds, the movement, the limitless perspectives. I think capturing city life is one of the most challenging types of photography, because nothing is still, and you need to anticipate and react quickly or lose the moment. Musicians : If I had to choose one thing to shoot for the rest of time, I'd choose to shoot musicians. I love the idea of photographing another artist that is as equally as passionate about their craft as you are.
: If I had to choose one thing to shoot for the rest of time, I'd choose to shoot musicians. I love the idea of photographing another artist that is as equally as passionate about their craft as you are. Europe: I toured Europe five years ago, right when I started taking photos. I want to go back to see what difference five years of experience makes.
To selfie or not to selfie? Not to selfie. I don't think I'm meant to be in front of any camera. Haha
Who are your favourite follows?
@enkrypt_losangeles – My favourite photographer right now. I love her work because she does everything exceptionally well. Portraits, cityscapes, street photography, music, nature, candid… literally EVERYTHING!
@cojophoto – Corey and Amanda gave me a chance to learn from them a few years ago when no one else would. They taught to pay attention to every detail in every corner of the frame, as well as how to interact with subjects and make a connection.
@matt_henry_photo – He makes everything look cool. He uses shadows, shapes and geometry well and I love how he doesn't stick to a specific niche.
Can you share advice on how to take an epic photo? Shoot as much as possible. Make as many mistakes as you can. Shoot where (or when) other people don't want to.
What story do you want your photos to tell? I'm not sure to be honest. I hope that my photography can be looked at as unique, a little different, and hopefully can change someone's opinion on how they might see things.
--
See Josh's photos featured on our Instagram feed this week.
Snapshot is a weekly series where we chat with local photographers to find out what goes into making an Insta feed look so darn good. Tag your photos with #lovecbcmb for chance to be featured. Previous features:1 year has now gone by since the Nxt genesis block was created, and it’s 4 months since the last NXT Newsletter was sent out. What’s been happening in NxtVille since then? Oh, just an explosion of development, community activity, and drama, so there’s nothing new to report, eh? Wrong! Let’s catch up.
This week’s topics:
Nxt.org
Nxter.org
NxtInside
Nxtinfo.org
NxtFoundation
NxtOrganization
Nxt Community Funds Committee
VOTE, NXTERS!
What’s up next, Nxt?
Nxt.org
There’s a new Nxt.org site up.
Nxt.org, which is perhaps Nxt’s most “controversial” website, has gone through tumultuous times since Bitventurer bought the domain for $10K in February, put it up for sale on nextcoin.org, regretted it and later gave it to the Nxt Community.
It’s now in the hands of the Nxt Organization, on behalf of which Berzerk has recently rebuilt the site.
Berzerk:
[Ideenfrische] coded a nice website, but unfortunately it was not well perceived. Apparently the “bounce rate” was pretty high. So QBTC took over and created a new site for us. She did a good job and in the name of the Nxt Organization, I want to thank her for her hard work. We talked with various people and we came to the conclusion that it is now time for a new Nxt.org. The first step is a professional website, in which content is maintained and updated. We as an unofficial organization, as a collective which wants to make Nxt better, can work on the site constantly! We did the first step and created an all-new Nxt.org. With a fresher, more modern and sleeker look. We want to reach 3 user bases. The businessmen, the developers and the average user. Please note that there may be bugs or mistakes on the website right now. Please look through it and contact us if you find anything. We don’t plan to have our own news section, as there is nxter.org.
Read more here:
https://nxtforum.org/general-discussion/(proposal)-all-new-nxt-org-website/
You can read about (some of the) future plans for nxt.org here:
https://nxtforum.org/general-discussion/nxt-org-gateway-to-nxt-(access-account)/
Nxter.org
Nxter.org has undergone a transformation.
QBTC, 23.11.2014:
If you all have been watching Nxter Magazine at nxter.org, you have to be as impressed as I am! Since the early days, Apenzl and I have shared similar goals and visions. He and his team have taken nxter.org to new levels and have the manpower and resources to do what I have been unable to do as a one-woman-show with sputtering energy. I’m really proud of their professionalism and product and am pleased to say that, in the best interests of all, I am retiring the nerds and redirecting the nxtcommunity.org site to nxter.org. This will be effective immediately.
I have been running the site solo since December 2013, but the one-man band has now grown into a team of dedicated Nxters:
Cassius – as writer
oldnbold – as English editor
Ludom – as French editor and writer
KarlKarlsson – as accountant and ads/business manager
apenzl – as “leader”, pic-maker, writer and web administrator
and then the loosely committed, who help us out with knowledge and/or the writing part.
Nxt Weekly has taken on a new form. Whereas before I used to mail out a ~40-page newsletter, subscribers will now receive a weekly overview inside a beautiful template by Ideenfrische. New posts are being made to nxter.org almost daily with updates, blogs, in-depth articles, market reports or Nxt asset descriptions, as well as Nxt related PR texts, and Nxter Weekly will be highlighting all of these.
Such posts don’t just magically appear on the site, so every Nxter is still welcome to contribute:
Our most recent initiative is the issuing of the NXTP asset which we use to reward our contributors worldwide for the work they do for Nxter.org. Being paid in NXTP is not a one-time payment, it’s a monthly dividend, based on nxter.org’s net profit, paid to contributors for as long as they hold NXTP.
Read more about this project here and maybe give it a go.
Maybe you’ll become the proud owner of 100 NXTP just for being a Nxt Newsletter subscriber. Read about our Nxt Birthday campaign.
Nxt Inside
What’s this? Haven’t you heard?
VanBreuk:
The development of new third party services and tools on top of the Nxt network is progressively turning Nxt into the platform it was meant to be. NxtInside is a new promotional program to give Nxt a core ingredient brand identity, with the following goals:
Open ways for co-op promotion efforts between Nxt and NxtInside partners.
Raise awareness in developers about the capabilities and potential within Nxt, thus helping to introduce new partners into the platform.
Provide GUI/website branding as a link to bring more end users to the Nxt ecosystem.
Allow marketing initiatives to focus on the promotion of branded applications while implicitly promoting the Nxt platform.
Visibly connect Nxt to applications developed on top of the platform and using Nxt core features.
The official website for the Nxt Inside will receive regular updates with:
New featured NxtInside partners
New Development resources and materials
Blog posts about Nxt technology and development
If you are a developer for a third party application or website service and want to join the NxtInside program and website in the launch, please report in this thread or contact VanBreuk.
The first and best known Nxt Inside partner is SuperNET.
jl777 announced the first Nxt Inside initiative in late August and thereby gave a name to the Nxt Inside project. He explained how he would bundle Nxt with BTCD, which later led to the SuperNET ICO.
You can read the full story here, or follow the SuperNET Newsletters right here.
Nxtinfo.org
The site is aimed at beginners.
KarlKarlsson:
I’m proud to announce the official launch of NXTinfo.org! When I started with NXT back in February I had to look for information in too many different sources – that’s what I want to change. Our aim is to provide all the information a newcomer needs in one place and in a simple language to make their lives easier. Dear Nxter, spread the word: I am looking forward to any constructive feedback and am open to suggested changes.
Donations to NXT-56FE-J3YQ-7T7Y-EKTW4 are very appreciated – it helps to further develop this brand new web page.
Nxt Foundation
Nxt Foundation wants to make it easy for businesses to connect to the Nxt platform.
Nxt Foundation made its first public appearance with the Nxt Community and Development video Updates, started by Tai Zen, Damelon, QBTC and Uniqeuorn. Their idea is to show some of the real faces behind Nxt, so that people know that Nxt is not just anonymous programmers hiding behind screens.
As the 5 people currently running Nxt Foundation have discovered, the absence of any legal structure for Nxt makes it very inconvenient when they are in contact with organizations or businesses, for example when attending conferences; the problem being that it is not possible to sign a contract, be it with a conference organiser or any other real world business, on behalf of a technology. It’s obviously not enough to say that you represent a public ledger or the decentralized financial blockchain tech of tomorrow. A real legal entity is needed.
In the meantime, Nxters have had no choice but to sign contracts regarding Nxt in their personal capacities, thereby making themselves personally liable under the contract. Another reason why a legal entity is needed is that it makes it easier to arrange short term insurance for Nxt representatives attending conferences.
The Nxt Foundation is a convenient way to solve these problems. In their mission statement on their website, the Nxt Foundation writes:
To grow the NXT platform and its community, NXT needs something that can connect and engage with the rest of the world (individuals and businesses) in a professional, friendly, safe and secure manner. In order for the NXT platform to grow and gain widespread adoption, people must be able to connect with the new world of decentralized currencies (such as NXT) that are not owned by any government or central bank. For this to happen a bridge is needed between the NXT platform, community, developers etc. and the rest of the world which is still accustomed to the old world legacy banking system. The NXT Foundation is a group of early adopters of the NXT platform who share the belief that the NXT technology has the potential to revolutionize how people make financial transactions and eliminate the inequalities of the legacy central banking systems and have volunteered to unify their efforts to promote the NXT platform with integrity and professionalism.
Still, adopting a name like ‘Nxt Foundation’ naturally causes instant fear in the heart of a decentralized community like Nxt’s. It goes to the very core of Nxt. Nobody wants to feel misrepresented by some central organ or by a bunch of Nxt representatives with whom they just don’t agree.
Nxt Foundation writes:
The NXT community does not need a ‘foundation’ for the community, it needs a ‘foundation’ for the rest of the world to be able to connect with the value that NXT and its community offers. The NXT Foundation can be viewed as an interface between an old and new financial world guided by the NXT community and NOT directing the NXT community.
In the forthcoming months, Nxt Foundation will set up the necessary legal structures.
Learn more in this video announcement:
Nxt Organization
Nxt Organization was first announced by wesley on August 7 as a collaboration between dedicated community members who wanted to put an end to the passivity caused by the way the Nxt funding committees are set up. Mczarnek writes: ‘There was an initial vote regarding whether we needed something new and clearly we do. So, we saw there was a problem, instead of spending months voting on it (…), we organized a group of people who know and love Nxt, have proven their commitment, can work well together and decided to do something about it.’
The Nxt community was shaken. Like Nxt Foundation, the members now had to explain that they were NOT to be seen as representatives of Nxt as a whole, and the thread exploded in unconstructive debate.
On October 10, Berzerk announced a change in the structure.
Berzerk:
Since the beginning of the NxtOrganization we wrote several huge documents with plans and ideas, in which we described how we will make the Nxt ecosystem a big success. However, at the end nothing was finished because we had no clear leader who made the final word. I hereby announce that I took over this role since last week. I will now function as the CEO of the NxtOrganization. If you encounter any problems, just write me a PM here on the forums. The plans for the networking, marketing and tech groups for 2014 are done. We will concentrate on the marketing and networking ones for now, as we are in a very comfortable situation in the development space with more than 7 active developers. There are several internal votings going on in order to accomplish our goals, including over 30 tasks which need to be done this year. As we have finished the basic foundation of the NxtOrganization this week, we can finally start to actually accomplish things next week. Currently there are six active members on board. We are constantly searching for more active members. So if you are interested in taking part just write me. I will get in contact with you as soon as possible then.
Berzerk can be contacted through nxtorganization.org. The first task solved was the nxt.org site.
Nxt Community Funds Committee
On March 7 the Nxt Community elected 3 funding committees with 5 (unpaid) members in each committee to control 9 million unclaimed NXT from the Genesis Block: A TechDev Committee, an Infrastructure Committee, and a Nxt Marketingfund Committee. The way it should work was that any community member could pitch a project and apply for funding from the committees, the committee members would then vote for or against the proposal, and see to it that the project got realised.
The way that the committees were set up seems to have fostered passivity, and several community (and committee) members have therefore called for a reorganisation of the committees to make them more proactive. 113 Nxters voted about the issue, with 86.7% in favor of such a reorganisation.
VOTING TIME, NXTERS!
Damelon has made a final proposal for the structure of a new committee.
The proposal will be up for a week, nxters should go there and vote AYE or NAY now!
The committee’s mandate will be a proactive one.
They can and should initiate projects and keep the community active in creative ways, including:
making a clear budget for the coming year.
recognising and funding well conceived projects that further the adoption of Nxt in any way.
initiating projects for Nxt adoption and finding partners to make them come to fruition.
proposing and incentivizing uses of Nxt.
overseeing the timely development of these uses once they have been agreed on.
communicating the progress of these projects in a simple to read format, making use of the numerous communication outlets that are already in place within the community, like the Twitter channels, Facebook pages and sites like Nxter.org and Nxt.org.
After the vote, there will be the following steps:
Self-nomination of candidates for the open positions.
Voting.
Announcing the new committee, and transfer of funds to the new treasurers.
The new committee will be in control of the funds left in the 3 funding committees, see here.
The vote will end on December 2, so nxters – please go vote:
https://nxtforum.org/general-discussion/new-community-funding-committee/
What’s up next, Nxt?
BCNext left on February 28, the day before the Nxt source code became public, handing the rest of his Nxt code over to Come-from-Beyond, and the responsibilty of taking care of Nxt to the community. Come-from-Beyond added extra pressure, pointing out that April 4th was his last working day for Nxt. If some Nxter was still in doubt as to whether the community / the social experiment of the Nxt project was to take over or not, this doubt was killed with the release of the 3rd part of BCNext’s plan, published by Come-from-Beyond on April 1st, in which he stated:
Quote:
BCNext went for good, he doesn’t feel himself responsible for the future of Nxt, he implemented an idea that was obvious but noone tried to do it (maybe because creation of a Bitcoin clone was much easier). One day he will come back with his main project under his real name. Don’t try to find real identity of BCNext, he intentionally copied style and ideas of different people, if you think you found him then you are likely wrong. BCNext has never existed, this sockpuppet was created only for Nxt and will never appear again. You are left on your own. Good luck.
Read all 3 messages from BCNext here: http://nxter.org/bcnexts-nxt/
We have expanded and grown several times as a community. We outgrew bitcointalk and moved to nxtforum.org on March 24. Community members began to have meetings behind the scenes, as various projects grew from the forum and these talks. Heated discussions and alliances were made.
We’re decentralized. All are aware of the value of the Nxt tech and eager to make the world understand it and make use of it. That’s what binds our community together, across national borders, political standpoints – for private reasons, privacy reasons, political reasons, businesses reasons.
This first Nxt Weekly leader has concentrated on the Nxt Community and the recent restructuring in our starfish organisation. We know now that Nxt is indeed a platform. Its value is defined by the use of it, not as currency but as a vehicle for NXT tokens, used by the projects and businesses built on Nxt.
NXTER MAGAZINE will cover these use cases in depth in a series starting this coming Monday, called Nxt CORE.
If you’re impatient to know more, take a look at the description of the next core feature to be implemented in Nxt: Monetary System: https://bitbucket.org/JeanLucPicard/nxt/issue/136/monetary-system.
Come-from-Beyond:The Miami Dolphins are in the process of trading offensive tackle Branden Albert to the Jacksonville Jaguars. At this stage, however, tight end Julius Thomas won't be part of an initial deal.
NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Monday that the offensive tackle is visiting the Jaguars on Monday and the teams will proceed with the Albert part of the deal first. If he agrees on a new (increased) salary and likes the fit of Jacksonville, they could reach a basic agreement today, with a late-round pick going to Miami, per sources involved in the deal.
The Miami Herald first reported the swap of a late-round pick.
The trade talks heated up late last week after the Dolphins planned to cut Albert. When plans to cut ties were reported, a trade market for the 32-year-old offensive tackle materialized, causing Miami to change gears.
Albert is set to count $10.6 million on the salary cap. Moving on would save Miami $7.2 million on the cap. The veteran left tackle struggled last season while playing through injury -- for reference, Pro Football Focus rated him their 65th best offensive tackle in 2016. However, he would be an upgrade for Jacksonville, who are not picking up Kelvin Beachum's contract option.
With Albert owning leverage, the Jags are expected to sweeten his deal to entice the veteran to change Florida residences.
Initial trade talks centered around a swap of Albert for Thomas, who had his best seasons under Dolphins coach Adam Gase while both were in Denver.
Per Rapoport, Thomas is headed to Miami after all, as the Jaguars are trading the veteran tight end to the Dolphins, via a source informed of the pending move.I sometimes receive requests by mail to autograph books. Unfortunately, most of my packages are left on my doorstep, and the rainy Washington weather is not kind to books. So rather than have readers send me books to be signed and then make multiple trips to the post office so I can mail them back, I usually offer to send bookplates.They’re also useful when I visit conventions. Sometimes readers like to receive extra signatures for friends or for books at home. In the past, I’ve purchased pre-printed bookplates, and more recently, had them personalized. I enjoyed them, but wished for ones that had a bit more room to personalize for the reader.
For years, I’ve been friends with Carol Ann Craig. I’ve enjoyed her art, and when she moved to Tacoma, we were able to meet in person. We shared food, plants, and stories of how we work. So I recently approached her with the idea that perhaps she could design custom bookplates for me. This one, above, will the for the Farseer Trilogy, and features FitzChivalry’s charging buck. As we are so pleased with how these turned out, we will be ordering additional bookplates with suitable images for the Liveship Traders trilogy, The Tawny Man trilogy and the Rain Wild Chronicles. And eventually, I hope, for the Fitz and the Fool Trilogy. Each trilogy will have a specialized bookplate for it.
I will have some of these available when I visit Gencon in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA in August. I will be a Guest of Honor for the Writer’s Symposium there. The dates are August 4 to 7. To find our more about Gencon, the biggest, longest-running, best-attended gaming convention in the world, please visit their website at http://www.gencon.com/
And if you won’t be attending Gencon, and would still like autograph inserts for your Farseer Trilogy, please contact [email protected] Be sure to include your name, a good mailing address (Do not forget to include the country! You’d be amazed at how many people forget to put New Zealand or United Kingdom or Germany at the end of their address!) And if you want more than a simple autograph, be sure to include that information, as in “To Zeke” or “Happy Birthday Sara!”
As the other bookplates are created, we’ll share images of them here. Thank you so much, Carol Ann Craig.Babe Ruth contract, 1927 ring up for auction
These undated images provided by Lelands.com, shows pages of the New York Yankees' copy of the 1919 agreement between the Yankees and Boston Red Sox for baseball player Babe Ruth. The 1919 sale of Ruth from the Red Sox to Yankees contract headlines Lelands.com 1st Annual Invitational Auction, which closes June 30. | Michael Pascucci/Lelands.com via AP
Two items that can be considered the Holy Grail of Babe Ruth memorabilia are up for auction.
Ruth’s 1927 World Series ring and the 1919 contract of Ruth’s sale from the Red Sox to the Yankees are part of the first Lelands.com Invitational Auction.
The auction, which takes place through June 30, features many unique and high-value sports memorabilia items.
The five-page contract is the Yankees’ copy that Barry Halper once purchased from former owner Jacob Ruppert’s estate. It is considered the most important document in sports history. Not only did it start the Yankees on a path of winning 27 World Series titles — including four with Ruth — but it doomed generations of Red Sox players and fans under “the curse of the Bambino.” The curse wasn’t lifted until 2004, when Boston won its first World Series in 86 years.
That Ruppert copy was sold privately in 2005 and hasn’t changed hands until now. It started with an opening bid of $100,000 and was up to $235,795 as of Friday.
There are three copies of the Ruth contract. The Red Sox copy was sold for $996,000 to a Yankees fan during an auction at Sotheby’s in 2005. The American League copy has never surfaced.
“I’ve always wanted to create an auction where there is the best of the best,” Lelands.com chairman Josh Evans said. “This is an auction where you can really focus on each product and go all out. These are items that only come to the market once in a lifetime.”
Ruth’s ring, which is for the first of four titles he won with the Yankees, could fetch the highest price of all the items. It also started at $100,000 and had a current bid of $313,842.
That season Ruth had one of the greatest years in baseball history with a.356 batting average, 60 home runs and 156 RBIs. He went 6 for 15 in the World Series sweep against the Pittsburgh Pirates, with two home runs and seven RBIs.
The auction also features the ball that Pete Rose hit to break Ty Cobb’s hit record; Sandy Koufax’s rookie jersey with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1955; a 1950-51 Joe DiMaggio game-used uniform; a 1957 Willie Mays New York Giants game-worn, signed jersey from his last Polo Grounds game; and a 1939 Lou Gehrig game-used bat.
The most unique non-baseball item might be the Olympic gold and silver medals won by Chandler Egan in 1904. That was the last time golf was an Olympic sport until it returned for the Rio Games. The medals were recently found in a bookcase in the former home of Egan’s daughter in Ohio.
“A consistent theme from the sale is that there is tremendous crossover historically for a lot of the items. There are multiple reasons why they are great,” Evans said. “The Ruth contract changed our country, Koufax is a part of popular culture, and the golf medals are among the greatest golf awards.”Two college football games in Oregon might have to be rescheduled because of wildfires in the Northwest.
The Pac-12 said in a release Tuesday that the Nebraska at Oregon game, scheduled to be televised by Fox at 4:40 p.m. ET (1:30 local time) and the Minnesota at Oregon State, scheduled to be televised by FS1 at 10 p.m. ET (7 p.m. local) could be altered.
With more than 20,000 acres burning in Oregon, air quality is the issue, and smoke in parts of the state is heavy. The Pac-12 said in a statement to the Oregonian that “Oregon and Oregon State have been working closely with the relevant region air protection agency, the Pac-12, and their own medical personnel to monitor and asses the air quality situation since fires broke out and they will continue to do so. Based upon the information provide by the air protection agency and the expert health and safety advice of the respective University medical professionals, a decision will be made on whether or not to adjust game times and/or dates with the safety of student-athletes and fans as a priority.”
Oregon moved Tuesday’s practice to Siuslaw Middle School in Florence, Ore., 60 miles west on the Pacific coast.Pensions experts have warned that hundreds more company schemes are set to shut, due to low interest rates and regulatory rules.
Pensions experts have warned that hundreds more company schemes are set to shut, due to low interest rates and regulatory rules.
They said the rules were creating a false sense that schemes were in more trouble than they were already in.
This will likely to lead to a situation where employers will choose to invest in their business, rather than pumping money into defined benefit schemes with big deficits, according to Gerry Moriarty, of the Irish Association of Pension Funds, a body that represents pension savers.
Some 750 defined benefit schemes have been shut down in the past 10 years alone. This represents six out of 10 of these plans, which were prevalent in larger companies and semi-states, according to figures from regulator, the Pensions Authority.
There are some 600,000 people with defined benefit pensions, which promise to pay a set level of retirement income based on final salary and years of service.
But a funding crisis for schemes in the private sector means the deficits in them have more than doubled to €7bn, raising questions about whether more of them will reduce pension benefits, or close.
Private sector pension funds are already reeling from a Government levy that took €2.4bn from them. The levy is not charged an more - but because of the way it was imposed it is still impacting the pensions of thousands of people.
Mr Moriarty said that along with large numbers of private sector company schemes closing, many have cut what they pay out in retirement.
Most now pay half of final salary for someone with full service, down from two-thirds of full salary.
"A lot of schemes will close. We have an artificial situation due to bond yields and regulatory rules," Mr Moriarty said.
He said that the liabilities have shot up. The liabilities reflect what a defined benefit scheme would have to pay out if they closed today.
The liabilities have jumped because bond yields, or interest paid on bonds, have gone down. A pension fund that closes down uses its funds to buy bonds to pay pensions, but low bond yields mean it takes more money to buy a set level of pension.
Mr Moriarty said this was a false situation. "Most schemes will not close tomorrow and go out and buy an annuity to pay pensions at a time when annuities are more expensive than ever. A pension fund has 30-year life span," he said.
Irish Brokers' Association chief executive Ciarán Phelan said that if the same solvency rules were applied to the pensions of politicians and public service employees it would be a more honest assessment of the true cost to the taxpayer of these gold-plated pension.
"In the private sector these rules are seeing the vast majority of DB schemes closing and employee benefits as a result being reduced. It is unfair that one sector of society has to abide by a certain set of rules when it comes to pension planning and those who set the rules for the rest of us don't."
A spokesman for the Pensions Authority denied its rules were pushing up the deficits in pension schemes.
Pension Minister Leo Varadkar's spokesman said the situation of defined benefit funding is being monitored by the department |
but to turn to money lenders, and, in villages like Dhoksal, they are often the same people who sell seeds. The annual interest rate on loans can rise to forty per cent, which few farmers anywhere could hope to pay. “I am at serious odds with my colleagues who argue that these suicides are about Bt cotton,” Suman Sahai told me when I spoke to her in Delhi. Sahai is not ideologically opposed to the use of genetically engineered crops, but she believes that the Indian government regulates them poorly. Nonetheless, she says that the Bt-suicide talk is exaggerated. “If you revoked the permit to plant Bt cotton tomorrow, would that stop suicides on farms?” she said. “It wouldn’t make much difference. Studies have shown that unbearable credit and a lack of financial support for agriculture is the killer. It’s hardly a secret.” “It’s not a shawl, hombre—it’s a hand-woven poncho.” It would be presumptuous to generalize about the complex financial realities of India’s two hundred and sixty million farmers after having met a dozen of them. But I neither saw nor heard anything that supported Vandana Shiva’s theory that Bt cotton has caused an “epidemic” of suicides. “When you call somebody a fraud, that suggests the person knows she is lying,” Mark Lynas told me on the phone recently. “I don’t think Vandana Shiva necessarily knows that. But she is blinded by her ideology and her political beliefs. That is why she is so effective and so dangerous.” Lynas currently advises the Bangladeshi government on trials it is conducting of Bt brinjal (eggplant), a crop that, despite several peer-reviewed approvals, was rejected by the environmental minister in India. Brinjal is the first G.M. food crop in South Asia. Shiva wrote recently that the Bangladeshi project not only will fail but will kill the farmers who participate. “She is very canny about how she uses her power,” Lynas said. “But on a fundamental level she is a demagogue who opposes the universal values of the Enlightenment.”While attending Beacon Academy, in the Kingdom of Vale, it was quite common for the students to see abnormal things. Wither that was the transforming weapons, their rather "unique" entrance exam in the Emerald Forest, or the fact that the monsters known as the Grimm were often used for exposure in the classes. At the center of the chaos was Team RWBY, a group of exceptional young women who seems to get involved in nearly everything that happens in and around the Kingdom of Vale. Standing at the helm of team RWBY is Ruby Rose, with her Sniper Rifle/Scythe combo weapon, the Crescent Rose. By her side is her sister Yang Xiao Long, the buxom Brawler wielding the shotgun gauntlets, the gold-colored Ember Celica. Weiss Schnee, heiress, tactician, and mage all in one, and wielder of the Multi-Action-Dust-Rapier named Mrytenaster. To round up the foursome was the mysterious Blake Belladonna, a wildcard who wields a weapon, the Gambol Shroud, that was a sword with sheathe, and a kusarigma chain pistol. All in all, fairly well versed and well traveled. Still, the four young ladies had to be surprised on a chilly fall day.
But seeing a whole legion of students, weapons and all, swimming up the river that led Beacon Academy was certainly an odd sight. The ladies had been in town, on a very practical shopping trip to get their weapons sharpened or polished, obtaining more ammo, recycling expelled cartridges, and routine maintenance. It had been almost a month since Blake had confronted Roman Torchwick down at the docks, and revealed her heritage to the rest of the team. The festival was just about to kick off, and all of the schools were arriving between semesters, as to not interrupt classes. It seemed this one was second last.
"Weiss, Blake, you need to come and see this! They're actually climbing up the cliffs!" Ruby said in an excited her mind starting to move at hyper speed at the thought of the new weapons the large crowd, close to a couple hundred at least, were most likely carrying.
"I think they're from that school in the North...what's it called again?" Yang asked, standing next to her sister to look out of the window, watching the people crawl their way up the sheer cliff face. Standing at the very top was an old mustached man, built like an ox. Said man was smacking the blunt end of his long lance against the ground so hard it was leaving small indents, shouting at his students so loud his voice that it could almost be heard from the airship. The silence that followed Yang's question made it clear nobody was aware of the name of the school.
"It's called Asmund Academy, located in Kingdom of Atlas. Apparently, shortly after the war, a berserker by the name of Asmund established a colony at the outer reaches of Atlas. It's notorious for a Spartan ways of teaching students, being particularly brutal and still being run by its original founder." Weiss voice chimed in as she too looked out a window, pointing at the old man as he contused to shout. His head was covered in a black bandanna, and he seemed to wear a military jacket of some sort over his shoulders, choosing to wear a black shirt under that, and a pair of white pants. Ruby and Yang turned their heads in union to give the heiress and odd look, even tilting their heads slightly. Weiss only noticed her teammates staring at her a few seconds later, jumping slightly before starting to explain.
"I had to do some research when I was choosing which I wanted to go to. So don't be giv-Hey look, those two are waving at us!" Weiss suddenly pointed out to two people standing on small part of the cliff that jutted out from the rest of the rock face, perhaps just enough to plan their feet upon. From that distance all that was distinguishable was a cowboy hat, blue with a gold trim on the head of one figure, and the mass of grey hair that covered the second one's head. They suddenly winced as the old man sent a volley off orders their way, and quickly resumed their action, using their hands to climb up the last couple feet, pulling themselves over onto the grass. The pair seemed to within the first ten to arrive at the top and like the others, proceeded to rest and attempt to drip dry themselves.
"Wait...how could they even see you three? We must be at least 40 feet away." Blake suddenly piped up from her seat, having put down her book a minute before she spoke. There was a pregnant pause as the majority of Team RWBY pondered the question, looking very puzzled.
"They decided to wave at random? Or they just were waving to an airship for fun?" Yang countered with a shrug of her shoulders, a rumble signaling that the airship was landing.
"I guess we'll see them again during the Festival or the Tournament, and we and ask them then. Vale is a small enough place. I'm sure they'll pop up somewhere." Blake continued as the gangplank lowered as the fearsome foursome exited the flying vehicle, while Yang began holding the end of Ruby's clock so she wouldn't run to the arriving students and gush over their weapons, much to Ruby's protest.
"One these days, I'm really am going to break Cardin's legs..." Pyrrah mumbled under her breath violently stabbing her peas with a fork. The young Winchester and his team were once again picking on Velvet, tugging on her rabbit ears and generally calling her names that the rabbit Faunus was not enjoying, and she was practically on the verge of tears.
"Hey, is your brother named Peter?" Cardin chimed in with a chuckle, his teammates quickly joining in.
"Take a breath Pyrrah. You'd get in serious trouble for even beating him up, let alone breaking his legs." Ruby countered, trying to bring some common sense to the table that was stewing with anger. The bird-named team had turned into Birds of Prey for anyone unlucky enough to be on their own, while still masquerading as perfect little angels. It was clearly spreading a shared feeling of anger and resentment throughout the two teams and the breaking point was near.
Well...at least until the eggs threw flew the air.
Green and Brown eggs, moldy and clearly rotted made contact with the head and the back of each member on Team CRDL, the shells cracking and leaving a very gross stench and slime to stain the armour or shirts. Silence fell among most of the cafeteria as Cardin stepped forward with a snarl on his face, looking at the lobbers of the eggs. Said lobbers were located at the entrance of the mess hall, leaning against the doors. Closest to Teams RWBY and JNPR was a cowboy hat-wearing girl with long black hair that nearly reached her slender waist. Said hat was blue-grey mix that, bullets strapped around the bulk of a hat, kept there with a dark blue band. One of her gloved hands traced along the golden brim of her hat, the gloves themselves being brown leather with golden cloth frills on the end that moved around when she moved. One of her bright blue eyes was looking to the side, giving the advancing grunts an icy look. Her boots seemed to be the same brown colour, with a stronger material, and had matching gold frills that started just under the tips of her purple socks. She wore a simple purple miniskirt held up by a golden belt, leaving her upper legs quite bare. He shirt was sleeveless and white, bearing her pale belly while not revealing much else, and curled inward slightly at the hem Over that she wore a vest-duster combo that seemed to have been relieved of its sleeves quite roughly, judging from the frayed ends at her shoulders. The area around her shoulder was purple, while the folds of were lined with gold. The duster was a couple different shades of blue, and reached down to her ankles. There was a line of gold frills just before the hem, while the hem large threads hanging off, arranged into spikes of sorts.
"Now, if the eggs aren't enough of a sign of how rotten you are, I'm sure my partner and I can talk some common sense into you...whoever you are." The boy across from the cowgirl said, brushing a bit of his hair out of his dark green eyes with one gloved hand. Said gloves were a dark maroon colour, fingerless, with circular gold metal tips on each knuckle and large silver silvers cuffs that had stars embedded in them. His hair was long enough to reach the base of his neck, silver in colour, had bangs that framed his face, and was messily styled into a few vertical spikes. His head was slowly bobbing in time with the beats of music that was leaking out of headphones draped around his neck. Said headphones were mainly black with dark red lining, a few bullets strapped onto the arch, the bullets being silver in colour. The red lining was mostly on the outside of the thick headphones, and the wire that led to the source was also red. He was wearing a dark grey t-shirt, with red lines that seemed to glow and pulse in time with the music, the lines moving from his shoulders to a point on his back somewhere. Over the shirt, he wore a dark brown vest, unzipped, and sleeveless with an absurdly high collar. Finally, over the shirt and vest, he wore a simple grey jacket that had black pads sewn into the shoulders and elbows. He wore a pair of poofy black pants on his legs, a pair of pads also sewn into the knee of said pants. On his feet he wore a pair of large, brown boots that seemed to cover up to the middle of his shins, blocking the end of each pant leg from view.
"Listen here whoever you are, as Team CRDL has some advice for you. RUN!" Cardin said with a snarl as the pair stood up properly, hands finding pockets as they shared a look. All in all, they were as cool as cucumbers.
"Wait...how is that pronounced exactly?" The grey haired boy said with a chuckle, holding one his hand forward in a slightly defensive maneuver.
"CARDINAL! CAR-DIN-AL!" Cardin roared, looking like he was ready to take a swing at the unnamed boy, who just seemed to be holding back laughter.
"You really shouldn't have called yourself that. So many bird puns are going to be flung your way." The boy said between laughs, holding his sides and bending over gently to laugh. Said bending was just in time to dodge a punch from Cardin himself, while the cowgirl weaved around a short jab from Russel Thresh. The boy moved under Cardin's reach to stand beside his partner, the pair now against the table Velvet was sitting at, sharing a quick look and a nod before moving again.
"You really are a bunch of birdbrains to try and bully a poor girl. It's usually the quiet ones that are the most dangerous." He said between laugh as Cardin charged him yet again, steam practically coming out of his ears. The boy simply stepped backward onto the seat of the table and front flipped over Cardin, sticking his tongue out at him after he landed. He twitched slightly as if he was temporarily disturbed by something, and then ducked Sky's right hook that came from behind. Sky's fist connected with Cardin's nose, which resulted in both young men crying out in pain and holding their bruised appendages. Meanwhile Cowgirl, as most people dubbed her, had slipped between the legs of both Dove and Russel with ease, and somehow causing the pair to slip up and fall on their faces. The boy simply clicked his tongue a couple times and shook his head sadly.
"Bunch of featherheads these guys are, eh Rickel? No sense of teamwork or syncrasy." The boy said with a chuckle, suddenly walking over to the tables where Teams RWBY and JNPR were sat. He stopped just before them, giving off a friendly wave to the amused crowd before him.
"Hi there. Can I borrow your bird?" He said quite bluntly, already reaching for the untouched turkey in the middle of the table. There was a stunned silence before Ruby suddenly nodded, speaking in a semi-awkward tone.
"Uhh...sure. Go right ahead." She said, suddenly aware of the fact that her sister was munching on popcorn.
"Yang, where did you get the popcorn?"
"Nora gave it to me. This is pretty fun to watch!" She replied through a mouthful of popcorn, shoveling another handful into her mouth.
"Then where did Nora get it?" Ruby said as a puzzled look came upon her face, to which Ren finally piped up from his usual silence.
"It's best not to ask or question where Nora gets things from. Trust me." His calm voice said; leaving the teams in silence save for Ruby and Yang munching on the popcorn as the boy walked over to the recovering Cardin.
"Now, can we say this was a lesson you learned about..." He paused, raising the bronze-cooked bird over his head for a second before bringing it down. A great "THRUMP" sound followed the boy brining the turkey down.
"Talking Turkey!" He said, pleased with his handiwork. Cardin's entire head was now stuck inside of the turkey, causing him to flail around and eventually trip and fall on a slippery patch of floor, joining his teammates on the floor. There was a mix of applause and laughter in the immediate area around the pair as they shook hands and sat across from each other, checking in with velvet. After a brief conversation and a few nods and smiles, the boy and Rickel took the turkey at velvet's table and carried it over to Team RWBY's table, plopping it down on the platter where it belonged.
"You do realize you're in monumental trouble, right? Outside of classes, fighting isn't permitted." Weiss said, entering full-on lecture tone instantly, only to be stopped when Rickel held up her hand and shook her head gently.
"Save for the turkey, we didn't touch them if you want to get technical about it." The boy said with a wily grin, grabbing an apple from the middle of the table, taking a big bite out of it a second later.
"I guess you could say you Toucan work together really well." Yang said with an equally large grin, leaning in as she made her joke.
"Aaaaaah! I like her! She'll have me raven with laughter!" The boy said as he pointed to Yang with an even bigger smile, while the rest of the table let off a soft groan. It was hard to decide who was worse with their jokes.
"So you two are from Asmund Academy, I take it?" Pyrrah asked as she injected herself into the conversation, also being the face of their two groups. She was always one to roll out the welcome wagon.
"Yes ma'am. My name is Colden Winters. The cowgirl over there is Rickel, my partner. She doesn't talk much...or at all really." Colden said with a shrug, to which Rickel just gave off a short wave and a smile to the group before proceeding to get herself a pear.
"Wait...do you realize name is also a pun? Cold-in-Winters!" Yang asked after a moment of silent, chuckling a little bit as the realization passed through her mind, a few chuckles resounding through the table
"Well my brother is named Snowden, so I think my parents were well aware of the puns. I've embraced it, quite frankly. Oh...can we sit here? I just realized we kind of just plopped ourselves down without asking." Colden asked with a sheepish look on his face, rubbing the back of his head with one hand. Silence followed as the Beacon students focused their gaze on something just behind him. Colden's face fell from the smile to a flat frown as he realized what was coming.
"Oh crap..." Was all he said in a mildly annoyed tone as a massive hand forced his face into the table, another doing the same to Rickel. The hands belonged to Asmund the Berserker himself, who was frowning from under his large white mustache. The boy couldn't help but grin as his face was forced into the table, and the massive man spoke in a deep, rumbling voice.
"You put that turkey on square-headed guy?" He asked simply, tugging on Colden's hair.
"Yep. He was being a bully to Miss Scarlatina over there. So I took proper action. And technically, I didn't touch him until I put the turkey on his head. By technicality, Rickel and I did follow your no fighting rule." Colden said with a grin, letting out a pained chuckle as he face was slammed into the table again. He and his silent partner were then lifted up by the imposing man and carried out of the hall.
"Hey! Watch my dog for a bit!" Colden called out before being taken out of view by his elderly, but nowhere near frail, headmaster.
"Dog...?" Ruby asked, suddenly noticing Colden's seat had been filled by a very demonic looking dog. It looked to be a German Shepherd, with all black fur and with a pair of red eyes. It just sort of sat there for a moment, where Colden had been previously. Blake quickly packed up her things and slowly slid away, her feline nature kicking in and causing her to move to a table across the hall. It eventually open its mouth and let it's tongue hang out in a friendly manner, causing a single sentence to be said that was agreed upon by everyone present.
"The people from Atlas are weird."From the Ashes
Chapter 2
Dust was unsure of what had just happened. He could still remember fighting General Gaius, using every skill he’d learned from his travels against the man who wanted to wipe out an entire race. He would’ve made it out with barely a scratch if it weren’t for the explosion. It was poorly timed, yet to Dust, it made sense. Gaius was defeated. His purpose had been completed.
It was time for him to die.
He’d regained consciousness, stunned, but still alive. Lava was pouring all around him and Gaius was shouting Cassius’s name, calling him. He crawled his way over to where Gaius dangled by one hand over a pit of lava. He didn’t want to simply watch him die, even if he was the enemy, but he did all the work for him. As Gaius fell to his death, Dust looked away, exhaustion taking over his body. His arms felt like rocks, and he could barely keep his eyes open. Movement was impossible, and he was too tired to care about the rivers of lava around him.
And then there was Fidget, hovering over him as the volcano continued erupting. They’d said their goodbyes then, and Dust let himself go as the lava flowed over him. He felt the fire blister his skin, but it was over quickly. The darkness swallowed him as his final dreams and wishes passed through his mind.
And now, he was alive once more, in an unfamiliar forest with Fidget sobbing herself silly on his chest as he stared wide eyed at the canopy above. Had he been given another chance? Or was this just yet another round of fulfilling some destiny he wasn’t quite sure of yet?
“Welcome back, Dust,”
He would know that voice anywhere.
“Ahrah...” Dust whispered, his voice hoarse. “How is this possible?” He asked, staring at the blade as it hovered just above the ground as it had when they’d first met.
“It seems as though upon your death, your body was the only thing destroyed.” Ahrah stated. “Your soul lived on, and remained with me until next time you were needed. And it appears as though that time is now.”
Fidget lifted her head just enough to stare at Ahrah, tears covering her wet cheeks.
Dust sat up slowly, catching Fidget so she didn’t fall and holding her close, as she was still clinging to his shirt. “So my life was given back. But why do I still look the way I did before? If my body was destroyed...”
“And indeed it was. The form you have taken now was created from the dust, much like your last one,” Ahrah said. “It is your identity. That is why you take the same form as before.”
Fidget crawled up onto Dust’s shoulder to stare at Ahrah with wide green eyes. “So all this time, he was with you? Why didn’t you ever tell me?”
“Because I too was asleep, Fidget. We both needed rest after that long battle. But as it seems, not much time has passed between our fight with General Gaius and where we stand in the present.”
“It’s only been about a year...” Fidget mumbled.
“U-Um c-can someone tell me what’s going on here?” A voice asked.
Dust turned, seeing a reddish-brown Nimbat with startled green eyes.
“That’s Fenrei,” Fidget told him. “Fenrei, this is Dust.”
“And he was in the sword?” Fenrei asked, staring from Dust to Ahrah.
“In a way,” Ahrah stated. “I was merely a root for his soul to remain in this world. Otherwise, he would’ve passed on long ago.”
Fidget finally achieved the strength to fly once more. “So if Dust’s come back, then the world needs him again?” She asked.
“It would seem that way,” Ahrah said. “Either that, he may have died before his time. There is a chance that upon his death, he was still needed upon this earth.”
Dust bowed his head slightly, his blue eyes shifting just enough to stare at a butterfly as it flitted down to land on a small blue flower. He knew the Moonbloods had created him to save them. That was his only purpose before he’d died in the volcano. Regardless of whether he died before his time or not, his destiny had been completed. But if what Ahrah had said was true, and saving the Moonbloods was only part of his destiny?
“It makes sense,” Fidget said, looking down at Dust. “The Blade of Elsorah was stolen this morning. And there were monsters everywhere. Nobody knows who did it, except it was a male with white fur and pointed ears like you, Dust.”
“Yeah that sounds like a problem,” He said, pushing himself to his feet. He felt unsteady, as though he’d already forgotten to walk. Luckily, it was a skill he easily relearned.
“Dust, the time has come to take me up once more,” Ahrah said.
“Yeah,” Dust said, brushing his hair from his eyes. “I guess so,” He grasped the hilt of the sword, the feeling of the perfect balance making him smile. He loved the feel of the blade in his hand. He felt powerful, stronger, as though nothing could ever stand in his way. But never would he hurt innocents. Never. He was not Cassius. But at the same time his desire to fight didn’t come from Jin.
“Dust, I’m coming with you,” Fidget said, hovering in front of him. “I’ve gotten stronger. You’ll see!”
Dust smiled slightly. “I’m sure you have, Fidget. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
...
The black Nimbat flew after the figure as it headed through the woods. She’d been tracking it all night, as she’d seen the thief fleeing the forest soon after the sword was stolen. If it had been anyone else’s sword, she might not have pursued it. But Nynia had grown up in the clan that guarded Elsorah, so she felt a sort of attachment to the blade. She wanted to take it back, and she was determined to do so.
The Nimbat whipped past the sword thief and stopped dead in front of him. He looked up, his golden eyes piercing straight into hers. But she felt no fear.
“You took our sword,” Nynia said, her white paws standing out on her fur as she crossed her arms.
“Yes, I did,” The sword thief said, his pointed ears twitching slightly.
“And what gives you the right to just snatch it up and use it for whatever purpose you want?”
The thief stopped, looking towards her, a cold stare in his eyes. “Do you think you could stop me, Nimbat?”
“U-Um...”
The thief pointed the sword at her, the tip of the blade mere inches from her nose. “You might want to rethink challenging me.”
“I-I just want to know! What are you using Elsorah for?”
“What I do is none of your concern.”
“You made it my concern when you stole our sword!”
Elsora jabbed her nose slightly, breaking the skin just enough to cause slight pain. Nynia trembled, closing her eyes as she hoped he wouldn’t gut her right there. Would he eat her? Did the wingless eat Nimbat?
“Fine,” the thief said, lowering the blade slightly so it wasn’t jabbing her skin. “If you must know, I have been sent to destroy someone. The one known as Dust. Do you know of him?”
“Oh, him?” Nynia felt slightly hysteric as she stared at the thief. “Fidget went on about that guy all the time. It was really annoying...”
“Then you, Nimbat, will be my ally.”
“Like hell I-”
“Shall I kill you first then?” The sword jabbed Nynia again, this time in the stomach, making her wince. The Nimbat shook her head, her eyes wide with terror.
“Then take me to this ‘Fidget’,” the thief said, glowering at her.
Nynia nodded, her heart racing in her chest. The thief lowered his blade and turned away from her, starting to walk. Feeling as though she had little choice in the matter, she followed, her paws shaking in fear.
...
The expression of puzzlement and determination was a familiar expression Dust wore. Fidget came to know it as one of the most common emotions he ever showed. He was always asking, always questioning everything as though trying to decode it. Fidget expected he was wondering, just as he had on their last journey, exactly what he was supposed to be doing. But the determination told her that he was ready for whatever it was he needed to do.
“Let’s go talk to the other Nimbats,” Fidget suggested, flying above his head. “They’ll tell us about the sword thief, and then we can go find him!”
Dust nodded. “Alright, lead the way, Fidget,”
She flew ahead of him, occasionally glancing back towards him, excitement fluttering inside her like thousands of little butterflies. He was back!
When Fidget and Dust emerged into the clearing with the Nimbats, they immediately began shouting at him simply because he held Ahrah. The blade countered their arguments, telling them that Dust was his chosen warrior. The swordsman looked embarrassed at the claim, scratching the back of his head sheepishly.
When it was all over, the sun was setting once more. Dust headed into the woods. Fidget followed him, watching as he began to dig a small hole for tonight’s fire. It was so familiar, so welcome that tears welled up in Fidget’s eyes. A small sniffle escaped her as Dust’s fire roared to life, filling their campsite with warmth and light.
This of course, got his attention immediately.
“What’s wrong, Fidget?” Dust asked, looking up at her.
“I-I’m just so happy you’re back,” Fidget sniffled. “I missed you so much...”
Dust glanced away, staring at his fire for a moment. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for you to go through this.”
“I know. But I had hope. I always had the feeling you were with Ahrah.”
“You were right,” Dust said. “Although I remember nothing.”
Fidget flew down to her friend, settling down on his knee. “What do you remember, Dust?”
“The last thing I remember is feeling happy that you and Ginger made it out safely and the lava washing over me,” Dust said, staring up at the canopy of trees above him.
“Oh Dust...” Fidget’s paws covered her mouth, her ears curled in her sadness. “That must’ve been horrible...”
“I didn’t feel anything, Fidget,” He lied. He could still feel his skin searing from the heat. “One moment I was there, and the next I was gone. Now I’m here. I know I died, Fidget.”
“You were called back to save us again, Dust,” Fidget said, smiling.
“Yes, but what if it’s just that?”
“What do you mean?”
“What if as soon as I accomplish whatever task I’m here for I die again?
“Don’t say that, Dust...” Fidget whispered. “Just don’t...”
“I lived for mere weeks last time, Fidget.” He ran a hand down his face. “I barely had the time to actually live. I took it for granted, and just like that, it was over.”
“Dust, maybe this time will be different...” Fidget said.
“Yeah...” he murmured, lying on his back and closing his eyes.
“I know what you need!” Fidget said, taking to the air and hovering over him. “Tomorrow we’ll go to Aurora Village and see everyone again! Maybe that’ll help you!”
Dust opened his eyes again, a small smile sliding across his face. “Perhaps. But I’ve been gone for a year. How will people react?”
“I know a few of them will be happy to see you again! Like Moska, and...and Ginger! She would be really happy to see you again!”
Dust’s smile widened at the thought of his friends from Aurora Village. Ginger was one of the people he’d cared about from the moment he laid eyes on her. When he’d found out that her brother’s soul was inside him, he’d found a reason for his attachment to her. Simply put it, it was Jin’s love for his sister that made him care about her so much.
“That settles it then!” Fidget said, smiling brightly. “Tomorrow we go to Aurora Village!”
“All right, Fidget. Now get some sleep,” Dust said, still smiling. “It’s not like Aurora Village is right around the corner. We have a ways to go.”
She nodded her head and curled up on the ground near the fire, sighing blissfully at the familiar warmth.Pity the plight of the British car. Save for a few flukes, our island’s output is a confusion of good intentions failing to meet aptitude or expectation. Or, in other words: ambitious, rubbish.
Except when it comes to off-roaders. We’re good at them. Well, Land Rover is. And it’s got a lot to do with a 16th century country pile guarding the Welsh borders. It’s called Eastnor Castle, and within its grounds there’s a series of fiendishly punishing off-road routes tailored artfully to destroying Land Rovers.
For the last 50 years, it’s where the manufacturer’s been developing its vehicles. And we’re here both to audit the current lineup, and test the truism that Land-Rovers are actually pretty good, on the very routes designed to kill them.
Our mission is simple: can we kill the world’s toughest off-roader?
Words: Matthew Jones
Pics: Rowan HorncastleLiterary theorist and scholar Walter Benjamin was part of a small but incredibly significant cohort of German-Jewish intellectuals who fled the Nazis in the thirties. The group included thinkers like Theodor Adorno, Max Horkheimer, Hannah Arendt, Herbert Marcuse, and Bertolt Brecht. Of all of the names above, only Benjamin succumbed, committing suicide by morphine overdose in 1940 at a Catalonian hotel, when it became clear that the Spanish, with whom he had sought refuge, were going to turn him back over to Germany.
Of all of the thinkers above, most of whom are fairly well-known by U.S. students of the liberal arts, it can (and should) be argued that Benjamin was the most influential, even if he rarely appears on a syllabus, excepting one well-known essay, “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproducibility,” a staple of film and media theory classes. All of the thinkers listed above adored Benjamin, and all of them figuratively sat at his feet. And while Benjamin—often by reference to the aforementioned essay—gets pegged as a Marxist thinker, he was also something else; he was a mystic and a sage, the critical equivalent, perhaps, of Kafka.
The 1993 experimental film above—One Way Street: Fragments for Walter Benjamin—is part documentary, part low-budget cable-access editing exercise. The film provides an introduction to Benjamin’s life and thought through interviews with scholars, re-enactments of Benjamin’s last days, and montages centered around his many aphoristic expressions. One Way Street opens with an epigram from Benjamin’s pupil Brecht, from the latter’s poem “On the Suicide of the Refugee W.B.,” in which Brecht eulogizes his mentor’s prophetic strain: “the future lies in darkness and the forces of right / Are weak. All this was plain to you.” Indeed, it is this mystical aspect of Benjamin that defies his strict categorization as a dogmatic Marxist materialist. Through the considerable influence of his friend Gershom Scholem, Benjamin acquired a deep interest in Kabbalistic thought, including a messianic streak that colored so much of his writing.
In reference to this Jewish mysticism, Anson Rabinbach, editor of New German Critique summarizes Benjamin’s thought above:
The world is… dispersed in fragments, and in these fragments, the fragments of the world that God has now turned his back on, reside certain presences, which attest to the former existence of their divine character. You cannot actively go about to discover these divine presences, but they can be revealed.
According to Rabinbach, Benjamin’s method was, similar to Freud’s, an attempt to “unlock” these “emanations” by “juxtaposing things that don’t quite necessarily appear to be related to each other… And this is the Kabbalistic sense, that you cannot go directly at the task, because the disclosure of the emanation is blocked.” Benjamin’s fragmentary “method” produced prodigious results—hundreds upon hundreds of pages of essays, and a frustratingly unfinished book published as The Arcades Project.
His thought is so diverse that one commenter in the film above—Michael Jennings, author of Benjamin study Dialectical Images—says that “the way that Benjamin is used most in this country, is to dip in and take a quotation out of context, in support of any argument one could think of, and I used to take umbrage at this, until I realized that this was precisely Benjamin’s own practice.” In this way, Benjamin occupies a similar place in the humanities as Russian literary theorist Mikhail Bakhtin. Where he is famous, he is famous for creating whole conceptual fields one can invoke by uttering a single word or phrase.
One of the most potent words in the Benjamin lexicon is the French term flâneur. The flâneur is a “stroller, idler, walker,” a “well-dressed man, strolling leisurely through the Parisian arcades of the nineteenth century—a shopper with no intention to buy, an intellectual parasite of the arcade” (as Benjamin website “The Arcades Project Project" defines it). The flâneur is an individual of privilege and a progenitor of the male gaze: “Traditionally the traits that mark the flâneur are wealth, education, and idleness. He strolls to pass the time that his wealth affords him, treating the people who pass and the objects he sees as texts for his own pleasure.” The flâneur is not simply a passive observer; he is instead a kind of lazy urban predator, and also a dandy and proto-hipster. Perhaps the most sinister representation of this character (in a different urban context) is the creepy Svidrigailov in Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment.
In the 1998 film above, Flâneur III: Benjamin’s Shadow, Danish director Torben Skjodt Jensen and writer Urf Peter Hallberg collaborate on an impressionistic black-and-white meditation on Paris, overlaid with Hallberg’s ruminations and quotations from Benjamin. Benjamin’s fascination with nineteenth-century Paris drove his massive, unfinished Arcades Project, an excavation of the inner workings of modernity. |
we lose it, and do that without taking anything away from our offensive players. Juan, Eden, Oscar... the list goes on and they'll make things happen. That's working well. It's about balance: you don't want to be too rigid but we just need to tighten up a little bit. It'll take a while to gel. The team's young. I was one of the oldest players out there the other day, which was hard to believe."
Cahill is 26, a regular in the England set-up and, despite having joined from Bolton only in January, already feels a key member of this squad. Chelsea have three international centre-halves of real standing – four if Branislav Ivanovic is summoned from right-back – who have each been offered opportunities. The most regularly used partnership this season has been that of Cahill and David Luiz, their eight starts together perhaps owing more to the injuries and suspension incurred by John Terry. Yet the captain watched much of the Shakhtar fixture pedalling on an exercise bike in the mouth of the tunnel, a game the hosts won on Wednesday without Terry, Ashley Cole or Frank Lampard. That was evidence of evolution.
Statistically, it is actually the pairing of Cahill and Terry, once so favoured by Fabio Capello with England, that has proved Chelsea's stingiest since the start of last season, even if it has been used somewhat sparingly. There is a chance the partnership could be reconvened against Liverpool for a third time this term. If it is not and Cahill is the man to miss out, the frustration he voiced from the fringes after last month's defeat in Donetsk could surface again. "But when I came here I knew they had David, who was captain of Brazil not long ago, and John, who has been captain for Chelsea and England for years, so it's not as if I was going to walk straight in. If I'm honest, I thought on Wednesday that, in a game like that, John would probably come in and play. But we've not got as big a squad as, say, Manchester City or United, so it's good to be able to rotate to keep people sharp and fresh. The manager wanted to go with me and David. Come Sunday, it could be very different."
It is a similar scenario with the national team. Terry's retirement and the continued absence of Rio Ferdinand have offered Cahill, Joleon Lescott and Phil Jagielka an opportunity. In Sweden next week the most experienced centre-backs will be Cahill and Jagielka with a combined 27 caps, the Chelsea player having re-established his credentials after the untimely injury – a fractured jaw sustained in the last warm-up game – that denied him a place at Euro 2012. "Sometimes, with England, they look to see if you're playing in the Champions League," he says, his mind drifting back to his motivation behind leaving Bolton in January when Chelsea, Arsenal and Spurs all pursued his signature. "Playing in a team that is challenging has helped bring my game on and I'm better for the experiences I've had this year, and with the quality of the players I'm surrounded by as well.
"I'm still learning and there are improvements to make but I've had opportunities in big games and I've played in a team that won the European Cup. With England it's all up in the air again now. There's an opportunity there, and it's about really trying to stamp some authority on it now that you've not got a fantastic player like JT in the set-up, even if you're still competing with other great players. The door's open for someone to come in and bed down a position."
The same sense of opportunity confronts Chelsea. Di Matteo's side have succumbed only once to date – that defeat by United – and appear contenders after last season's inadequate sixth-place finish. Avoiding their all too regular mid-season blip – Carlo Ancelotti's "bad moment" and the slump that did for André Villas-Boas – will be key, meaning victory over Liverpool is paramount given that five points have slipped away in the last two games. The fact the current squad is so altered will help avoid a repeat. "We've got new lads, like me, who have not been scarred by that history," says Cahill. "And I don't think anyone could argue we don't have a squad capable of winning the Premier League.
"When we set out in the summer, we wanted to improve on our league position. Sixth wasn't good enough. We weren't where we wanted to be when I came in last January and, at the end of the season, we weren't where the lads expected to be. So we needed to improve and our start suggests we are. We've got a blend: the class and experience of some of the older guys, and younger lads who are established already. These are exciting times but the expectation level is still massive. I've had an amazing time here so far but I'm hungry for more. We all want to push on." This team is a work in progress but they, like Cahill, are impatient to improve.
Chelsea FC will mark Remembrance Sunday by supporting the Royal British Legion's Poppy Appeal. Gary and his team mates will be donating their match shirts, embroidered with the Poppy, to raise funds for the charity. To find out more info about the day and how to bid visit www.chelseafc.com tomorrowA goat brought into Dick's restaurant and bar downtown Milwaukee as entertainment Friday could cause the nightclub some trouble.Photos posted to social media led to outrage. The photos include the restaurant and bar's logo, a manager's name and jokes about giving the goat booze. Now, there's a city investigation launched by Alderman Bob Bauman."I thought it was pretty outrageous, both from a health standpoint and from the treatment of the animal," Bauman said.Bauman said police checked it out, confirmed the goat had been inside for entertainment and turned the incident over to the health department because Dick's is listed as a pizza restaurant. Adam Kirchner with Dick's nightclub told WISN 12 News they don't serve food and that the goat was in the club before it opened."They claim to be a pizza restaurant, but they're really a nightclub, and there have been issues with violence and fighting," Bauman said.The Milwaukee Area Domestic Animal Control Commission issued a statement saying, "MADACC feels that the act of taking a goat into a nightclub is inhumane and not in the best interest of any animal. Goats are prohibited in the city of Milwaukee either temporarily or permanently. We hope that this goat is now in a safe and comfortable environment. ""I guarantee you, the plan of operation on file with the city license division doesn't include a goat," Bauman said.The alderman said the city will take action at the next licensing hearing. The city of Milwaukee Health Department said it will be issuing an order against the establishment for a violation of the Wisconsin food code.
A goat brought into Dick's restaurant and bar downtown Milwaukee as entertainment Friday could cause the nightclub some trouble.
Photos posted to social media led to outrage.
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The photos include the restaurant and bar's logo, a manager's name and jokes about giving the goat booze. Now, there's a city investigation launched by Alderman Bob Bauman.
"I thought it was pretty outrageous, both from a health standpoint and from the treatment of the animal," Bauman said.
Bauman said police checked it out, confirmed the goat had been inside for entertainment and turned the incident over to the health department because Dick's is listed as a pizza restaurant.
Adam Kirchner with Dick's nightclub told WISN 12 News they don't serve food and that the goat was in the club before it opened.
"They claim to be a pizza restaurant, but they're really a nightclub, and there have been issues with violence and fighting," Bauman said.
The Milwaukee Area Domestic Animal Control Commission issued a statement saying, "MADACC feels that the act of taking a goat into a nightclub is inhumane and not in the best interest of any animal. Goats are prohibited in the city of Milwaukee either temporarily or permanently. We hope that this goat is now in a safe and comfortable environment. "
"I guarantee you, the plan of operation on file with the city license division doesn't include a goat," Bauman said.
The alderman said the city will take action at the next licensing hearing.
The city of Milwaukee Health Department said it will be issuing an order against the establishment for a violation of the Wisconsin food code.
AlertMeConservative senators, including two Democrats, are ratcheting up fears about a treaty the United Nations approved Tuesday to regulate global arm sales to tyrannical regimes. The lawmakers are echoing dubious claims by the National Rifle Association that it would impede gun rights in the United States.
The treaty, which received U.S. support and passed 154-3, would have no effect on domestic gun sales or laws. While it lacks a clear enforcement mechanism, its aim is to crack down on the sale of weapons to countries with poor human rights records — which is why only Iran, North Korea and Syria voted against it.
But the politically charged mix of guns and U.N. action is fertile soil for NRA-fueled paranoia, and pro-gun senators — either concerned about a gun-lobby backlash or supportive of NRA’s broader efforts — are racing to stoke it.“I have great concerns that this treaty can be used to violate the second amendment rights of American citizens, and do not believe we should sign any treaty that infringes on the sovereignty of our country,” Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) said in a statement Wednesday.
“Not only would it violate Texans’ Second Amendment rights, including the right to self-defense, it also raises US sovereignty and national security concerns,” Senate Minority Whip John Cornyn (R-TX) said in a statement last month, before the treaty was finalized. “Law-abiding Texans who are in the market for an imported shotgun, pistol, or rifle ought to be very concerned by any future development of this treaty.”
The NRA promised its “greatest force of opposition” to the treaty, which is doomed in the Senate, where 67 votes are required for ratification. Thirty-four senators have signed on to a resolution pledging to kill it. Among them are Democratic Sens. Joe Manchin (WV) and Max Baucus (MT) — the chairman of the powerful Finance Committee, who faces reelection in 2014.
“It’s our job to make sure any Treaty the U.S. enters doesn’t interfere with our sovereign ability to uphold the rights of Americans,” Baucus said in a statement. “The Arms Treaty simply doesn’t include strong enough protections to pass that test, and I won’t support any Treaty that undermines the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding Montanans.”
Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott claimed the treaty would lead to an “international gun registry overseen by the bureaucrats at the UN,” a contention that is lacking in evidence.
The treaty’s predictable demise in the Senate exemplifies the gun lobby’s muscle, which it is flexing promiscuously as President Obama proposes new firearm restriction in the United States.HOUSTON - A Montgomery County Precinct One captain running for constable is facing some heat tonight for running red lights in his personal vehicle and not paying some of the fines.
He said he did nothing wrong, but the videos and the Willis Police Department tell another story.
Captain Rusty Fincher, a 36-year law enforcement veteran, has run multiple red lights in a three-year period from 2012-2015 in the city of Willis.
"I'm not going to pay it," Fincher said in a video circulating on Facebook showing the time he tried figure out why he has to pay for the violations.
He claims, by law, he can run a red light if he's in an authorized emergency vehicle. His personal black SUV is outfitted with lights and sirens.
"What it boils down to is I had to pay $400 over a two-year period to do my job," Fincher told Channel 2 in his first on-camera interview discussing the controversy.
He decided to err on the side of caution and pay for four of the tickets. The only problem is Willis police confirmed Fincher has more red-light violation tickets he hasn't paid. Fincher said he didn't know of the unpaid tickets.
"I would only go through a red light like that if I was going to help somebody, if it was an emergency. Period," Fincher said.
However, video released to Channel 2 by Willis police show a couple of instances where Fincher tries to make left-hand turns at the last minute. Another instance shows after he runs the red, he flashes his police lights after pulling through the intersection.
Fincher is one of seven candidates running for constable and he said if he wins, he'll do everything he can to get rid of the red-light cameras in Willis.
"These cameras impose a pretty harsh penalty on the residents of our state and our county and our precinct," Fincher said.
Willis police Lt. Alton Nelson said even if an officer is in an authorized emergency vehicle, he or she can't run a red light unless there's an emergency or the officer is responding to a call.
Fincher said he was on an actual call each time he ran a red light, but he never protested the violations.
Early voting has already begun in Montgomery County. The rest of the primary voters cast their ballots at the beginning of March.
2016 Click2Houston/KPRC2Google Fiber is the most audacious part of the whole Alphabet
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It's a crisp spring Friday in Kansas City and Jim is upset with Google. He's not peeved about a search result or worried about the data Google collects on him. Jim, a slender music instructor in his early 40s, with salt-and-pepper hair and a polka-dot button-up, would like more attention from the company.
He gets internet from Google Fiber, the service that says it can deliver broadband at incredible speeds. But he has issues. It keeps going out.
So here he is at the "Fiber Space," a trendy-looking storefront on a street that straddles the states, splitting the city in two: Kansas on the west, Missouri to the east. The walls are papered with Google Maps printouts. One reads: "Super fast downloads. TV like no other. And endless possibilities."
Jim is calm but irked. He runs a business from home, he explains, and when the connection drops, he loses money.
"This is the same issue as with Time Warner [Cable]," he tells the young customer service rep. "I'm getting this mirror of interacting with this other huge company. And you've always said, 'Our stuff doesn't do that.'"
Google began digging up dirt and laying fiber optic pipes in Kansas City, Kan., five years ago in April. Its first customers were wired the following year.
For the years after, it was unclear — certainly outside of Google — just what Google wanted to accomplish with this first venture outside of its core business. Now it's evident: Google was using Kansas City as a testbed for an audacious project — one to take on broadband providers like Comcast, Time Warner Cable and Verizon, which enjoy long-held duopolies and monopolies across the country, and build out a national service. To provide real competition.
Googlers won't say this out loud, but they despise the cable industry. They find it inert, predatory and, worst, anti-innovation. So Google wants to replace it.
Google has to figure out how to become a nationwide broadband company. Kansas City may offer a road map.
And unlike the other moonshots now housed under Google's umbrella company, Alphabet, Fiber is a project that could succeed in the near future. Google Fiber is now up and running in five markets (it added Nashville last month) and has plans under way for 17 more. Expect that pace to quicken.
Which means Google could end up hearing from many more Jims in the future. That's the downside of telling people you can do better than the monopoly provider they already hate — you have to deliver on your promise.
But Google can deal with that challenge down the road. First, it has to figure out how to become a nationwide broadband company. Kansas City may offer a road map.
I traveled to Kansas City last month and spoke to dozens of Fiber customers at their homes and offices. Nearly everyone I talked to is thrilled with their Fiber subscription — the cost and service are miles ahead, and, boy, is it fast.
In recent months, Google Fiber branched out from the central city to more outlying suburbs. City officials told me Fiber is available to 210,000 households in Kansas City, Mo. — or roughly 80 percent of its population. Former Fiber employees said its pipes easily cover one million households in the entire metro area.
"They pretty much built out an entire city," said Rick Usher, assistant city manager for small business and entrepreneurship in Kansas City, Mo.
Back when Fiber began, a high-ranking Google executive laid out the worst-case scenario for the search giant, former Fiber staffers recalled: Google pours billions into a few test markets, scares the incumbents into speeding up their service, but never gets traction. Worst case is still very good for Google, since the company relies on people going online and searching for things.
But the worst case never happened. People familiar with Fiber say it has hit its initial customer targets in its first three markets — selling broadband to about 30 percent of the homes it has hooked up for service, the industry standard for feasibility. Fiber brought in roughly $100 million in revenue last year, according to sources.
Last month, the business embarked on the next wave of its strategy, starting in Kansas City again. It won approval to place special antennas on city light poles that could potentially beam broadband directly into homes, over the air. Fiber wants to start testing out the equipment in November and plans to have a network up and running by the end of 2017.
Wireless is a big deal for Alphabet. If it works, it means it can deliver broadband without having to build out or buy fiber networks. No dirt to dig up; no last mile to cross. That means its network can swell much more, much faster.
Pipes aren't cheap. It cost Google more than $1 billion to spread across the Kansas City region and will likely cost as much in each new Fiber city, according to sources.
But wireless could be far cheaper — a fifth of the cost of fiber, which is roughly $1,000 per home, according to industry insiders. Other executives, however, say the cost savings would be minimal. Since it's an unproven technology, costs are still being sorted out. Getting a wireless network to work and run cheaply is far from guaranteed.
Even if wireless works, its deployment is real money, even for Google, which made just north of $16 billion in profit last year.
One way to get that money is to tap the debt markets; Wall Street would be less likely to get spooked seeing money borrowed, since Fiber and the other moonshots are now isolated from Google's profitable core business.
In several of its newer markets, Fiber is also tweaking its approach, relying less on expensive digging. In San Francisco, it plans to use the city's dormant fiber pipes; in Huntsville, Ala., it is tapping the city's existing network as its own.
Mapping the Fiber cities Google is building out its Fiber network city by city (green markers). But the biggest U.S. cable and phone companies are upgrading. Select a city to see its providers.
"We've learned a lot by building networks from scratch. We continue to invest in that model for expansion, but we're also finding new ways to bring our service to cities," said Chris Levendos, Fiber's head of network deployment.
And, maybe, with less cost. Kansas City was a good test of whether Google could set up a viable alternative to the cable giants, but now Fiber knows it has to find new models to really take them head-on.
How to boil a frog
Fiber was born at a nexus of tinkering and worry.
Go back a decade. Google had won search and was minting money. Its founders started tinkering with far-afield tech and began obsessing over wireless networks. Google was also deeply paranoid — it wanted the shortest distance between its services and users.
But Microsoft ran the operating system and the web browser while the big cable and telecom companies like Comcast and Verizon controlled the pipes.
Google was particularly worried about the pipes. Eric Schmidt, the CEO at the time, "pounded the table for many years" about the prospect of ISPs throttling Google's content, an early Googler recalled.
Google then formed Access, the business unit that now houses Fiber, in 2006, to tackle what they saw as a potentially serious threat. After a few half-baked possibilities (founder Sergey Brin once eyed blimps to deliver internet), by 2010 Google grew serious. It brought on Milo Medin, an internet and telecom expert, to run Fiber. Oversight went to then CFO Patrick Pichette, another telecom veteran.
Fiber was designed to operate as an autonomous business unit insulated from the remainder of Google. In theory. Some former employees described frustrations with debilitating ties to the mothership. They had trouble recruiting subscribers, for instance. Google required customers to sign up with Google email and payments accounts.
But Google kept giving Access and Fiber attention and money. It came from the top.
"As the ambition and scale of our projects accelerated, so did our budget and staffing," said Chris Sacca, a founding Access member at Google. "We were lucky because [Google co-founder] Larry Page has always been obsessed with access networks."
The team was motivated, in part, by the stasis of the broadband industry. The numbers back them up. Only a third of Americans have more than one choice for broadband providers, according to a January FCC report. A tenth have no choice.
For inspiration, the early Fiber team passed around a line from Time Warner Cable’s chief Glenn Britt: The CEO was bragging to analysts about the fat margins in his broadband business. To Fiber's team, Time Warner's broadband was a rip-off — slow and overpriced. They wanted to go after executives like Britt.
That may be one reason why Google chose Kansas City, Time Warner territory, from a field of 1,100 cities that applied. Britt was asked at an investor conference how his cable company viewed Google's Kansas City expansion. The late executive replied: "Even if Google builds, we’re not going to wake up and see Google instantly building out the whole country."
But that was always the plan, according to a former Fiber staffer — "to grow to be nationwide at some point."
If wireless works, Fiber can grow much faster and become a national threat.
Wireless was always part of the plan, too. "We talked about wireless deployment," said Joe Reardon, who served as mayor of Kansas City, Kan., when Fiber launched. "It was always a concept in conversations."
Craig Barratt, the CEO of Access, now a separate Alphabet company that runs Fiber, is enamored with wireless technology. Medin, who passed on Fiber's management to Dennis Kish, a Qualcomm veteran, last year, now serves as Google's envoy for wireless discussions in Washington, D.C.
The official line from Fiber is that its wireless tests are just "experiments" and may not necessarily become commercial products, and Barratt won't say that the company intends to compete nationally. Yet those two are very much linked: If wireless works, Fiber can grow much faster and become a national threat.
Why not say that out loud?
One former Fiber executive summed up the strategy, a longtime Google tactic to keep rivals unalert. "If you’re going to boil a frog," the exec said, "you don’t tell the frog."
The frog is finding out anyway.
Learning curves
A pattern has emerged whenever Fiber says it’s coming to town. Pretty soon thereafter, AT&T or Comcast — whichever the incumbent is — lowers prices or unfurls gigabit internet of its own. (Comcast, via its NBCUniversal unit, is a minority investor in Vox Media, which owns this site.)
In Kansas City, residents said Time Warner Cable initially met Fiber’s arrival with scorn. Who needs a gig? Eventually, Time Warner Cable reps started showing up to city meetings. Then the billboards arrived — 300 megabits per second, only $64.99! Followed by the mailers pleading with subscribers who left for Fiber to return.
Usher, the Kansas City, Mo., official, chuckled in recollection. "I call this the seven steps of acceptance of the gigabit revolution," he said.
We met for coffee at YJ’s Snack Bar, a tiny, three-tabled cafe in the city's arts district. Usher greeted the tattooed cashier and two men in flannel sitting at the tables. Then he shook the hand of everyone else who entered. He wore a suit, but wore his silver hair long. He seems to enjoy his job, and clearly likes that Fiber picked his city. Others credit him with carrying the municipal grunt work that made Fiber’s massive civic works project possible.
"He’s the quarterback," said Tim Cowden, president of the Kansas City Area Development Council.
I asked Usher what Google had done well.
"Rather than building it over 30 years, like AT&T and Time Warner have done, they built it in three years," he said. To lay the network, Fiber went from dig to done in a neighborhood in three weeks. Usher compared it to the formation of the railroads. "It’s like hell on wheels. You had these little towns and construction activity that" — his hand shot up — "whoosh plowed across."
Speed has drawbacks. Fiber's quick deployment has sometimes rankled residents. Occasionally, the construction would plow across a sewer line. When residents figured it out — the sewage backed up into their houses — the Fiber crew had moved on.
A Fiber rep declined to comment.
When Google’s wireless plan reached the Missouri City Council, two members voted no. One was Dan Fowler, a lawyer. "From my own point of view, Google has done, in general, a very poor job of communication with people in Kansas City about what they’re doing," he told me on the phone. "And the prime example is me."
Fowler said he was promised a Fiber connection to his home a year and a half ago. It arrived last month. "They have also, through their contractors, a very bad history, from my perspective, of not cleaning up their messes," he added. He said his vote was primarily intended to send Fiber a message.
It was not the only message Kansas City sent.
When Fiber arrived, Google carved out the metro region into 202 "Fiberhoods." These areas could qualify for Fiber installation — but only if a certain percentage of residents agreed to sign up.
This was excellent marketing, guaranteeing demand and even prompting neighbors to go door-to-door on behalf of a then $250 billion company. Usher’s son, an avid gamer, campaigned with a pin reading "Do it for lower ping" — the latency for streaming. (Gaming teens are a frequent rationale cited for gigabit internet; when Reardon, the former mayor, told his family they were adding a Fiber connection, his son, also a gamer, leapt from the table to hug him.)
But the "Fiberhood" approach had a flaw.
Troost Avenue, on Kansas City's Missouri side, cuts the city along class and race. In 2012, Wired ran an article about Fiber's initial rollout that included a map of the neighborhoods registered for the service. It was sliced in half by Troost Avenue — on the west, the city's whiter and richer neighborhoods were registered; on the east, its poorer and black neighborhoods were not.
Kansas City Congressman Emanuel Cleaver wrote that the service could be the start of "potential ‘digital redlining’."
Googlers argue they really care about closing the so-called "digital divide." But they were also not used to grappling with unplugged populations or wrestling with sensitivities of local civic life. When it started, for instance, Fiber was unable to sign up subscribers without bank accounts.
"Sometimes Silicon Valley can be a little bit tone deaf," said a former Fiber staffer.
After attention was drawn to Troost Avenue, the company dispatched several dozen Googlers from headquarters to blanket the street's east side for sign-ups. A Fiber rep wouldn't specify the neighborhood coverage breakdown, but said that "dozens" of the 181 Fiberhoods that qualified for the initial rollout came from that effort and that 94 percent of all central city neighborhoods qualified for Fiber.
Google was sensitive to the issue in other ways. Since arriving, Fiber has selected 100 nonprofits in the Kansas City area to wire free of charge. It recently added a $15-a-month broadband service. And the unit also unfurled a national program to service low-income housing for free.
To Google’s newfound competitors, however, the internet giant was all too competent in its rollout. Comcast and AT&T were miffed at how Google was able to pick and choose its neighborhoods, avoiding "build out" regulations that had required cable companies to offer wider coverage. (The national rules were ditched in 2007 as a barrier to broadband competition.) AT&T has accused Fiber of buddying up to local officials to push ordinances favoring its expansion. In Louisville, AT&T is suing the city over this.
At Fiber's onset, Google saw a clear economic upside in smaller cities. Sources said Medin would demonstrate this with a simple chart: Population density on the X axis; cost on the Y. He then drew a smiley face. Fiber's sweet spot was the bottom of the lip, mid-sized cities where installation was not too expensive and national ISPs did not have major operational focuses.
Fiber is now rolling out in Los Angeles and Chicago, two prime markets for competitors and a test of its economic model. In particular, those big cities will test Fiber’s cable TV service, which has not had considerable traction.
At the onset, Fiber hoped it could sell TV "a la carte" — one channel here, another there — but quickly met resistance from programmers, who have long sold their channels in bundles. Securing pay TV rights was also pricier than Google expected. In its original deal in Kansas City, Google failed to score AMC in its video product. (I met one resident who passed on Fiber because he loved "Breaking Bad.")
The Time Warner Cable Sports Channel also has exclusive rights to several Kansas college basketball games, a big draw in the region.
Carlos Kirjner, managing director of Alliance Bernstein, has tracked Fiber more closely than anyone else on Wall Street. He’s a bull on the business and its plans for a broad, profitable national rollout, estimating that it could connect up to 25 million homes in the next five years. But it’s a bull case built around its internet service, not cable. "Their hope of creating value likely rests on the broadband offer," Kirjner wrote in an email.
That’s the direction consumers are heading. Broadband subscriptions are on the rise — the top cable and telecom providers added 3.1 million connections last year, according to the Leichtman Research Group. But video subscriptions are either flat or falling.
Meanwhile, the floodgates are cracking open on cord cutting or over-the-top cable services (see: Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, YouTube), paired with broadband. This trend suits Fiber nicely.
Rick Usher has a favorite parlor trick. He recently showed it off over dinner with a friend’s family, who doesn’t have Google Fiber. Their teenage daughter was thumbing her iPhone, and Usher asked her to pull up her favorite YouTube clip. He told her to drag the cursor to the clip’s middle. "She literally jumped out of the chair, ‘Oh my God, it didn’t lag!’" he recalled.
Here was the reason for the gigabit revolution, he told me — your internet becomes as reliable as running water. "You’re not worrying about the technology functioning properly," he said.
This idea, that tech fades into the background, is a fixation of Larry Page. Whether his new tech conglomerate can replicate this magic in city after city is the big question for Fiber.
Usher and other Kansas City civic chiefs have another recent parlor trick: Fielding questions from around the country on what it’s like when Google comes through. They say it will probably change your city for the better, though they admit that much of the shine arrives from coming first.
"Charlotte is going to have really awesome internet and they’re going to have some of the same activity we do," Usher said. "But who remembers the twentieth guy who climbed Mount Everest?"Thanks to a checklist in the University of Minnesota (UMN) residence hall, students can easily identify their signs of “white privilege,” Campus Reform reports.
The aptly named “White Privilege Checklist” found posted in the Mark G. Yudof Hall contains 11 statements that are intended to prove the existence of white privilege on the basis of someone being white.
“I can arrange to be in the company of people of my race most of the time,” the list begins, next suggesting that the these same racial examples can be routinely identified in popular culture and discussions about national heritage.
“I can go shopping alone most of the time, pretty well assured that I will not be followed or harassed,” the second item states.
Statement 5 suggests that the education system is entirely white-centric and that people of color have been banished from history.
In statement six we learn music is entirely dominated by whites as is the food in supermarkets and even the styles in hair salons.
“Whether I use checks, credit cards, or cash, I can count on my skin color not to work against the appearance of financial responsibility,” reads statement seven.
The interrogation culminates in a series of of accusations that white people are allowed to exhibit individualism without their beliefs or behaviors being seen as racially motivated.
“I am not made acutely aware that my shape, bearing, or body odor will be taken as a reflection on my race,” questionnaire continues, or “I can be late to a meeting without having the lateness reflect on my race.”
Evan Christenson, who reported the existence of the board to Campus Reform, said display is not helpful in the white privilege debate because the checklist “attacks the individual and not the idea,” and doesn’t encourage dialogue.
“I do believe it crosses the line. When it attacks the individual and not the idea, there is a problem,” Christenson said. “I am not inherently racist because I don’t believe in white privilege. I believe there needs to be dialogue on the subject but it needs to more of a give and take and not a one-sided affair.”
Christenson also referenced a “double standard” at UMN, because students who objected to a mural of President Donald Trump received emotional counseling but he believes there objections to the white privilege checklist won’t be taken seriously.
“I still consider myself a social progressive but I am quite frankly appalled by the double standard applied to free speech as of late,” he asserted.
Follow David on TwitterThe Brumbies scored 10 tries from rolling mauls last year as well as using the move as a platform to launch attacking raids inside the opposition half. Brumbies flanker David Pocock scored eight tries from rolling mauls last season. Credit:Graham Tidy But Super Rugby referees have been told to clamp down on the way the ball is moved through the maul, and the Brumbies were told of the new interpretations just six weeks before their opening game. "We had a four-week training block before Christmas and started in 2016 before we were informed and I think maybe everyone was a bit annoyed about how long it has taken," Larkham said. "I can see why the changes are made. But we'd been practising the wrong technique and that's a bit of a waste. But we've made some changes to our maul set-up and the guys have picked that up really well.
"We've been checking the interpretations to ensure that all the referees in Super Rugby will be following that." Super Rugby is set to introduce some minor tweaks to its laws this season to promote attacking rugby. The bonus-point system will be changed to encourage teams to attack throughout the entire game, with extra points offered for teams who win by three or more tries. Previously bonus points have been awarded for teams that score four or more tries in a match, regardless of the margin. The maul laws delve into rugby intricacies, and the changes centre around how the ball is moved to the back and how new players join.
The Brumbies sent vision of their mauls to SANZAR, Super Rugby's governing body, as well as inviting Gardner to their sessions in Canberra. The Brumbies' 10 tries from mauls was the best in the competition last year, with the Free State Cheetahs next on nine and no other team scoring more than four. "We got told in the second week of January about it... [Super Rugby] felt teams were trying to exploit the laws by slipping the 'ripper' all the way to the back of the maul and have guys form in front of him.," Larkham said. "Now that initial 'ripper' is OK to slip to the third row, but if anyone joins after that and you want to keep the ball at the back, the ball has to be passed back. "We've had to change that. They didn't necessarily bring the law in because of what we were doing, but they felt other teams were exploiting the laws too much.
"I can understand the change, they've showed us some clips of teams doing it and I can understand the variation to the law." The new move will face its first test when the Brumbies play the NSW Waratahs in a pre-season trial in Wagga on Saturday. It is likely some of the Wallabies' World Cup representatives will miss the match having only returned to training at the start of January. Wallabies coach Michael Cheika will be in Wagga before the match while Larkham is set to reward fringe Super Rugby players with a chance to impress. The Brumbies play two trials – against the Waratahs and Queensland Reds – before they start their Super Rugby season against the Wellington Hurricanes on February 26.
The Brumbies have flagged their intention to expand their attacking game this season to ensure they pose a threat from everywhere on the field. "The maul will certainly be a part of our attacking plan, but we do want to find a little bit more balance in our attack this year," Larkham said. Larkham announced Christian Lealiifano and Stephen Moore as the club's co-captains on Friday. However, if both are rested for the trial in Wagga, he will need to appoint a new leader for the match.NEW ORLEANS — A federal appeals court in New Orleans has upheld a federal safety board’s right to investigate the role of Transocean Deepwater Drilling Corp. in the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil disaster.
Transocean owned the Deepwater Horizon rig that was drilling for BP PLC at its Macondo well, about 50 miles off the Louisiana coast when an explosion killed 11 workers and led to the nation’s worst offshore oil spill.
The company had challenged the authority of the U.S. Chemical |
] are known to have impacted on the populations of 75 species of seabird Tony Whitehead, RSPB
The project is part of a 25-year programme to protect "internationally important" seabird numbers, including those of Manx shearwaters and storm petrels, and is costing more than £755,000.
The rodents will be poisoned on St Agnes and Gugh by Wildlife Management International Limited (WMIL).
The company has helped eradicate rats from Ramsey Island off Wales, Lundy Island off Devon and the Isle of Canna in the Scottish Hebrides.
Elizabeth Bell, from WMIL said: "A period of intensive baiting will start from the 8 November and most of the rats will be dead by the end of November. We'll then target the surviving rats."
Manx Shearwaters About 300,000 pairs breed annually in the UK
These brilliant fliers are also excellent swimmers, but dreadful walkers - only coming on to land to breed
In early autumn they migrate to the coast of South America returning to the UK in spring Source: BBC Nature/RSPB
A long-term monitoring programme will start at the beginning of 2014 to check the rodents have been eradicated from the islands.
Ms Bell said all the bait stations were enclosed, tied down and were designed not to kill any other species, such as rabbits.
Ms Pearson said: "The project is 25 years in length, although the project team will disband after five years, for the remaining 20 years the community will continue to protect their seabird heritage, by keeping the islands 'rat-free'.
"This includes correct waste management, ensuring bio-security on boats and freight to the islands, and of course, educating all visitors to the islands to be vigilant and 'rat on a rat'".
Storm petrels About 26,000 pairs breed annually in the UK
About 90% of the breeding population is found in the UK, Ireland and the Faroe Islands
The smallest of the European seabirds, storm petrels are barely larger than a sparrow Source: BBC Nature/RSPB
"This is the largest community-based island restoration project attempted in the world to date, with 85 residents living here year round."
She added that similar populated islands around the world hoped to learn from the project and carry out similar work to "safeguard their seabirds".
A feasibility study estimated the population of brown rats on the Isles of Scilly was about 34,500, with 3,100 occurring on St Agnes and Gugh.
Johnny Birks, chair of the Mammal Society, said: "Brown rats are not native to Britain... it's our own fault they are so widespread and that makes it right for us to repair the damage we've caused."
He added that the eradication could benefit the Scilly shrew and other species found on the islands, but it was key that the rats did not reinvade.
Ms Pearson added she was "certain" rats on neighbouring islands would not swim to St Agnes and Gugh.
"The shortest distance over water from St Agnes and Gugh to an island which has rats, is between Gugh and the Garrison on St Mary's.
"This distance of about one mile (1.6km) is just under the maximum distance a rat can swim in favourable conditions, but the deep channel, strong current and cold sea temperature all year round will make it highly unlikely that a rat can swim back."
Image caption About 3,100 rats are believed to live on St Agnes and Gugh
Tony Whitehead, from the RSPB, said: "Eight out of ten islands around the world now have rats, including remote places such as Tristan da Cunha in the South Atlantic and Henderson Island in the South Pacific.
"The predators are known to have impacted on the populations of 75 species of seabird, from albatross to shearwaters to small petrels.
"In response, there is a worldwide effort to rid islands of these voracious creatures," he added.
In January, Richard Bellamy, head of the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) South West, said we have a "collective responsibility for the native wildlife on the Isles of Scilly".
HLF has awarded the project £269,100, alongside £460,255 from the EU Life fund, with further contributions from Isles of Scilly Area of Outstanding Beauty Sustainable Development Fund and Natural England.Get the biggest Manchester United FC stories by email Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Could not subscribe, try again later Invalid Email
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Louis van Gaal likes defenders who score goals. Or so it would seem.
While overseeing a shooting drill during United's open training session at the Rose Bowl on Tuesday, the Dutchman appeared delighted when both Phil Jones and Chris Smalling found the net.
But he wasn't too impressed with Darren Fletcher or Luke Shaw, who both got some stern words from their new manager after missing the target.
Watch the video to see Van Gaal in action on the training pitch.“There he is,” Mail & Guardian pictures editor Paul Botes nudges me. It has been a nervous few moments before our breakfast interview, given the allegations of racism levelled against Steve Hofmeyr. And it is right in the Boer heart of the Afrikaners-only enclave of Orania, nogal.
There he is, indeed, pausing and taking in the scene outside the Oewerpark log cabin restaurant on the banks of the Orange River.
Hofmeyr enters the restaurant with the confidence of a man recognisable to everyone, including this nervous black journalist, pen and notebook ready.
Orania Movement leader Carel Boshoff Jnr, who went out of his way to arrange the eyeball to eyeball between me and the alleged ultra-racist, directs him to our table.
Hofmeyr, in shorts, T-shirt and slops, joins us with a broad smile, apparently very much aware he is to have an interview with someone not of his volk.
He takes a chair, fixing his intense blue eyes on mine, and stroking a greying goatee. The other people in the restaurant, seated at log-furniture tables, all of them white, and most probably Afrikaners, steal glances at our table, as if wondering what business Hofmeyr has with a darkie.
The waitress, a pink-cheeked young Afrikaner, takes orders and brings us what tastes like moerkoffie.
“Hell, I have been burning bridges of late” – Hofmeyr’s first words, before an otherwise cordial but at times unsettling interview, following the sold-out leg of his Toeka tour in Orania on Friday March 6. His acting-school-trained voice falls somewhere between Pik Botha’s gravelly tone and Neil Diamond’s velvety vocals.
Questions of race
He pushes his coffee to one side, inches forward towards me. In a rapid monologue, like a church elder, he starts. “Am I a racist to say the high incidence of rape among coloureds has contributed to the national crime statistics going through the roof?”
I feel like saying, “Steve! Are you sure you want to say a thing like that?”, but I lack the courage. I’m sure my facial expression and body language are telling him about my discomfort and I change the topic.
I tell him that I am the son of a farm-school headmaster, who was also a lay preacher in the Nederduitse Gereformeerde Kerk.
The Steve Hofmeyr concert was a big hit among the Orania volk, although not everyone was swept along by their enthusiasm. (Photos: Paul Botes, M&G)
He changes gear, suddenly, from right-wing rabble-rouser playing to an audience to a warm fellow human being.
“Lewe jou pa nog [is your father still alive]?” he asks.
May NG Kerk ouderling (elder) Reuban Masilela’s soul rest in peace, I think.
For a few moments there’s silence, but not an uncomfortable one. We stare out the window and start talking about the good mealie crop across the river. A flock of cattle egrets take off and fly over the water and beyond the plants.
Chester Missing
Hofmeyr does not seem averse to adversity, and burning the odd bridge. Which one was he referring to at the beginning of our chat? I ask.
It is the now-curdled relationship with the puppeteer, comedian and ventriloquist Conrad Koch, better known for his provocative Chester Missing puppet.
“I don’t talk to that man anymore,” Hofmeyr responds curtly.
The Afrikaans singer was moered indirectly, but hard, in court by Missing/Koch at the end of last year. It started with Hofmeyr tweeting that “blacks were the architects of apartheid”. It descended into a Twitter war when Missing called Hofmeyr a racist and encouraged Hofmeyr’s sponsors to withdraw their support for him, including a sponsored bakkie, which happened.
Dawid Fourie, who helped prepare the venue, said he didn’t want to see Hofmeyr or hear him – he had more important things to do.
Right-wing activist Dan Roodt then took Koch (the person) to court to stop Missing (the puppet) from “harassing” his friend Hofmeyr.
“Mr Hofmeyr must be held accountable for what he did; he can’t then, when he’s criticised, say it’s not fair,” Koch’s lawyer, Steven Budlender, told the court. “Mr Hofmeyr is entitled to go on his racist raids, but Mr Koch is also allowed to criticise those racist raids.”
Magistrate Naren Sewnarain dismissed Roodt’s application as “unreasonable and fictitious”, set aside the order and made a costs order against him.
Hofmeyr is clearly not keen to discuss the bloody nose his friend took in court, but he has a simple message for the volk: “There is no justice at the courts.”
The Citizen irony
He clearly feels beleaguered and also mentions the Citizen newspaper by name, with which he is threatening to cut ties. The irony is rich because the tabloid was founded in 1976 as a pro-National Party newspaper from a secret slush fund by the then department of information. The Citizen was also known, especially during the 1980s, for its cosiness with the right wing.
Hofmeyr clearly feels he can pour out his heart – my magtig! the man has even trusted me with his private cellphone number and email address – about why he is “disillusioned”, and the damage to his image because of his convictions.
Among these unwavering convictions is his repeated view, the one that got that pesky puppet on his and Roodt’s backs, that black people were responsible for their own oppression during apartheid.
Hofmeyr said it been difficult to agree to perform in Orania because of logistical problems such as proper infrastructure.
“It was a spiritual thing for us, the Afrikaner minority, to realise that the oppression of black people was not right. We did not wait for black people to find a way around this, because it was a white problem.
“We voted in the referendum in overwhelming numbers to say, enough! It was a white solution to a white problem …”
And he readily admits he also voted “yes”.
But he recounts his journey from then, when he viewed himself as a South African first, to his position now, which is Afrikaner first, because he believes his people are under threat.
Dwindling festival space
Hofmeyr’s space in the mainstream festival circuit is being rapidly squeezed, and he is laying the blame squarely at the door of three apparently all-powerful decision-makers: festival organisers, sponsors and then ANC and DA municipalities.
Boshoff Jnr, who is the son of the Orania pioneer, the late Professor Carel Boshoff, placed on record in a separate interview that plans had been in the pipeline for two years to bring Hofmeyr to Orania, and that the Toeka concert had nothing to do with mainstream festivals slamming the door in the singer’s face.
Hofmeyr adds that it has been difficult to agree to perform in Orania in recent years, but that was because of logistical problems such as proper infrastructure.
Never mind the well-documented racial rants, from time to time Hofmeyr makes reference to his “black friends”.
The prerecorded prelude to the Orania evening concert paid tribute to yesteryear’s musical icons, among them the late Margaret Singana, of the 1970s mass opera Ipi Tombi fame.
Suffice to say, during apartheid urban legend had it that streetwise white people would paint their faces with black shoe polish and sneak into the townships for a rare glimpse of the then internationally acclaimed Singana performing in concert or cabaret.
Back to Hofmeyr. “My black friends? I have had many black friends. I used to tour with Yvonne Chaka Chaka, Brenda Fassie, Steve Kekana … you name them.”
Hofmeyr laments that in this his “time of need”, his black friends have failed to rise to his defence, against the backdrop of what he calls his own fight against racial discrimination during his entire adult life.
United by ideology, some are still more equal than others
I hope it will be of comfort to Steve Hofmeyr that his Toeka concert at the school sports grounds in Orania was attended by at least one new-found black fan – yours truly – among more than 1 800 white Afrikaners, who all but one met me with smiles.
The reason why there were no other black people in the audience could be attributed to the fact that Orania is far from other Northern Cape towns, meaning those who might have wanted to come would have had to have the money for both the entry fee and accommodation at the lodge. Of course, there are no black people living in Orania.
The concert was largely promoted through social media and by word of mouth. A lone poster at the Orania tourism office was testimony to that.
Before the concert, the M&G team took to the streets to weigh up the reaction of locals about the imminent arrival of right-wing Afrikanerdom’s favourite son.
The town tried for a long time to entice the singer to perform there and, when the big night arrived, a carnival atmosphere reigned at the school sports ground.
A petrol attendant, Johan von Biljon, said he could not make it to the show because he would be working, and he was also in mourning following the death of a colleague.
His brother, Nico, was definitely attending, and boasted about how he played only Afrikaans music, both contemporary and boeremusiek.
Walking past was another man (he did not want to give his name). He provides gardening services in Orania and said the predikant had put pressure on him to “mow down” his lawn because Hofmeyr would soon be in town.
But, the man asked: “Wie die duiwel is Steve Hofmeyr? Hy is net ‘n mens so ek and jy. [Who the hell is Steve Hofmeyr? He is just a human like me and you].”
The Toeka concert audience was largely made up of upper-middle-class Orania, as well as Hofmeyr’s followers from surrounding towns and even as far afield as Gauteng.
“If the mainstream festivals can’t take Steve Hofmeyr to the people, the people shall go to Steve Hofmeyr,” the singer said in an interview the next morning.
And a lot more people, particularly the elderly locals, might have attended had it not been for a downpour shortly before the start of the concert.
Steve Hofmeyr ended his performance by leading the crowd in the singing of ‘Die Stem’.
But he had the audience eating out of his hand. It was vintage Hofmeyr, arguably one of South Africa’s best-selling artists, dishing out nostalgic ballads from the Springbok Radio era and, inevitably, his favourite, Neil Diamond. His 2009 album of Diamond songs, Solitary Man: Songs of Neil Diamond, was a bestseller.
What a pity there were not more black people to experience this moving tribute to Afrikaans music, culture and language. But, then, what could one expect with Hofmeyr having become such a divisive character, with views that suggest apartheid denialism.
The show started with a potpourri of country classics and Afrikaans folk songs, but, towards the end, the tone changed dramatically. An emotionally charged Hofmeyr, against the backdrop of fingers gently stroking the guitar, narrated the challenges that he and other right-wingers believe were facing their beloved white Afrikaner minority –farm murders … affirmative action … Eskom … geographical name changes … crime … and more crime.
Things rose to a crescendo, a grand finale, and as we all rose to our feet – I wasn’t going to risk sitting down – the volk firebrand led us in the singing of Die Stem. The show was over and the Steve Hofmeyr ossewa was rolling back to the ol’ Transvaal for the next leg of the Toeka tour in Klerksdorp.
The partying went on in De Boer bar long after the show.
We went for a nightcap with some of the young Hofmeyr fans in the local De Boer bar up the road from where the concert was held. And what else but to have a sip or two of the local mampoer. Many friendly people came to introduce themselves.
Couples were doing serious sokkie to the loud Afrikaans music. Some guys were playing pool.
A farmer, not an Orania local, was introduced to us. He refused to shake my hand. We initially thought it was a joke or that we had misunderstood him. But he was serious. “Dis teen my geloof [it’s against my belief],” he insisted.
The friendly Orania PR who was with us looked away, seriously uncomfortable.
Even with the loud music, there was an uncomfortable silence.Image caption A business case on the Magee expansion was due for publication in September
Further development of the University of Ulster Magee campus in Londonderry is "off the table", according to the minster for employment and learning.
Stephen Farry said the development would be delayed "for the indefinite future" due to the executive's failure to reach agreement on budgets.
The minister said his department faced cuts of £34m.
He told Radio Ulster's Nolan show that the number of university places could also be cut.
'Shabby politics'
"We are in a financial crisis through gross mismanagement that we should not be in," Mr Farry said.
Foyle MP Mark Durkan accused Mr Farry of "downright shabby politics".
He said it was "absolutely wrong" to use the expansion of higher education to make a political point.
Image caption Sinn Féin protested against Mr Farry's decision at the Magee campus on Friday
Sinn Féin MLA for Foyle Maeve McLaughlin said the expansion of Magee was crucial to the regeneration of the city.
"Stephen Farry is practising microphone diplomacy, announcing unilateral decisions on the airwaves and is playing politics with vital issues," she said.
In July, planning permission was granted for an £11m extension to the Magee campus.
Analysis There has been a lingering resentment in Londonderry since 1968 when it was not chosen as the main site for the new University of Ulster. As a compensation, the Magee campus has grown over the years to provide higher education in the city, and now has almost 5,000 students. However, there is a strong lobby to greatly expand it and any reduction in those plans for Magee will be taken as a snub. Derry is the stronghold of the Sinn Féin deputy first minister, Martin McGuinness. His party is blamed for the penalties that must be paid because welfare reforms have not been implemented so, some suspect that is why Magee, in his home city, is singled out for drastic threats. That is denied by the DEL minister Dr Stephen Farry.
The plans included increased teaching facilities, a large lecture theatre, 20 classrooms and a cafe.
A business case was due for publication in September.
'Disappointed'
A spokesperson for the University of Ulster said: "We are disappointed with this announcement.
"The university has steadily progressed plans for the £11m Magee campus teaching block project and welcomed the planning permission granted just last month by the Environment Minister and Derry City Council.
"We were aware that both universities would suffer budget cuts in the current year, however the potential impact of these on specific projects had not yet been discussed.
"The university will now be seeking an urgent meeting with the DEL minister.
"The Magee expansion remains a priority for the University of Ulster and we will continue to work with all stakeholders to ensure that positive impact of this project on the city can be fully realised."
Student union leader Rebecca Hall said: "The minister's comments are extremely troubling. We need investment in students to help deliver the best possible educational outcomes and to help grow our economy.
"Students must not become the victims of any failure of government on agreeing on budgetary issues.
"There must be no political game-playing on the vital issue of investment in students and tertiary education."Image copyright Getty Images Image caption The number of men, women and children fleeing Mosul grows by the day, the UN says
A planned military offensive to reclaim Mosul from so-called Islamic State (IS) could see up to a million Iraqis flee their homes. The UN's refugee agency has told the BBC how it and its partners are gearing up to deal with the expected humanitarian crisis by building camps to house those in need.
The much-delayed operation to drive IS from Iraq's second-largest city is expected to begin this month, more than two years after the jihadists over-ran Mosul and proclaimed its caliphate.
In preparation, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) and its partners are stepping up contingency plans, informed by a number of lessons learned from previous offensives, such as Falluja, says Bruno Geddo, the UNHCR Iraq Representative.
For example, the Iraqi army has been encouraging the residents of Mosul to stay in their homes when possible instead of taking to the open roads, where they could be vulnerable to attack.
"Isis [IS] know where the routes out of the city are and they will kill people escaping," Mr Geddo says.
"There is only a narrow route which is safe to travel through. If too many people try to use them there will be bottlenecks, which are always dangerous. They are easy to attack."
Mr Geddo hopes the Iraqi army will be successful in keeping people in their homes, but says such a plan will be difficult to enforce. For this reason, the UNHCR and its partners are preparing for the worst.
"If [the situation in the city] is arranged in a proper way - everything will be controlled by the Iraqi army - people will not be allowed to flee Mosul," he says.
"If the outflow is uncontrolled there will be chaos and desperation."
'A million people displaced'
An estimated 3.3 million people - equivalent to almost 10% of the population of Iraq - have been uprooted by fighting since the start of 2014. Those currently fleeing Mosul and its surrounding areas join about half-a-million people who fled the city in June 2014.
There are no firm figures on how many people remain in Mosul, but there were more than two million when IS took the city more than two years ago.
Mr Geddo estimates the population could now be "anywhere between 1.2 and 1.5m people".
Mosul offensive: the human cost UN high estimates 1,000,000 internally displaced people 700,000 requiring temporary accommodation 120,000 spaces in UN camps
300,000 spaces with UN partners
280,000 currently uncatered for Getty Images
As a result, the UN believes up to one million people could be displaced by the forthcoming military action, and some 700,000 of those, they believe, will need shelter.
It warns it could be one of the largest man-made displacement crises of recent times.
With current funding levels, the UNHCR says it is able to provide accommodation for 20,000 families - or 120,000 people.
Other groups working alongside the agency estimate they can help a further 50,000 families.
Emergency camps
"We will have five new permanent camps up by the end of October and hope to provide 20 more emergency camps closer to the theatre of conflict," says Mr Geddo.
Due to protection concerns, the locations of these emergency camps cannot currently be revealed.
An "emergency shelter kit" is given to families when tents are not available in camps
Each pack costs between $79 and $87 (£65-£70)
The UN currently has 50,000 such kits, with 5,000 arriving in Iraq each week from 18 October. Some 30,000 more will be provided by UN partners from November.
The emergency camps will need to be closer to the city to look after civilians as soon as they escape and will therefore suffer from "a substantial risk" of "mortar or shell attacks", Mr Geddo warns.
So far, he says, the UN has identified locations for four of the emergency camps, but explains the challenge is finding safe places with the right terrain for shelter as well as a water supply.
In the past, there have also been issues with private landowners unwilling to lease land to the UN.
Image copyright NRC/Iraq Image caption Members of the Norwegian Refugee Council, a UN partner, hand out emergency kits to displaced people in western Iraq
In order to try and create more space for fleeing families, the UN will attempt to move residents out of camps quickly to more permanent accommodation.
One option is a "sponsorship arrangement", Mr Geddo explains, where civilians are sponsored by a family member, a business or a charity.
If they are able to prove that they will be looked after at their destination, the UN will then assist them in making the journey.
Another problem facing the UNHCR, he says, is that a number of civilians may try to escape the fighting by travelling to Syria, where the UN is working with groups to try to ensure people's safety.
"This is more difficult of course, but it could ease some pressure on our camps in Iraq."
Raising funds
The process of securing funding for the relief effort has been a challenge, but has improved since previous crises, Mr Geddo explains.
Previously, large donations only started to come in once action appeared on television screens on the news.
But because this offensive has been a long time in the planning, the UN has already managed to raise half of its $284m (£232m) target.
"There is never enough money for any humanitarian situation, but we are more prepared this time," Mr Geddo says.
Vetting for IS
Another lesson learned, he says, is regarding the vetting of those entering the camps.
Accusations that Shia militiamen had previously carried out abuse during security checks means the process will now be carried out solely by the Iraqi army.
Image copyright Reuters Image caption Workers prepare a tent camp in Khazer, west of the Kurdish regional capital Irbil for people expected to flee Mosul
"[The vetting process] is absolutely key. This will be the first interaction many people have had after two years under IS control. It must be completely clear that we are helping and that the procedure is a normal one.
"No men will be allowed access to UN camps unless they have been fully security screened," Mr Geddo says. "The process could take several days."
Human shields
Mr Geddo also suggested there were possible signs that IS in Mosul was running out of funds.
Those fleeing have described how the fighters are now accepting cash payments to allow people to escape the city.
Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Iraqi families fleeing Mosul are reunited at a camp
"Previously, the only way to get out was with a smuggler," explains Mr Geddo. "The person would pay $2,000, but it was very dangerous. Both the smuggler and the family would be killed if they were caught trying to escape.
"But recently, we have heard stories - this is not confirmed information - that Isis are accepting a higher payment of $10,000 and will allow people to leave."
However, Mr Geddo adds, IS may want many of the city's residents to stay put until the battle begins in order to use them for their own tactical benefit.
"When [the civilians] flee, they will try to slow down the coalition forces by using civilians as human shields."
This would be yet another aspect to the crisis that the UN and its partners would have to be prepared for.[Image: A photomicrograph of sand grains].
These chains seem to behave like the soaring arches of Gothic cathedrals, which serve to transmit the weight of the roof, perhaps a great dome, outward to the walls, which bear the load.
Most of today's active sandy deserts are surrounded by vast stretches of old stabilized dunes, formed as the trade-wind belts and arid regions expanded in the cold, dry climate of the last ice age and immobilized as the climate changed. However, continuing shifts in the climate may bring these fixed ergs, granular reserves awaiting activation, back to life.
The hills were stabilized eight hundred years ago but have had episodes of reincarnation since: a long drought toward the end of the eighteenth century resuscitated dunes on the Great Plains, whose activity caused problems for the westbound wagon trains decades earlier.
I researched different types of construction methods involving pile systems and realised that injection piles could probably be used to get the bacteria down into the sand – a procedure that would be analogous to using an oversized 3D printer, solidifying parts of the dune as needed. The piles would be pushed through the dune surface and a first layer of bacteria spread out, solidifying an initial surface within the dune. They would then be pulled up, creating almost any conceivable (structurally sound) surface along their way, with the loose sand acting as a jig before being excavated to create the necessary voids. If we allow ourselves to dream, we could even fantasise about ways in which the wind could do a lot of this work for us: solidifying parts of the surface to force the grains of sand to align in certain patterns, certain shapes, having the wind blow out our voids, creating a structure that would change and change again over the course of a decade, a century, a millenium.
Traditional anti-desertification methods include the planting of trees and cacti, the cultivation of grasses and shrubs, and the construction of sand-catching fences and walls. More ambitious projects have ventured into the development of agriculture and livestock, water conservation, soil management, forestry, sustainable energy, improved land use, wildlife protection, poverty alleviation, and so on. This project, apart from utilising a completely new way of turning sand into sandstone, incorporates all of the above. Inside the dunes, we can take care of our plants and animals, find water and shade, help the soil remain fertile, care for the trees, and so on. In this way, it's an environmental project that hopefully provides an innovation for other architects/builders to use and copy time and time again.
[Images: Synthesizing rare earth compounds – bioterrestriality; from Magnus Larsson's Dune: Arenaceous Anti-Desertification Architecture].
[Image: The view from within; from Magnus Larsson's Dune: Arenaceous Anti-Desertification Architecture].
For an ambitious landscape design project, Magnus Larsson, a student at the Architectural Association in London, has proposed a 6,000km-long wall of artificially solidified sandstone architecture that would span the Sahara Desert, east to west, offering a combination of refugee housing and a "green wall" against the future spread of the desert.Larsson's project deservedly won first prize last fall at the Holcim Foundation's Awards for Sustainable Construction held in Marrakech, Morocco.One of the most interesting aspects of the project, I think, is that this solidified dunescape is created through a particularly novel form of "sustainable construction" – that is, through a kind ofIn other words, Larsson has proposed using bacillus pasteurii, a "microorganism, readily available in marshes and wetlands, [that] solidifies loose sand into sandstone," he explains.Larsson points out the work of the Soil Interactions Lab at UC-Davis, which describes itself as " harnessing microbial activity to solidify problem soils."But the idea of taking this research and applying it on a megascale – that is, to a 6,000km stretch of the Sahara Desert – boggles the mind. At the very least, the idea that this might be deployed for the wrong reasons, or by the wrong people, in some delirious hybrid of ice-nine, J.G. Ballard's The Crystal World, and perhaps a Roger Moore-era James Bond film, deserves further thought.An epidemic of bacillus pasteurii infects all the loose sand in the world, forming great aerodynamic fins and waves in a kind of global Utah of glassine shapes.Clarifying the biochemical process through which his project could be realized, Larsson explained in a series of emails that his "structure is made straight from the dunescape by flushing a particular bacteria through the loose sand... which causes a biological reaction whereby the sand turns into sandstone; the initial reactions are finished within 24 hours, though it would take about a week to saturate the sand enough to make the structure habitable."The project – a kind of bio-architectural test-landscape – would thus "go from a balloon-like pneumatic structure filled with bacillus pasteurii, which would then be released into the sand and allowed to solidify the same into a permacultural architecture."The "architectural form" of the resulting solidified sandscape is actually "derived from tafoni," Larsson writes, where tafoni is "a cavernous rock structure that formally ties the project back to notions of aggregation and erosion. On a conceptual scale, the project spans some 6,000km, putting it on a par with Superstudio's famous Continuous Monument – but with an environmental agenda."I'm reminded of Michael Welland's recent book Sand. There, Welland describes "how deserts operate" (he compares them to "engines" of mechanical weathering); he points out that you can still find "sand-sized fragments of steel" on the D-Day beaches of Normandy, war having left behind a hidden desert of metal; and he mentions that the UK now maintains "the world's first database of sand" – but that it's used "specifically for police forensics."Welland's descriptions of sand dune physics are particularly memorable. He writes, for instance, that an avalanche is really a sand dune being "overwhelmed by the huge number of very small events" on its surface, and that these "very small events" unpredictably lead to one decisive moment of cascading self-collapse.Fantastically, though, and more relevant to this post, he then compares the internal structure of sand dunes to Gothic cathedrals: the grains of sand piled high form "microscopic chains and networks... in such a way that they carry most of the pressure from the weight of the material above them." This is the architecture of sand:Briefly, though, this image can be sustained through Welland's descriptions of the great ergs, or sand seas, of today. These dune seas "are tangibly mobile, ever changing," Welland writes, "but there are larger areas of ergs past that are now fixed by vegetation."He mentions the Sand Hills of northwestern Nebraska, "formed originally from the debris of the glacial erosion of the Rocky Mountains."But if sand dunes are Gothic cathedrals, and if those dunes can come back to life, the resulting image of resuscitated Gothic cathedrals moving slowly over the American landscape is almost too incredible to contemplate.Larsson's project descriptions maintain this somewhat hallucinatory feel:A vast 3D printer made of bacteria crawls undetectably through the deserts of the world, printing new landscapes into existence over the course of 10,000 years...Larsson goes on to contrast his method with existing vernacular techniques of anti-desertification:The following images show us the lab-based biochemical practices through which a landscape can be lithified. However, for me at least, these photos also come with the interesting implication that rogue basement chemists of the future won't be like Albert Hofmann or Ann Alexander Shulgin ; the heavily regulated underground rogue chemistry sets of the 21st century will instead synthesize new terrestrial compounds, counter-earths and other illegal geosimulants, rare earth anti-elements that might then catalyze a wholesale resurfacing of the world through radical landscape architecture.Which leads me to ask: where is landscape architecture's Aleister Crowley Madame Blavatsky, or even John Dee? Mystics of terrestrial form, hacking the periodic table of the elements inside makeshift labs.In any case, Larsson's "solidified dunes," we read, would also "support the existing Green Wall Sahara initiative: 24 African countries coming together to plant a shelterbelt of trees right across the continent, from Mauritania in the west to Djibouti in the east, in order to mitigate against the encroaching desert."Clearly having thought through the project in extraordinary detail, Larsson then points out that the structure itself would generate a "temperature difference between the interior of the solidified dunes and the exterior dune surface." This then "makes it possible to start building a permacultural network, the nodal points of which would support water harvesting and thermal comfort zones that can be inhabited."Eventually, then, a 6000km-long wall of permaculturally active, inhabited architecture will span the Sahara.Check out more images in this Flickr set for the project, or read a bit more about the project over at the Holcim FoundationOn first blush, the Walkergate investigation seems to be small potatoes in many ways. After all, there are no juicy details of Walker being involved in some deep conspiracy as governor. No, instead it has the appearance of a bunch of overzealous party faithful people conducting Republican party business on the public dime during Walker's tenure as Milwaukee county executive.
Rest assured, it is not a small potatoes thing at all. It is a very, very big deal, not only because it exposes the corruption among one state's Republican party structure, but because it also exposes a blueprint for how I suspect Republicans operate around the country.
After reviewing the official complaints against two of the players—Darlene Wink and Kelly Rindfleisch—a pattern emerges that is almost defiant in nature. After all, in 2005, the Wisconsin caucus scandal forced 2 Democrats and 1 Republican to resign for campaigning on the public's time. Yet here we are back in 2012, with incontrovertible evidence that Republicans are |
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One Adelaide mum said she was surprised to see the products advertised in the catalogue as Mother's Day gifts.
"As a mother my preference would be some hand-picked flowers from my children for Mother's Day," said the mum, who wanted to remain anonymous.
Australian Family Association spokeswoman Terri Kelleher said she was "very surprised" that a pharmacy would stock and advertise the products. "I really think it's irresponsible," she said.
National Pharmacies did not return calls from The Advertiser yesterday.
The advertisement is not in breach of the Australian Association of National Advertisers code of ethics.You’ve had a slightly unusual career path, from Brazil to Holland and Uruguay to Spain. Do you think that’s given you a different experience to most players?
To become a ‘European player’, as some say in Brazil, it was very important for me to arrive early. I moved to Holland when I was 19-years-old, very young and all alone. I really think I didn’t take the opportunity I had, the great school Ajax is, learning about tactics and how to defend. All I did at that time was criticise the food and the people.
But I’m the only one to blame. The club offered me everything when I got there, they put me in a Dutch family house, so I could learn the language quicker. But I didn’t accept it, I used to live by myself already in Brazil and couldn’t stand that situation. Therefore, in one week, they gave me an apartment. I was in Amsterdam and all I wanted was to have Brazilian food, Brazilian cable channels, stuff from Brazil. It was my biggest mistake. People could see I didn’t enjoy their country.
What was it like moving to Real Madrid after it?
At Real, it was very different. I knew I’d be going to a club where I’d have chances in the B team - let’s say they enjoyed the Brazilians more. It was very different in Spain as it’s a country similar to Brazil, the weather, all of these things. Adapting was then not a problem. I already had my own apartment in the first week, the food was marvellous and it was a great life. The only thing I lacked was some playing time at the beginning.
You’re naturally a left-back but you can also play further forward. Where did you start playing when you were younger? Do you like to get forward from defence? Has playing in midfield on occasions helped your attacking game?
I began as a playmaker, No.10, but then the coaches started pushing me back. When I was 17 years old I was playing for Figueirense and we had this practice when none of the left-backs were available. The coach asked me if I could fill this role and from that day on I never left the position. Brazilian three-time champion Muricy Ramalho and Dorival Junior were very important on this. When I play with my friends, I still forget about defending and move forward. This experience I had when I was younger really helps my attacking game, you learn how to change sides and receive the ball with your back to your opponent - but that’s not my thing.
Who do you think are the best left-backs in the world today?
I really enjoyed watching Roberto Carlos and Athirson, but if I had to mention two names that are still playing, one of them would be Marcelo. He’s the best in the world; excellent, can dribble easily and knows better than anyone how to take the ball forward. Another one is Siqueira - I’m a fan of him. He had an awesome time with Granada and then moved to Benfica. He is a great guy, a friend of mine, but also a very good player.
How did beating Atletico’s rivals Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey feel? Did you realise at the time just how much it meant to the fans?
There is always so much pressure in Brazil, no matter which team you play for; Corinthians, Sao Paulo, Santos, it’s always complicated. We’ve got this pressure at Atletico too, but much more from the media than the fans. Most of the people doesn’t how big our fanbase is, and we had lost all Clasicos before. But it was the best moment of my career. I felt what it meant for every fan. The crowd in the streets, the kids, it was history. Real Madrid are so big and so well-known around the world. They've got so many fans in China, Japan and other countries, but there are more Atletico fans in the city, fanatic ones. Our club is closer to the supporters because they can watch our practices, and every player stops to sign the shirts and talk. Real Madrid is more Galactico.
You could have played for Brazil, Italy, Poland or Spain. Why did you choose Brazil? Was it an easy decision? You have a very interesting family background: do you speak to your parents about why they moved to South America?
My great-grandmother comes from Italy and that’s what opened the doors in Europe for me. I’ve never had the chance to get my Polish passport because I could have only qualified through my great-grandfather. There was a lot of talk in the past, but I never really considered them. I’ve been in Spain for nine years and could have also gone for the Spanish citizenship - there was this interest from Vicente del Bosque, but then former Brazil assistant Jorginho asked me if I’d be interested in playing. Then they called me up to the 2010 World Cup qualifying campaign.
Did you try and persuade your team-mate, Diego Costa, to play for Brazil?
Not really. We’ve talked a lot about his situation in the dressing room but he never really considering any other opinion, he’s made his own decision. The only thing I told him is that he should do what he he wants. Whatever he decides is well done.
The last time Atletico Madrid won La Liga you were 10-years-old. Do you remember what you were doing then?
Ten-years-old? I was playing indoor football back then and had this dream about playing for Flamengo one day. I didn’t know about Atletico at that time, just the name. I remember having watched games of Barcelona, Deportivo; the likes of Rivaldo, Djalminha, Mauro Silva and others.After the landmark Supreme Court decision finally legalized same-sex marriages in the USA, it is easy to think that there is finally equality in the world, but this list of the 11 worst countries for LGBT Travellers will tell you otherwise.
This list only reveals eleven countries listed and ranked according to their popularity as anti-LGBT nations, the existence of government-backed anti-LGBT sanctions, propaganda, or policies, LGBT-hate crime rates, and the public attitude toward members of the LGBT community. At the very least these countries do not allow members of the LGBT to be themselves; at worst, these nations can kick anyone into jail just for being homosexual or transsexual. These eleven nations, though known for having the worst attitudes toward LGBT community, are not exactly the only ones where the LGBT community is not so well received. In fact, there are currently 79 countries where homosexuality is still considered illegal. This list is based on the compilations of several websites including ResponsibleTravel, GlobalGayz, DestinationTips, and OutTraveler among many other sources.
Whether you’re a member of the LGBT community looking for your next travel destination or just plainly searching for a country that shares your pro-equality stance, the countries on this list should be last on your itinerary or not there AT ALL.
Don’t forget to check out our other popular article about the countries with the biggest gay populations in the world.
11. Malaysia
In both the federal and Sharia laws that Malaysia honors, homosexuality and ‘homosexual acts’ are all considered illegal. These homosexual acts – including sodomy – can be punishable by fines, whipping, and even prison time of up to 20 years. Homosexuality became hot news in the Southeast Asian country after former Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim was convicted and given a nine-year jail sentence for committing sodomy with his then speech writer and close-in aide in 1998.
In 2012, the Malaysian Ministry of Education released controversial guidelines that are addressed towards parents who are looking to detect signs of homosexuality in their children. In 2015, current Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak came under fire from LGBT rights activists worldwide for comparing members of the LGBT to the terror group ISIS. It is rather safe to say that Malaysia can get hostile to members of the LGBT.
Traveling to Malaysia as an LGBT member may mean you’d have to be discreet about your sexuality, stay in the urban areas where people are more tolerant, and never show PDA at all!
10. Belize
The Caribbean paradise of Belize, as small as it is, has one of the biggest anti-LGBT laws. The highly conservative community has retained its old laws against sodomy and homosexual intercourse. They also have an immigration law that bans homosexual foreigners from entering the country. Despite the fact that this law has been challenged in court, the ruling has yet to be released.
Belize is so adamant at retaining their anti-LGBT laws that its government has even dared to speak against Barack Obama’s appeal to nations to uphold LGBT rights, risking their foreign aid from the United States.
9. Egypt
In a 2013 survey conducted by the Pew Research Center, it has been found that a staggering 95% of all Egyptians believe that homosexuality is unacceptable. Egypt’s attitude towards LGBT is described by the travel website Frommer’s as being schizophrenic, the reason being is that on one hand, male homosexuality is considered a taboo but male-to-male sexual relations are not treated as a big deal. However, people who are identified as being outed homosexuals can face discrimination.
In recent years, however, Egypt’s security forces have been cracking down the LGBT community more rigorously than before with reports of arrests and even harassment.
8. Kenya
Like most countries in Africa, Kenya enforces legal actions against homosexuality. In fact, people engaging in so-called homosexual acts can face up to fourteen years of jail time. Unfortunately, that is not the worst thing for the LGBT members in Kenya.
It has been known that locals are very hostile against members of the LGBT community. Out and identified homosexuals – foreigners included – can face discrimination, taunting, and even risk the instances of violence. The local police are of no help either as they are known to ignore complaints and reports of LGBT-related violence.
7. Senegal
The 7th on this list of the 11 worst countries for LGBT travellers is Senegal. Like most of the countries in the African continent, Senegal outlaws homosexual activities, and there is a high rate of homophobia amongst its citizens.
Homosexual acts are punishable in Senegal by large fines, punishment, and even imprisonment – and minors are not exempted from said punishment! Reporting people for alleged engagement in homosexual activities and raids against suspected homosexuals are not uncommon. In fact, in June of 2015, seven people were convicted and jailed for six months after their home was raided and condoms were found.
6. Guyana
While Brazil and Argentina’s gay rights are moving forward and their societies are becoming more accepting of the members of the LGBT community, Guyana is falling backwards. The small country remains to be the only nation in South America to criminalize homosexuality.
The LGBT community in Guyana may have experienced a minor triumph when the nation’s Supreme Court ruled that cross-dressing is now legal as long as it is not done for “indecent purposes”. However, in a country where the majority of its people cannot accept the LGBT, whatever gets within the scope of decency remains a major grey area.
LGBT locals and foreigners are pressured to be discreet about their sexuality lest they risk being discriminated against by the community, or even be imprisoned for it.
5. Russia
Russia’s stand on LGBT rights came under fire at the height of the Sochi Olympics. The country’s law banning any “propaganda of non-traditional sexual relationships” was enacted in 2013 and it made no exemption against foreign LGBT travellers.
This law does not clearly state what does and what does not count as ‘propaganda’ but it could possibly include plainly being an outed gay, lesbian, or trans people. Anyone found guilty of breaking this law can expect punishment ranging from large fines to imprisonment and deportation.
There has also been a noted rise in hate crimes committed against LGBT since the amendment and enactment of said law.
4. UAE
This Middle Eastern economic giant takes one of the highest spots on this list of the 11 worst countries for LGBT travellers. While different Emirates are more tolerant than others, the fact remains that LGBT members in the UAE are in grave danger of facing fines or imprisonment; if found to be engaging in homosexual sexual activities, the death penalty can spare no one. It does not even matter if your sexual acts were done with mutual consent; if you do it you’re guilty!
Raids are not uncommon, and so are arrests for public displays of affection. Some were also imprisoned for cross-dressing. In a nutshell, UAE restricts any member of the LGBT not for being one but for simply expressing it.
3. Nigeria
Nigeria is one of the most homophobic countries in the world, and it certainly is in the upper ranks on this list of the 11 worst countries for LGBT travellers. With widespread homophobia, high rates of LGBT hate crimes, and inhumane legal troubles for members of the LGBT community, Nigeria is definitely one place to avoid.
Case in point: the 2008 publishing of the names, photos, and addresses of members of a Lagos-based church that is known for being friendly to the LGBT community and the violence experienced by several members of that church soon after the information was published.
Depending on the area, homosexuality is punishable in Nigeria with a prison sentence, fines, physical punishments, and sometimes even death. Not to mention, the community is largely hostile and discriminating against indiscreet gays and lesbians.
2. Jamaica
Far from its reputation as a Caribbean paradise, Jamaica may as well be a hellhole for members of the LGBT community. With high rates of violence against gays and lesbians, rampant homophobia, and threats of legal action against homosexuals, Jamaica is one dangerous country for members of the LGBT.
More than the colonial-era laws against sodomy, the country’s biggest LGBT nightmare is the citizens’ attitude towards homosexuals. Jamaica’s homophobia is so open that hate speech against LGBT comes out in popular songs (reggae, nonetheless) aptly called ‘murder music’.
Since 1997, there have been more than 30 gay men murdered in Jamaica, countless gays and lesbians beaten up, and an unaccountable amount of discrimination all throughout. Homosexual people traveling here should work their best and hardest to give their best straight people impression lest they risk getting discriminated on.
1. Uganda
The home of the breathtaking Victoria Lake is also the home to one of the world’s worst countries for LGBT travellers. Same-sex relations and acts here are criminal offenses, with its maximum punishment: a life sentence.
In 2014, Uganda passed its most inhumane and worst LGBT rights offense: passing the Anti-Homosexuality Act of 2014 that imposes the death penalty for those found to be guilty of being homosexuals. The Act does not only punish individuals – but can also take action against NGO’s and companies that support same-sex relations or push for LGBT rights. This law was ruled invalid by the Constitutional Court of Uganda, but not before it has become infamous in the Western World as the ‘Kill the Gays Bill’.
There is widespread homophobia and hate crime which the authorities do not act on, and propaganda against homosexuality is constantly in the works. One of Uganda’s most famous anti-LGBT propaganda is the ‘Seminar on Exposing Homosexuals’ in 2009 that was organized by the Family Life Network.
The 11 worst countries for LGBT travellers are proof enough that humanity has a long, long way to go as far as equality is concerned. Whether you’re an LGBT traveller or an LGBT rights supporter, these are the countries that you are better off avoiding.WHEN a respected lawyer was found dead in a burning bedroom alongside his wife of 47 years, the authorities ruled it was a murder-suicide.
John and Joyce Sheridan were both discovered lying face up with multiple stab wounds to their bodies, with two kitchen knives, matches and a gas can lying nearby.
Joyce had first- and second-degree burns and 12 wounds, mostly to her head and hands. John, chief executive at a New Jersey hospital, was lying under a fallen wardrobe and showed signs of smoke inhalation, indicating that he had been alive after his wife died.
The 72-year-old had five knife wounds to his neck and torso and a blunt-force injury that had caused five broken ribs.
Just days after the deaths on September 28, 2014, the prosecutor’s office was hinting that they had identified the culprit, expressing confidence there was no threat to the community.
Detectives told the Sheridans’ four sons it was clear that their father had killed their mother, set fire to the room and taken his own life.
But the sons are convinced someone else was involved, telling the New York Times their father had no motive or mental health problems and that other explanations have not been explored. Police found no evidence of infidelity, financial strain, serious illness or arguments that might explain why the former state transportation commissioner would kill his wife.
The prominent family took matters into their own hands, hiring a pathologist called Michael Baden to help find the truth. The holes quickly started to emerge.
Mr Baden and the state’s medical examiner determined that one of the two knives, a kitchen carving knife, had been used on Mrs Sheridan. But both doctors agreed that a third, missing weapon had caused Mr Sheridan’s wounds.
When the Sheridan sons were allowed back in the house, they made two strange discoveries, overlooked by investigators.
One was a lump of melted metal, which could have come from a piece of furniture or could have been a weapon, although the melting point for kitchen knives is typically well above the temperature the room would have reached.
The second piece of evidence was a fire poker found in the adjoining bathroom a month later, even though there was no fireplace upstairs. It could have been the cause of the blunt blow to Mr Sheridan’s body.
Six months after the Sheridans died, the prosecutor’s office released a report. It said Mr Sheridan’s wounds were “consistent with self-infliction” and that DNA samples taken from the knives could not exclude him as a suspect, although lab reports were inconclusive, only pointing to a probable white male suspect.
The only suggested motive was that Mr Sheridan was “unusually worried” over a work report into fatality rates after cardiac operations at his hospital. It said family members and colleagues had said he was “disproportionately concerned”, although the New York Times could not locate the people who said this.
Instead, most people portrayed Mr Sheridan as a man of unimpeachable repute, who was incredibly unlikely to commit such a heinous crime, particularly in such a bizarre manner.
“Anyone who knew John and Joyce doesn’t think it’s conceivable,” said Mrs Sheridan’s brother Peter Mitchko. “Nothing makes sense.”
The couple’s son Mark, who followed in his father’s footsteps to become a top Republican lawyer, said he understands people are inclined to dismiss the concerns of his privileged, politically connected family. But he says it doesn’t change that fact that other feasible explanations — that an intruder broke in and killed the couple, for example — have been overlooked.
“I’m sitting at the police station on the day my parents died, and the governor is calling to offer condolences,” he told the New York Times. “Not many people get those calls, right? And at the same time, you’re just getting screwed over, and there’s nothing you can do about it.’’GM and the U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC) revealed the jointly developed Chevrolet Colorado ZH 2 today. The concept is powered by a hydrogen fuel cell and was intended to explore hydrogen technology for military applications.
The modified Colorado rides on 37-inch tires and stands at more than 6.5 feet tall. The truck is also more than 7 feet wide and is built on a stretched, reinforced Colorado chassis. The truck features a specially modified suspension that will help it handle the rugged terrain of the extreme field tests scheduled for next year. Those tests will determine hydrogen-powered vehicles’ viability on the battlefield.
The Colorado ZH 2 uses an Exportable Power Take-Off (EPTO) unit that can be detached to provide electricity in remote areas where power would otherwise be unavailable. One benefit a fuel cell offers over a traditional generator is its near-silent operation. Another is that water, a precious commodity in the field, is produced as a fuel cell’s only emission. The trials will evaluate the ZH 2 for its quietness, reduced thermal signature, electric wheel torque at all speeds, fuel consumption and range, and water production capabilities.When Flat Cultures Are Not Enough
New research may be changing the way scientists study lung disease, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, in particular. Previously, doctors would grow two dimensional cultures which could not be effectively used to model certain conditions, such as lung scarring. Even when the cells came from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis patients, the cells turned out healthy on the flat cultures.
To solve this, scientists at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) have grown three-dimensional “organoids” that resemble sections of human lungs instead of just cells.
The researchers used stem cells taken from actual adult human lungs to coat tiny sticky hydrogel beads. These eventually grew and self-assembled to envelope the hydrogel beads, which were all placed inside linked wells. The resulting structure produced evenly distributed three-dimensional patterns consistent with actual air sacs like those in human lungs.
“While we haven’t built a fully functional lung, we’ve been able to take lung cells and place them in the correct geometrical spacing and pattern to mimic a human lung,” says UCLA associate professor of pediatric hematology and oncology and lead author Dr. Brigitte Gomperts.The ongoing civil war in Syria has focused global attention on the use of chemical weapons — and the long-running efforts by the international community to ban them. Christopher Capozzola, an associate professor of history at MIT, has written extensively about the relationship between military policies and civilian politics. MIT News recently discussed the ongoing chemical-weapons controversy with Capozzola.
Q. For how long have chemical weapons been considered an especially egregious type of warfare, and in what form have we seen these objections raised?
A. The taboo against chemical weapons in battle is very old, and can really be traced back to ancient history, when the use of poisons was considered a treacherous and dishonorable form of warfare. The international community first attempted to pass a systematic ban in the 1899 Hague Declaration Concerning Asphyxiating Gases. But that was evaded or violated during World War I — first by the Germans at Ypres in April 1915, and then by all the major powers.
After 1918, poison gas became the key symbol of the war’s brutality and devastation. And so there were efforts to restrict the development or use of chemical weapons, a movement that included not only diplomats but nongovernmental organizations, church groups, journalists and ordinary citizens.
What we have seen in the last 30 years is a push for the restriction on battlefield use to be widened, with the recognition that civilian populations are particularly vulnerable to chemical attacks. Currently, the international community is governed by the Chemical Weapons Convention, which went into force in 1997 — although Syria is not a signatory to the convention.
Q. In military history, to what extent have countries tended to adhere to bans on chemical weapons?
A. Over the course of the 20th century, countries have often chosen not to use chemical weapons, for three main reasons. First, they were afraid that the weapons would be used against their soldiers in retaliation. Second, they calculated that chemical weapons wouldn’t yield a tactical advantage on the battlefield: You might gas your own soldiers, or make a terrain uninhabitable, or if your enemies have gas masks or other defensive capabilities, that would minimize the weapons’ impact.
But the third main reason why countries have chosen not to use chemical weapons is, for me, the most important one: that they fear condemnation and sanction from their enemies or even their own populations. Leaders have typically ordered their use only in desperation — or in situations when they think the world isn’t watching. War is a battle for hearts and minds as much as a conflict of arms, and the use of chemical weapons means ceding a great deal of moral territory for modest gains on the battlefield. That’s a point that could apply to nonstate actors and terrorist organizations as well as to governments.
So have chemical-weapons bans worked? No and yes. The conventional wisdom holds that “treaties don’t work, but chemical weapons don’t work either.” But I think that overlooks the importance of public opinion and activism around shared values. True, treaties and protocols have been unsigned, unratified or violated by some countries. But they have succeeded in expressing a clear international norm against forms of warfare that have devastating effects on soldiers, civilians and natural environments. And if people had not spoken up to insist that chemical weapons were wrong, then these global norms would not exist.
Q. What does history tell us about the kinds of responses countries make to violations of chemical weapons bans? Do these responses tend to be military in nature, diplomatic, economic — or some combination of these things?
A. When President Obama talks of Syrian chemical-weapons development as a “red line,” and Secretary of State John Kerry refers to a line “which has been in place since the horrors of World War I,” they are making historical claims. They are correct to say that international norms view the use of chemical weapons — whether against soldiers or civilians — as unacceptable, and that some kind of response is necessary. But while the world must respond in some fashion to recent events in Syria, history does not show that the use of chemical weapons has always — or even often — generated a military response. Diplomatic initiatives and economic sanctions remain on the table.Ice Hockey Australia have released the final roster for the Australian men’s national under-20 team for the upcoming 2018 IIHF Ice Hockey U20 World Championship Division III tournament. The competition will take place from 22 January to 28 January in Sofia, Bulgaria with Australia competing against Bulgaria, China, Iceland, Israel and New Zealand.
Timothy Rye and Findlay Wood have both been added, having previously not been announced on the extended roster. Players cut for the final roster include James Barton, Gavin Birchler, Tyrone Bronte, Ellesse Carini, James Downie, Joshua Kleipas, Dylan Lavery, Liam Manwarring, Marcel McGuinness and Jayden Whitbread
Players
– Brentin Azzopardi (Blueline Bombers)
– Jordan Brunt (Tranås AIF J20)
– Darcy Flanagan (Tranås AIF J20)
– Julian Fodor (Kelowna Chiefs)
– Jacob Haley (Melbourne Glaciers)
– Thomas Kiliwnik
– Bayley Kubara (Philadelphia Jr. Flyers)
– Jayden Lewis (KaKiPo U20)
– Jack Ransome (Reach Rebels)
– Jake Ruck (Aldergrove Kodiaks)
– Timothy Rye (Boston Jr. Rangers)
– Lachlan Shumack (Southern Oregon Spartans)
– Aiden Sillato (Tranås AIF J20)
– Thomas Steven (Bellingham Blazers)
– Alex Tetreault (CBR Brave)
– Lachlan Tripp (Brisbane Blitz)
– Alexander Wardlaw (Ontario Hockey Academy Mdgt AA)
– Nick Weiland (Sydney Ice Dogs)
– Findlay Wood (Iowa Wild AAA U18)
– Sebastian Woodlands (A21 Academy)
Staff
– Head Coach: Andrew Petrie
– Assistant Coach: David Ferrari
– Assistant Coach: Brandon Greenside
– Team Manager: Marcelle Tripp
– Team Leader: Paul McCann
– Equipment Manager: John Lavery
– Medical Office (Physio): Michael Brierley
– Medical Officer (Chiro): Cherine WeilandThe Ho-Chunk Nation reports on its Facebook page that the tribe’s General Council voted Saturday to change the rules on using marijuana on its tribal lands. 63% voted in favor with 33.9% voting against.
WKOW reports Ho-Chunk Nation officials said the ruling does not make the use and sale of marijuana legal yet on their tribal lands, and that officials and attorneys will be researching the implications of changing the ban.
Ho-Chunk says all branches of its government will begin to determine how to move forward with details and will make announcements in the coming weeks.
The move comes on the heels of recent votes in favor of legalization on tribal lands by other Wisconsin tribes including the Menominee Nation, the Red Cliff Band and the Sokaogon Chippewa Community.Taken from Gabriel García Márquez: A Life by Gerald Martin
[Meet the Author: Monday, June 1, 8pm at Books & Books in Coral Gables, FL]
1. He did not “know” his mother until he was 7 years old.
2. He was reared in a world of spirits, constructed by his grandmother, which conflicted in his mind with the rationalism of his grandfather.
3. He showed early talent as painter, singer, and writer; could probably have made a career as any of these.
4. Like Dante, he decided to marry his future wife Mercedes when she was nine, “a little girl with ducks on her dress,” and proposed when she was fourteen; eventually he married her when she was 26 and he was 31 and they are still married today.
5. He has managed to maintain the friendship and esteem of the King of Spain, Bill Clinton, Big Businessmen, and Fidel Castro.
6. He has founded major institutes of film (in Havana) and journalism (in Cartagena, Colombia).
7. He smoked 60 cigarettes a day until he was almost 50 and has survived two cancers.
8. One of his sons is a successful graphic artist and the other is a highly respected film maker in Los Angeles who has worked on the Sopranos, Six Feet Under and many other TV shows and movies.
9. Most of his novels have been filmed but he has always refused to let One Hundred Years of Solitude be turned into a movie. “They would cast someone like Robert Redford and most of us do not have relatives who look like Robert Redford.”
10. He says he prefers women to men, saying: “I feel safer with women.”
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RedditMEXICO CITY -- Archaeologists have discovered what may be the original structure built at the pyramid of Kukulkan at the Mayan ruins of Chichen Itza, experts said Wednesday.
Last year, archaeologists using electrical imagining techniques found that the pyramid, which is also known as El Castillo, was built atop a subterranean river, or a cenote.
Archaeologists have long known that a smaller pyramid is encapsulated underneath the visible temple.
Researchers said Wednesday that they had detected an even smaller structure inside the other two structures. Using what is called tri-dimensional electric resistivity tomography, or “ERT-3D,” they found a 10-meter (yard) tall structure within the 20-meter tall ‘intermediate’ pyramid that was covered over by the last construction stage, perhaps around 900 A.D.
Archaeologist Denisse Lorenia Argote said “if we can research this structure in the future it could be important, because it could tell us about the first-period inhabitants” of the site.
Argote, of Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History, said the first structure may be in the “pure Maya” style from between 500 and 800 A.D.
Robot finds hidden chambers under Ancient pyramid
University of California, San Diego anthropology professor Geoffrey Braswell, who was not involved in the latest project but who has conducted research at Chichen Itza, said the discovery may be new, or may be a structure detected in the 1940s.
Braswell said that while digging into the intermediate-layer pyramid in the 1940s, one archaeologist found a third platform buried within it.
“The tunnel was unstable, so we know very little about this platform,” Braswell wrote. “It appears to be much smaller than the outer two pyramids, and is not perfectly aligned within them.”
The computer image distributed by the researchers also showed underlying structure not quite aligned with the subsequent layers.
Braswell compared the Kukulkan pyramid to a Russian nesting doll, with each layer encapsulating another. But at the bottom, there may be more than one platform encapsulated.
“To make matters more complicated, “ Braswell wrote, “the third Russian doll moving in may actually be one of a set of several small dolls rattling around inside the same shell. We just do not know. “
Rene Chavez, a researcher at the National Autonomous University’s Institute of Geophysics, said the early structure appeared to have a staircase and perhaps an altar at the top that may have just been filled in and preserved. The structure has been mapped, but it is not clear whether it will be excavated.
“Given that no one has excavated this structure... it is difficult to say with certitude if it is one of the oldest buildings at the site,” Braswell said. “But this is quite possible.”Red Lentil soup is comforting, simple, and easy to make. It’s my all time favourite meal when I want something hearty but healthy. Minimal cooking is required to prepare this healthy red lentil soup. Red lentils are great plant-based source of protein and fiber. This soup is perfect for winter as it is warm and cozy.
Red lentils are seeds from legume plants that split in half after hulling. They cook relatively quickly and provide an important protein source, particularly in Indian food such as dal, a soup made with stock, spices and vegetables. Red lentils are highly nutritious, they provide nutrients that improve your health and help you lose weight and maintain weight loss.
Red lentil soup is perfect for weeknights, or whenever you want a quick meal on the table. Due to how they’re processed, de-husked, and split before packaging, they cook up quicker than any other variety of legumes, although they are slightly lower in fiber than the larger whole varieties. Also note that while they’re a lovely salmon pink in the package, their color changes as they cook, fading to a golden-yellow hue as they melt into a soup, stew, or curry.ARGENTINO ~ ESPAÑOL
Para Españoles
Alberto J. Miyara
En las definiciones, se han marcado en bastardilla los equivalentes exactos en español, siempre que éstos sean palabras no utilizadas normalmente en la Argentina. En algunos casos, ese equivalente no existe y se define la palabra como en un diccionario de uso que intenta no ser tan aburrido.
IMPORTANTE: Éstas son palabras de uso general en Argentina y no en España. Algunas de ellas se han conservado en alguna provincia española, pero no en todo el estado español. Asimismo, algunas tienen uso general en la península, pero no con el significado aquí indicado. En general, el criterio usado para que una palabra aparezca aquí es que en Argentina sea el vocablo normal, natural, universal, y en España no. Como lo lógico es que los lectores no lean esta advertencia antes de buscar una palabra, de todas maneras los perdonaré si me escriben para avisarme que en algún rincón perdido de Aragón se sigue diciendo alguna de las voces aquí listadas.
~ A ~
a boca de jarro. A bocajarro. El argentino aún no ha llegado al poder de síntesis del español. Válido también para a troche y moche (nunca a trochemoche) e hijo de puta (jamás hijoputa).
abrojo. Velcro. Sistema basado en el contacto entre superficies rugosas para abrochar prendas o calzados, que tampoco vendría mal adosado a la boca de ciertos individuos de conversación indeciblemente pesada.
a cobrar. Cobro revertido. Interesante manera de establecer una llamada por teléfono, en la cual el que la recibe la paga. Interesante mientras uno sea el originador. Últimamente se está usando cobro revertido también en la Argentina, como consecuencia de la irrupción de Telefónica española en el mercado de las telecomunicaciones.
acabar. Correrse. En una película de Almodóvar, decíale una mujer al degenerado que la estaba violando: "¡Córrete, córrete!". Los argentinos lo interpretábamos como un pedido de que se hiciera a un lado. Gritó un espectador en un cine de Rosario: "¡Pero si se corre no va a poder acabar!"
achuras. Menudencias de la vaca, de todo tipo, infaltables en un asado.
acoplado. Tráiler. Un camión con acoplado sería uno que lleva un tráiler a cuestas. Pero si aplicamos el vesre y hablamos de un mionca con acoplado, ya nos estamos refiriendo a una mujer atractiva con una voluminosa cola.
aguacil. Bicho de grandes alas, grandes ojos y cola finita alargada. En castellano general, libélula.
aguinaldo. Paga extra, paga doble, paga. Sueldo adicional que se paga a final de año para que el empleado financie sus gastos de las fiestas. No se usa aguinaldo en el sentido de una pequeña gratificación informal que se le ofrece al cartero o a la portera del edificio para la misma fecha.
ají. Guindilla. Complemento picante de muchos platos.
alambre de púa. Alambre de espino. Alambre con nudos puntiagudos para delimitar el 99% del globo terráqueo donde no somos bienvenidos.
alcahuete. Solamente usado en el sentido de "soplón". No se aplica esta palabra al que —digámoslo como los diccionarios— propicia amores ilícitos.
alcancía. Un argentino tiene una alcancía como un español tiene una hucha. Ninguno de los dos tiene nada adentro.
alcaucil. Alcachofa. Pero en la provincia de Tucumán dicen alcachofa. ¿En alguna provincia española |
tourism trends, and (ii) specifications of the minimum level of education with respect to the Licensed Property to be provided to each employee based upon the tasks to be performed by each such employee and the extent to which each such employee is reasonably expected to interact with guests and/or receive questions from guests regarding the Licensed Property.
3.22 Licensee shall meet with Licensor at business review meetings (Business Reviews), and at such other mutually convenient times as reasonably requested by Licensor, to discuss the implementation of the Business Plan and the results of Licensees operation and business relating to this Agreement. Prior to the opening of the Themed Area, the Business Reviews shall be held quarterly and shall occur on (or as close as reasonably practical to) January 15, April 15, July 15 and October 15 of each year (or on such other dates as the parties hereto may mutually agree). After the opening of the Themed Area, for the remainder of the Term, the Business Reviews shall be held annually and shall occur on (or as close as reasonably practical to) January 15 of each year (or on such other dates as the parties hereto may mutually agree). At the Business Reviews, Licensee shall present an updated Business Plan for Licensors review and approval. Licensees and Licensors respective point persons specified in relationship to Section 3.5 above shall also serve as point persons for Business Reviews unless Licensee or Licensor shall designate another person for such purpose. Business Reviews may occur in person, or by audio conference or video conference, provided that, while the Themed Area is under construction, the Business Reviews shall occur at the Resort or at such other location as may be mutually agreed by Licensor and Licensee.
4. CONDITIONS, LIMITATIONS AND RESTRICTIONS:
4.1 It is specifically understood and agreed that, except for the Licensed Property, no television, motion picture, video, cartoon, animation (whether hand drawn, computer generated or otherwise produced), if any (subject to Section 4.6 below), comic book or literary properties may be used at the Themed Area without the prior written approval of Licensor in the sole and absolute, but good faith, discretion of Licensor.
4.2 Use of the Licensed Property is limited to the Licensed Uses and any other uses that have been approved in writing by Licensor in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, and all rights in,
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to or associated with any and all other uses are excluded from this license. Moreover, all uses in, to or associated with the Licensed Property, including without limitation, the following elements are included in this license only to the extent specifically approved in writing by Licensor and then only to the extent rights in and to such uses and elements are owned or controlled by Licensor and subject to any applicable guild or union agreement, regulations, restrictions or requirements and to any applicable laws:
(a) film clips (live action or computer generated), stills, sound bites, voices, music or other audio clips;
(b) the names, likenesses, autographs, signatures, visual representations, audio recordings or voices of any and all actor(s), author(s), creator(s), director(s) and/or other individuals represented in, or otherwise attached to or connected with, the Licensed Property. Elements of or related to the Licensed Property that are not owned or controlled by Licensor are specifically excluded from the Licensed Property. Licensor will endeavor in good faith to timely inform Licensee of the extent of its merchandising or other relevant rights in and to any of the foregoing uses and elements as requested by Licensee. To the extent that Licensor does not confirm the existence of its merchandising or other relevant rights in and to such uses or elements, Licensee may with the approval of Licensor attempt to itself obtain such rights. If Licensee does obtain such rights, Licensee shall demonstrate same to Licensor by production of proper documentation. Any rights clearance or related fees arising from same shall be at Licensees sole expense and shall not offset any other amounts referred to herein. In the event that Licensee uses any such elements referenced above without obtaining a specific representation from Licensor that it owns or controls the specific merchandising or other theme park rights to be exploited, such use shall be at Licensees sole risk and is subject to Licensees indemnification hereinbelow.
Licensor acknowledges that Licensee may use any Clips in the Themed Area, that are made available by Licensor to Licensee, and Licensor acknowledges that such usage is intended to promote the Movies from which such Clips originate, provided that such usage is explicitly tied by means of a specific message to the viewer, such as an announcement, to encourage attendance, at theatrical exhibition within the Territory, or viewership via television, cable or satellite distribution within the Territory, or purchase of DVDs, at the Theme Park, of the Movies from which such Clip may originate, provided further that Licensee indemnify and defend Licensor from any and all loss, liability, damage, cost or expense, arising out of any claims or suits which may be brought or made against Licensor Related Parties (as defined in Section 9.1(b), below) relating to Licensees use of such materials, pursuant to the procedures set forth in Section 9.1(b) below.
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4.4 Licensee specifically understands and agrees that no rights are granted herein with respect to the Warner Bros. shield logo or trademark, or any other trademark(s), logo(s) or copyrights owned by Licensor other than those specifically approved hereunder, it being understood that all rights in and to said intellectual properties are reserved exclusively to Licensor for use by Licensor and/or licensing as Licensor deems appropriate to third party(s) of its choice, subject to Licensees right of exclusivity set forth in Section 2.1 above.
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4.5 Film, video or sound clips (Clips) and stills (Stills) from the Movies may be provided to Licensee by Licensor (or by one of Licensors affiliates, agents or designees) subject to the following terms and conditions.
(a) Licensee shall not make any reproduction of or from the Clips or Stills whatsoever, in whole or in part, except for use in connection with the Licensed Uses, and Licensee will not have the right to edit or otherwise alter the Clips or Stills, or any portion thereof, except as specifically approved in writing by Licensor (provided that Clips and Stills in which images of guests are to be incorporated through green screen technology and then sold to such guests as souvenir merchandise, as set forth in Section 1(p)(i)(7), above, may be cropped or touched up to enhance the quality of such merchandise to such guests).
(b) The Clips and Stills as utilized by Licensee in the Licensed Uses must be submitted by Licensee to Licensor for approval in accordance with Section 3 above.
(c) Licensor will use reasonable commercial efforts to inform Licensee of its rights to use of the name and likeness of the talent appearing in the Clips and Stills and to inform Licensee of other relevant information of which it is aware affecting use and clearance of the Clips and Stills. Except to the extent that Licensor has informed Licensee in writing of its rights to use the Clips and Stills (e.g., control of merchandising rights related to the use of the name and likeness of talent appearing therein), Licensee shall be responsible for and will obtain all authorizations, consents and releases that may be necessary for use of the Clips and Stills by Licensee.
(d) Licensee will pay any reuse fees and other compensation as may be required by applicable collective bargaining agreements (if any), personal services agreements, or otherwise with respect to the use of any Clips and Stills, provided that nothing herein shall preclude Licensee from claiming that its usage of the Clips and Stills is intended to promote the Movies from which such Clips and Stills originate, provided that such usage is explicitly tied by means of a specific message to the viewer, such as an announcement to encourage attendance at theatrical exhibition within the Territory, or viewership via television, cable or satellite distribution within the Territory, or purchase of DVDs at the Theme Park, of the Movies from which such Clips and Stills originate, provided further that Licensee indemnify and defend Licensor from any and all loss, liability, damage, cost or expense, arising out of any claims or suits which may be brought or made against Licensor Related Parties relating to Licensees use of such Clips and Stills, pursuant to the procedures set forth in Section 9.1(b) below.
(e) Any payment made or payable to any third party with respect to the use of any Clips and Stills, and any Royalties to be paid to Licensor with respect to Clips and Stills in which images of guests are incorporated through green screen technology and then sold to such guests as souvenir merchandise (as provided in Sections 6.2(b)), will be in addition to and will not offset any other amounts required to be paid by Licensee hereunder.
(f) Without limiting the foregoing, if any music is included in the Clips and Stills as utilized hereunder, Licensee will obtain all necessary composition and master clearances, including synchronization and performance rights from the copyright proprietors of such music and such other persons or entities, including performing rights societies, as may own or control the rights thereto, and will obtain all necessary master recording licenses required in connection with any music included in the soundtrack of any Clips and Stills (although Licensor and Licensee acknowledge that master recording licenses will not be required if Licensee arranges for the applicable music to be re-recorded, subject to
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approval or disapproval by Licensor in the sole and absolute but good faith discretion of Licensor). Licensees use of the Clips and Stills will not affect Licensors continued and separate copyright ownership of the Clips and Stills or the production from which the Clips and Stills were taken, or Licensors continued ownership of the trademarks and any other intellectual property rights associated with any characters or other elements appearing or embodied in the Clips and Stills or such production. Licensee will hold any copyrights in trust for Licensor insofar as the Clips and Stills are concerned (and, upon Licensors request, subject to Section 8.8, the Licensed Uses will bear a specific copyright notice for the Clips and Stills in a form required by Licensor). Notwithstanding anything in this Section 4.5(f) to the contrary, however, in the event that Licensor or any of its affiliates owns any of the rights to any music included in a Clip or Still that is approved for use pursuant to this Agreement by Licensor, **** Licensee shall be required to pay any composer, performer or other third party **** (to the extent that any such composer, performer or other third party is entitled to be compensated beyond the compensation that may be provided pursuant to the blanket licenses from the ASCAP, BMI and SESAC performing rights societies that Licensee holds with respect to the Theme Park). ****. Such good faith consideration shall include whether the music is used as a featured element and how much music is used, with the final decision being in the sole and absolute, but good faith, discretion of Licensor.
(g) Licensor shall not charge Licensee its customary clip or still licensing fee for use by Licensee of a reasonable number of Clips and Stills, provided that Licensee shall reimburse Licensor for all actual and direct laboratory and other reproduction charges and all other direct costs and expenses incurred by Licensor in making the Clips and Stills available. Such reimbursement shall be made promptly on receipt of Licensors invoice therefor.
4.6 It is understood and agreed that the Author has retained certain rights, including without limitation certain print and audiobook publishing rights and stage performance rights, relating to the Books (provided that Licensor has the right to license the Licensed Uses to Licensee as set forth in this Agreement). All such rights retained by the Author, and animation and non-Author written sequel rights, are specifically excluded from the grant of rights to Licensee hereunder, subject to approval by the Author to be sought if at all only by Licensor. Licensee may not publish, conduct a live reading from, re-enact, or reproduce extracts from the Books. **** retains the specific right to approve all Text and Verbiage used by licensees of the Licensed Property, including, without limitation, Text and Verbiage included on products, product packaging, rides and attractions, voice recordings, promotional materials, advertising and signage. Licensee shall comply with Licensors procedure for approval of Text and Verbiage, as set forth in the Brand Guidelines. Upon receipt from Licensee of a request for Text and Verbiage approval in connection with the Licensed Uses, Licensor shall diligently endeavor to obtain such approval ****.
4.7 Licensee shall not, without the prior written consent of Licensor, use, display or promote, at the Themed Area, or in advertising, promotion or publicity for the Themed Area (or for the Resort or the Theme Park if such materials refer to the Themed Area, except as specifically set forth in Section 3.16 above), any logo, trademark, service mark, trade name or other mark or name except for those associated with the Licensed Property and approved by Licensor for such use pursuant to Section 3 above, and except for (a) the name and logo of the Theme Park and/or the Resort, (b) the logos and/or marks of manufacturers of the following guest convenience items and such other guest convenience items as may be approved by Licensor on a case by case basis in the sole and absolute but good faith discretion of Licensor: bottled water, sunblock, film and batteries, and hand cleaning solutions that are sold in the Themed Area, as such logos and/or marks appear on the guest convenience items themselves (except, especially in the case of bottled water, no name or logo that is associated with candy, confection, soft drinks, or other products perceived by the public as being high in sugar content, may
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appear prominently on such guest convenience items), (c) at or near points of sale within the Themed Area, discretely placed logos of credit card companies whose payment service products are accepted for payment at such points of sale, and (d) within restrooms within the Themed Area, a discretely placed logo of Licensees soap and cleaning agent provider.
5. CONSUMABLES, LICENSED PRODUCTS AND LICENSED PREMIUMS:
5.1 Licensee shall have the right, subject to Licensors prior written approval, in the sole and absolute but good faith discretion of Licensor, to manufacture (or cause to be manufactured by third party manufacturers) Licensed Products, Consumables and Licensed Premiums for approved Licensed Uses.
5.2 Licensor shall have the right to approve in writing any and all such manufacturers referenced in Section 5.1 above (provided that Licensor shall not unreasonably withhold its approval of any manufacturer that Licensee has previously used to manufacture merchandise, except for food/beverage manufacturers, offered for sale or distributed as premiums at the Theme Park or the Resort), and, subject to Section 6.2, Licensor shall receive Royalties from Licensee with respect to all such Licensed Products (including food/beverage items to the extent included within the definition of Licensed Products) and Licensed Premiums as specified in Section 6.2(a). All such manufacturers shall execute a letter in the form of Exhibit 1 attached hereto (or an agreement that is, in all material respects, in the form of Licensees standard form of Merchandise Vendor Agreement, as set forth in Exhibit 4 attached hereto).
5.3 Licensee may not sell or distribute at the Themed Area any products other than the Licensed Products, the Licensed Premiums and Consumables, without the prior written approval of Licensor in each and every instance, such approval to be granted or denied in the sole and absolute but good faith discretion of Licensor. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Licensee may also sell and distribute at the Themed Area, the guest convenience items referenced in Section 4.7 above, provided that (a) there shall be no advertising or promotional signage or other identification bearing the names or logos of the manufacturers of such guest convenience items within the Themed Area, except as may be set forth on the guest convenience items themselves, (b) guest convenience items shall not constitute more than **** of the total merchandise and food/beverage items offered for sale or distribution within the Themed Area, and (c) no food/beverage item other than bottled water shall be considered a guest convenience item unless approved by Licensor in its sole and absolute discretion. Licensee may not utilize the names or logos of any third parties in advertising, publicity or promotion for the Themed Area (or for the Resort or the Theme Park if such materials refer to the Themed Area, except as specifically set forth in Section 3.16 above), without the prior written approval of Licensor in each and every instance, such approval to be granted or denied in the sole and absolute discretion of Licensor. In no event shall Licensee have the right to utilize the Licensed Property in any manner in connection with any third party joint promotional use, advertising or sponsorship arrangements of any kind, including without limitation, any use which could in any way be construed as a commercial tie-up, without the prior written approval of Licensor in each and every instance, such approval to be granted or denied in the sole and absolute discretion of Licensor.
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6. CONSIDERATION:
6.1 Guaranteed Fee.
(a) Initial Term. Licensee shall pay to Licensor a nonrefundable, non-recoupable fee (the Guaranteed Fee) in the amount of **** for the Initial Term, payable as follows and subject to increases pursuant to Section 6.1(d):
**** payable within fifteen (15) days after the execution of this Agreement;
**** payable on the earlier of (i) the Grand Opening of the Themed Area, or (ii) July 1, 2009;
**** payable on or before July 1, 2010;
**** payable on or before July 1, 2011;
**** payable on or before July 1, 2012;
**** payable on or before July 1, 2013;
**** payable on or before July 1, 2014;
**** payable on or before July 1, 2015;
**** payable on or before July 1, 2016;
**** payable on or before July 1, 2017; and
**** payable on or before July 1, 2018.
(b) First Renewal Term. In the event Licensee exercises its option to renew this Agreement for the First Renewal Term, Licensee shall pay to Licensor an additional Guaranteed Fee amount of ****, payable as follows and subject to increases pursuant to Section 6.1(d):
**** payable on or before July 1, 2019;
**** payable on or before July 1, 2020;
**** payable on or before July 1, 2021;
**** payable on or before July 1, 2022; and
**** payable on or before July 1, 2023.
(c) Second Renewal Term. In the event Licensee exercises its option to renew this Agreement for the Second Renewal Term, Licensee shall pay to Licensor an additional Guaranteed Fee amount of ****, payable as follows and subject to increases pursuant to Section 6.1(d):
**** payable on or before July 1, 2024;
**** payable on or before July 1, 2025;
**** payable on or before July 1, 2026;
**** payable on or before July 1, 2027; and
**** payable on or before July 1, 2028.
(d) The Guaranteed Fee payments set forth above, commencing with the Guaranteed Fee payment due on or before July 1, 2012, are subject to increase every three years, by a percentage
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equal to the percentage increase in the Consumer Price Index (all urban customers), U.S. City Average, All Items, published by the United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, 1982-84 = 100 (or any successor or replacement index) (the CPI), from the month of May 2006 through the month of May in the year that is the first year of each such three-year period. For example, the Guaranteed Fee payment due on July 1, 2012 shall be increased by a percentage equal to the percentage increase in the CPI from May 2006 through May 2012. The Guaranteed Fee payments due on July 1, 2013 and July 1, 2014 shall likewise be increased by a percentage equal to the percentage increase in the CPI from May 2006 through May 2012, but the Guaranteed Fee payment due on July 1, 2015 shall be increased by a percentage equal to the percentage increase in the CPI from May 2006 through May 2015 (and similarly for the Guaranteed Fee payments due on July 1, 2016 and July 1, 2017), and so on and so forth.
6.2 Royalties. Licensee shall pay Licensor royalties (Royalties) as follows:
(a) Licensed Product and Licensed Premium Royalties. Subject to Section 6.2(d), Licensee shall pay royalties to Licensor with regard to sales of Licensed Products and Licensed Premiums at the rate of **** of the Wholesale Price. It is understood and agreed that Licensee shall be entitled to purchase Licensed Products and Licensed Premiums from other licensees of Licensor and, in such cases, if the other licensee of Licensor is required to pay a royalty to Licensor in connection with such sale, Licensee shall have no liability to pay Licensed Product or Licensed Premium Royalties to Licensor in connection with the purchase or sale of same. Licensor shall supply Licensee, upon Licensees request, with a list of Licensors other licensees that produce Licensed Products and Licensed Premiums (including a list of the categories of Licensed Products and Licensed Premiums that such other licensees are authorized to produce).
(b) Other Royalties. Subject to Section 6.2(c) and Section 6.2(d), for sales of merchandise other than Licensed Products and Licensed Premiums, such as photographs taken by Licensee (or by Licensees concessionaire) of patrons on themed rides or in themed areas of the Themed Area, that are based upon, derived from or include any element of the Licensed Property, as well as Clips and Stills in which images of guests are incorporated through green screen technology and then sold to such guests as souvenir merchandise, Licensee shall pay Royalties to Licensor at the rate of ****. No royalties shall be payable to Licensor in connection with photographs or video or audio recordings that guests take or record in the Licensed Area on their own.
(c) Consumables. ****.
(d) Park Compilation Merchandise. Subject to Licensors approval as provided in Section 3, Licensee shall have the right to include Licensed Property elements and photographs, audio recordings, video recordings, and digital images and recordings of the Themed Area and of rides, attractions, merchandise venues, food/beverage venues, entertainers and other elements of the Themed Area in DVDs, videocassettes, and other merchandise that may be approved on a case by case basis in the sole and absolute but good faith discretion of Licensor, that contain a wide variety of the different attractions, characters and other intellectual properties used at the Theme Park or the Resort (Park Compilation Merchandise). Royalties and Consulting Fees shall be paid to Licensor with respect to Park Compilation Merchandise, at the rates specified in Sections 6.2(a) and 6.3 for Licensed Products and Licensed Premiums, provided that the Royalties and Consulting Fees for Park Compilation Merchandise items shall be equitably apportioned on a pro-rata basis, such that Licensor shall receive a portion of its usual Royalties and Consulting Fees equal to the proportion that the Licensed Property elements and photographs, audio recordings, video recordings, and digital images and recordings of the
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Themed Area and of rides, attractions, merchandise venues, food/beverage venues, entertainers and other elements of the Themed Area used, depicted, contained in and/or referenced in such Park Compilation Merchandise item bear to the total number of all intellectual property elements used, depicted, contained in and/or referenced in such Park Compilation Merchandise item.
6.3 Consulting Fee. Consistent with its normal business practices, Licensor will reasonably cooperate with Licensee in making available to Licensee, at Licensors actual out-of-pocket cost, including actual duplication and shipping costs (but without any markup), information, artwork, Clips, Stills, music, voice tracks and other relevant materials in order that Licensee can creatively develop the Themed Area, the Licensed Products, the Licensed Premiums, the Consumables, and advertising, marketing and promotional materials in connection therewith. Among other things, Licensor shall supply to Licensee, free of charge, master artwork and Style Guides with respect to the Licensed Property (and updates thereof from time to time), to assist Licensee in correctly depicting the Licensed Property in the Themed Area, the Licensed Products, the Licensed Premiums, the Consumables, and the advertising, marketing and promotional materials in connection therewith. Licensor shall also consult with Licensee in connection with the development of the Themed Area, the Licensed Products, the Licensed Premiums, the Consumables, and the advertising, marketing and promotional materials in connection therewith, and, as more specifically set forth in Section 3, Licensor shall review and shall approve or disapprove all such items. For all of such services to be provided by Licensor, subject to Section 6.2(d), Licensee shall pay Licensor a consulting fee of ****.
6.4 Pass Through Amounts. Licensee shall reimburse Licensor, without markup, for 100% of amounts (Pass Through Amounts) that Licensor may be required to pay to third parties for the exercise of the exploitation of any of the rights granted to Licensee herein (e.g., payment of a participation for use of a performers name and likeness, guild mandated fees, etc.). To the best of Licensors knowledge as of the date hereof, Exhibit 3 attached hereto contains a list of all third parties who may be due Pass Through Amounts by reason of contract with Licensor (excluding obligations pursuant to collective bargaining agreements) in order for Licensee to use the Licensed Property for the Licensed Uses, and the Pass Through Amounts payable in connection therewith. In the event that, after the date of this Agreement, Licensor acquires knowledge of any other third parties to whom Pass Through Amounts may be due by reason of contract with Licensor (excluding obligations pursuant to collective bargaining agreements) in order for Licensee to use the Licensed Property for the Licensed Uses, Licensor will provide prompt written notice thereof to Licensee which notice shall include the Pass Through Amounts payable in connection therewith.
6.5 Capital Expenditure. Licensee shall spend on the initial capital expenditure to build out the Themed Area such sums as may be necessary to create a first class, world class level themed area unsurpassed by any other themed area in any destination theme park worldwide (at a minimum, equivalent to the quality of the Theme Park as of the date of this Agreement). Such capital expenditure shall in no event be less than ****. After the opening of the Themed Area, Licensee shall continue to expend on the Themed Area such sums as are necessary to maintain the Themed Area as a first class, world class level themed area unsurpassed by any other themed area in any destination theme park worldwide (at a minimum, equivalent to the quality of the Theme Park as of the date of this Agreement) **** Licensee shall pay particular attention to incorporating within the Themed Area elements from the final two Movies, and shall implement such elements into the Themed Area such that elements from the final two Movies are represented in the Themed Area in a generally similar per-Movie proportion as elements from the first five Movies. All capital improvements to the Themed Area shall be developed through a collaborative process between Licensor and Licensee, and shall be subject to Licensors approval as provided in Section 3.
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6.6 No Offset. None of the types of consideration set forth in this Section 6 shall offset against any other type of consideration set forth in this Section 6. Each is an independent obligation without any recoupment or offset of any kind. By way of example, and without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Licensed Product Royalties payable pursuant to Section 6.2 shall be in addition to and shall not offset or accrue against the Guaranteed Fee payable pursuant to Section 6.1.
6.7 **** Likewise, the provisions of this Section 6.7 are inapplicable to any agreement that may have been entered into by any entity, portfolio company or fund affiliated with The Blackstone Group (other than Licensee), if such agreement is not in connection with the Resort or any portion thereof. In addition, the provisions of this Section 6.7 are inapplicable to the special fee that is paid by Licensee under the Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership of Universal City Development Partners, Ltd., as such agreement may be amended from time to time, and to any amounts that may be payable by Licensee, or by its successor or assign, under any license agreement referenced in Section 13.7(a).
7. STATEMENTS AND PAYMENTS:
7.1 Periodic Statements. Within thirty (30) days after the end of the first calendar quarter after the date of this Agreement and promptly on the thirtieth (30 th ) day after the end of each calendar quarter thereafter, Licensee will furnish to Licensor complete and accurate statements, certified as such, in writing, by an officer or other authorized principal representative of Licensee. Accompanying each statement will be the indicated payment. Each statement shall show:
(a) For Guaranteed Fee, Royalties, **** and other calculation purposes:
(i) with respect to all Licensed Products, Licensed Premiums and Consumables manufactured on behalf of Licensee or that Licensee has purchased royalty-free from other licensees or designees of Licensor during the preceding calendar quarter:
(1) the total number of units of each Licensed Product, Licensed Premium and Consumable manufactured, purchased or received by Licensee during the preceding calendar quarter;
(2) the country or countries where such Licensed Products, Licensed Premiums and Consumables were manufactured, purchased and received;
(3) a Description (as such term is defined below) of such Licensed Products, Licensed Premiums and Consumables;
(4) the Wholesale Price for all such Licensed Products, Licensed Premiums and Consumables;
(ii) **** but that is not included in Licensed Products, Licensed Premiums or Consumables (as set forth in Section 6.2(b) above), ****; and
(iii) a calculation of the Royalties and Consulting Fees.
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(b) Such other information as Licensor may reasonably require to verify the accuracy of the payments accompanying each periodic statement.
7.2 Such statements will be in a format required by Licensor (as may be periodically revised by Licensor), or such other format as may be proposed by Licensee and approved by Licensor in the reasonable discretion of Licensor. Receipt or acceptance by Licensor of any of the statements furnished pursuant to this Agreement or of any sums paid hereunder will not preclude Licensor from questioning the correctness thereof at any time within five (5) years after the end of the calendar year in which such statements were prepared, or such sums were paid, and in the event that any inconsistencies or mistakes are discovered in such statements or payments, they will promptly be rectified and the appropriate payments made by Licensee. For purposes of this Agreement, the term Description means a detailed description of the Licensed Products, Licensed Premiums and Consumables including the nature of each of the Licensed Products, any and all names, voices, and likenesses, of either live actors or animated characters, from the Licensed Property utilized on the Licensed Products, Licensed Premiums and Consumables and/or any related packaging and/or wrapping material, and any other components of the Licensed Property utilized on the Licensed Products, Licensed Premiums and Consumables and/or any related packaging and/or wrapping material. In the event Licensor is responsible for the payment of any additional third party participations based on Licensee not reporting by character name, voice and likeness or by other components of the Licensed Property as requested by Licensor, Licensee will be responsible for reimbursing Licensor for the full amount of all such third party claims, including without limitation, the participation itself, audit and attorneys fees (in each case, to the extent actually required to be paid by Licensor to the third party) and interest. Licensee understands and agrees that the inclusion of the Description on all statements by Licensee is a material term and condition of this Agreement.
7.3 Delivery Information for Statements and Payments. Licensee will deliver all statements and payments to Licensor pursuant to instructions given to Licensee by Licensor in writing. On all statements and payments required hereunder, Licensee will reference the contract number(s) set forth on the first page of this Agreement (and/or such other contract number(s) designated by Licensor in a written notice to Licensee). Methods for delivery of statements may include United States mail, express courier service, e-mail, facsimile, or wire transfer.
7.4 Books and Records; Right to Audit. Licensee shall keep, maintain and preserve, in Licensees principal place of business, complete and accurate records relating to Licensees performance under this Agreement, including, without limitation, purchase orders, inventory records, invoices, correspondence, banking and financial and other relevant records, for no less than five (5) years and six (6) months after the end of the year with respect to which such records pertain, including any such time period that may occur after the expiration or termination of the Term. Such records shall be available for inspection and audit during any such times during reasonable business hours and upon reasonable notice by Licensor or its nominees. Licensee agrees not to cause or permit any interference with Licensor or nominees of Licensor in the performance of their duties, and Licensor agrees that Licensor and its nominees shall minimize the disruption and interference that they cause to Licensees business operations. During such inspections and audits, Licensor will have the right to take extracts and/or make copies of Licensees records as it deems necessary. Further, upon Licensors request and in connection with any inspection and audit conducted by Licensor pursuant to this Agreement, Licensee shall use commercially reasonable efforts to provide Licensor with access to the records of Licensees affiliates, third party distributors, vendors and customers relating to purchases and sales of Licensed Products, Licensed Premiums, Consumables and any services provided in connection with the performance of this Agreement.
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7.5 No Waiver of Rights. The exercise by Licensor in whole or in part, at any time of the right to audit records and accounts or of any other right herein granted, or the acceptance by Licensor of any statement or statements or the receipt and/or deposit by Licensor, of any payment tendered by or on behalf of Licensee will be without prejudice to any rights or remedies of Licensor and such acceptance, receipt and/or deposit will not preclude or prevent Licensor from thereafter disputing the accuracy of any such statement or payment.
7.6 Deficiencies. If pursuant to its right hereunder Licensor causes an audit and inspection to be instituted which thereafter discloses a deficiency between the amount found to be due to Licensor and the amount actually received or credited to Licensor (the Deficiency), then, Licensee will, upon Licensors demand, promptly pay the Deficiency, together with interest thereon at a rate equal to the prime rate, as quoted by the Wall Street Journal (New York Edition) from time to time, plus 3% (or the maximum rate permissible by law, if less), from the date such Deficiency was due to the date of payment. In addition, if the Deficiency is more than five percent (5%) of all Royalties paid by Licensee during the period covered by such audit and inspection, then Licensee will reimburse Licensor for the reasonable costs and expenses of such audit and inspection.
7.7 Exchange Rates. All payments of the Guaranteed Fee, Royalties and Consulting Fee and any other amounts payable to Licensor hereunder will be paid to Licensor in U.S. Dollars. If applicable, each such payment will be converted to U.S. Dollars at the applicable exchange rate quoted by the Wall Street Journal (New York Edition) published as of the date such payment is actually paid to Licensor; provided, however, that if the amount converted to U.S. Dollars is less than the stated U.S. Dollar amounts specified in Section 6 due to the conversion of any payment to Licensor being made after the applicable due date for such payment or otherwise, Licensee will be solely responsible for any shortfall and will pay to Licensor the difference in U.S. Dollars (together with any required interest) when the payment is remitted. Licensee will bear all costs for such conversion. Further, Licensee will indicate on each statement related to any converted payment the amount of the payment in the original currency before conversion, the actual exchange rate used to convert the payment and the amount of the payment in U.S. Dollars.
8. USE, OWNERSHIP AND PROTECTION OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY:
8.1 Use and Ownership
(a) Licensee covenants and agrees that, as between Licensee and Licensor, Licensor retains all right, title, interest and copyright in and to the Licensed Property.
(b) Licensor and Licensee agree that Licensees use of the Licensed Property is conditional upon Licensor obtaining the rights and goodwill resulting from such use. Licensee recognizes the value of the publicity and goodwill associated with the Licensed Property and acknowledges that such goodwill shall inure exclusively to the benefit of Licensor. Licensee further recognizes and acknowledges that the Licensed Property has acquired a secondary meaning as Licensors trademarks and/or identifications in the mind of the public. Licensee further recognizes and acknowledges that a breach by Licensee of any of its covenants, agreements or undertakings hereunder with respect to the Licensed Property will cause Licensor irreparable damage, which cannot be readily
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remedied in damages in an action at law, and may, in addition thereto, constitute an infringement of Licensors copyrights, trademarks and/other proprietary rights in, and to the Licensed Property, thereby entitling Licensor to equitable remedies and costs.
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child who is a match?'' Wagner asked. ''No,'' came the reply. ''But we will.''
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The father went on to explain that he and his wife were using a relatively new technique known as pre-implantation genetic diagnosis, or P.G.D., to guarantee that their next child would be free of thalassemia. P.G.D. is an outgrowth of in-vitro fertilization; sperm and egg are united in a petri dish, and when the blastocyst (it is still technically too small to be called an embryo) reaches the eight-cell stage, it is biopsied (meaning one of those cells is removed and screened). Only blastocysts found to be healthy are returned to the womb. Then the waiting game begins -- more than two months until it is possible to know if the fetus is a transplant match, then an agonizing choice if it is not. Why, the caller wondered, can't the donor-compatibility tests be done before the embryos are implanted?
Wagner was intrigued by the possibility. Why use P.G.D. just as prevention, he wondered, when it could be used as treatment? Why not, in effect, write a prescription that says ''one healthy baby who is going to be a perfect donor''?
Wagner called Mark Hughes, who pioneered the technique and who was working with this family. Hughes is known as a brilliant researcher, simultaneously passionate and wary, a scientist and physician who chose the field of genetics because it combined the intellectual rigor of the lab with the emotional connection to flesh-and-blood patients. In 1994, at about the time he first spoke to Wagner, Hughes was recruited to work at the National Institutes of Health and also as director of Georgetown University's Institute for Molecular and Human Genetics, where his salary was paid in part by the N.I.H. In other words, much of his research was supported by the government. At that time he was also a member of a federal advisory committee that developed guidelines for the type of single-cell embryo analysis that was central to P.G.D. But no sooner had those guidelines been developed than Congress banned all federal financing of embryo research, and Hughes was forced to continue his research with private funds only.
Under the current Bush administration there is talk of banning all embryo research, even work supported by private funds. For that reason -- and for reasons that will become clearer as this tale unfolds -- Hughes has developed a healthy distrust of the limelight and refused to be interviewed for this story. As Wagner and Auerbach tell it, Hughes had certainly thought of the possibility of using P.G.D. to determine H.L.A. type long before Wagner called, but he had several concerns.
The ones that weighed heaviest were ethical. It could be argued that using P.G.D. to eliminate embryos with disease helps the patient -- in this case, the embryo, the biopsied organism -- by insuring that it is not born into a life of thalassemia or cystic fibrosis or Duchenne muscular dystrophy or any of the other agonizing illnesses for which Hughes was screening. Using the same technique to select for a compatible donor, however, does not help the ''patient'' whose cells are being tested. ''It helps the family,'' says Arleen Auerbach, ''and it helps the sibling with Fanconi, but it does not help the embryo.''
What Wagner proposed, therefore, would be stepping into new territory. If society gives its blessing to the use of one child to save another, then what would prevent couples from someday going through with the process but aborting when the pregnancy was far enough along that the cord blood could be retrieved? Or what would prevent couples whose child needed a new kidney from waiting until the fetal kidney was large enough, then terminating the pregnancy and salvaging the organs? What would stop those same couples from waiting until the child was born and subjecting it to surgery to remove one kidney? Once the technology exists, who decides how to use it?
Ethicists think in terms of a slippery slope. But is the potential for abuse in some circumstances reason not to pursue research that can be lifesaving under the right circumstances? Unlike donating a kidney, or even donating bone marrow, donating cord blood involves negligible harm to the newborn donor. The stem cells are collected at birth, directly from the placenta, not from the baby. That is one reason why Wagner argued that H.L.A. testing is ethically defensible. A second reason, he said, was that it is indefensible not to try.
''I'm here as the patient's advocate,'' he says, meaning Molly and Henry and all the other children in need of transplants. ''It's my obligation to push the envelope because I see how bad the other side can be. I see the results of a sibling transplant; they're the easiest transplant to do. And then I walk into the room of the patient who had an unrelated donor, I see that their skin is sloughing off, the mucous membranes are peeling off and they have blood pouring out of their mouths. You cannot imagine anything so horrible in your entire life, and you're thinking, I did this -- because there was nothing else available for me to do.''
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That was apparently what Hughes's gut told him, too, and he agreed to try to develop a lab procedure to screen H.L.A. at the single-cell level. His participation came with certain conditions. First, that the mother must be younger than 35, because younger women produce more eggs, increasing the odds of a healthy match. Second, that he would work only with families who carried a specific subset of the Type C mutation, known as IVS4, because it is the most common. And, last of all, the child being created must be wanted. Only families who had expressed a wish for more children would be approached for this procedure. Hughes did not want to create a baby who was nothing but a donor.
Arleen Auerbach immediately thought of two couples who were the right age, fit the specific genetic profile and who had always planned to have a houseful of children. Her first phone call was to Lisa and Jack Nash in Denver. Without a moment's hesitation, they said yes. Her second call was to Laurie Strongin and Allen Goldberg in Washington.
''If I told you that you could potentially go into a pregnancy knowing that your baby was healthy and a genetic match for Henry, would you be interested?'' she asked.
Two hours earlier, Laurie had taken a home pregnancy test. It was positive. If early test results were negative for Fanconi she would carry to term, she answered, even if the baby were not the right H.L.A. type to save Henry's life.
Henry was only 5 months old. His heart surgery had gone smoothly, he was happy and looked deceptively healthy. Fate seemed to be on his side. ''If this baby's not a match, we'll try it your way in nine months,'' Laurie remembers telling Auerbach. ''We still thought,'' she says, ''that we had a lot of time.''
Henry became a big brother in December 1995. Jack Strongin Goldberg was free of Fanconi and was not even a carrier of the disease, so there was no chance that he might pass it on to his own children. His H.L.A., however, was as unlike Henry's as a biological brother's could possibly be. Laurie and Allen admit that they were briefly disappointed when they heard this last piece of news, three months into the pregnancy. Then they brushed off their psyches and called Mark Hughes, telling him they would be ready to try P.G.D. at the start of the following year.
As baby Jack was being born, Lisa Nash was undergoing the shots and monitoring that are part of in-vitro fertilization. Theirs would be a very difficult case, Hughes had told them. Of the cluster of genes that together determine H.L.A. type, science, at the time, could look at only three. As it happened, Lisa and Jack's patterns were almost identical on those three genes, making it nearly impossible to sort hers from his. That genetic quirk, he warned, could lead to the wrong results. The science to fix this didn't exist yet, he said, and he was figuring it all out as they spoke.
Hughes was also struggling with other problems, ones that had nothing to do with the Nashes' DNA. On the day that Lisa's eggs were retrieved by laparoscopy and fertilized in a dish, the headline in The Washington Post read: ''N.I.H. Severs Ties With Researcher Who Experimented on Embryos.'' Hughes had been accused of using federal funds for embryo research, in violation of the Congressional ban. Hughes denied that government money was used for that portion of his work and argued that in any case his research was not even on embryos since all that ever arrived in his lab was DNA extracted from a biopsied cell.
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Lisa Nash did not become pregnant.
Mark Hughes resigned from his positions with N.I.H. and Georgetown University rather than agree to stop his research.
The turn of events was devastating for Hughes. He was out of a job and forced to uproot his two young sons and his wife, who was fighting a battle of her own, against breast cancer. Those close to him say he talked of quitting medicine entirely, so frustrated and angry was he that the rug had been pulled out from under him.
The turn of events was also devastating for the Nashes. ''We called him two, three times a week,'' Jack Nash remembers, and as he speaks a frantic note creeps into his voice. ''But he wouldn't return our calls. Months went by, then a year.'' Over those months they learned that Hughes was moving halfway across the country to a new, privately financed lab where he could continue his work. Then they learned that Hughes's wife was critically ill, that her cancer had spread, that the prognosis was grim. The one thing they did not learn was when and if their quest to save Molly might begin again.
They now understand that science solves the simplest equation first, then moves on to the more difficult ones; their complicated genetic makeup meant their case had to wait. Added to that was the fact that the initial decoding of their DNA had been done at Hughes's former lab in Washington, and he no longer had access to the data. They now also understand that Hughes was in this to save lives, and that having to come to the phone and say that he couldn't, that he didn't know how to match an H.L.A. type for Molly, was more than he could bear. But at the time they didn't understand. At the time they were angry.
''When we manage to speak to him he says we have to give him a few more months to get the lab set up,'' Jack says. ''Meanwhile Molly's counts are dropping and he's the only one who can do this, and he won't help.''
Life for a chronically ill child is a jumble of numbers. The average platelet count in a healthy child: 150,000 to 450,000. The lowest that platelets are allowed to drop before Dr. Wagner urges a transplant: 40,000. Where Henry's platelets hovered when Jack was born: 100,000. The cost of each in-vitro cycle: $11,000. The amount paid by insurance: officially, $0, because the in-vitro fertilization was not being done to treat infertility, nor was it being done to directly treat Henry. The amount the Strongin-Goldbergs raised for Fanconi anemia research at the fund-raiser they held on Henry's first birthday: $67,500. The odds of a blastocyst being healthy: 3 in 4. The odds of a blastocyst being a match: 1 in 4. The odds of a blastocyst being a match and also being healthy, and of Laurie becoming pregnant and delivering before Henry had to have a transplant: God only knows.
Since the day Henry's F.A. was diagnosed, life for Laurie and Allen was filtered through these numbers, through the lens of Fanconi anemia. ''Every ensuing pregnancy,'' she wrote in her journal after baby Jack was born, ''will be marred by the fact that the little baby in my belly could have a fatal disease. Every job that Allen and I consider has to offer medical insurance without excluding pre-existing conditions and with compassion and flexibility. Every relationship has to offer quiet understanding of our travails accompanied by the capacity to give without expecting too much in return.''
While Mark Hughes worked to set up his new lab at Wayne State University School of Medicine, near Detroit, the Nashes and the Strongin-Goldbergs were at home, waiting in two very different ways. A crisis can strip a family down to its skeleton of strengths and faults, peeling the niceties away and revealing the bare core of who they are. Henry's parents, for instance, effervescent, embracing and fiercely optimistic from the start, became more so as the clock ran out. They took on Hughes's problems as their own, bonding with him deeply, knowing that they needed him to bond back if they were to save Henry. Molly's parents, in turn, are determined and intense, and they did not waste emotional energy that might be spent protecting their daughter. They were demanding of Hughes, but no more demanding than they were of themselves or of anyone else who could help Molly.
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Until the spring of 1997, the two families had still not met. In May of that year, when Hughes was promising both of them that he would be able to resume work soon, a retreat for Fanconi families was held near Portland, Me. The Strongin-Goldbergs went there determined to meet the anonymous couple Arleen Auerbach had mentioned -- the couple who had already tried H.L.A. screening with Hughes. Armed with two facts -- that the couple had a daughter, and that they lived in Colorado -- the Strongin-Goldbergs skimmed the directory and found a family who fit that description.
When Laurie Strongin shook Lisa Nash's hand for the first time she felt an instant bond with the only other mother in the world whose life paralleled her own. Lisa was more reserved. Up to that moment she hadn't realized that the elusive Hughes was working with a second family. Six months later, however, by the time of Laurie's initial in-vitro attempt, the women had paddled past their opening awkwardness and were close telephone friends. When Henry, now 2, talked about his future, he spoke in gradations: first he would be ''better,'' then ''super better,'' then ''super-duper better.'' When all this was over, Lisa and Laurie promised each other, when their children were both ''super-duper better,'' the two families would travel to Disneyworld to celebrate.
In January 1998, when Hughes was finally ready for them, Laurie took the train up to New York City for her appointment with Dr. Zev Rosenwaks, the baby-making guru at the in-vitro fertilization clinic at New York Weill Cornell Medical Center. Henry's platelet count was 71,000 that morning. Eighteen days later, after 18 shots of Lupron, a brutal migraine, hot sweats and cold chills, Laurie's body refused to cooperate, and the in-vitro fertilization process for that cycle had to be abandoned. That week Henry's platelet count dropped to 31,000, its lowest level up to that point.
Doctors often suggest that in-vitro fertilization patients wait a month or more between attempts, but Laurie didn't have a month, and in early February she was in New York again. This time the numbers were on her side. She produced 24 eggs, and 21 of them were mature enough to be fertilized. Statistically that meant six should be perfect matches for Henry, and three or four of those six should also be disease free.
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Sixteen blastocysts survived the biopsy. Allen refused to entrust the cells to anyone, so he flew them to Detroit himself. At the airport he handed his Styrofoam hope chest to a waiting Mark Hughes, then got on the next plane back to New York. The following evening, Laurie was at the Rosenwaks clinic ready for the re-implantation when word came from Hughes. Of the 16 blastocysts tested, 2 were absolutely perfect matches to Henry. Both those matches had Fanconi anemia.
''I'm struggling to come to terms with how much pain I can withstand,'' Laurie wrote in her journal. She and Allen shared that pain long-distance with the Nashes, who still had not heard when and if Hughes would begin to work with them again. Jack and Lisa were supportive, but also envious and confused. ''Were they the family of choice because he liked them better?'' Jack remembers wondering. ''Is this personal? Does he have something against us, and he's taking that out on Molly? Things like that definitely go through your mind.''
The Nashes sent frantic e-mail messages to Hughes, telling him what he already knew -- that Molly's counts were dropping and that they were running out of time. In August 1998, when Molly's platelet count had fallen to 30,000, they received his answer. He couldn't help them, he wrote in an e-mail message. Their case was too complicated, both genetically and politically. The genetic analysis he'd so painstakingly done on them belonged to the N.I.H. ''We tried to get the lab at Georgetown to help us, since they were key in our being able to do this for you the first time around,'' Hughes wrote. The lab has been ordered by the ''Catholic administration'' of the university ''not to get involved 'in any way.'''
Hughes continued: ''Go ahead without us. You are anxious, and we understand that very well. But I cannot make this work today and I don't know when I will be able to do so. I am sorry. Science sucks sometimes.''
Reeling, Lisa and Jack called Laurie and Allen, who were about to begin their third in-vitro cycle -- one that would produce 26 eggs, 24 of which were mature and 21 of which would fertilize. Of those, three would be perfect, healthy matches for Henry. The Strongin-Goldbergs would not share these details with the Nashes because they had come to understand that other people's good news is sometimes too difficult to hear.
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Taking Mark Hughes's advice, the Nashes did go on without him. They'd decided to jump into a cross-your-fingers pregnancy when they learned, almost by accident, of a private clinic in Chicago that had been quietly doing P.G.D. for nearly 10 years, though never for Fanconi anemia. This news was ''like opening a door,'' say the Nashes, who had not realized that other labs in the country besides Hughes's were providing P.G.D. If this Chicago lab could test for cystic fibrosis and Tay-Sachs, they wondered, why not Fanconi? And if it had the equipment to screen DNA for disease, why not also screen for H.L.A.?
Lisa and Jack brought Molly along on their trip to the Reproductive Genetics Institute, on the theory that doctors couldn't say no with their adorable but ashen-cheeked child in the room. Her platelets were half what they had been a month earlier. She was weak and tired. They could not have walked into a more receptive office. A year earlier, Charles Strom, then the head of the institute's genetics lab, had heard Mark Hughes speak at a genetics meeting about his attempts to screen DNA for an anonymous couple who were trying to have a child who would be a cord-blood match. ''It was like a revelation to me,'' says Strom, a broad, genial bear of a man now at Quest Diagnostics in California, who could, at that time, perform P.G.D. for 35 diseases but had never thought of H.L.A. screening. ''This is what pre-implantation genetics should be about.''
A few in the audience expressed their disapproval, he remembers, fearing that this was a step on the road to eugenics. Strom, on the other hand, was enthusiastic. ''I stood up and said I thought this was great,'' he says. ''I'm trained not just as a geneticist, but as a pediatrician, and I was tired of watching kids die. I thought this would be the future, and from then on, I was basically waiting for someone to ask me to do it.'' So when the very same ''anonymous'' couple arrived and asked, Strom said yes.
He immediately discovered what Hughes had struggled with for years -- the ''nightmare'' caused by the near-identical patterns in the H.L.A. portion of Jack and Lisa's DNA. But he and his team tried something new -- they looked farther down the strand, beyond the three known genes, to a spot where it was easier to differentiate one parent from the other. This increased the risk of being wrong, but Molly's blood counts were dropping, and they did not have time to waste. ''This isn't what we want to do, but it will probably work,'' Strom told the Nashes two months after they first met.
It is one thing to screen embryos; it is another to become pregnant, and adding H.L.A. screening to Fanconi anemia screening lowers the odds even more. Only 1 in 6 blastocysts is likely to be both healthy and a matched donor, and that one might not be the quality that the reproductive endocrinologist would have chosen under ideal circumstances. Lisa spent all of 1999 trying to defy those odds. In January she produced 12 eggs, 2 of which were healthy matches; she became pregnant, then miscarried. In June she produced only four eggs, one of which was a match but did not result in a pregnancy. In September she produced eight eggs, six of which had Fanconi anemia; the single healthy match was implanted, but again, her pregnancy test was negative.
In October the Nash family traveled to Minneapolis for Molly's twice-yearly checkup with Dr. Wagner. Her platelets were down to 10,000. In every measurable way she was failing, and she needed a bone-marrow transplant. ''You have to stop,'' Wagner told her parents. It was time to proceed with a transplant from a nonrelated donor. ''There comes a point where I have to say: 'It's over. You've done it. You've done the best you could.'''
He began to search for a donor. Lisa and Jack went ahead with the in vitro that had been scheduled for December. ''I couldn't hear the word no,'' Lisa says. ''No' meant Molly could die.''
Because they knew it was the last try, and because they needed to feel certain that they had done the best they could, the Nashes insisted on one change of procedure for this final try. It troubled them that Lisa was producing so few eggs per cycle, and they wondered if a different in-vitro fertilization clinic might do better. They approached Dr. William Schoolcraft, an infertility doctor in Colorado known for pushing the envelope. He changed Lisa's hormone regimen and in December 1999 retrieved 24 eggs from her ovaries. For two days the Nashes fantasized about twins and even triplets. Then Strom called to say that there was only one match.
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It all came down to one embryo that, statistically, had less than a 30 percent chance of taking hold and staying put. ''All it takes is one, all it takes is one,'' Lisa reminded herself as she drove to Dr. Schoolcraft's office nine days later for a pregnancy test. Minutes after she left, her cell phone rang.
''You're pregnant,'' said the nurse on the other end.
It was too soon, however, for a happy ending. And indeed, seven weeks into the pregnancy Lisa had just gotten out of the shower when deep red blood began flowing down her legs. The drive to Schoolcraft's office was a blur, but the memory of the picture on the ultrasound screen is vividly clear: a large gap where the placenta had separated from the uterine wall, and the flub-dub pulses of a tiny, living, beating heart.
Lisa went home and went to bed. She was permitted to get up three or four times a day to use the bathroom and once a week for an appointment with Schoolcraft, nothing more. Every time she stood up she began to bleed. Molly, too weak to really play, was on her own manner of bed rest, and mother and daughter spent entire days lying upstairs together.
In March, Molly's blood tests showed signs of pre-leukemia. Wagner sent more data to the national bone-marrow bank, escalating his search for an unrelated donor. In April, Molly's platelets fell to 3,000. She began to need blood transfusions but fought whoever tried to insert the needle; one particularly rocky weekend Strom flew to Denver from a business meeting in Los Angeles, because he was the only one Molly would permit to start the IV. April became May; May turned to June. Along the way, Lisa asked her doctors what could be done should she spontaneously lose the baby. They began to discuss whether stem cells could be harvested from a fetal liver. And all the while, Lisa was still bleeding -- clawing her way through the pregnancy, trying to hold onto her baby while holding off her daughter's transplant.
Back when the Nashes were deciding whether to go ahead with Molly's transplant or try somehow to wait until summer, the Strongin-Goldbergs were making their own impossible choice: whether or not to give up. Their optimism back in August 1998, when they had three healthy embryos, had long since faded. That in-vitro attempt did not result in a pregnancy. Neither did attempt No.4, in November, when 30 eggs failed to provide a single healthy match.
Attempt No.5, in February 1999, was almost more than they could bear. Laurie produced 17 eggs and was waiting to be summoned to the clinic when she received another call instead. Allen had taken to scanning the Detroit newspapers online, knowing that Mark Hughes's wife was dying, but not wanting to pester his friend. The morning of Laurie's retrieval, Allen found the news he'd been dreading in the obituary section. Laurie's ovaries were past the point of no return, so Rosenwaks went ahead with the retrieval and fertilization without any idea who would screen the blastocysts. ''I couldn't imagine doing this without our friend on the other end and didn't even know if it was possible,'' Laurie wrote.
But saving Henry had come to mean as much to Hughes as to Laurie and Allen. The researcher had watched his own life nearly destroyed in defense of this work, and he promised he would be there. Fourteen blastocysts survived the biopsy, and on the morning of Feb. 11, 1999, just a few days after Hughes's wife's death, Allen loaded his Styrofoam box with vials and dry ice and boarded the 11:10 a.m. flight to Detroit. He took the container to the lab, where he was moved to tears to find a large picture of his own son hanging on the wall. Underneath it was the question, ''Can we help save Henry's life?''
Allen was certain that this attempt would work. There was bittersweet poetry in the timing: death preceding life and preventing death. But when Hughes called the Strongin-Goldbergs in New York, his news was not the stuff of poetry. There was only one match. It did not result in a pregnancy.
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Attempt No.6 took place in June 1999. Twenty-eight eggs, two healthy matches. No pregnancy. Attempt No.7 came in the middle of Hurricane Floyd. Allen drove his Styrofoam box through the eye of the storm -- 1,200 miles in 26 hours -- and delivered the cells, alive, at 2 a.m. Laurie became pregnant, then miscarried.
Their eighth try took place in February 2000. Laurie was in New York, at the clinic, the morning that Allen raced Henry to the hospital with pneumonia so serious doctors warned it could kill him. Laurie agonized over whether to come home (canceling the in-vitro cycle) or stay where she was. If she left, she was certain Henry would die, because he would have lost this chance for a sibling donor. If she stayed, then she was equally certain that Henry would die -- of pneumonia, in a Georgetown hospital, without his mother.
She stayed. Henry received two blood transfusions and was pumped full of three intravenous antibiotics. Laurie produced 21 eggs and only one implantable match. ''I did not get pregnant,'' she says, ''and I still haven't recovered from the experience.''
As the Strongin-Goldbergs dragged themselves from one attempt to the next, the technology of bone-marrow transplants was changing. Specifically, Wagner was testing a new method of removing T-cells from donor blood. T-cells are the ones that recognize the host as foreign, leading to graft-versus-host disease. Simultaneously, Wagner was using fludarabine, an immunosuppressant that appears to encourage the new cells to engraft, or take root. Based on a tiny sample of patients, Wagner's best guess was that these adjustments to the protocol showed promise, apparently increasing the odds of surviving an unrelated bone-marrow transplant from 30 percent to 50 percent in a Fanconi anemia patient. This was still far lower than the 85 percent odds of a sibling cord-blood transplant, but better than it had been before.
Laurie went through one last, disappointing in-vitro cycle, then she and Allen grabbed those new 50-50 odds. Wagner warned that it was time to stop, and they knew, from looking at Henry, that he was probably right. Henry had had two platelet and two red-cell transfusions in the past two months, and he had been on Anadrol, a steriod to boost his blood counts, for two and a half years. There comes a point at which a child is too sick for a transplant, and Henry, like Molly, was all but there. In two and a half years of desperate trying, Laurie had 353 injections, produced 198 eggs and had no successful pregnancy. During the same time period, Henry's platelets fell from a high of 103,000 to a low of 10,000.
''We gave it all we had,'' Laurie wrote when her last pregnancy test was negative and the family was leaving for Minneapolis, for Henry's transplant. ''We worked with the world's best doctors. We hoped. We believed. We were brave. We persevered. And despite all that it didn't work. I am left with my belief system intact. I believe in love and science. Nothing more, nothing less.''
A bone-marrow transplant is a medical resurrection. First doctors all but kill a patient; then they bring him back to life. Treacherous and risky, in the end it all comes down to one squishy plastic bag of pale brown liquid which could easily be mistaken for rusty water from a tap. Henry's bag of marrow was collected from an anonymous donor somewhere in the United States on the morning of July 6, 2000, and was flown to the Fairview-University Medical Center, arriving in Room 5 of the bone-marrow transplant floor around dinnertime. A nurse came in with a Polaroid, snapped a few pictures, then added the bag to Henry's leafy IV tree. There was no blaring of trumpets, no rolling of drums. From 8:15 to 8:30 Central Daylight Time, the fluid dripped soundlessly.
Molly Nash's bag was collected with more drama. Lisa's pregnancy had managed to hold. For months Molly's baby brother had been trying to arrive prematurely, and now that he was due, he didn't seem eager to arrive at all. By the evening of Aug. 29, Lisa had been in labor for 52 hours, insisting she be allowed to continue because she knew that more cord blood could be collected during a vaginal birth. Finally, when it looked as if the baby was in distress, he was delivered by C-section. Dr. Strom -- his godfather -- collected the cord blood. Lisa cradled both the newborn Adam and the warm intravenous bag in her arms.
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''God created Adam in his image,'' Lisa says, explaining how she chose her son's name. ''Adam was the first. And from Adam -- from his rib, which is full of marrow -- God created woman, which is fitting because God used our Adam to give Molly a second chance at life.''
When he was 9 days old, Adam flew with his parents and his sister to Minneapolis. Molly settled into the room down from Henry's for the standard four-month stay -- a surreal time when it seems as if every child in the world is having a bone-marrow transplant, because every child that you see is. Molly went through all that Henry had gone through a month before her, and yet everything was different. She had a higher chance of engraftment and a far lower chance of rejection. Her parents were rubbed emotionally raw watching her suffer in order to live. But then they looked at Henry, whose parents feared he was showing early signs of graft-versus-host disease -- something Molly would almost certainly never get. They looked beyond Henry, too, at the eight patients who died in the bone-marrow transplant unit during Molly's endless summer.
In the end, Molly's life was saved. That is the Nashes' answer to people who question their right to manipulate nature. Their right springs from the difference between 30 percent and 85 percent; the difference between Molly and Henry. That is also their answer to those who would urge the government to ban all embryo research because it harms unborn children. The research, they say, saves children like Molly.
''We did what we needed to do to keep our daughter from dying,'' Lisa Nash says. ''That is what any parent would do. Isn't this what parents are supposed to do? How can anything be wrong with that?''
Yes, ethicists say, it is exactly what any parent would do, and that is why it is troubling. Parents are being asked to make a choice not only on behalf of their living child, but also on behalf of their unborn child, and that can be an impossible position when the choices get hard. If Molly were closer to death, for instance, would her parents have terminated the pregnancy and used stem cells from Adam's fetal liver to save her?
''We know people will do anything to save their child,'' says Jeffrey Kahn, an ethicist at the University of Minnesota, where there was much debate about the decisions of the transplant team at the hospital next door. ''Now we are learning what 'anything' really means.''
Susan M. Wolf, a professor of law and medicine at the University of Minnesota, says she believes that this case is emblematic of the whole of reproductive technology, which she describes as ''a multibillion dollar industry based solely on consumer demand.'' While it might seem logical in each isolated case to let the parents decide, all those single choices add up to a hodgepodge of technology scattered throughout private clinics and laboratories, with no one authorized to say no.
Wagner and Strom agree. They say they do not believe that they, or any other individual doctor, should have the responsibility of sorting through this thicket alone. ''As the technology progresses,'' Strom says, ''I see the possibility that someone will come to us and say: 'While you're screening for Tay-Sachs, how about making sure he's not going to have heart disease, too? And while you're at it, why not check for the gene that predisposes him to lupus or makes him immune to H.I.V.?'''
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''It has the potential to be abused,'' agrees Wagner. But the response to that potential, he warns, should not be to ban the research or suspend federal financing of the procedure. ''It's not going to go away,'' he says. ''We can't put our heads in the sand and say it doesn't exist. I have a stack of requests this high from all over the world, couples asking if they can come use this technology.''
Compounding the problems caused by the current ban on federal financing, he says, is the accompanying lack of federal rules. ''It's all been forced into the private sector,'' he says, ''where there are no controls. There should be controls. There should be limits. It is up to us, as a society, to decide what they are.''
Since her transplant, Molly Nash has gone back to school. More accurately, school has started to come to her, but her visiting teacher has to wear a mask during lessons. Her ballet teacher comes for in-home classes, too, and Molly twirls and pliés and giggles. Her hair is beginning to grow back. Instead of taking 44 pills every day she only takes 10. She is still fed through a stomach tube that her mother hooks up four times a day, and she doesn't have much of an appetite, which is characteristic of Fanconi anemia. The transplant did not cure her of that disease; it merely erased her risk of developing imminent leukemia. She is still likely to suffer Fanconi's other complications, particularly cancers of the mouth and neck. But those will not show themselves for many years, and, her mother says, ''maybe they will have a cure by then.''
Henry Strongin Goldberg has been ill almost since the day he left the hospital in Minnesota. While Molly's platelet count is 381,000, Henry's is 15,000. He spent months looking yellow and feeling miserable, moaning instead of talking, the result of a near fatal liver infection that is common in transplant patients because of the drugs they are given to suppress their immune system.
In January, for the first time in his tortured life, his parents were struck full force by the thought that he was dying. ''All I can think about,'' Allen said then, ''is how much I'll miss him.''
Since then, things have gotten even worse. Allen lost his job at an Internet start-up in January, and although he is now working again, the family has burned through its savings. Laurie, who takes home $600 every other week, has spent months sleepwalking through work, hanging on partly out of a need to have one foot tenuously in the real world but also because Henry needed health insurance. Henry's liver slowly |
surrender any part of the State to the Commonwealth. This has occurred on several occasions, most notably the surrender by South Australia to the Commonwealth of the Northern Territory.
Section 114 forbids any State from raising a military force, and also forbids the State or the Commonwealth from taxing each other's property.
Section 116 establishes what is often called "freedom of religion", by forbidding the Commonwealth from making any law for the establishment of a religion, imposing any religious observance, or prohibiting the exercise of a religion, or religious discrimination for public office.
Chapter VI: New States [ edit ]
Chapter VI allows for the establishment or admission of new states. Section 122 allows the Parliament to provide for the representation in Parliament of any territory surrendered by the States, or placed by the Queen in the authority of the Commonwealth. Section 123 requires that changing the boundaries of a State requires the consent of the Parliament of that State and approval by referendum in that State.
No new states have been admitted to the Commonwealth since federation.
Chapter VII: Miscellaneous [ edit ]
Chapter VII contains three quite different provisions. Section 125 provides that the seat of government of the Commonwealth would be in Melbourne for the time being, but eventually in Commonwealth territory, to be created within New South Wales but no less than one hundred miles (160 km) from Sydney. The national capital would thus be neither of the rival State capitals Sydney and Melbourne, but within a federal territory. In 1911 New South Wales ceded to the Commonwealth what is now the Australian Capital Territory and Canberra, built within it, was declared the national capital in 1913. Section 126 permits the Governor-General to appoint deputies. Section 127 provided that "aboriginal natives" were not to be included in any Commonwealth, State or other count of population. This excluded the Indigenous population from affecting the distribution between the States of seats in the House of Representatives (section 24). Section 127 was removed by referendum in 1967.[7]
Chapter VIII: Alteration of the Constitution [ edit ]
Chapter VIII specifies the procedures for amending the Constitution. Section 128 provides that constitutional amendments must be approved by a referendum. Amendment requires:
approval of a referendum bill, containing the proposed amendment, by an absolute majority in each house of the federal parliament; and then
approval of the bill in a referendum, by a majority of electors in each of a majority of the States (that is, in at least four of the six States), as well as a majority nationwide (that is, comprising voters in both States and Territories); the franchise in a referendum is to be the same as that in an election to the House of Representatives.
The Governor-General must put the bill to a referendum between two and six months after it has been passed by the parliament. If the bill is approved in the referendum, it receives the Royal Assent and becomes law, so that the wording of the Constitution is changed.
An exception to this process is if the bill is approved by only one house of the parliament—the other house rejecting it, failing to pass it or passing it with amendments to which the first house does not agree. (Ordinarily, the bill would have been introduced in the House of Representatives; the problem would be disagreement by the Senate.) Then, after three months, the first house may pass the bill again. If the other house still does not agree with the bill, then the Governor-General may put the bill to a referendum in the form in which it was passed by the first house, with any amendments to which the two houses may nevertheless have agreed.
Section 128 also provides that an amendment that would reduce the representation of a State in either house, or its minimum representation in the House of Representatives, or that would alter the boundaries of a State or make any similar change to the State, can be presented for Royal Assent only if it has been approved in that State.
A mechanism for the conduct of a referendum is provided by federal statute: Referendum (Machinery Provisions) Act 1984 (Cth).[8] As with elections, voting is compulsory.
Schedule [ edit ]
The Schedule sets out the wording of the oath and the affirmation of allegiance.[9] The Governor-General and members of parliament are required to make a solemn undertaking of allegiance, by oath or affirmation as prescribed by the Constitution. In addition, when taking office, the Governor-General is required to take an oath of office, currently:
I, (name), do swear that I will well and truly serve Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second, Her heirs and successors according to law, in the office of Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia, and I will do right to all manner of people after the laws and usages of the Commonwealth of Australia, without fear or favour, affection or ill will. So help me God![10]
The oath or affirmation of office made by a prime minister, ministers and parliamentary secretaries when entering office is in wording that is not prescribed in the Constitution but determined by the prime minister of the day, and administered to them by the Governor-General. While there is no legal requirement for this, it has been the practice from the inauguration of the Commonwealth in 1901.[11]
Amendments [ edit ]
As mentioned above, amendment of the Constitution requires a referendum in which the proposed amendment is approved by a majority in each of a majority of the States, as well as nationally.
Forty-four proposals to amend the Constitution have been voted on at referendums, of which eight have been approved. The following is a list of amendments which have been approved.
The role of conventions [ edit ]
Alongside the text of the Constitution, the Statute of Westminster and the Australia Acts, and letters patent issued by the Crown, conventions are an important aspect of the Constitution, which have evolved over the decades and define how various constitutional mechanisms operate in practice.
Conventions play a powerful role in the operation of the Australian constitution because of its set-up and operation as a Westminster system of responsible government. Some notable conventions include:
While the constitution does not formally create the office of Prime Minister of Australia, such an office developed a de facto existence as head of the cabinet. The Prime Minister is seen as the head of government.
While there are few constitutional restrictions on the power of the Governor-General, by convention the Governor-General acts on the advice of the Prime Minister.
However, because conventions are not textually based, their existence and practice are open to debate. Real or alleged violation of convention has often led to political controversy. The most extreme case was the Australian constitutional crisis of 1975, in which the operation of conventions was seriously tested. The ensuing constitutional crisis was resolved dramatically when the Governor-General Sir John Kerr dismissed the Labor Prime Minister Gough Whitlam, appointing Liberal opposition leader Malcolm Fraser as caretaker Prime Minister pending the 1975 general election. A number of conventions were said to be broken during this episode. These include:
The convention that, when the Senator from a particular State vacates his or her position during the term of office, the State government concerned would nominate a replacement from the same political party as the departing Senator. This convention was allegedly broken by first the Lewis government of New South Wales and then by the Bjelke-Petersen government of Queensland who both filled Labor vacancies with an independent and a Labor member opposed to the Whitlam government respectively.[12]
Note: The convention was codified into the Constitution via the national referendum of 1977. The amendment requires the new Senator to be from the same party as the old one and would have prevented the appointment by Lewis, but not that by Bjelke-Petersen. However, the amendment states of the appointee that if "before taking his seat he ceases to be a member of that party...he shall be deemed not to have been so chosen or appointed". Bjelke-Petersen appointee Albert Patrick Field was expelled from the Labor Party before taking his seat and would therefore have been ineligible under the new constitutional amendment.[13]
The convention that, when the Senate is controlled by a party which does not simultaneously control the House of Representatives, the Senate would not vote against money supply to the government. This convention was allegedly broken by the Senate controlled by the Liberal-Country party coalition in 1975. [12]
The convention that a Prime Minister who cannot obtain supply must either request that the governor general call a general election, or resign. This convention was allegedly broken by Gough Whitlam in response to the Senate's unprecedented refusal.[14]
Interpretation [ edit ]
In line with the common law tradition in Australia, the law on the interpretation and application of the Constitution has developed largely through judgments by the High Court of Australia in various cases. In a number of seminal cases, the High Court has developed several doctrines which underlie the interpretation of the Australian Constitution. Some examples include:
Separation of powers – The existence of three separate chapters dealing with the three branches of government implies a separation of powers, similar in principle to that of the United States but unusual for a government within the Westminster system. [15] Thus, for example, the legislature cannot purport to predetermine the legal outcome, or to change the direction or outcome, of a court case.
– The existence of three separate chapters dealing with the three branches of government implies a separation of powers, similar in principle to that of the United States but unusual for a government within the Westminster system. Thus, for example, the legislature cannot purport to predetermine the legal outcome, or to change the direction or outcome, of a court case. Division of powers – Powers of government are divided between the Commonwealth and the State governments, with certain powers being exclusive to the Commonwealth, others being concurrently exercised, and the remainder being held by the States.
– Powers of government are divided between the Commonwealth and the State governments, with certain powers being exclusive to the Commonwealth, others being concurrently exercised, and the remainder being held by the States. Intergovernmental immunities – Although the Engineers' Case[16] held that there was no general immunity between State and Commonwealth governments from each other's laws, the Commonwealth cannot enact taxation laws that discriminated between the States or parts of the States (Section 51(ii)), nor enact laws that discriminated against the States, or such as to prevent a State from continuing to exist and function as a state (Melbourne Corporation v Commonwealth).[17]
The vast majority of constitutional cases before the High Court deal with characterisation: whether new laws fall within a permissible head of power granted to the Commonwealth government by the Constitution.[citation needed]
Protection of rights [ edit ]
See also Australian constitutional law – Protection of rights
The Australian Constitution does not include a Bill of Rights. Some delegates to the 1898 Constitutional Convention favoured a section similar to the Bill of Rights of the United States Constitution, but the majority felt that the traditional rights and freedoms of British subjects were sufficiently guaranteed by the Parliamentary system and independent judiciary which the Constitution would create. As a result, the Australian Constitution has often been criticised for its scant protection of rights and freedoms.
Some express rights were, however, included:
Right to trial by jury – Section 80 creates a right to trial by jury for indictable offences against Commonwealth law. However, the Commonwealth is left free to make any offence, no matter how serious the punishment, triable otherwise than on indictment. As Justice Higgins said in R v Archdall (1928): "if there be an indictment, there must be a jury, but there is nothing to compel procedure by indictment". [18] In later cases, the High Court has split: some judges have attempted to find a right, on the basis that no constitutional provision may be understood in a way that renders it empty; others have thought that this would inject content, beyond the boundaries of judicial interpretation. [19] The Court has been flexible on the meaning of "jury": there will be a "jury", although not all members are male as would have been the Framers' understanding; but there will not be a valid decision by a jury, if there is a majority verdict (even though that is permitted in some states). In practice, however, no major issue of abuse of this uncertainty has been raised.
– Section 80 creates a right to trial by jury for indictable offences against Commonwealth law. However, the Commonwealth is left free to make any offence, no matter how serious the punishment, triable otherwise than on indictment. As Justice Higgins said in (1928): "if there be an indictment, there must be a jury, but there is nothing to compel procedure by indictment". In later cases, the High Court has split: some judges have attempted to find a right, on the basis that no constitutional provision may be understood in a way that renders it empty; others have thought that this would inject content, beyond the boundaries of judicial interpretation. The Court has been flexible on the meaning of "jury": there will be a "jury", although not all members are male as would have been the Framers' understanding; but there will not be a valid decision by a jury, if there is a majority verdict (even though that is permitted in some states). In practice, however, no major issue of abuse of this uncertainty has been raised. Right to just compensation – Section 51(xxxi) creates a right to compensation "on just terms" for "acquisition of property" by the Commonwealth from any state or person. [20] The "acquisition of property", itself, is not restricted, but the High Court has understood the expression broadly so as to give a broad entitlement to compensation.
– Section 51(xxxi) creates a right to compensation "on just terms" for "acquisition of property" by the Commonwealth from any state or person. The "acquisition of property", itself, is not restricted, but the High Court has understood the expression broadly so as to give a broad entitlement to compensation. Right against discrimination on the basis of out-of-State residence – Section 117 prohibits disability or discrimination in one state against a resident of another state. This is interpreted widely: the restriction will be invalid if it treats an out-of-state resident more onerously than if they were resident within the state.[21] However, it does not prohibit states from imposing residential requirements where these are required by the State's autonomy and its responsibility to its people; a state may, for example, permit only residents to vote in state elections.
There are also some guaranteed freedoms, reasons why legislation that might otherwise be within power may nonetheless be invalid. These are not rights of individuals, but limitations upon legislative power. However, where legislation that would adversely affect an individual is found to be invalid for such a reason, the effect for the individual is similar to vindicating a right of that individual. There is one express "freedom".
Freedom of religion – Section 116 creates a freedom of religion, by prohibiting the Commonwealth (but not the states) from making "any law for establishing any religion, or for imposing any religious observance, or for prohibiting the free exercise of any religion". This section is based on the First Amendment to the US Constitution, but is weaker in operation. As the states retain all powers they had as colonies before federation, except for those explicitly given to the Commonwealth, this section does not affect the states' powers to legislate on religion. Section 116 has never been successfully invoked. A deterrent to invoking it is, as the High Court has found, the uncertain meaning of "religion".
There is also one implied right that is agreed upon by a majority judgment of the High Court. An implied right is one that is not written explicitly into the wording of the Constitution, but that the High Court has found to be implied by reading two or more sections together. The implied right of freedom of political communication is discussed below.
In addition to individual rights explicitly written into the Constitution and found to be implied by sections within it there is a final category of rights known as'structural protections'. Rather than being individual rights, these are broad protections for the community as a whole, taken from the systems and principles created by and underpinning the text and structure of the Constitution as a whole. One of the more well-known of these protections is the community right to a democratically elected parliament, commonly thought of as a limited "right" to vote, which is discussed below.
The following are implied rights or freedoms:
Implied freedom of political communication – In 1992 and 1994, the High Court found that the Constitution contained an "implied freedom of political communication", in a series of cases including Australian Capital Television [22] and Theophanous. [23] These were majority decisions, but the existence of the freedom was unanimously confirmed in Lange v ABC. [24] Rejecting wider suggestions in the earlier cases, Lange decided that the freedom can be found only in the "text and structure" of the Constitution and not by reference to any general legal or political principles, for example that of "democracy". In these terms, the freedom was found to be a necessary concomitant of the provision in Constitution sections 7 and 24 that the houses of the Commonwealth parliament shall be "chosen by the people"; the people must not be restricted from communicating with each other and with their representatives on all matters that may be relevant to that choice. The freedom was deemed to extend into the states and territories, on the basis that nationally there is a single sphere of political communication. The US First Amendment refers to "speech", which may be oral or written but is limited as to protection of non-verbal expression (such as burning a draft card). The High Court has avoided that limitation by preferring the broader term "communication". [25] Nonetheless, the freedom is not absolute: legislation that "burdens" the freedom of political communication will nevertheless be valid if it "proportionately" pursues some other legitimate purpose (such as public safety).
– In 1992 and 1994, the High Court found that the Constitution contained an "implied freedom of political communication", in a series of cases including and. These were majority decisions, but the existence of the freedom was unanimously confirmed in. Rejecting wider suggestions in the earlier cases, decided that the freedom can be found only in the "text and structure" of the Constitution and not by reference to any general legal or political principles, for example that of "democracy". In these terms, the freedom was found to be a necessary concomitant of the provision in Constitution sections 7 and 24 that the houses of the Commonwealth parliament shall be "chosen by the people"; the people must not be restricted from communicating with each other and with their representatives on all matters that may be relevant to that choice. The freedom was deemed to extend into the states and territories, on the basis that nationally there is a single sphere of political communication. The US First Amendment refers to "speech", which may be oral or written but is limited as to protection of non-verbal expression (such as burning a draft card). The High Court has avoided that limitation by preferring the broader term "communication". Nonetheless, the freedom is not absolute: legislation that "burdens" the freedom of political communication will nevertheless be valid if it "proportionately" pursues some other legitimate purpose (such as public safety). Implied right to vote – In 2007, in Roach v Electoral Commissioner,[26] the High Court held that Constitution ss7 and 24, by providing that members of the House of Representatives and the Senate be "directly chosen by the people", created a limited right to vote. This entailed the guarantee of a universal franchise in principle, and limited the Federal Parliament's legislative power to modify that universal franchise. In the case, a legislative amendment to disqualify from voting all prisoners (as opposed to only those serving sentences of three years or more, as it was before the amendment) was struck down as contravening that right. The structural protection of a democratically elected parliament prevents the Commonwealth from taking away the right to vote from sections of the community without a substantial and legitimate reason, but it does not grant each and every individual a "right" to vote in elections. The issue of implied right to vote came up again in Rowe v Electoral Commissioner.[27]
Attempts in High Court cases to find further implied rights or freedoms have not been successful. Implication of a freedom of association and a freedom of assembly, independently or linked to that of political communication, has received occasional judicial support but not from a majority in any case.
Head of state [ edit ]
The term head of state does not appear in the Australian constitution. It is conventionally acknowledged to be the Queen, since the governor-general and the state governors are defined as her "representatives".[28][29] However, since the governor-general is given important constitutional powers, the governor-general is often referred to as head of state in political and media discussion, such as by Malcolm Turnbull and Kevin Rudd.
Proposals for major changes [ edit ]
Amongst the amendments proposed to the Constitution over the years, two proposals for major change have been prominent in recent decades, and both were considered, and defeated, in the 1999 referendum.
Preamble [ edit ]
While a pro forma preamble prefaces the Imperial Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act 1900, the Australian Constitution itself does not contain a preamble. There have been some calls for the insertion of such a section to express the spirit and aspirations embodied in the constitution. However, there has been fierce opposition, usually on the basis of the content of the preamble, as well as possible legal ramifications of this text. In 1999, a proposed preamble, principally authored by John Howard, the then Prime Minister, was defeated in a referendum held concurrently with the Republic referendum. The "Yes" vote (in favour of the insertion of the preamble) did not achieve a majority in any of the six states.
Republic proposals [ edit ]
At various times since Federation, debates have occurred over whether Australia should become a republic. On 6 November 1999, Australians rejected a proposal to remove the Queen and replace the Governor-General with a President appointed by a two-thirds majority of the members of the Commonwealth Parliament.
Commemoration [ edit ]
Constitution Day is celebrated on 9 July,[30] the date the Constitution became law in 1900. The date is not a public holiday. Constitution Day was first held on 9 July 2000 to mark the centenary of the Constitution in the lead up to the Centenary of Federation, although commemorations were low key and were not widely held after 2001. Constitution Day was revived in 2007 and is jointly organised by the National Archives of Australia, which holds the original Constitution documents, and the Department of Immigration and Citizenship.[31]
See also [ edit ]
Notes [ edit ]
References [ edit ]Speaking at the Aspen Security Forum over the weekend, SOCOM chief Gen. Raymond Thomas claimed that the US had, since 2014, killed an estimated 60,000 to 70,000 ISIS fighters. This was similar to previous claims about death tolls.
Gen. Thomas said the toll was necessary to resolve questions about whether the US needs to be more aggressive in the war, saying the huge number of people killed shows they are “being pretty darn prolific” with the operation.
It’s worth noting, however, that these very rough estimates reflect both the huge number of people the US has already killed in the war, and the huge number of ISIS fighters that have been recruited since that war began.
The US never estimated ISIS having anywhere near 70,000 fighters. The biggest estimates were in the 20,000 to 30,000 range, at the peak, and despite huge numbers slain, the estimate of what remains never really goes down in any serious way.
That’s a big problem for the US war strategy, as it’s mostly boiled down to just killing everyone they can and bragging about how prolific the body-count is. So long as the group can keep recruiting new people to fight, however, which ISIS clearly can, the killings are to little effect.
Last 5 posts by Jason DitzBrighton: Gay couples across England and Wales said "I do" on Friday night as a law legalising same-sex marriage came into effect at midnight, the final stage in a long fight for equality.
Prime Minister David Cameron hailed what he said was an "important moment for our country", and a rainbow flag flew above government offices in London in celebration.
In Brighton on England's south coast, Neil Allard and Andrew Wale exchanged vows and rings in the opulent splendour of the Royal Pavilion in front of about 100 guests.
Wearing velvet-collared three-piece suits with white flowers in their buttonholes, the smiling couple of seven years hugged and kissed after they became "husband and husband".
They were among several couples bidding to be first to take advantage of last year's Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act by holding midnight wedding ceremonies.
Posing for media photographs earlier this week, Wale remarked how positive the reaction to their wedding had been, with passers-by offering "lots of smiles, lots of warmth".
"We become even more aware of how lucky we are to live in a comparatively tolerant part of the world," said the 49-year-old writer and theatre director.
Many more couples plan to wed during the day on Saturday, including one pair who will perform almost the entire ceremony -- barring the legal declaration -- in song for a television programme entitled "Our Gay Wedding: The Musical".
Civil partnerships have been legal since 2005 and marriage brings no new rights -- the ability to adopt, for example, was introduced in 2002.
But campaigners have insisted that only the right to marry gives them full equality with heterosexual couples.
"We didn't want to get married until it was a marriage that my mum and dad could have, that other men or women could have," Teresa Millward, 37, told AFP earlier this week.
She is marrying her girlfriend of 11 years, Helen Brearley, in Yorkshire in northern England on Saturday morning. Both will be dressed in cream, and Millward's father will walk them both down the aisle of the register office.
The gay marriage law is the final victory in a long battle stretching back to the decriminalisation of homosexuality in England in 1967.
Cameron backed the change despite strong opposition from members of his Conservative party and the established Church of England.
"This weekend is an important moment for our country," the prime minister said.
"Put simply, in Britain it will no longer matter whether you are straight or gay -- the state will recognise your relationship as equal."
He added: "It also sends a powerful message to young people growing up who are uncertain about their sexuality. It clearly says 'you are equal' whether straight or gay."
However, not all attitudes have changed. A poll for BBC radio said 20 percent of British adults would turn down an invitation to a same-sex wedding.
The survey of 1,007 people also found 68 percent agreed gay marriage should be permitted, with 26 percent opposing it.
The Church of England had opposed same-sex marriage, insisting weddings should only take place between a man and a woman, and secured an exemption from the new law.
The House of Bishops last month also warned clergy they should not bless married gay couples.
But Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, the leader of the world's 80 million Anglicans, indicated on Thursday that the Church would no longer campaign against the issue.
"I think the Church has reacted by fully accepting that it's the law, and should react on Saturday by continuing to demonstrate in word and action, the love of Christ for every human being," he told the Guardian newspaper.
In London, Peter McGraith and David Cabreza were also bidding to make history by marrying at midnight in front of friends and family, including their two adopted sons.
The couple have been together for 17 years and hope their wedding will send out a message around the world.
Fifteen countries have legalised gay marriage and another three allow it in some areas, but homosexuals remain persecuted in many parts of the world.
"There's a lot of gay men and lesbians around the world who are not invited to the party," McGraith told AFP.Fitbits can now be operated on Air New Zealand flights (as long as they're switched to flight mode).
Air New Zealand passengers will now be able to use their Fitbits to record the number of steps they make from their plane seat to the toilet, thanks to the airline's new Bluetooth policy.
From Thursday, customers flying on any domestic or international flight will be able to operate Bluetooth devices from the departure gate to the arrival gate, as long as their devices are set to flight mode.
This includes Fitbit devices, Apple Watches and Bluetooth headsets. Passengers will also be able to operate a wireless mouse and wireless keyboard during cruise.
READ MORE:
* Air New Zealand 'investigating options' for inflight wi-fi
* Travel and tech still don't mix well
* Passenger hacked while using inflight wi-fi
The airline said it secured approval from the Civil Aviation Authority for Bluetooth use onboard after conducting comprehensive testing across its fleet.
High-power industrial devices were not permitted to be used on Air New Zealand aircraft.
Air New Zealand general manager of customer experience, Carrie Hurihanganui, said the airline was continually working to meet the needs of travellers.
The existing rules state all devices with transmitting capability, including cellular, Bluetooth and wi-fi, must be turned off and flight or airplane mode selected.'A Nation Without Borders Is Not A Nation': Trump Moves Forward With U.S.-Mexico Wall
Enlarge this image toggle caption Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP
Updated at 5:50 p.m. ET
President Trump has signed two executive orders related to immigration and border security, moving ahead with his plans to build a wall along the U.S. border with Mexico and to deport people who are in the country illegally.
Trump signed the orders at the Department of Homeland Security Wednesday, shortly after the agency's new leader, retired Marine Gen. John Kelly, was sworn in.
YouTube
"Beginning today, the United States of America gets back control of its borders," Trump said in an address at the Homeland Security Department.
The move comes less than one week before Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto is slated to visit Trump in Washington on Jan. 31. Trump emphasized that the actions were in partnership with Mexico.
"The secretary of homeland security, working with myself and my staff, will begin immediate construction of a border wall," Trump said.
News that the border wall plan is moving forward was criticized by Amnesty International USA, whose executive director, Margaret Huang, said, "This wall would say that those from outside the United States, especially from Latin America, are to be feared and shunned — and that is just wrong."
Trump said in an interview with ABC News that the U.S. will be "reimbursed at a later date" by Mexico for the costs of building the wall — an idea that Peña Nieto flatly rejected earlier this month.
The cost of building such a wall has been estimated at at least $12 billion and perhaps $15 billion for a single-layer barrier. Roughly a third of the U.S.-Mexico border is currently blocked by a fence, as NPR's John Burnett has reported:
"According to an eight-year-old estimate by the Government Accountability Office, the border fence cost the government $3 million to $4 million a mile to build. Estimates for additional fencing — in harsher terrain — could surpass $10 million a mile."
The border wall is included in an executive order titled Border Security and Immigration Enforcement Improvements. It calls on Kelly to "identify and, to the extent permitted by law, allocate all sources of Federal funds for the planning, designing, and constructing of a physical wall along the southern border."
The directive calls for hiring more Border Patrol agents and prioritizing the prosecution of criminal offenses related to the Southern border. It also expands detention capacity — a move that could increase the use of private for-profit prisons.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Alfredo Estrella/AFP/Getty Images Alfredo Estrella/AFP/Getty Images
The Justice Department had already beefed up border prosecutions under Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama. The new action suggests law enforcement will be more empowered to prosecute for minor offenses and remove those in the country illegally.
A second executive order, titled Enhancing Public Safety in the Interior of the United States, directs the departments of Homeland Security and Justice to withhold federal funds from so-called sanctuary cities.
In that action, Trump is also restoring the Secure Communities Program — which had ceased to operate in 2014 after being used by both the Bush and Obama administrations to force state and local governments to share fingerprints and other data to help federal officials identify unauthorized immigrants.
Several states and cities sought to opt out of that system, which was also criticized for sometimes resulting in cases of mistaken detention of U.S. citizens.
One critic of Trump's executive orders, Ali Noorani, executive director of the National Immigration Forum, said there are better ways to keep the country safe than to crack down on sanctuary cities.
"Pressuring local law enforcement to take on immigration responsibilities undercuts the very oath they take to'serve and protect' the entirety of their community. Smart law enforcement is built on intelligence gathering and trust, which are dramatically undermined once the cop on the corner is asking victims of crime about their immigration status," he said.
Mark Krikorian, director of the Center for Immigration Studies, a group that favors immigration limits, said in an email that the administration's battle with sanctuary cities is just beginning.
"Who will blink first--cities or the federal government? Cutting off their money is step one. LA and New York will not change their policies. This will play out for years," he said.
Wednesday's executive order also seeks to force other nations to take back criminals in the U.S. illegally by using leverage such as withholding U.S. visas. And it will allow Immigration and Customs Enforcement to more aggressively arrest, detain and remove people from the U.S. It also calls for the hiring of 10,000 additional immigration officers.
The order also will create an "Office for Victims of Crimes Committed by Removable Aliens," aimed to support these victims and their families. The order does not detail exactly how these victims will be supported but states that the office will "provide quarterly reports studying the effects of the victimization by criminal aliens present in the United States."
The actions come one day after the president tweeted about new immigration policies, saying Tuesday night, "Among many other things, we will build the wall." Construction of a border wall was a keystone of Trump's presidential campaign.
Questions still surround the details of the plan for a wall — chief among them, how the undertaking would be paid for. A law already exists that experts say gives Trump the authority to start building the wall. It is the Secure Fence Act of 2006. It was bipartisan and overwhelmingly supported during the Bush administration.
The 2006 law envisions both physical barriers and high-tech features, like sensors and cameras. It also mentions a two-layer fence — but that fence was never built, and the legislation didn't include money to pay for one. Ten years later, the process could begin in earnest.For a non-technical introduction to the topic, see Introduction to genetics
Genomic information Graphical representation of the idealized human diploid karyotype, showing the organization of the genome into chromosomes. This drawing shows both the female (XX) and male (XY) versions of the 23rd chromosome pair. Chromosomes are shown aligned at their centromeres. The mitochondrial DNA is not shown. NCBI genome ID Ploidy diploid Genome size 3,234.83 Mb (Mega-basepairs) per haploid genome
6,469.66 Mb total (diploid). Number of chromosomes 23 pairs
The human genome is the complete set of nucleic acid sequences for humans, encoded as DNA within the 23 chromosome pairs in cell nuclei and in a small DNA molecule found within individual mitochondria. These are usually treated separately as the nuclear genome, and the mitochondrial genome.[1] Human genomes include both protein-coding DNA genes and noncoding DNA. Haploid human genomes, which are contained in germ cells (the egg and sperm gamete cells created in the meiosis phase of sexual reproduction before fertilization creates a zygote) consist of three billion DNA base pairs, while diploid genomes (found in somatic cells) have twice the DNA content. While there are significant differences among the genomes of human individuals (on the order of 0.1%),[2] these are considerably smaller than the differences between humans and their closest living relatives, the chimpanzees (approximately 4%[3]) and bonobos.
The first human genome sequences were published in nearly complete draft form in February 2001 by the Human Genome Project[4] and Celera Corporation.[5] Completion of the Human Genome Project Sequence was published in 2004.[6] The human genome was the first of all vertebrates to be completely sequenced. As of 2012, thousands of human genomes have been completely sequenced, and many more have been mapped at lower levels of resolution. The resulting data are used worldwide in biomedical science, anthropology, forensics and other branches of science. There is a widely held expectation that genomic studies will lead to advances in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases, and to new insights in many fields of biology, including human evolution.
Although the sequence of the human genome has been (almost) completely determined by DNA sequencing, it is not yet fully understood. Most (though probably not all) genes have been identified by a combination of high throughput experimental and bioinformatics approaches, yet much work still needs to be done to further elucidate the biological functions of their protein and RNA products. Recent results suggest that most of the vast quantities of noncoding DNA within the genome have associated biochemical activities, including regulation of gene expression, organization of chromosome architecture, and signals controlling epigenetic inheritance.
There are an estimated 19,000-20,000 human protein-coding genes.[7] The estimate of the number of human genes has been repeatedly revised down from initial predictions of 100,000 or more as genome sequence quality and gene finding methods have improved, and could continue to drop further.[6][8] Protein-coding sequences account for only a very small fraction of the genome (approximately 1.5%), and the rest is associated with non-coding RNA molecules, regulatory DNA sequences, LINEs, SINEs, introns, and sequences for which as yet no function has been determined.[9]
In June 2016, scientists formally announced HGP-Write, a plan to synthesize the human genome.[10][11]
Molecular organization and gene content [ edit ]
The total length of the human genome is over 3 billion base pairs. The genome is organized into 22 paired chromosomes, plus the X chromosome (one in males, two in females) and, in males only, one Y chromosome. These are all large linear DNA molecules contained within the cell nucleus. The genome also includes the mitochondrial DNA, a comparatively small circular molecule present in each mitochondrion. Basic information about these molecules and their gene content, based on a reference genome that does not represent the sequence of any specific individual, are provided in the following table. (Data source: Ensembl genome browser release 87, December 2016 for most values; Ensembl genome browser release 68, July 2012 for miRNA, rRNA, snRNA, snoRNA.)
Chromosome Length
(mm) Base
pairs Variations Protein-
coding
genes Pseudo-
genes Total
long
ncRNA Total
small
ncRNA miRNA rRNA snRNA snoRNA Misc
ncRNA Links Centromere
position
(Mbp) Cumulative
(%) 1 85 248,956,422 12 |
MB)
Note: Everything pictured and seen the video is a prototype; the actual game may vary slightly.
Hangtown is a Wild West themed board game based on the California Gold Rush of 1849.
As Pioneers, the players compete for riches, resources, property, and prestige. They mine for gold, build historic buildings, districts, and monuments, and string up the unruly at the infamous Hangman's Tree! They must also be prepared for shootouts when the Outlaw comes around...
The game features a thoughtful variety of streamlined mechanics, which are notably innovative, yet traditional and familiar in feel—such as fresh spins on tableau engine building, worker placement, simultaneous action selection, variable turn order, and resource and hand management.
One of the standout themes is “Boom or Bust”. If a player can break away from the pack, he or she can profit from a “Boom yield”, while the others may end up with a "Bust". Those with nimble minds and good instincts can see their boom towns prosper and grow.
The game plays from two to six players, and can be setup in two modes: Discovery: for newcomers and casual gamers, and Highgrade: for seasoned gamers and experienced players.
And an included expansion board grants the players unique character roles, such as the Robber, Deputy, Prospector, and Gunslinger—each equipped with a special advantage.
Hangtown offers many roads to victory and great replayability!
Get a copy for only $39 + shipping or free local pick up!
What comes inside the box...
150 poker-sized custom playing cards (21 in each player color + 24 general town cards)
30 Euro-mini-sized custom playing cards (5 in each player color)
3 game boards (expansion board not shown below)
7 wooden "Pioneer" pawns (1 in each player color + the gray Outlaw)
144 - 10mm wooden cubes (18 in each player color + 36 gray)
13 - 15mm wooden discs (2 in each player color + 1 gray)
2 - 6-sided dice
1 black cloth bag
65 money tokens
5 rule supplements
1 master rulebook
1 game box
...Over 400 parts!
Setup for 4 players (purple and black supplies for 5 and 6 players are not shown here, though included)
+ Kickstarter Exclusive: "Strike it Rich!" cards!
A Turn Overview
What's all this about Boom and Bust? When players Boom, they get the best outcomes, such as bonus actions and free resources. When they Bust they get much less—and sometimes have to forfeit resources to make up the difference.
It takes a balance of sharp wits and good instincts to stay ahead of the pack!
Stretch Goals
As each stretch goal level is successfully funded, additional or upgraded items are included with every copy of Hangtown!
Additional Pass Actions - This expansion includes 4 more Pass Action cards in each of the 6 player colors, 1 Railroad Shipments card, and the rules for setup and play.
UPDATE: Unlocked at $13,000!
Boomerang Saloon Gambling Table Playmat - This expansion includes a cardstock playmat and the rules for setup and play. Players can go to the Boomerang Saloon to gamble for riches and resources!
UPDATE: Unlocked at $14,000!
Player Roles (Deck) - This expansion includes a set of mini cards with unique player roles and the rules for setup and play. Roles include Gun for Hire, Foreman, Tycoon, Madame, Greenhorn, Town Drunk, Harlot, Carpenter, Wheelbarrow Johnny, and more... It will be unlocked at $16,000!
Societies Playmats - This Kickstarter-exclusive expansion includes 6 cardstock playmats and the rules for setup and play. Each playmat offers a unique player ability. It will be unlocked at $20,000!
Hangtown backers can add on $12 to their rewards to get a copy of At the Heart of Gold Country, a 60-page book on the history of Hangtown (aka Placerville) and its surrounding areas. It features over 40 rare photographs! It was written and created by Nancy Dunk, the historian for Hangtown the board game.
What people are saying about playing the game...
"Historic events and signature locations await the players in Hangtown!"
"I am a sucker for thematic games and this game's flavor and theme are brought to the forefront through the clever usage of its mechanics and art direction. Whether you stick it out alone or follow the pack, the overall 'Boom or Bust' game-play, along with the pesky Outlaw, promises interesting tactical choices and memorable moments for the players and the town.
It's fast, simple, and very entertaining. Hangtown is an instant favorite of mine and I anticipate multiple sessions with it at my table for years to come!"
~David Hanold, designer of Showdown: Icons
Creative Director at Arcane Wonders
________________________________________
"Hangtown is a great game that combines many mechanics I like, in a new way. Role selection with multiple possible outcomes, tableau building, combo building, worker placement, and more! I loved playing it and couldn't wait to play it again. "
~R.J. Adams, Highgrade "blind" play-tester
________________________________________
"Hangtown's fast pace and quick to grasp rule set make it a fantastic addition to any tabletop game collection. The game allows for multiple gaming skill levels with a variety of play options. Something my family and I discovered first hand! From my college fratboy brother to my grumpy dad, we all found ourselves engaged and competing to claim victory. Even after multiple plays I constantly found myself reworking past strategies and discovering new ways to pull ahead. And the Gold Rush theme takes me right to the streets of 1800s Placerville, a great addition for a displaced (and homesick) Californian. I can't wait to have a copy of Hangtown the Board Game to call my own."
~Jessica Scharff, play-tester, Dallas, TX
_________________________________________
"I had enormous fun with Hangtown. Watching your boom town grow and prosper through correctly anticipating taking the least popular actions is hugely satisfying.”
~Matt Anderson, designer of ERIE
and Fall Schematic: The Cooperative Card GameAccording to State Department immigration data, 441 Syrian refugees have been admitted to the United States since June 12, the day Omar Mateen murdered 49 people in a crowded Orlando nightclub.
The Obama Administration has pledged to admit 10,000 Syrian refugees before October 1, and after this recent influx, will only need to bring in approximately 6,700 more to reach its Congressionally-approved goal. (RELATED: How Many Syrian Refugees Are In The USA, And How Many More Are Coming?)
A report from the Center for Immigration studies notes that 1,037 refugees were admitted in the month of May alone.
Breitbart reports that of the 441 admitted this past week, 434 are identified as Sunni Muslims, 5 as Christian and 2 as “Moslem” and non-religious, respectively.
The refugees have been re-settled in 26 states, including 49 in Florida.
Earlier this week, Fla. Gov. Rick Scott expressed great displeasure with the White House’s response to the Orlando terror attack. (VIDEO: Obama Hasn’t Called Florida Gov.)
“The White House said they will not share that information with the Florida law enforcement. They said, oh, that — those people have privacy rights, he said on Fox & Friends Tuesday. “What about our security rights?”
“The security and making sure if you live in my state, you’re gonna be safe. I’m responsible for the safety of the people in my state. I’m fed up with the fact that we’re not destroying ISIS. We’re not vetting these people; we’re not taking care of our own citizens.”
The news of the recent refugee rush comes only one day after CIA Director John Brennan told Congress that ISIS is actively “exploring” loopholes within the U.S. immigration system to send operatives to the West. (VIDEO: CIA Admits US Has Not Reduced ISIS’ Global Terror Reach)
“ISIL has a large cadre of Western fighters who could potentially serve as operatives for attacks in the West,” he testified Thursday. “And the group is probably exploring a variety of means for infiltrating operatives into the West, including refugee flows, smuggling routes, and legitimate methods of travel.”
Follow Datoc on Twitter and FacebookSep 27, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Mets left fielder Lucas Duda (21) hits a double against the Milwaukee Brewers during the third inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Mike Francesa: Is the Alderson outfielder a player where on-base percentage comes first or power comes first, or both? Sandy Alderson: Well, it would be nice to have a combination. If I could only have one, I’d give a slight nod to on-base percentage, but power is very important. Critically important. – WFAN Interview, November 15, 2013
New York Mets General Manager Sandy Alderson set the world – or Queens, at least – on fire with these comments. The Mets have been in decline offensively over Alderson’s three seasons at the helm, scoring 718 runs in 2011, 650 in 2012, and only 619 in 2013. With Alderson at the helm, and time to install “his system”, the casual view is that the system is a failure. For three seasons the Mets’ approach at the plate has centered around getting on base and the results have been poor.
But it isn’t the system that has failed. By and large, it’s been the talent.
In 2011, Mets’ non-pitchers hit.272/.344/.405, with Angel Pagan’s.322 OBP representing the lowest of the everyday players. In 2012,.254/.322/.396, and Scott Hairston’s.299. 2013?.244/.314/.379, with John Buck and Juan Lagares getting on base at.285 and.281 clips, respectively. Strikeout rates climbed, from 16.1% in 2011 to 21.2% in 2013, as walk rates dropped from 9.3% to 8.5%. So it’s fair to say that it hasn’t been a result of the approach as much as a decline in talent.
Going beyond that though: is there actually merit to Sandy’s preferences?
Short answer: Yes.
Were we scientists, we’d try to formulate an experiment. We could track slugging percentage and on base percentage against runs scored and see how they correlate. And thanks to sites like Fangraphs, we can!
What I’ve done is exactly what I’ve described above. The graphs below compare the runs scored totals for teams over the past twenty years* to on base percentage, slugging percentage, and isolated power (slugging percentage – batting average). Keep in mind that, because the scales are slightly different, you should pay attention to the slope values for the trendlines and not their physical slopes.
*I’ve omitted the 1994 strike season as the lower run totals throw off the graphs
The first thing we see is all three are positively correlated – that is, a higher value for OBP, SLG, or ISO typically corresponds to a higher run total. Looking at the slopes of the trendlines, we see that the correlation is indeed most positive with on base percentage. The ratio of the slope of on base percentage to slugging percentage – roughly 1.81 – suggests that a one-point increase in OBP is nearly twice as valuable as an equivalent increase in slugging percentage (this 1.8 ratio has been confirmed previously).
The fact that the ISO slope is slightly higher than the SLG slope makes sense as well. ISO, by definition, is a measure of extra bases (where slugging percentage is a measure of total bases per at bat, ISO is a measure of extra bases per at bat). This makes clear sense – a double is more valuable than a single, and a home run moreso than a double.
Where the plan draws criticism (often unfairly), is the association of focusing on On Base Percentage and a perceived emphasis on walk rate. Later in the interview, Sandy dispels this perception:
It’s not about drawing walks, it’s about getting into hitter’s counts.
The “On Base Percentage” approach hinges on a single, simple pretense: don’t get out.
That’s it. Don’t get out. Drawing a walk is better than getting out. But that doesn’t make a walk better than a single, and of course Sandy Alderson wouldn’t prefer walks to hits. But players who walk more often are typically more disciplined at the plate, and as such tend to be better hitters overall. Ideal offensive players, as such, are those who get on base and hit for power. Think Mike Trout, Andrew McCutchen, and Miguel Cabrera.
Because of the fact that OBP is more valuable than Slugging, using OPS as a measure of offensive value has an inherent weakness. A better measure, arguably, would be weighted on base average (wOBA). wOBA measures a player’s offensive value by weighting all non-intentional (“intentional” in this case being intentional walks and sacrifice bunts) outcomes by their run expectancy, and then averaging that total. From the Fangraphs page, the important thing to note is that walks are the least-valuable positive outcome, because a walk can advance runners a maximum of one base. A runner on second can score on a single, but not on a walk or hit by pitch. Also, bases aren’t necessarily linearly-weighted – a double isn’t twice as valuable as a single, and a home run isn’t twice as valuable as a double – because you aren’t necessarily twice as likely to score a runner on base on a double as a single.
Don’t mistake that though; a walk is almost infinitely preferable to an out. Your team isn’t worse off, and it allows the next runner the same opportunity. And that’s how rallies are started. By not getting out.
Home runs are awesome. But they’re that much more awesome with a couple of ducks on the pond. And that’s what it’s all about – having more people reach base, so guys like David Wright and <insert your preferred first baseman> have people to knock in.
Thanks for reading! Be sure to follow@RisingAppleBlog on Twitter and Instagram, andLike Rising Apple’s Facebook page to keep up with the latest news, rumors, and opinion.From: Elmaraghy, George
Sent: Monday, August 19, 2013 8:08 AM
To: EPA All
Subject: Thank you
As you know, there has been considerable pressure from the coal companies over the last year for the division staff to accommodate the industry’s needs by issuing permits that may have a negative impact on Ohio’s streams and wetlands and violate state and federal laws. The division staff acted appropriately in trying to implement the law and made every reasonable effort to accommodate the industry’s needs. In doing so, we always acted under the direction of the Governor’s Office, Ohio EPA Director and Chief Counsel.
Because of the industry’s interpretation of the federal Clean Water Act and state water pollution control laws, DSW staff worked under difficult conditions but you have done your jobs honorably. Now, due to this situation, the Governor’s Office and the Director have asked me to resign my position as Chief of the DSW at the Ohio EPA, effective September 13, 2013.
Our division went through similar situations in the past and the division staff was able to overcome these difficulties and accomplish our water quality goals in the end. For example, in the last several years, we have:
1. initiated new programs such as near shore monitoring for Lake Erie,
2. initiated the inland lakes monitoring program,
3. created the Surface Water Improvement Fund grant program,
4. instituted the eDMR (electronic discharge monitoring reports),
5. started dredging the Ashtabula River with the intent to delist it soon,
6. removed several dams and restored riverbanks along several major rivers,
7. reached agreement with the majority of communities with combined
sewer overflow to control the discharge of raw sewage into Ohio’s
lakes and rivers.
8. improved compliance rates and eliminated permit backlog.
As a result, we have been able to bring the majority of Ohio’s large rivers into attainment with water quality standards. You can take pride in knowing that Ohio’s Surface Water program is the envy of other states. I know you will continue our mission to provide clean water for Ohio’s communities and businesses and protect & improve the state’s greatest resource, our water.
I will always greatly appreciate your help and support while I was division chief, and I urge all of you to maintain the high standards of integrity that have always marked our Division.Holy Bath Teertha Snan at Rameswaram
Most of the visitors to Rameswaram are unaware of the holy baths taken in and around the tanks in the city and all the wells inside the temple. It is not only spiritually uplifting, it is a wonderful experience to take bath in so many places in a sequence. You feel so refreshed. It is surprising to see so many fresh water tanks and wells inside the Rameswaram city which is surrounded by sea on all sides. Unfortunately, several tanks are slowly being lost to human greed and encroachments.
Rameswaram Temple Pillars
Holy Tank and Mandapam Pillars
Painting in Rameswaram Temple TN
Ramanathaswamy
Narasimha Statue
The normal spiritual procedure starts with the bath in Lakshmana Teertham tank. It is located around 2-3 kms from the temple. Lord Rama had wished that any visitor must pay respect to his brother and take bath in the Lakshmana Teertham before they take a dip in the rest of the tanks. Just close by is the Rama Teertham tank.
Then one should take bath in the sea called as the Agni teertham. Then we can enter temple which has 22 wells. A ticket needs to be purchased in the temple and a temple employee will help out pulling water from these wells. Complete list of wells and details are available in the official temple website
Arulmigu Ramanatha Swami Temple, Rameswaram
It must be mentioned here that the last well is known as Koti Teertham, is a small spring where water comes from somewhere close to the Siva Linga. It is customarily, considered on par with the water of the holy river Ganga (Since it comes from Lord Shiva). There are provisions for changing the dress inside the temple itself after completion of the all the baths.
Once you are done, visit the shrines of Lord Ramanathaswamy(Siva) and Goddess Paravathavarthini (Parvathi). When we come out of the temple, the shrine of Lord Hanuman, covered with Sindoor is noticeable. His feet are said to go deep into the soil, so that they cannot be seen and some water can also be seen flowing out.
There are also several other tanks outside the temple.Each of the these wells/tanks have a legend associated with them. We hope devotees going to Rameswaram go prepared with sufficient time to take all these holy baths at leisure.
Sethu Samudram Beach
Sethu Samudram
AddressThe Superdome statue commemorating Steve Gleason's famous blocked punt has a curious omission: only the figure of Gleason, flying through the air and touching the ball with his outstretched fingers has a name and a team a viewer can determine.
The reason: the Atlanta Falcons refused to grant the Saints and sculptor Brian Hanlon permission to use the Falcons' symbol or the punter's name in the piece, titled 'Rebirth,' according to multiple sources familiar with the matter.
The Saints repeatedly sought permission from the Falcons, even urging officials in
Atlanta
to appeal directly to Falcons owner Arthur Blank, sources said. The Falcons told the Saints that appeal had been made, but it remained unclear if Blank personally forbid the use of the trademarks or if underlings simply brushed aside the request from a division rival.
When Gleason gained
New Orleans
immortality by blocking that punt on Sept. 26, 2006, he did so along with Falcons punter Michael Koenen, Koenen entered the lore, too. His name, number and the Falcon helmet are clearly visible in the banner of the play that hangs above the Saints indoor practice facility.
And Koenen, now with
Tampa
Bay
, has accepted his place in
New Orleans
history with grace. He and Gleason chatted together and posed for pictures last season when the Buccaneers came to the Superdome.
Koenen tweeted about the statue Friday afternoon.
"Awesome day for an inspirational man in @teamgleason," Koenen wrote. "God bless you in your fight partner!! Half of me likes your statue;)"Massage helped relax people but no more than other cheaper therapies Massage is no more effective at cutting anxiety than deep breathing and soothing music, say US researchers. The study of 68 people, reported in Depression and Anxiety, showed anxiety symptoms were halved for those given 10 massage sessions over three months. But those given relaxation therapy, which is much cheaper, improved by the same amount. Massage experts say the primary aim of massage is to treat damage to soft tissue rather than relaxation. The study looked at people with generalised anxiety disorder, a condition involving excessive worry that makes normal life difficult. The patients were given one of three treatments. One group had massage. The other two groups had relaxation therapy (breathing deeply while lying down) or thermotherapy (having their arms and legs wrapped up intermittently with heating pads and warm towels). We were surprised to find that the benefits of massage were no greater than those of the same number of sessions of 'thermotherapy' or listening to relaxing music
Karen Sherman, lead researcher All three therapies were given in a relaxing environment with soft lighting and quiet music. At the end of the treatments, all three groups reported their anxiety had decreased by about 40% - and about 50% three months later. Lead researcher, Dr Karen Sherman from the Seattle based Group Health Centre for Health Studies said they were surprised to find that the benefits of massage were no greater than those of the same number of sessions of 'thermotherapy' or listening to relaxing music. "This suggests that the benefits of massage may be due to a generalised relaxation response," she said. "Treatment in a relaxing room is much less expensive than the other treatments (massage or thermotherapy), so it might be the most cost-effective option for people with generalised anxiety disorder who want to try a relaxation-oriented complementary medicine therapy." Tension But massage organisations pointed out that massage aims to do more than relax people. Susan Findlay, spokesman for the General Council for Massage Therapies, said massage was not just about dealing with emotional issues and relaxation. "Massage therapists do corrective work with soft tissue such as muscles and tendons. They try to make these tissues work as well as possible," she said. "However, by releasing tension in a shoulder for example, massage may also reduce pain and so make the person feel more relaxed. "This can give the person being treated a powerful psychological boost."
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StumbleUpon What are these? E-mail this to a friend Printable version"I think [impeaching Trump] would be a catastrophic mistake," warned outspoken conservative, and Fox News contributor, Charles Krauthammer, noting that there's no evidence Trump has committed any crime.
As The Hill reports, Krauthammer stressed that he doesn't defend Trump, but only thinks that impeachment is a mistake.
"Again, I think he's unfit," Krauthammer said, "but that's not the grounds for removal." "I don’t think he’s very well fit for the presidency. But fitness is not a reason for impeachment and removal."
Crucially, Krauthammer notes, as demonstrated by last night's rally in West Virginia...
Trump's base is still firmly behind him and worries "I think we’re really headed into very choppy and dangerous constitutional waters"
“Here’s a guy whose numbers are down in the 30s,” Krauthammer said on Fox News’s “Tucker Carlson Tonight.” “He’s got this grand jury, reports of a grand jury being convened, he’s got the walls kind of closing in on him in Washington. And here he’s going out into the country and saying ‘These are my people. These are real people. Forget about the numbers. Forget about the chatter in Washington. Forget about the stories about Russia – which he spent a lot of time on - but I represent a huge constituency of tremendous support and enthusiasm.’”
Townhall notes that Krauthammer then stressed the importance of our democratic process.
“Again, I think he’s unfit but that’s not the grounds for removal,” Krauthammer said. “What it means is, if you think a man is unfit, you vote against him. But you don’t remove him from office and that’s where I’m afraid we are headed given the forces that are surrounding the president. I just hope that cooler heads prevail. There will be another election – there always are – people can make their choices."
With a final ominous warning to the Left...Robert Naviaux, an autism researcher at the University of California, San Diego, and a parent in his autism trial, discuss the drug and the effect seen on children who received it.
Robert Naviaux, an autism researcher at the University of California, San Diego, and a parent in his autism trial, discuss the drug and the effect seen on children who received it.
Parents of five boys who received an experimental treatment for autism describe the results in remarks provided by UC San Diego Health. --- The main story about the drug, suramin, can be found here. --- How to bring this therapy to more autistic children? Subject #1 Can you imagine being the parent of one of the locked-in patients in the movie “Awakenings?” Our son is 11 years old. At one-and-a-half years old, he knew his colors, shapes and numbers in English, Spanish and Farsi. He could put puzzles together faster than anyone at his age. He was social and engaged others. By three-years old all of that language and communication was lost and he was diagnosed with autism. As two physicians, we have tried a lot of treatments and therapies. When he started in the UC San Diego clinical trial of suramin, he could speak in short two- or three-word sentences and sentence fragments. He had a nasal voice that sounded “pitchy.” He was prone to echoing other people’s words and getting hyper and over-excited, running to and fro while making "stim" movements with his hands, in any social setting. The doctors told us his expressive language was at three years and his receptive language was at four years of age. Within an hour after the suramin infusion, the nasal quality to his voice disappeared. This stayed normal-sounding for more than three weeks. The first night after the infusion, a new calmness was apparent. This was not a sedative effect, but rather he seemed happier and more at ease in his own skin. The first night, after eating all his dinner, he calmly looked up at me and said, “I finished my dinner.” He had never said this before. Usually he would say, “I did it” when he finished his dinner. Two days after the infusion, at his follow-up visit to the infusion center, he said clearly to the nurse, “I want to go to the bathroom again.” This was probably the longest sentence of his life. Six days after the infusion, he started asking to try new and different foods. He ate lettuce! This was a big change because he is usually a very picky eater. His appetite in general was excellent after the infusion. He started being much more interested in social contact, making and holding eye contact with his therapist for long periods of time, and even tried to get her to laugh at a new game he was inventing. He actually tried to make someone else laugh! We noticed a new engagement and focus in trying new things. He learned to count from 100 to 200 for the first time. We noticed much new language and spontaneous use of normal full sentences to express his needs and wants. For example, when my husband was starting to leave on a trip out of town, my son wrapped his arms around him and said, “Today, I only want to be with you.” By about five weeks after the infusion, most of these changes had gone back the way he was before. We have been working hard, trying every new treatment for autism that seemed reasonable for the past eight years. Nothing has come close to the effects we saw from suramin. Just one dose of suramin gave us a glimpse of that child who was locked in by his disease. We got to see that one-and-a-half-year-old little boy, with all that life and joy and smarts who is still in there, and with the right medicine can come out and continue to learn again. So can you imagine being the parent of that locked-in patient in the movie “Awakenings?” When the patients finally wake up and smile and dance. But then it's all taken away? Subject #2 Our son is five years old. He was diagnosed with autism at age 3 ½. He could speak in four to eight word sentences before the suramin trial. He never initiated conversations and never asked about the feelings of others. He had many special interests and lived most of the day in his own world, without interacting with other children. He loved all things with circles in them like Cheerios, wheels and balls. He also loves to construct colorful numbers with Play-Doh. Immediately after the infusion, a kind of inner cheerfulness started to come out. When we were walking back to the car, he was holding my hand. He started giggling and looked up at me and said, “I just don’t know why I’m so happy.” On weekends when we took him to a neighborhood park before the infusion, he would sit off to the side of the playground doing his own thing. After the infusion, new social skills and language started bursting out. He started joining in games of tag. At school, he started imitating the other kids playing chase and tag on the playground. He did this awkwardly at first because he didn’t really know the social rules of the game. Sometimes he was too eager to join in and the other kids didn’t understand his new interest in playing. This led to some tears on the playground until our son could learn the rules of playing with the other kids. This was all so new for him. In big family gatherings, he had a new tolerance when other kids wanted to share his Play-Doh and other special toys. In the past, this would have led to a meltdown. After suramin, that didn’t happen and he played much more naturally with the other kids. The effect of suramin on his language was really amazing to us. The length and complexity of his sentences seemed to almost triple from what it was before suramin. Not only did he start talking about what was going on around him, but he was able to tell me about things that happened at school during his day for the first time ever. This is something that I have always wanted to be able to do, to talk to my son about his day. There were times when he was so focused and eager to try new games or do new things that he was hyper with excitement, and on several days he was getting up early in the morning to start new activities he was becoming interested in. After suramin, he had a new ability to cope with adverse situations. Once when a new BB8 (a Star Wars robot character) Christmas ornament shattered on the floor, he didn’t even cry and was easily comforted and engaged in another activity. Seven weeks after the infusion, I got a call from his kindergarten teacher. She called to tell me about a remarkable thing. Our son was sitting at a project table with five other children. He asked one of the boys, “What are you making?” and had a back-and-forth conversation for the first time in his life. He asked one of the girls, “What is your favorite color?” and had a two-way conversation with her. These were completely new behaviors that he had never done before.
In general, throughout the study, therapists, family, and friends commented on his increased language and desire for more social interaction. Suramin produced the most dramatic improvement in autism symptoms that we have ever seen with anything we have tried. Subject #3 Our son is 14 years old. His early development was advanced. He spoke in complete sentences to his older brother and sister at two years of age. He liked listening to music and had a favorite folk singer that he liked to listen to. A little after his second birthday, he began to regress and lost all of his language. He was diagnosed with autism when he was 3 years old. At the time of the suramin study, he could only make some sounds and some hard to understand single, compressed and almost-whispered single words. The doctors told us that his expressive language was that of a two-and-a-half-year-old, although his receptive language was better. He had not spoken a complete sentence in almost 12 years. After the infusion, we witnessed a remarkable change. Within an hour after the infusion he started to make more eye contact with the doctor and nurses in the room. There was a new calmness at times, but also more emotion at other times. He started to show an interest in playing hide-and-go-seek with his 16-year-old brother. He started practicing making new sounds around the house. He started seeking out his dad more. On a Saturday about a week after the infusion, his dad was making a snack in the kitchen. My son went in and said very clearly the first sentence of his life. He looked at his dad and said, “I want to eat chips.” His appetite improved and he started asking to try new foods. By three weeks after the infusion, he was starting to show tender emotions that were so endearing. He started to sit quietly on the couch with his dad while watching TV and to gently, almost unconsciously, touch or tap his father tenderly. Before the suramin, our family dog, a little Chihuahua stayed away from our son. Afterward, our little dog would spend hours on the couch sitting quietly next to our son as he worked on one of his new interests, computers and the internet. Before suramin, our son never touched a computer or showed any interest in music. After suramin he had an explosion of new interests. He started asking to try new foods. He started using the family laptop computer. He learned how to surf the internet. He discovered YouTube. By the fourth week after suramin, he had surfed through YouTube and found the very same folk singer that he used to listen to as a child 12 years ago before his regression. It was really amazing to think that he remembered this from so long ago. He played chase and tag with his older brother regularly. He had never done this before. Soon they were inventing games of catch with each other. New behaviors and new language was apparent almost every day. By about five weeks after the suramin, he started returning to being more closed-in. He stopped asking for new foods, and by six weeks afterwards, he was no longer using the computer or listening to new music. We saw improvements in our son after suramin that we have never seen before. We have tried every new treatment out there for over 10 years. Nothing has come close to all the changes in language and social interaction and new interests that we saw after suramin. We saw our son advance almost three years in development in just six weeks after suramin. We want to see now if a few doses of suramin over a few months might help him even more. Subject #4 Our son is six years old. His early development was normal. He had several words and to us appeared to be doing great until he was almost two. At 22 months of age, he gradually stopped talking over a few weeks. He soon did not respond to his own name. In a few more weeks he regressed socially. He was diagnosed with autism at two years of age. Before suramin, he could only make a few sounds and a few poorly enunciated, whispered words. He had never spoken a complete sentence. On the day of the suramin treatment, he was very anxious and upset. He strongly resisted the IV placement and didn’t make eye contact with any of the doctors or nurses in the room. Within an hour after the infusion he seemed calmer. He made eye contact with the doctor. At home, he started making new sounds in the first week, almost as if he was practicing. He started seeking out new social interactions both with adults and other children. He actually hugged another child of a family friend during a visit in the first week. This was the first time he had ever done this, and it just blew us away. In the second week after suramin, he said the first sentence of his life. We were sitting down watching TV as a family and our son clearly said, “I want to have a drink.” Before, if pushed he might say “drink” or “drinky.” My wife and I, and especially our oldest child, were amazed. Over the month after suramin, he changed his food choices. He used to eat a lot of salad. After suramin, he seemed to crave more protein, and didn’t want to eat salad. His therapists and teacher all commented that he was more on task at school. In fact, his teachers at school were unaware of the trial and one day we got a note from the teacher asking about what we had changed. We were naturally concerned and when we asked they told us that 'He has completed three weeks of schooling in three days!' He learned to read new words like “the,” “one,” “are,” and “and”—and to pronounce them well for the first time in his life. The initial calmness and focus and interest in new social interactions stayed with him for at least a month, then gradually went away. While every parent is looking for an answer to autism, we clearly saw that suramin provided major benefits for our son. At first we thought maybe our desire to see improvements was so strong we were seeing them, but that they might not really be there. So to have the school's independent feedback on his progress during the treatment, and our family friends seeing the new social interaction, as well as his older brother’s amazement at our son’s first sentence, we knew it wasn't just in our heads. Suramin is the most significant breakthrough in autism treatment for our son that we have ever seen. Subject #5 Our son is 7 years old. We noticed his language was delayed at two-and-a-half years. There was no regression. By 3 ½ years of age, he was diagnosed with autism. Before the infusion, he could speak some sentences of perhaps four to five words in length. He would often echo phrases spoken by others many times |
have been an early draft, is no longer available on the Google site, is from Sundar Pichai, Senior Vice President, Google Chrome & Apps. In it he states: "Today we launch Google Drive, a centralized space where you can create, share, collaborate and store all your documents. You establish a budget with your staff that you develop a presentation with a working group or hosting a seminar, you can now do it in Drive. Download and access all your documents, videos, photos, Google Docs, PDF, etc."
So, this is more than just a Dropbox replacement. It's mean to be a cloud collaborative environment as well. As such, in some ways it seems to be, as Pichai puts it, the "Next step in the evolution of Google Docs."
With "Google Drive," he continued, "you can: Create and collaborate. Google Docs is integrated directly into Google Drive, allowing you to work in real time with colleagues on documents, spreadsheets and presentations. Add and reply to comments on any media (PDF, image, videotape, etc.) and be informed when other people comment on or wish to share documents with you."
Pichai promises that you'll be able to "Keep your documents securely and access anywhere and on any device connected to the Internet. All your documents are just... there."
How will this work? Pichai wrote, "You can install Google Drive on your Mac, PC, or download the application Drive on your phone or Android tablet. An iOS version of the application will be available in the coming weeks. Drive is also accessible to visually impaired people using a screen reader tool." In addition, I might add, Google Drive is available on Linux.
In addition, and comes as no surprise from Google, you'll be able to search your cloud drive "by keyword and filter by document type, owner, activity, etc.
It will also include optical character recognition (OCR). Pichai claims Google Drive can even recognize the text content of scanned document. "For example, if you download the scanned image of an old newspaper clipping, you can search using one of the words quoted in the article. We have even begun to tap the image recognition: if you upload a picture of the Eiffel Tower in Drive, the next time you search the term [Eiffel Tower], the image will appear in the results."
It sounds as if, instead of being integrated with the operating system as an add-on, the way most people use Dropbox, Google Drive will work directly from the Web browser. This plays well with Google's Chrome operating system, but if so other users may not be as happy with it. I know, for me, the fact that Dropbox works hand-in-glove with any operating system's file manager is one of its nicest features.
Be that as it may, Pichai states that with Google Drive you'll be able to "Open more than 30 types of documents directly from a Web browser - including high-definition video, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop - even without the proper software installed on your computer,"
As for management and security, Pichai wrote:
We know that you need to access your documents in order to work everyday. Google Drive uses the same infrastructure as any other Google Apps services, which means it also has the same administrative tools, security and reliability, among others: Centralized management: new tools are available in the Apps control interface for administrators to add or remove storage space for individual or groups of users Security: encryption of data transfer between your browser and our servers, and check option 2 in time to prevent non-authorized access to an account by requiring users to log on returning secure code generated from their mobile phone Data replication: synchronous replication of data in multiple data centers ensures the safety and accessibility of your records even in the unlikely event one of our data centers is temporarily unavailable Availability: 99.9% uptime guarantee so you can be assured that your documents are accessible when you need it Each user has access to Google Apps 5GB storage included in the suite Google Apps administrators can centrally manage and purchase additional storage space. When a user reaches the limit, administrators can purchase the necessary space of 20GB for $4 per month to 1TB (Google Docs are not counted in the quota of storage space).
Yes, you read that right, you could get up to a terabyte of storage via Google Drive. In the official announcement, Pichai also spelled out Google Drive's pricing: "You can choose to upgrade to 25GB for $2.49/month, 100GB for $4.99/month or even 1TB for $49.99/month. When you upgrade to a paid account, your Gmail account storage will also expand to 25GB."
He continued, "Starting today, Google Apps administrators will see new orders for Drive in their management interface. Users of companies have opted for the quick launch, will enable Google Drive on the Google Drive site and will receive their access in the following weeks."
The Google Drive site is now working. The response time to get a Google Drive seems to be a little slow, but that's only to be expected as millions of users start to flock to it.
The official Google Drive announcement uses somewhat different language, but there are no other real changes.
Finally, Pichai wrote, "Drive is designed to work harmoniously with all the products you use - whether Google products or third party service. You can share your photos on Google Drive + and will soon be able to attach documents directly into your emails Drive Gmail. Drive is intended to be an open platform, so we work with many third party developers, allowing you to do things such as sending faxes, edit videos and create models directly from Drive website. To install these applications, visit the Chrome Web Store and follow the events for more useful applications to come. It is only the beginning of Google Drive, many developments are coming. Stay tuned!"
I, for one, will be staying tuned.
Related Stories:
Google Drive kicks off with DocuSign integration
Google Drive: What it could mean for the cloud storage marketMicrosoft adds paid storage options to its SkyDrive cloud service
Google Drive: The Cloud Backup I want to see
How Google Drive will compare to Dropbox
Google Drive details leak: 5GB for freeRhubarb Rhubarb is a 30-minute television comedy special made by Thames TV and transmitted in 1980. The special is a re-make of Eric Sykes' 1969 film, Rhubarb.
Plot [ edit ]
A police inspector is so intent on winning a round of golf against a vicar, despite his lack of ability at the game, that he employs his constable to furtively disentangle his ball from the odd spots in which it usually comes to rest - while his opponent looks for help from a higher power...
Said help takes on an increasingly miraculous appearance, to the extent of inanimate objects appearing to move in order to block the inspector's shots. However, when the vicar attempts to lie about the number of shots it took to free his ball from a sand trap he gets his comeuppance from a bolt of lightning.
In the final scene the entire game is revealed to have been a dream that the vicar had during a brief nap in church.
Dialogue [ edit ]
The word "rhubarb" is the only one uttered, many times over, in this film. (Likewise, the golf game takes place at the Royal Rhubarb golf course, and at one point a character is seen reading a newspaper called the Daily Rhubarb whose headlines consist entirely of the word 'rhubarb'.)
In the United Kingdom it is or was common for a crowd of extras in acting to shout the word "rhubarb" repeatedly and out of step with each other, to cause the effect of general hubbub. It was this use which inspired Sykes to use it as the only word in "Rhubarb Rhubarb".
Cast [ edit ]
†Hattie Jacques died between the making of Rhubarb Rhubarb and its screening.
See also [ edit ]
Sources [ edit ]
Rhubarb Rhubarb in the BBC Guide to ComedyAccording to the state-owned news agency ITAR-TASS, the government of Russia has banned anonymous access to wifi.
The report says that Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has signed an order banning such access to the internet in establishments offering wifi connections, such as restaurants and public spaces.
Instead, the operators of the communications services will have to identify users with a full name confirmed by an ID. The report says that hardware must also be identified, although it's not clear what this means.
The ITAR-TASS story refers to an announcement on the Russian government website; we have not been able to locate the announcement.
A story by the US-owned Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty adds that bloggers also may no longer remain anonymous and that "[a] recent law requires bloggers with more than 3,000 daily readers to register with the country's mass media regulator, Roskomnadzor, and conform to the regulations that govern Russia's regular media outlets."
[UPDATE:] There have been two short follow-up articles from ITAR-TASS on the new rule. First "Russian ban on anonymous wi-fi access to have no impact on private access points," the body of which is identical to the headline, plus a note attributing the report to an unspecified minstry. The distinction for private Wi-Fi access points may be a distinction without a difference, as those access points all connect through ISP accounts which are not anonymous.
The second article is "Russian government may review law banning anonymous Wi-Fi," says that the new law might be changed and attributes the statement to the prime minister’s press secretary Natalya Timakova. It adds that "[t]he law has caused mixed reactions in the Russian society."There are a few questions that come up quite often regarding vCenter Server upgrades and mixed-versions that we would like to address. In this blog post we will discuss and attempt to clarify the guidance in the vSphere Documentation for Upgrade or Migration Order and Mixed-Version Transitional Behavior for Multiple vCenter Server Instance Deployments. This doc breaks down what happens during the vCenter Server upgrade process and describes the impacts of having components – vCenter Server and Platform Services Controller (PSC), running at different versions during the upgrade window. For example, once you get some vCenter Server instances upgraded, say to 6.5 Update 1, you won’t be able to manage those upgraded instances from any 5.5 instances. While most of the functionality limitations manifest themselves when upgrading from 5.5 to 6.x, there could also be some quirks in environments running a mix of 6.0 and 6.5. There are a couple of additional questions that seem to arise from this doc so let’s see if we can address them.
The Upgrade Process
I’m not going to go through the entire process here, but it is important to understand the basics of how a vCenter Server upgrade works. Remember that there are two components to vCenter Server – the Platform Services Controller (PSC) which runs the vSphere (SSO) Domain and vCenter Server itself. For a vCenter Server upgrade, the vSphere Domain and all PSCs within it, must be upgraded first. Once that is complete, then the vCenter Servers can be upgraded. Obviously, if you have a standalone vCenter Server with an embedded PSC, this is a much simpler proposition. But, for those requiring external PSCs because of other requirements such as Enhanced Linked Mode, just remember the PSCs need to be upgraded first.
The other important point to make here is that upgrading by site is not supported. Looking at the above example, you can see there are two sites each with an external PSC and a vCenter Server. It is a common that a customer would like to upgrade an entire site, test, and then move onto the next site. Unfortunately, this is not supported and all PSCs within the vSphere Domain across all sites must be upgraded first.
Mixed-Version Support
Now, on to the questions mentioned earlier. The first question is, “Can I run vCenter Servers and Platform Services Controllers (PSCs) of different versions in my vSphere Domain?” The answer here is yes, but only during the time of an upgrade. VMware does not support running different versions of these components under normal operations within a vSphere Domain. The exact verbiage from the article is, “Mixed-version environments are not supported for production. Use these environments only during the period when an environment is in transition between vCenter Server versions.” So, do not plan on running different versions of vCenter Server and PSC in production on an ongoing basis.
The second question is then, “How long can I run in this mixed-version mode?” This question is a bit tougher to answer. There is no magic date or time bomb when things will just stop working. This is really more of a question of understanding the risks and knowing how problems may affect the environment should something go wrong while in this mixed-version state.
The Risks
An example of one such risk would be if you were upgrading to vSphere 6.5 from 5.5. Let’s say you had your vSphere Domain (i.e. PSCs) and one vCenter Server already upgraded leaving you with 1 or more vCenter Server 5.5 instances. Imagine that something happens leaving a vCenter Server 5.5 completely wiped out. You could restore that vCenter Server 5.5 instance and be back in production as long as you have a good, current backup. If the backup you need to restore from was taken prior to the start of the vSphere Domain upgrade, you would not be able to use it to restore. The reason for this is that the vCenter Server instance that you would be restoring is expecting a 5.5 vSphere Domain and the communication between that restored vCenter Server instance and the 6.5 PSC would not work. An alternative to this would be to rollback the entire vSphere Domain and any other vCenter Servers that were upgraded.
Another risk would be if we are unable to restore that instance because the backups were bad (it does happen) or you couldn’t accept the outcome of losing the data since that backup was taken. The result here is that you would be forced to rebuild that vCenter Server instance and re-attach all the hosts. This may not be desirable because this new vCenter Server instance would have a new UUID and all of the hosts, VMs, and other objects would also have new moref IDs. This means that any backup tools or monitoring software would see these as all net new objects and you would lose continuity of backups or monitoring. You also would have to rebuild the vCenter Server instance as 6.5 which also may not be desirable because you may have an application or other constraint that requires a specific version of vCenter Server. If you rebuild the instance as 6.5 you may break that application.
Finally, let’s consider the possibility of having a PSC failure instead of losing a vCenter Server. What happens? Normally, you could easily repoint a vCenter Server instance to another external PSC within the same SSO Site. However, this would not be possible if the vCenter Server is not running the same version as the PSC you are attempting to repoint to. For example, if you had a vCenter Server 5.5 or 6.0 and they were pointing to a 6.5 PSC (because it has already been upgraded), if that PSC failed you would not be able to repoint that vCenter Server to another PSC. Remember that all PSCs must be upgraded first so all PSCs should be running 6.5 already. The only way to recover from this scenario is to restore or redeploy the failed PSC which may take longer than repointing.
Recommendations
So, give the above scenarios, what do we tell a customer who asks, “My upgrade plan spans multiple sites over multiple months. How should I plan my upgrade?” Here are our recommendations:
Minimize the upgrade window Follow the upgrade documentation Take full backups before, during, and after the upgrade Check the interop matrices and test the upgrade first
The first recommendation is to minimize the upgrade window as much as possible. We understand that there’s only so much you can do here, but it is important to reduce the amount of time you’ll be running different versions of vCenter Server (and PSC) in the same vSphere Domain. The second recommendation is to, no matter how tempting to do otherwise, upgrade the entire vSphere Domain (SSO Instances and PSCs) first as is called out in the vSphere Documentation. It is not supported to upgrade everything in one site and then move onto the next. You must upgrade all SSO Instances and PSCs in the vSphere Domain, across ALL sites and locations, first. Third, make sure you have good backups every step of the way. While snapshots can be a path to a quick rollback, when dealing with SSO, PSCs, and vCenter Server they don’t always work. Taking a full backup ensures the ability to restore to a known clean state. Last, and certainly not least, do your interoperability testing and test the upgrade in a lab environment that represents your production environment as much as possible.
Emad has a great 3-part series on upgrades (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3) so be sure to check it out prior to testing and beginning your upgrade. Also know and understand the risks and impacts of problems during the upgrade process. Finally, know how the upgrade process is going to affect all of the yet-to-be-upgraded parts of your environment and have good rollback and mitigation plans if any issues come up.Writing Unit Tests often is not enough to make sure your software is working correctly. In order to make sure your components are integrated correctly, writing automated Integration Tests will help you accomplish that goal. Unfortunately, setting up a project for automated integration testing is not straight forward. In this article I'll show how to set up a Spring Boot web application with Maven that automatically runs on Travis CI and connects to Selenium WebDrivers running on Sauce Labs for testing with real browsers. This is done step-by-step so hopefully it will be easy for you to follow along and set up integration tests for your own Spring Boot project.
Prerequisites
You're going to need accounts on GitHub, Travis CI and Sauce Labs to follow the instructions in this article. All of these services are entirely free for open source projects.
Local setup
In order to help with development and testing the setup, we're first going to set up the environment locally. Let's start with this simple pom.xml :
<project xmlns= "http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0" xmlns:xsi= "http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xsi:schemaLocation= "http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 http://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.0.0.xsd" > <modelVersion> 4.0.0 </modelVersion> <groupId> org.example </groupId> <artifactId> webapp </artifactId> <version> 0.1.0-SNAPSHOT </version> <packaging> jar </packaging> <parent> <groupId> org.springframework.boot </groupId> <artifactId> spring-boot-starter-parent </artifactId> <version> 1.4.2.RELEASE </version> </parent> <properties> <java.version> 1.8 </java.version> <project.build.sourceEncoding> UTF-8 </project.build.sourceEncoding> <selenium.version> 2.53.1 </selenium.version> </properties> <dependencies> <dependency> <groupId> org.springframework.boot </groupId> <artifactId> spring-boot-starter-web </artifactId> </dependency> <dependency> <groupId> org.springframework.boot </groupId> <artifactId> spring-boot-starter-test </artifactId> <scope> test </scope> </dependency> <dependency> <groupId> org.seleniumhq.selenium </groupId> <artifactId> selenium-remote-driver </artifactId> <version> ${selenium.version} </version> <scope> test </scope> </dependency> <dependency> <groupId> org.seleniumhq.selenium </groupId> <artifactId> selenium-support </artifactId> <version> ${selenium.version} </version> <scope> test </scope> </dependency> </dependencies> <build> <plugins> <plugin> <groupId> org.springframework.boot </groupId> <artifactId> spring-boot-maven-plugin </artifactId> </plugin> </plugins> </build> </project>
This is the main application class ( src/main/java/org/example/webapp/WebApp.java ):
package org.example.webapp; import org.springframework.boot.SpringApplication; import org.springframework.boot.autoconfigure.SpringBootApplication; @SpringBootApplication public class WebApp { public static void main ( String... args) { SpringApplication. run (WebApp. class, args); } }
And there's also an HTML file we want to navigate our WebDriver to ( src/main/resources/static/index.html ):
<p class= "working" > It works! </p>
Simple integration test
In order to be able to inject a Selenium WebDriver into the test classes, we add a Spring configuration class ( src/test/java/org/example/webapp/integration/ITConfig.java ):
package org.example.webapp.integration; import org.openqa.selenium.WebDriver; import org.openqa.selenium.remote.DesiredCapabilities; import org.openqa.selenium.remote.RemoteWebDriver; import org.springframework.beans.factory.annotation.Autowired; import org.springframework.context.annotation.Bean; import org.springframework.context.annotation.Configuration; import org.springframework.core.env.Environment; import java.net.MalformedURLException; import java.net.URL; @Configuration public class ITConfig { @Autowired private Environment env; @Bean public WebDriver webDriver () throws MalformedURLException { return new RemoteWebDriver ( getRemoteUrl (), getDesiredCapabilities ()); } private DesiredCapabilities getDesiredCapabilities () { return DesiredCapabilities. firefox (); } private URL getRemoteUrl () throws MalformedURLException { return new URL ( "http://localhost:4445/wd/hub" ); } }
Here's a very basic integration test ( src/test/java/org/example/webapp/integration/IndexTest.java ):
package org.example.webapp.integration; import org.junit.Assert; import org.junit.Test; import org.junit.runner.RunWith; import org.openqa.selenium.By; import org.openqa.selenium.WebDriver; import org.openqa.selenium.WebElement; import org.springframework.beans.factory.annotation.Autowired; import org.springframework.test.context.ContextConfiguration; import org.springframework.test.context.junit4.SpringJUnit4ClassRunner; import static org.hamcrest.Matchers.equalTo; import static org.hamcrest.Matchers.is; @RunWith (SpringJUnit4ClassRunner. class ) @ContextConfiguration (classes = ITConfig. class ) public class IndexTest { @Autowired private WebDriver webDriver; @Test public void visitIndexPage () throws Exception { webDriver. get ( "http://localhost:8080/" ); WebElement working = webDriver. findElement (By. id ( "working" )); Assert. assertThat (working. getText (), is ( equalTo ( "It works!" ))); } }
That's everything you need for the integration test itself. In order to run it locally, you'll have to download the Selenium standalone server (get selenium-server-standalone-2.53.1.jar from here) as well as the geckodriver for your platform. Then put both the geckodriver binary and the selenium jar in a directory anywhere on your computer and run selenium from a command prompt:
java -jar selenium-server-standalone-2.53.1.jar -port 4445
From a separate command prompt, you can now run
mvn spring-boot:run
to start the application and
mvn test
in a third command prompt. Hopefully, you'll see your test start Firefox after a while an it navigating to http://localhost:8080/.
Automating the configuration
The next step on our way is to be able to start our web app and the integration tests in a single command. This can be achieved using the maven-failsafe-plugin. Alter the build definition in your pom.xml to the following:
<build> <plugins> <plugin> <groupId> org.springframework.boot </groupId> <artifactId> spring-boot-maven-plugin </artifactId> <executions> <execution> <id> pre-integration-test </id> <goals> <goal> start </goal> </goals> <configuration> <arguments> --server.port=${server.port} </arguments> </configuration> </execution> <execution> <id> post-integration-test </id> <goals> <goal> stop </goal> </goals> </execution> </executions> </plugin> <plugin> <groupId> org.codehaus.mojo </groupId> <artifactId> build-helper-maven-plugin </artifactId> <version> 1.12 </version> <executions> <execution> <id> reserve-container-port </id> <goals> <goal> reserve-network-port </goal> </goals> <phase> process-resources </phase> <configuration> <portNames> <portName> server.port </portName> </portNames> </configuration> </execution> </executions> </plugin> <plugin> <groupId> org.apache.maven.plugins </groupId> <artifactId> maven-failsafe-plugin </artifactId> <version> 2.18.1 </version> <configuration> <systemPropertyVariables> <server.port> ${server.port} </server.port> <selenium.version> ${selenium.version} </selenium.version> </systemPropertyVariables> </configuration> </plugin> </plugins> </build>
Failsafe adds several integration-test phases to the Maven lifecycle. We added an execution to the spring-boot-maven-plugin that starts the app before integration tests are run. The build-helper-maven-plugin is used to reserve a free port, so it won't have port collisions if port 8080 is already in use.
Failsafe automatically detects integration tests by their name. All classes under src/test/java that end with IT will be executed by Failsafe instead of Surefire. Therefore we must rename the class IndexTest to IndexIT. Also we need to dynamically set the port of the requested URL in the test. Here's how the test looks after these changes:
@RunWith (SpringJUnit4ClassRunner. class ) @ContextConfiguration (classes = ITConfig. class ) public class IndexIT { @Autowired private WebDriver webDriver; @Value ( "${server.port}" ) private int serverPort; @Test public void visitIndexPage () throws Exception { webDriver. get ( String.format ( "http://localhost: %d /", serverPort)); WebElement working = webDriver. findElement (By. id ( "working" )); Assert. assertThat (working. getText (), is ( equalTo ( "It works!" ))); } }
Now you should be able to run the integration tests with the following command:
mvn verify
Testing continuously
Since programmers are lazy and soon won't want to run these time consuming tests on their own machines, it's time to configure a CI server to do it for you. Travis CI is a solution that integrates well into GitHub and also has support to run Selenium tests via Sauce Labs.
First you need to enable the GitHub project in your Travis profile. This should only be one click:
Travis project activation
Then you need to set up your project on Sauce Labs. I won't cover this here, but once your project is set up, you will see your access key in your account settings. This access key is needed to verify the Travis CI server that runs your tests is allowed to control a Sauce Labs WebDriver. This key shouldn't become publicy visible, so it makes sense to encrypt it. This can be done by using the Travis CLI tool (installation instructions).
Encryption is done with the following command:
travis encrypt "SAUCE_ACCESS_KEY=your-access-key"
This returns a string that you need for the file.travis.yml :
language: java jdk: - oraclejdk8 addons: sauce_connect: username: your-user-name jwt: secure: your-encrypted-access-key script: mvn verify -B
Replace your-user-name with the name of your Sauce Labs account and your-encrypted-access-key with the encrypted access key string. Additionally, Sauce Labs user name and access key need to be set as environment variables in the settings of your project as SAUCE_USERNAME and SAUCE_ACCESS_KEY (unencrypted).
When this is done, our ITConfig needs to be modified slightly to provide the RemoteWebDriver with a URL that contains the information of the Sauce Labs account:
@Configuration public class ITConfig { @Autowired private Environment env; @Bean public WebDriver webDriver () throws MalformedURLException { return new RemoteWebDriver ( getRemoteUrl (), getDesiredCapabilities ()); } private DesiredCapabilities getDesiredCapabilities () { final DesiredCapabilities capabilities = DesiredCapabilities. firefox (); if ( useSauceLabs ()) { capabilities. setCapability ( "tunnel-identifier", env. getProperty ( "TRAVIS_JOB_NUMBER" )); capabilities. setCapability ( "seleniumVersion", env. getProperty ( "selenium.version" )); } return capabilities; } private boolean useSauceLabs () { return env. getProperty ( "SAUCE_USERNAME" )!= null ; } private URL getRemoteUrl () throws MalformedURLException { if ( useSauceLabs ()) { return new URL ( String.format ( "http:// %s : %s @localhost:4445/wd/hub", env. getProperty ( "SAUCE_USERNAME" ), env. getProperty ( "SAUCE_ACCESS_KEY" ))); } else { return new URL ( "http://localhost:4445/wd/hub" ); } } }
Push these changes to GitHub and you're done! You can watch your tests run on Travis and even watch the browser in your Sauce Lab account.
It works!
The complete sources of this sample project are available on GitHub.
Happy testing!“This is Congo” is a riskily broad, blunt title for a documentary about a territory still feverish with present-day conflict and an unhappily storied past; by nominally promising to show us Congo in all its glory and equivalent woe, American filmmaker Daniel McCabe’s busy, absorbing study sets itself a bar it can hardly hope to meet in just 90-odd minutes. Yet while its attempt at a potted colonial history of the country is merely cursory, “This is Congo” is strong medicine when it turns more selective: As a contemporary study of the violent struggle between the hamstrung Congolese national army and M23 rebel forces in the North Kivu region, the film is often blisteringly effective, venturing to the frontline in pursuit of raw war footage likely to open many an outside viewer’s eyes — or, at its harshest interludes, prompt them to squeeze tightly shut.
That vivid illustrating-the-headlines approach should give “This is Congo” considerable mileage on the festival circuit following its out-of-competition Venice premiere, particularly within a growing subset of human rights-themed programming. Niche theatrical distribution will follow, though wider television exposure is likely for a film that sometimes hovers between a small- and big-screen focus: Its archive footage integration and talking-head setups are straightforward enough, but the film soars when it plays up to McCabe’s grounding as a photographer, exploring the rapturous natural landscape, bustling incidental street life and rattling war-zone chaos of the Congo with wholly cinematic vigor.
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“This is Congo” may be most propulsive when dealing in military matters — which duly come to dominate the running time — but the film feigns a more holistic structure, its perspective fractiously split between soldiers and civilians. Four figures emerge as the film’s key storytellers and conduits of narrative tension. On the fighting front, we’re introduced to “Colonel Kasongo” (real name withheld), a high-ranking but fairweather officer in President Joseph Kabila’s National Army who has repeatedly crossed over to the rebels’ side. (Unsurprisingly, he’s shot in darkness, with his verbal testimony dubbed by the great Ivorian actor Isaach de Bankolé.) Colonel Mamadou Ndala, meanwhile, requires no such obscuring of his identity. A bullish, magnetic military leader, he’s hailed as a national hero for his efforts in defending the North Kivu capital Goma from Rwandan and Ugandan-backed M23 (also known as Congolese Revolutionary Army) dissidents following their 2012 capture of the city — with the film’s rough timeline covering the following two years of conflict.
Mamadou, as he’s simply known to his followers, comes to dominate the film as emphatically as he does his forces — not just through his camera-ready charisma, a frankly disturbing asset as he gleefully shows off his army’s more abusive practices, but because he regrettably has the most complete tragic arc of all the human subjects here. “This is Congo’s” narrative structure is pinned on Mamadou’s rise and fall — well-publicized to those who have followed the conflict in the news, but framed by McCabe as a cruel twist.
By contrast, the film’s two civilian representatives can’t help but feel less integral to the whole, though their voices are individually compelling. Bibianne, nicknamed Mama Romance, is a single mother who has managed to support her family by smuggling and illegally trading gemstones from the mineral-rich Kivu region across national borders; Hakiza Nyantaba, meanwhile, is a professional tailor and itinerant refugee who has been forced to flee his home six times due to various military flare-ups, though his vintage Singer sewing machine is never left behind. Bibianne and Hakiza are our windows into the larger social ruin left in the war’s wake: McCabe, who acts as his own keen-eyed cinematographer, captures some of the film’s most vital footage simply by roaming the paths of a refugee displacement camp, where the gross lack of essential resources is stoically incorporated into daily routine.
There’s a lot of ravaged ground to cover here, and editor Alyse Ardell Spiegel does well to compress these differing, sometimes opposing, perspectives into an efficient encapsulation that won’t bewilder viewers unfamiliar with the Congolese crisis. Those who come to “This is Congo” with some prior knowledge may be more frustrated by its broad-brush-basics approach to explaining Belgian colonization and the post-independence power struggle between Patrice Lumumba and Mobutu Sese Seko, as well as its rather vague view on the current administration of Joseph Kabila — though a closing title card details the country’s delayed 2016 election and undue extension of Kabila’s presidency as a bitter kicker.
“This is Congo” instead excels when trading in details that can’t be more substantively gleaned from written history and journalism. McCabe’s film plainly conveys the persistent panic of living to a soundtrack of bullets, countered with the shrugging acceptance of destruction. In one of its most beautiful and disquieting images, children make a veritable jungle gym of a crashed plane, their undimmed life making the best of the region’s ghosts.Game developer Eidos Montréal finds itself the target of faux outrage for incorporating an analogy of social oppression into its new game Deus Ex: Mankind Divided via the term “mechanical apartheid.” The victims of this system make up 10% of the population in the game and are targets of prejudice for having robotic implants.
Given the racial history behind the term “apartheid,” critics claimed the use of this phrase was problematic. However, the two developers who conceived of and coined the phrase “mechanical apartheid” are black and Asian.
https://twitter.com/avestal/status/610946918538170368
@akash_singh101 @avestal Apartheid isn't just a general term, it references a specific period of great trauma and oppression. — austin walker (@austin_walker) June 16, 2015
Austin Walker is an editor at gaming site GiantBomb.
i'm sorry i think i blacked out after the white lady said "mechanical apartheid" — alice @ home zzz (@lostliddell) June 16, 2015
@DSogz I know what it means, but translation doesn’t mean it’s a good appropriation. There’s history specific to the Afrikaans word. — Ludwig Kietzmann ☕ (@LudwigK) June 16, 2015
Ludwig Kietzmann is the Editor in Chief of GamesRadar+.
Gita Jackson is a writer for gaming site Offworld.
Gilles Matouba is the black developer who was game director for Deus Ex: Mankind Divided. In a post on the #GamerGate subreddit KotakuInAction, Matouba expressed his frustration with the criticism being directed at him and his work.
Rationalizing why he and Eidos brand director André Vu created “mechanical apartheid,” Matouba stated that “somehow, it was our own individual stories… We wanted to share a little part of our own life experience (on a super dramatized degree, of course) as visible minorities in a world of prejudices sometimes not well tailored [sic] for us.”
Responding to the complaints, the developer said, “it makes me sad and angry that these ignorant people just ASSUME that everyone behind this game is ill-spirited, stupid, and more importantly for me, that they that they [sic] are all WHITE. (For them devs==white, gamers==white).”
He continued, stating that “these bloggers and tweeters… have degraded me and have literally erased my identity as a black developer and as a black creator that just wanted to share a piece of himself with this game.”
Matouba finished by saying that “they don’t deserve our industry, our games and the dedication we put into them. They disgust me.”
Responding sarcastically to the criticism of “mechanical apartheid,” Elias Toufexis, the voice actor for Deus Ex protagonist Adam Jensen, made the following remark:
How dare videogames attempt to explore serious social and political issues? Stupid totally white male game devs. — Elias Toufexis (@EliasToufexis) June 17, 2015
A Ubisoft Reflections lead level designer and an indie developer at Vlambeer also spoke out:
@GGMatouba Thanks 4 sharing your very important voice, Gilles. This is heavy stuff, and it's inspiring when one can help move things forward — Manny Diaz (@MannyJDiaz) June 18, 2015
Since people are asking: I have nothing against a game covering "mechanical apartheid" if it is dealt with respectfully and appropriately. — Rami Ismail (@tha_rami) June 18, 2015
Follow Rob Shimshock @Xylyntial on Twitter.Perhaps architects were too hard on San Francisco Planning. After all, were it not for the department’s rigidity, the city could have looked like this.
Posted last week on Reddit, a 1950 rendering of San Francisco’s cityscape by Alexander Weygers, an urban designer and artist who doubled as an Aerospace engineer, captured the imagination and wit of a few redditors.
“I love how saucers abound and yet |
7. Currently working for Sydney-based Flat Earth Games, Jennifer now creates for the game Objects in Space, which won the PAX Australia Indie Showcase in 2016 while also working on her own title called Philosophy Of Ten.
Dang Duy Minh Nguyen
Dang was born in a UN refugee camp, raised in Victoria, and is a dual citizen of Australia and Beleriand. He has a Bachelor of Arts in English and in Philosophy from La Trobe University and moonlights as the Oracle of Melbourne in his spare time. Dang is working on his first novel, titled The Lotus Throne, and dreading his impending twenty-sixth birthday.
Snow McNally
Snow is an independent writer and designer best known for Little Witch Story, winner of the 2015 ADGA Representation Award. Their work focuses on queer narratives and teaching empathy and compassion, and they’re a vocal advocate for diversity and accessibility.
Why Kickstarter?
Alcyone is currently self-funded. As I'm the main developer and writer I don't have to pay my own salary, but so far I've paid out of pocket to hire artists and musicians to augment the game and make it more than just words on a page. A successful AUD$5000 campaign will go towards offsetting expenses incurred in developing the game & take care of future costs as well. Additional funding beyond $5000 will hit stretch goals and let me hire additional guest writers, expand the art & music that players experience, and take care of any other costs that pop up in the course of the game's development.
Kickstarter also provides me an awesome opportunity to connect directly with players and allow them to influence & impact the direction of the game in ways that a traditional publisher model cannot. Opening up Alcyone early on allows the process to become more collaborative and lets me iterate on feedback from the beginning.
Why this much?
Contrary to popular thought, making video games is really expensive! This fact unfortunately doesn't change whether you're creating interactive fiction or super-budget AAA RPGs. The $5000 I am asking for through this campaign is already allocated towards expenses I've paid and future work needed to develop Alcyone. Much of that budget goes towards visual artwork, header images, and the soundtrack while the rest of the funds go towards paying the extra writers who are already on board. Fortunately, as I am self-financing the game's development, I do not need to pay my own salary, but the other contributors need to have their work paid for and aren't working for free. Because I am an artist myself, I am a big believer in paying others for what they do any not asking anyone to work for "exposure."
As I have gotten direct quotes for the work I need done, I am aware of how much additional funding I need to finish the game and there won't be unexpected expenses cropping up in development that might tank the game's release. This puts the project as an advantage, but the reality is that game development costs a lot of money no matter what sort of game you're creating.
Can you accomplish this?
In short — heck yes! To put it mildly, I write. A lot. I also write quickly — books one through four of Iyetra were written in my spare time and aggregated are approximately 120,000 words long. That puts the series up there on par with word counts like J.R.R. Tolkien's The Return of the King (137,000 words) and J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (107,253 words). I will be able to spend more time and energy on Alcyone and as a result it won't be tricky to hit my ambitious objective of half a million words in length.
Further, as the core game systems are already in place and tested, the writing is the last bit to go in. I've got a broad outline of the story already completed, including various pathways and obstacles that the player may encounter, so the writing will flow easily.
My development model allows me to work simultaneously with my artists and musicians — as writing is completed, they receive the material they need to continue their own work, leaving little downtime between each of us. This allows me to implement their art or music quickly, and means they aren't sitting around forever waiting for more writing on my part.
The campaign!
Your support of this crowdfunding campaign gives you a chance at pledging for a bunch of really awesome things including download copies of Alcyone: The Last City on release, limited edition canvas prints of artwork, tshirts, and even helping to create a character or sequence in the game itself!
$1 Pledge — Thank you! Your name will appear in the credits & you'll receive access to backer-only updates. Every little bit helps!
— Thank you! Your name will appear in the credits & you'll receive access to backer-only updates. Every little bit helps! $5 Pledge — You'll have a choice of either the Digital Artbook or Digital Soundtrack. A download code will be sent to you at Alcyone's release.
— You'll have a choice of either the Digital Artbook or Digital Soundtrack. A download code will be sent to you at's release. $7 Pledge — Receive a DRM-free copy of Alcyone: The Last City upon its release! You'll receive a code for your choice of desktop platform (macOS, Windows, or Linux) when the game comes out.
— Receive a DRM-free copy of Alcyone: The Last City upon its release! You'll receive a code for your choice of desktop platform (macOS, Windows, or Linux) when the game comes out. $10 Pledge — Alcyone Game + Soundtrack/Artbook Bundle! You'll get a download code for the game as well as both the artbook and soundtrack.
— Alcyone Game + Soundtrack/Artbook Bundle! You'll get a download code for the game as well as both the artbook and soundtrack. $20 Pledge — Beta access! Help guide the development of Alcyone by participating in the beta. You'll be among the first players to step into the world of the City and help prepare for the game's release.
— Beta access! Help guide the development of by participating in the beta. You'll be among the first players to step into the world of the City and help prepare for the game's release. $40 Pledge — Alpha access! Soon after the Kickstarter campaign ends, access to the alpha will be made available to backers at this tier. You'll get the earliest access possible to Alcyone and have the greatest impact on its development!
If you're interested in supporting Alcyone a little bit further, there's some awesome rewards available at higher tiers!
$50 & $75 Pledges: A3 or A2 Canvas Prints!
For either a $50 or $75 pledge, you'll receive your choice of a limited edition canvas print featuring either one of the Six Ruling House sigils, or the Alcyone logo. You'll also receive access to the alpha, the digital soundtrack and artbook, and a full download code upon Alcyone's release!
$100 Pledge: Alcyone Tshirts!
At the $100 pledge you'll receive an Alcyone logo tshirt in either black or white, plus an A3 print with your choice of artwork from above. You'll also receive access to the alpha, the digital soundtrack and artbook, and a full download code upon Alcyone's release!
Make your mark upon the City!
Want to pledge even more? There are unique opportunities for backers who want to chip in extra!
$200 Pledge — Help create a character (subject to final determination) who will make an appearance in Alcyone. I will work with you to come up with a character that the player will encounter through their gameplay experience. You'll also receive your choice of an A3 print or tshirt, alpha access, the digital artbook & soundtrack, a full download on Alcyone's release, and huge thanks in the credits!
— Help create a character (subject to final determination) who will make an appearance in Alcyone. I will work with you to come up with a character that the player will encounter through their gameplay experience. You'll also receive your choice of an A3 print or tshirt, alpha access, the digital artbook & soundtrack, a full download on's release, and huge thanks in the credits! $250 Pledge — Help create an Encounter (subject to final determination) that players will experience in Alcyone! I'll work with you to come up with a challenge or sequence of gameplay in Alcyone itself. You'll also receive your choice of an A3 print or tshirt, alpha access, the digital artbook & soundtrack, a full download on Alcyone's release, and huge thanks in the credits!
$500 Pledge: Help write an ending!
Want to help even more?
$500 Pledge — Help create an ending to the game (subject to final determination) that players can achieve in Alcyone! I'll work with you to come up with an ending that ties together narrative threads in a denouement worthy of your pledge. You'll also receive your choice of an A3 print or tshirt, alpha access, the digital artbook & soundtrack, a full download on Alcyone's release, and huge thanks in the credits!
Stretch goals
Every dollar raised in this campaign will go towards Alcyone's development. If the $5000 goal is met, additional funds will go towards something I'm massively excited about— hiring incredibly talented guest writers to contribute to Alcyone as well!
The stretch goals below are laid out around the writers' potential schedules over the course of 2017, and who is able to jump on board the project earlier than others. I'm massively, massively humbled that they were interested and willing to get involved for the Kickstarter itself and I'm looking forward to having each write for Alcyone!
If the campaign raises $6000, then both of these talented writers will jump on-board and contribute a section to Alcyone:
John Kane
John is the designer and developer of the sci-fi narrative Killing Time at Lightspeed and cute puzzle game Mallow Drops. Killing Time at Lightspeed was awarded the Australian Game Developer Award for Innovation and Representation in 2016.
"Alcyone's world of reincarnation is a unique balance of science and mysticism that I'm excited to explore. The possibility of running into someone on the street who knew you before you died, the possibility of someone who's experienced death already preparing for it again, the sense of having more than one lifetime of goals to accomplish. Experiences that are uniquely human, and yet not." - John Kane
Anna Irwin-Schutze
Anna is a narrative designer who is passionate about creating great interactive stories and game worlds. Most recently working on an open-world exploration game Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles, Anna’s writing style focuses on character interaction and relationship building. Anna writes storylines that encourage players to pay careful thought to their actions and decisions, as those decisions have a real impact on success or failure in the game world.
"I started playing games not long after I learned to read, and I’ve always had a passion for both great games and great stories. Alcyone fits nicely into the genre I love to play and read about. It’s a great setting, full of intrigue and possibilities, and I am delighted to have been invited to participate as a stretch goal." - Anna Irwin-Schutze
If we achieve $7000 in funding, our special stretch goal will be hiring veteran writer David Gaider for the game!
David Gaider
David is a game design veteran, having started his career in 1999 working on BioWare's Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn as a narrative designer. His later credits include Neverwinter Nights (2002), Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (2003), and more recently the Dragon Age series (the last being Dragon Age: Inquisition in 2014) where he acted as world designer and Lead Writer. He recently left BioWare in 2015 to become Creative Director at Beamdog, and is currently working on an unannounced project.
"Alcyone sounds like the sort of idea for a game I can appreciate: one that luxuriates in its prose, and doesn't start from the assumption its audience isn't interested in reading. I've always wanted to try my hand at this sort of writing, and [if the stretch goal is achieved] I'll get the chance!" - David Gaider
At $8000 in funding, our stretch goal will be to hire writer Alexis Kennedy to contribute to Alcyone!
Alexis Kennedy
Alexis was the founder and creative director of Failbetter Games, where he was the instigator of Fallen London and Sunless Sea, among other things. Sunless Sea won Rock Paper Shotgun’s Best Bestest Words in Gaming 2014, and was shortlisted for the Writer’s Guild of Great Britain Best Writing in a Videogame 2016. Alexis has subsequently been announced as the first ever guest writer for both Paradox and BioWare, and is working on an experimental narrative game, Cultist Simulator.
"This looks intelligent, grim and fun, and any two of those would do it for me. It's always exciting to see someone doing fresh things with the approach I hammered out for Fallen London." - Alexis Kennedy
$9000+ stretch goals
If funds top over $9000 (over 9000!), there are more exciting things in store. I'll be able to expand the soundtrack available in-game, pad out the artwork players encounter within it, and hire several other writers who couldn't attach themselves to this crowdfunding campaign due to existing contracts — nevertheless, they're names that players are likely already familiar with and will be thrilled to see contribute to Alcyone. If we raise sufficient funds, their identities will be revealed as they join the game's team.
Let's do this!
I've been working on Alcyone: The Last City since 2016 and have slowly added in additional artists, musicians, and writers. I'm incredibly thrilled to finally have the game in a place where I can show it off publicly, bring in feedback, and start generating interest & buzz. If you're a fan of deep narrative experiences, engrossing worldbuilding, and engaging plots, then Alcyone is for you.
With your help, I'll be able to bring Alcyone to the rest of the world. Thanks so much for jumping on board!
- Joshua MeadowsMANCHESTER, NH – The New Hampshire Liquor Commission (NHLC) will host the fifth annual Distiller’s Showcase of Premium Spirits celebrating hundreds of the world’s best whiskies, tequilas, vodkas, rums and more on Thursday, November 9, from 6 to 8:30 PM in Manchester, NH. NHLC expects the Distiller’s Showcase to attract more than 1,000 guests to sample from more than 400 premium spirits.
The Distiller’s Showcase provides the opportunity for guests to meet distillers and brand ambassadors from around the world, while sampling food from many of New Hampshire’s top restaurants. Distiller’s Showcase guests will also have the chance to bid on bottles of rare Pappy Van Winkle’s Family Reserve 23-year Kentucky straight bourbon, as well as a trip to The Dalmore Distillery in Scotland. Tickets cost $60 and are available at http://distillersshowcase.com. Proceeds benefit the Animal Rescue League of New Hampshire (ARLNH).
“We developed the Distiller’s Showcase with a goal of providing an unparalleled opportunity for spirit novices and aficionados alike to explore their palettes by offering hundreds of diverse, premium spirits,” said NHLC Chairman Joseph Mollica.
Restaurants participating in the event include: Bedford Village Inn, Campo Enoteca, Faro Italian Grille, Giorgio’s Ristorante, JD’s Tavern, O Steaks & Seafood, Canoe Restaurant & Tavern, 900 Degrees Neapolitan Pizzeria, Republic Cafe, Stark Brewing Company, The Common Man, Crown Tavern, the New Hampshire Food Bank’s RFS, Culinary Job Training Program, Tuscan Kitchen, Veranda Martini Bar and Grille, LaBelle Winery, Fratello’s Italian Grille, Homestead Restaurant, Lindt Fine Chocolates, Nestle Tollhouse Chocolates, Granite State Candy Shoppe, Nantucket Mixers, Stonewall Kitchen, Angela’s Pasta & Cheese Shop, Tillen Farms, and Wild Rover Pub.
The Distiller’s Showcase of Premium Spirits has had a major impact on ARLNH, which relies on funding from the event to support operating expenses. Nearly three-quarters of ARLNH’s operating budget goes to animal care and medical expenses.
“Since its inception in 2013, this unique partnership between ARLNH and NHLC has raised more than $250,000 through the Distiller’s Showcase of Premium Spirits,” said Katharine Eneguess, president and CEO of ARLNH. “The proceeds support the wide range of services extended by the League, providing support for more than 2,200 animals and their owners annually. With no state or federal funding, we rely on the support of individual donors and community partnerships, and are grateful to be the beneficiary of this spectacular event.”
The Radisson Hotel Manchester is offering a special “sip and stay” package and Grace Limousine is providing a “safe ride home program” as well.
Visit www.distillersshowcase.com for a complete list of participating brands, presenters and restaurants.
About the Animal Rescue League of New Hampshire
The Animal Rescue League of New Hampshire is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that helps more than 2,200 cats, dogs, and small animals find loving homes each year. To help people who love their pets, but are currently struggling to care for them, they offer community outreach programs, such as a Pet Food Pantry, Low-Cost Spay/Neuter Clinics, and statewide Animal Cruelty Investigations.
About the New Hampshire Liquor Commission
The New Hampshire Liquor Commission (NHLC) operates 80 retail locations throughout the Granite State and serves more than 11 million customers each year. More than $3.5 billion in net profits has been raised since the first store opened in 1934. Total liquor net profits reached $159 million, of which $155.7 million was transferred to the New Hampshire General Fund, which is used to fund programs including education, health and social services, transportation and natural resource protection. Additionally, $3.3 million was transferred to New Hampshire’s Alcohol Abuse Prevention and Treatment Fund, which utilizes a percentage of NHLC profits to fund addiction treatment and prevention programs.SALT LAKE CITY — As Springville police investigated the fatal shooting of man who broke into a home Thursday, Utah lawmakers were debating a bill regarding the civil liabilities of someone who is defending their home or family.
HB129 clarifies that an individual is justified in defending his or her home and family against criminal activity and may not be held civilly liable for damage or injury to perpetrators. The bill received preliminary approval in the Utah Senate.
Related:
Police identify intruder killed in Springville home invasion A homeowner fatally shot a would-be robber who entered his house in Springville early Thursday morning. The intruder apparently stopped for a snack and changed clothes before going upstairs to threaten the home's residents.
"There's a very unfortunate situation in Springville that's just crying out for a solution," said the bill's sponsor, Rep. Patrick Painter, R-Nephi.
Shortly before 3 a.m. Thursday, a male intruder was shot to death by a husband and a father of three after the man entered the family home in Springville and demanded money.
Police said the man entered the house, changed out of his wet clothes, prepared himself a snack and then walked upstairs to demand money. Instead of handing over cash, the father shot and killed the intruder.
While the timing of these events was an odd coincidence, Painter said the genesis of his bill was the home invasion slaying of a Mount Pleasant couple in late December.
The bodies of Leroy Woody Fullwood, 70, and Dorothy Ann Fullwood, 69, were found shot to death in their homes after police were asked to make a welfare check. The suspects in the case face charges in Utah and Nevada as part of a crime spree, but charges have yet to be filed in Utah in connection with the Fullwoods' slayings.
Painter said he worked with the Sanpete County Sheriff Brian Nielson in preparing the legislation to ensure that victims of home invasions have no civil liabilities.
"If you're being victimized, you can defend yourself without being sued by the person trying to take advantage of you or your property." Sen. Curt Bramble, R-Provo
Had the Fullwoods been able to defend themselves against the intruder who entered their home, Painter has wondered if they could have been "held civilly liable if they had defended themselves and their home."
"To me, that's just not appropriate," he said.
While Utah's criminal code addresses the issue of self-defense and home invasions, Painter said he believes HB129 "absolutely forecloses the civil side of it."
In Senate debate Thursday morning, Sen. Curtis Bramble, R-Provo, called the bill "timely" given the events in Springville.
"If you're being victimized, you can defend yourself without being sued by the person trying to take advantage of you or your property," Bramble said.
The bill moved to a final reading on a vote of 19-0.
Painter said he will seek one additional amendment asking the governor to sign the bill immediately after its passage.
People who are victims of home invasions, he said, should not be further penalized for attempting to protect themselves, their families and their property.
"What parent is not going to do everything they can to defend their family and their kids?" said Painter.
Contributing: Andrew Wittenberg
Email:[email protected]
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Related StoriesA court’s order preliminarily enjoining a website from publishing certain images and statements about a former governmental official is an unconstitutional prior restraint and must be rescinded, EFF argued in an amicus brief filed yesterday in the New York state appellate court.
The case, Brummer v. Wey, is a dispute between Christopher Brummer, a Georgetown law professor and a former presidential nominee to the Commodities and Futures Trade Commission and the online publication The Blot. Several articles were published on The Blot that were highly critical of Brummer’s actions as an appeals adjudicator of decisions of the Financial Industry Regulation Authority, particularly those in which he affirmed the lifetime ban of two African American brokers. The articles, consistent with other content on The Blot, used highly charged and hyperbolic language, including characterizing Brummer’s actions as a “lynching” and posting images of Jim Crow-era lynchings.
The lawsuit is a bit of a procedural morass. Brummer sued Benjamin Wey, whom he apparently believes wrote the articles, for defamation and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Brummer then sought a preliminary injunction that would require the removal from The Blot of “photographs or other images and statements” “depicting or encouraging lynching” or “incitement of violence” against Brummer, and would further enjoin Wey from posting any images encouraging lynching “in association” with Brummer or saying “anything further concerning Professor Brummer on any traditional or online media.” In June 2017, the court entered the preliminary injunction that was even broader than what Brummer had requested, enjoining Wey from “posting any articles about the Plaintiff on The Blot for the duration of this action” and ordering the removal from the Blot of “all articles they have posted about or concerning Plaintiff.” Wey promptly appealed the entry of the preliminary injunction and moved the appellate division for a stay of the preliminary injunction pending the appeal. A single justice of the appellate division granted an interim stay. But the full panel of the court revised the stay and reinstate the portions of the preliminary injunction that required Wey to “remove all photographs or other images and statements from websites under defendants’ control which depict or encourage lynching; encourage the incitement of violence; or that feature statements regarding plaintiff that, in conjunction with the threatening language and imagery with which these statements are associated, continue to incite violence against the plaintiff.” Wey is now seeking permission to appeal this new preliminary injunction to the state’s highest court. We filed our brief in support of that request.
There are many things obviously wrong with the preliminary injunction: it was entered without the slightest evidentiary support amidst numerous material evidentiary disputes; it focuses on preventing incitement to violence even though the complaint primarily pleads a defamation case; it accepts that the lynching photos are threatening to Brummer even though the article accuses Brummer of lynching others; it is does not specify exactly what statements are prohibited, and on and on.
But our amicus brief, like those we have recently filed in similar cases in Texas and the Seventh Circuit, focused on the fact that orders requiring the takedown of online content are always prior restraints and will be unconstitutional except in the rare situation in which the highly demanding prior restraint test is met:
The injunction here is an unconstitutional prior restraint; it prohibits speech before there has been a full and final adjudication that the speech is not constitutionally protected, or in fact that the plaintiff is entitled to any remedy. It cannot withstand the rigorous First Amendment scrutiny due such orders. Indeed, it is highly doubtful this injunction could be justified after a final adjudication. The long-held rule is that “equity will not enjoin a libel.” Injuries to “personal or professional reputation”—the harm Justice Mendez sought to prevent in entering the original preliminary injunction—are addressed by damages remedies. The richness of the English language and the myriad ways of expressing any given thought make it impossible for a trial court to craft an injunction against defamatory or offensive speech that is both effective and does not also bar the publication of protected speech. Even a permanent injunction limited to the exact words found to be actionable in one context might prohibit speech that would not be actionable in another. That the injunction here is a preliminary one issued before a full adjudication on the merits makes the prior restraint even more offensive to the First Amendment. Finally, this Court should reject any suggestion that the advent of Internet publication somehow undermines bedrock First Amendment protections. As a result, it should not allow the injunction in this case to go into effect.
Prior restraints should be rare. But takedown orders such as this one seem to be happening with greater frequency. We expect the New York Court of Appeals to nullify this one and remind other courts that speech injunctions the First Amendment rarely allows for speech injunctions. Thanks to law student Delbert Tran for helping with the brief and Andrew Read of Woods Lonergan & Read PLLC for acting as our local counsel.WASHINGTON (CNN) -- In an overlooked YouTube video posted on Friday, a spokesman for Barack Obama said the president-elect is committed to ending the policy that bars openly gay men and women from serving in the U.S. armed forces.
Barack Obama is committed to overturning "don't ask, don't tell," his spokesman, Robert Gibbs, says.
In a response to a question on the Web site Change.gov asking whether Obama would get rid of the "don't ask, don't tell" policy, Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs said: "You don't hear politicians give a one-word answer much. But it's 'Yes.'"
Gibbs on Wednesday expanded on his answer, saying, "There are many challenges facing our nation now and the president-elect is focused first and foremost on jump-starting this economy.
"So not everything will get done in the beginning but he's committed to following through" with ending the policy against being openly gay in the military. Watch Gibbs' answer on "don't ask, don't tell" »
The policy bans military recruiters or authorities from asking someone about his or her sexual preference, but also prohibits a service member from revealing if he or she is gay.
During the presidential campaign, Obama said he would work to end the policy, but because it is dictated by federal law, he can not end it unilaterally.
Congress must pass legislation overturning the policy, which was put into place at the beginning of the Clinton administration. Former President Bill Clinton tried to overturn the "don't ask, don't tell" policy when he took office in 1993, but he was strenuously opposed by the military leadership.
In the last Congress, a bill was introduced in the House by Rep. Martin Meehan, D-Massachusetts, that would have implemented "a policy of nondiscrimination on the basis of sexual orientation."
The bill had 149 co-sponsors, but it never came up for a full vote in the House. It has yet to be re-introduced in the new Congress, which began last week.
"The key here is to get bills that pass the House and the Senate, that we can get to President-elect Obama to sign, and I think that we can do that, certainly, the first year of the administration," one of the co-sponsors, Democratic Rep. Ellen Tauscher of California, told CNN in November.
Public opinion appears to be shifting on the matter. A CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll conducted December 19-21 found that 81 percent of respondents believe openly gay people should be allowed to serve in the U.S. military, while 17 percent said they shouldn't. The poll's margin of error was plus-or-minus 3 percentage points. iReport.com: 'Gays in the military? No thanks'
The chairman of the joint chiefs of staff at the time, retired Gen. Colin Powell, also believes it is time to reevaluate the policy -- although he has not said he favors its reversal.
"It's been 15 years and attitudes have changed," Powell told CNN in December. "And, so, I think it is time for the Congress, since it is their law, to have a full review of it. And I'm quite sure that's what President-elect Obama will want to do."
CNN's John Roberts and Scott J. Anderson contributed to this report.
All About U.S. Armed Forces • Ellen TauscherAuthors' afterwards in light novels can be anything from sneakily informative to long lists of rambling thanks, so you could be forgiven if you usually skip them. Mizuki Mizushiro's epilogue to the second volume of Psycome, however, is definitely in the former category; Mizushiro mentions editorial input kept the book from being, in Mizushiro's words, “too grotesque.” That may have been market-appropriate, but it also explains the greatest failing of the novel: an over-emphasis on the “love comedy” aspects with not enough “psycho.”
After a fairly strong, albeit somewhat disturbing, first volume, it looked as if Psycome was going to be an interesting blend of typical rom-com tropes with a dark and seedy underbelly. While that is technically still true, the second volume, subtitled “Murder Princess and the Summer Death Camp,” spends far too much time playing to the very tropes it was playing with in the first book. With the mystery of Renko and her gas mask solved, as well as the revelation that Purgatorium Remedial Academy is in fact a secret training school for professional assassins, the stage was set for Kyousuke, Maina, and Eiri to start taking down the system, or at least learning how to make it work to their advantage, with the intriguing and dangerous possibilities about Kyousuke's sister lurking in the background. When the school departs for a trip to their “summer training camp” on an even more remote part of the school's private island, it seems as if the students will discover new secrets, or possibly formulate plans while in a new location. Instead, however, most of the book is concerned with the romantic rivalry for Kyousuke, primarily between Eiri and Renko, and mostly consisting of conversations about breasts. It is a largely accepted trope of manga, anime, and light novels that girls are hyper-conscious of their bosoms to the point where they will have lengthy debates about the merits of large versus small; the issue here is that it becomes the sole conversational gambit between the two. As far as Renko and Eiri are concerned, breast size is the only thing they have to offer Kyousuke in a romantic relationship, which undoes a lot of the character development of volume one for both of them. More importantly, it also gets in the way of the actual story, which is about the continued revelation of what's really going on at Purgatorium and the group's interactions with upperclassman Saki Shimaya, the eponymous “murder princess.”
Shimaya is responsible for twenty-one deaths, making her the high scorer at school, and like other students, she's fascinated by Kyousuke's supposed kill count of twelve. To her this indicates that they are like-minded individuals, and she actively resents the rest of his group, primarily Maina, the girl so clumsy that she accidentally murders people. Shimaya is set up to be an example of the kind of student the academy wants, and she prides herself on the fact. That she is also a stereotypical ojou-sama character, down to the blond curls and “oh-ho-ho” laugh, feels like the sort of jab at the romantic comedy that the first volume played with so well, and it sets her in direct opposition to Eiri, who seems to be the primary romantic interest. Had the story been more balanced, it could have used her to illustrate the difference between the actual psycho/sociopaths who attend (and teach at) Purgatorium and our main trio, none of whom want to be there or even really belong. Mizushiro does accomplish that to a point in the third chapter, which is the absolute strongest of the book's primary content, but it's too little, too late by that point. Although the contrast between Shimaya and Maina is well done – and Maina's backstory really is sympathetic – Eiri is left just sort of hanging out on the sidelines, while Kyousuke's chief role is to be the object of desire rather than the actual protagonist.
The actual best part of the book in terms of sheer effect is the “secret track,” or second epilogue. This returns us to Kyousuke's sister Ayaka, as in the first volume, and her efforts to be reunited with her brother. Like everyone else, Ayaka believes that Kyousuke committed the crimes he's being punished for, and her plan to be with him again is chilling. It also raises the question of which Kamiya sibling the government really wanted – there's been implication that Kyousuke was framed to get him into Purgatorium; did they know what the resulting reaction of Ayaka would be? It's by far the most interesting part of the book, and it's a shame that it isn't given equal time with the booby hijinks. (It also worth mentioning that it deals with very sensitive material.)
Psycome is at this point wasting its potential. There's nothing wrong with a goofy romantic comedy, but this series is clearly interested in being more than that, and the second half of the title is not getting equal time. (Remember, “psycome” is a portmanteau of “psycho love comedy.”) Hopefully things can get back on track in the next volume, because it would be a shame for this to become just another schlocky harem rather than building on its promise.Edward Michael Balls (born 25 February 1967) is a retired British Labour and Co-operative politician who was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Normanton from 2005 to 2010, and for Morley and Outwood from 2010 to 2015.[1]
Balls attended Nottingham High School before studying Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Keble College, Oxford and was later a Kennedy Scholar in Economics at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. He was a teaching fellow at Harvard from 1988 to 1990, when he joined the Financial Times as the lead economic writer. Balls had joined the Labour Party whilst attending university, and became an adviser to Shadow Chancellor Gordon Brown in 1994, continuing in this role after Labour won the 1997 general election, and eventually becoming the Chief Economic Advisor to the Treasury.
At the 2005 general election, Balls was elected as the MP for Normanton (which in 2010 became Morley and Outwood), and in 2006 became Economic Secretary to the Treasury. When Brown became Prime Minister in 2007, Balls became Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, serving until the 2010 general election; Labour were at that point defeated after thirteen years in government, and returned to Opposition. He was appointed as Shadow Secretary of State for Education under Harriet Harman and finished in third place at the 2010 Labour leadership election, triggered by Gordon Brown's resignation as Leader of the Labour Party, after which he was appointed as Ed Miliband's Shadow Home Secretary. He served in this role until 2011, when he was then appointed as Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer, a role that he held until he was unseated at the 2015 general election. Larry Elliott of The Guardian described this as the Portillo moment of the election.[2]
Following his electoral defeat, he became a Senior Fellow at Harvard University Kennedy School’s Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government, and a Visiting Professor to the Policy Institute at King’s College London. He was appointed as the Chairman of Norwich City F.C. in December 2015.[3] Balls was a contestant on series 14 of the BBC's Strictly Come Dancing, surviving until week 10.
Early life [ edit ]
Balls' father is zoologist Michael Balls; his mother is Carolyn Janet Riseborough.[4] His younger brother is Andrew Balls, the head of European Operations at the investment firm PIMCO.
Balls was born in Norwich. When he was eight years old the family moved to Nottingham[5] and he attended Crossdale Drive Primary School in Keyworth and the private all-boys Nottingham High School, where he played the violin.[6]
Raised as a Christian,[7] he read Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Keble College, Oxford, graduating with a First – according to John Rentoul in The Independent – ahead of David Cameron.[8] Later he attended the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard, where he was a Kennedy Scholar specialising in Economics.[8]
Balls joined the Labour Party in 1983 while still at school.[6] While at Oxford University he was a partially active member of the Labour Club, but also signed up to the Liberal Club[9] as well as the Conservative Association, "because they used to book top-flight political speakers, and only members were allowed to attend their lectures" according to friends.[10] Balls was a founding member of The Steamers, an all-male drinking club, and suffered embarrassment when a contemporary photo of him wearing Nazi uniform appeared in the papers.[11]
Early career [ edit ]
Between 1988 and 1990, Balls was a Teaching Fellow at Harvard University.[12] He joined the Financial Times |
? Like friends who depart from us, they must be offended. Our misfortunes are our punishments for our offenses. We go down on our knees, begging to be forgiven.”
Consciousness is impossible to describe, except through metaphor and analogy, but behavior became more predictable once people could refer to each other’s conscious minds as a collection of knowable parts. Each metaphor succeeded the previous one as a theory of human behavior. In the 1600s, consciousness was like a clock, in perpetual and regular motion. Two hundred years later, when chemistry was the fashionable science, consciousness was a compound structure that could be broken down into its elements—individual sensations and thoughts. By the industrial era, when Freud was beginning to develop his theories of mind, consciousness functioned like a steam engine: when emotional pressure and strain became too great, secret underground forces were recklessly released.
Jaynes didn’t live to see the computer become the dominant metaphor for consciousness, but he was one of the first to recognize that the brain was capable of a radical kind of plasticity. “There is no such thing as a complete consciousness,” he writes. “All about us lie the remnants of our recent bicameral past.” He attributes one of the most mysterious mental phenomena—the sense that ideas come to us unbidden, from some external location—to the fact that our brains were once inhabited by gods. Artists in particular tend to describe their work in bicameral terms. They seem to be bragging when they describe writing as a form of listening: they hear a voice, almost audible, and then take dictation. It happens in moments of inspiration, late at night, when the writer is all alone.
Origin likely would have fared better had it been presented as literary provocation rather than scientific fact. But Jaynes saw his book as a work of science, and so it was critiqued, deconstructed, and made nearly irrelevant because the theories were impossible to test. Marcel Kuijsten, who describes his first encounter with Origin as a near religious experience, has devoted the past fifteen years to collecting the scraps of Jayne’s oeuvre, reaching out to Jaynes’s friends, colleagues, and students—anyone who might have one of Jaynes’s notebooks. But the new material, with its inevitable redundancies, dilutes the persuasive power and manic spirit of the original theory. One can see why Jaynes was unable to muster a second book. His theory was too total. He couldn’t let it go: he followed its logic past ancient Greece to modern poetry, hypnotism, schizophrenia, dreams, and ultimately science, where he let it implode. In the last chapter of Origin, he presents science as yet another attempt by humans, still grieving the loss of the gods, to establish contact with a “lost ocean of authority.”
Science offers a rational splendor that explains everything, a charismatic leader or succession of leaders who are highly visible and beyond criticism, a series of canonical texts which are somehow outside the usual arena of scientific criticism, certain gestures of ideas and rituals of interpretation, and a requirement of total commitment. In return the adherent receives what the religions had once given him more universally: a world view, a hierarchy of importances, and an auguring place where he may find out what to do and think, in short, a total explanation of man. And this totality is obtained not by actually explaining everything, but by an encasement of its activity, a severe and absolute restriction of attention, such that everything that is not explained is not in view.
The final chapter of Origin reads like a sermon, ecstatic and mournful. Jaynes describes human history as a story of substitutes, a search for “an eternal firmness of principle out there.” At the end, Jaynes abruptly concludes that his book, too, is a product of historical circumstances, another stage in the quest for authorization. “All of this,” he writes, referring to his theory, “is a part of this transitional period after the breakdown of the bicameral mind. And this essay is no exception.”
Critics have praised Origin for accounting for the role of religion in shaping consciousness—Richard Dawkins wrote that it is “either complete rubbish or a work of consummate genius, nothing in between!”—but thirty years after its publication, the book feels most relevant as a critique of science. In a 1970 essay, “The Study of the History of Psychology,” Jaynes criticizes psychologists for repeatedly asking the same questions, formulating them in increasingly obscure ways, while ignoring the long history in which these questions have already been studied. They fail to grasp that there is “a kind of truth in the history of a science which transcends the science itself,” Jaynes writes.
Jaynes recognized that the narrative he had created was itself a product of the features of mind it described: “consciousness is constantly fitting things into a story, putting a before and after around any event.” Throughout the book, he exposes his own intellectual process, detailing each “shimmering flash” of an epiphany as well as his mental limitations. (To understand the experience of having a bicameral mind, he crushes laurel leaves and smokes them only to find himself feeling “more and more Jaynesean, alas, then Apollonian.”) He wanted to revive the “disappearing idea that a psychologist enters his profession almost like a religious order, making himself a part of his own subject matter, and baring his soul.’”
Jaynes acknowledged in Origin that the book was just a “rough-hewn beginning, which I hope to develop in a future work.” He planned to call it The Consequences of Consciousness. He alluded to this forthcoming sequel so frequently that even after his death, in 1997, fans were still convinced that there was a secret manuscript. But Jaynes became increasingly concerned that he didn’t have enough material for the second book. Perhaps the voice he had been hearing had grown quiet. It didn’t help that he had become an alcoholic. He held the same job, never gaining tenure, for the rest of his career. He lived alone in a single room on Princeton’s campus, a bachelor all his life. He gave lectures around the country but complained that there was “something wearing about them, as if I should have to try to interest anyone.”
Jaynes felt that people had not read his book carefully enough, particularly the reviewers. Over the years, he simplified rather than expanded his theory. In some lectures and interviews in Kuijsten’s collection, Jaynes seems almost apologetic about his early boldness. In 1988, when Life asked Jaynes and several other thinkers to comment on the meaning of life, he responded that he had no answer. “Words have meaning, not life or persons or the universe itself,” he said. “Our search for certainty rests in our attempts at understanding the history of all individual selves and all civilizations. Beyond that, there is only awe.”
If you like this article, please subscribe to n+1.Christian Benteke will consider his Crystal Palace future in the summer – regardless of whether the club win their fight against relegation from the Premier League.
Palace’s victory over Middlesbrough at the weekend revived hope that the club can beat the drop, but raised question marks over Benteke, who was involved in a bizarre row with team-mate Andros Townsend.
Benteke argued with Townsend at the end of the game after the winger did not pass to him, with Middlesbrough goalkeeper Victor Valdes intervening to make sure the argument did not escalate.
Palace manager Sam Allardyce played down the incident, but Benteke has become frustrated since joining in a club-record deal worth £32 million from Liverpool last summer.
Since the appointment of Allardyce, Benteke has scored just one Premier League goal and friends of the Belgian complain he has become isolated by Palace’s long-ball tactics.Accidental Americans may want to renounce their U.S. citizenship rights but there is a process
There are thousands of Accidental Americans in Canada who hold U.S. citizenship that they don't necessarily want or even know they have. For most people, the issue is not the unexpected citizenship -- it is the tax filing obligations that may come with it. The U.S. tax system is based on both citizenship and residency so even if you don't live in the U.S., it doesn't mean the IRS is not expecting something from you.
You can choose to give up your U.S. citizenship but expatriation is not a program to get into tax compliance. Renouncing your U.S. citizenship does not negate your obligations to the IRS but you can expatriate without being tax compliant.
If you are considering expatriation, you should consult legal counsel that understands U.S. citizenship issues. You need to understand the implications that come with expatriation and that it may not solve any issues you have with the IRS.
In order to renounce your citizenship, you must do so voluntarily in person before a U.S. consular or diplomatic officer at a U.S. Embassy or Consulate and sign an oath of renunciation. If your renunciation does not meet those two criteria, it is not legal. U.S. laws do not allow you to renounce your citizenship by mail or through an agent or while visiting the U.S. In addition, U.S. courts have held certain attempts to renounce U.S. citizenship to be ineffective on a variety of grounds.
You can also relinquish your U.S. citizenship. Relinquishment happens when you voluntarily perform one or more potentially expatriating acts with the intent of giving up your U.S. nationality. Some of these acts can include fighting for another country engaged in hostilities with the U.S. or obtaining naturalization in a foreign state.
Relinquishment follows the same procedural steps as renouncing or by submitting a signed statement to the U.S. State Department confirming the performance of an expatriating act and your voluntary intent to relinquish U.S. citizenship. But you still need a Certificate of Loss of Nationality from the U.S. State Department accepting your relinquishment.
Parents cannot relinquish U.S. citizenship for minor children. Kids under 18 have to convince a U.S. diplomat or consular officer that they fully understand the nature and consequences of the oath of renunciation, they are not under duress to make the declaration and they are seeking to renounce their U.S. citizenship. Yes, those are the actual rules. One would assume that most young children are unable to fulfill the obligations.
If you do intend to renounce or relinquish your U.S. citizenship, you should have a foreign nationality before you do. Failure to have an alternate citizenship will leave you stateless and lack the protection of another government or a passport to travel. You may also require a visa to travel to the U.S. in the future.
Renunciation and relinquishment are irrevocable in most cases with an exception of minors. A minor can recant and have their U.S. citizenship restored if they do so within six months of turning 18.
The act of renunciation is a multi-step process and cannot be completed in one day. It generally consists of at least two interviews, a recitation of the Oath of Renunciation and the signing and submission of many documents. And you will remain a U.S. citizen until the Department of State recognizes the renunciation. You will be issued a Certificate for the Loss of Nationality of the United States (CLN) and it will have the date for your expatriation to use for tax purposes.
The Department of State cannot require submission of any tax forms as a condition for renunciation. The current U.S. law allows a person to renounce U.S. citizenship regardless of tax obligations. If you renounce without being 5 years compliant, you will be considered a covered expatriate and initiate the calculation of a potential exit tax. The IRS has the right to request and receive any unfiled returns and impose penalties and interest as allowed under the Internal Revenue Code.
Unfortunately, renouncing or relinquishing does not solve your tax problems. It creates a complicated situation and one that requires specialized legal advice. You should not attempt to handle this type of decision by yourself. If you are an Accidental American, research your options before you determine how you want to move forward.
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ALSO ON HUFFPOST:Bundesliga partner adidas has unveiled the new TORFABRIK – the official match ball of the Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2.
With its striking turquoise bands, which form crosses on the surface, the dynamic design of the 2017/18 match ball is guaranteed to turn heads in stadiums and on playgrounds alike.
The new ball takes its inspiration from both the 'Brazuca', the official match ball of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, and the 'Beau Jeu', the ball used recently at UEFA EURO 2016, and retains the innovative and highly acclaimed panel form of its two predecessors.
The new ball has undertaken extensive testing for weight, water intake, shape and size, and meets all the necessary FIFA requirements for an official professional match ball. So that the ball may be visible in snow and other adverse weather conditions during the winter months, an orange ball has also been created.Imposing a legal duty on motorists to display care towards pedestrians, bicycle riders and motorcyclists is among the policy options that could be examined by an inquiry into Canberra's ''vulnerable road users''.
Territory and Municipal Services Minister and Greens MLA Shane Rattenbury will call on Thursday for an Assembly committee inquiry into the ACT's approach to the most vulnerable road users.
Territory and Municipal Services Minister, Shane Rattenbury will call for an assembly committee inquiry into the safety of cyclists. Credit:Rob Homer
Last year, four pedestrians, one cyclist and three motorcyclists were killed in ACT motor vehicle accidents.
''Vulnerable road users make up a large proportion of our accident statistics and I wanted to go to a committee approach because I think it gives the committee, over time, an opportunity to really gather some useful information in quite a public way, so it becomes a public discussion as well,'' Mr Rattenbury said.Taipei, July 27 (CNA) A financial reform program aimed at saving Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp. (THSRC) from potential bankruptcy got its start Monday, when the system's BOT (build, operate, transfer) era came to an end.
The Ministry of Transportation and Communications signed two agreements with THSRC on Monday to terminate the original BOT contract that the debt-ridden private company was working under to build and operate Taiwan's only high-speed rail line.
The deal signaled a new for Taiwan's high-speed rail line connecting Taipei and Kaohsiung, in which the government will become THSRC's majority shareholder but the company will be privately managed, THSRC Chairman Victor Liu (劉維琪) said.
Under the new plan, government-controlled institutions will increase their stake in the company from 22.1 percent to 63.9 percent, while the holdings of large private shareholders will fall from 37.4 percent to 17.4 percent.
The balance of the shares are held by smaller investors.
"The company will officially become state-owned," Liu said during the agreement signing ceremony. "What will remain unchanged is the safety and convenience (of high-speed rail trains)."
Once the program is fully carried out, the private owners will be allowed to have seats on the company's board, but the government will control it.
Under the program, THSRC will have to reduce its capital by 60 percent, or NT$39.1 billion (US$1.24 billion), to cover its losses before raising its capital by NT$30 billion, of which NT$24.2 billion will come from the government-managed High Speed Rail Construction Fund.
The other NT$5.8 billion will come from state-invested banks.
Ticket prices are also expected to be lowered as part of the plan, most likely in early December when new stations in Miaoli, Yunlin and Changhua, will be formally opened, Liu said.
The ministry declined to confirm when the price cut will take effect. According to a resolution by THSRC's board at its meeting on June 25, the fare for a one-way trip from Taipei to Kaohsiung will return to its previous level of NT$1,490 from the current NT$1,630 in early December.
(By Chen Ting-wei and Elizabeth Hsu)
ENDITEM/lsTavares led the NHL with 6-1-7, including a pair of hat tricks, to power the Islanders (6-4-1, 13 points) to two wins in three starts. He posted 3-1-4, including the decisive goal and his 10th career four-point performance, in a 5-3 triumph over the Arizona Coyotes Oct. 24. After being held off the scoresheet in a 6-4 loss to the Minnesota Wild Oct. 26, Tavares added his eighth career hat trick in a 6-2 victory against the Nashville Predators Oct. 28. In doing so, he became the third player in Islanders history to record two hat tricks within a span of three team games - and the first to accomplish the feat since March 3-5, 1996 (Ziggy Palffy). The 27-year-old Mississauga, Ont., native ranks third in the NHL with nine goals in 11 outings this season, pacing the Islanders with 13 points overall.
SECOND STAR - OSCAR DANSK, G, VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS
Dansk went 2-0-0 with a 1.00 goals-against average,.968 save percentage and one shutout to lead the Golden Knights (8-1-0, 16 points) to a perfect week, continuing the best start by an expansion team in NHL history. He made 29 saves in a 4-2 victory against the Chicago Blackhawks Oct. 24. Dansk then stopped all 32 shots he faced to earn the first shutout in Golden Knights history in a 7-0 triumph over the Colorado Avalanche Oct. 27. The 23-year-old Stockholm, Sweden, native - who made his NHL debut Oct. 21 - is 3-0-0 with a 1.34 goals-against average,.959 save percentage and one shutout through his first three career appearances.
THIRD STAR - JEAN-GABRIEL PAGEAU, C, OTTAWA SENATORS
Pageau collected 1-5-6 as the Senators (5-1-5, 15 points) went 1-0-2 to extend their point streak to five games (2-0-3). He registered one assist in a 3-2 shootout loss to the Los Angeles Kings Oct. 24, followed by 1-2-3 (his fifth career three-point outing) in a 5-4 win over the Philadelphia Flyers Oct. 26. Pageau capped the week with two more helpers in a 5-4 shootout loss to the New Jersey Devils Oct. 27. The 24-year-old Ottawa native ranks fifth on the Senators with 1-7-8 in 11 contests this season.This year marks the 75th anniversary of the completion of the Appalachian Trail (A.T.), the longest hiking-only footpath in the world, measuring roughly 2,180 miles from Georgia to Maine. The anniversary will occur on Tuesday, August 14, 2012.
The original trail took more than 15 years to build and was completed on August 14, 1937. Construction involved the cooperation of hundreds of volunteers, state and federal partners, local trail-maintaining clubs, the Civilian Conservation Corps, and the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (the author is the ATC's Marketing and Communications Manager).
The A.T. travels through 14 states along the crests and valleys of the Appalachian mountain range from its southern terminus at Springer Mountain, Georgia, to its northern terminus at Katahdin, Maine. More than 250,000 acres of contiguous trail lands are protected and managed along the footpath.
An estimated 2 to 3 million people visit the A.T. every year. Hikers from across the globe are drawn to the trail for a variety of reasons: to reconnect with nature, to escape the stress of city life, to meet new people, to strengthen old friendships, or to experience a simpler life.
About 2,000 people attempt to thru-hike the estimated 2,180 miles of the trail each year, with only one out of four completing the entire journey.
“This year marks a milestone for the Appalachian Trail,” said Mark Wenger, executive director of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy. “Not only does this anniversary celebrate the completion of the trail, it also celebrates the unique collaboration and determination of countless individuals, private organizations, and state and federal agencies in their efforts to complete this long-distance hiking trail from Maine to Georgia.”
The concept of the A.T. came from Benton MacKaye's October 1921 article “An Appalachian Trail: A Project in Regional Planning” (PDF) in the Journal of the American Institute of Architects. He proposed the idea as an escape from daily life in an increasingly industrial nation.
MacKaye originally called for a series of work, study, and farming camps along the Appalachian Mountains, but building a trail to connect them soon became his primary objective. The Appalachian Trail Conference (now called the Appalachian Trail Conservancy) was founded four years later in 1925.
Since the A.T was first completed in 1937, it has undergone a remarkable transformation. Almost 99 percent has been relocated or rebuilt. Hundreds of miles of the original route were along roads and passed through private lands.
Thanks to the determination of Myron H. Avery and the ATC, the passage of the National Trails System Act, and the work of many partners and volunteers, more than 99 percent of the A.T. is now in public ownership. Not only is the footpath itself protected, but a corridor of land, averaging one thousand feet wide, is also protected.
The trail today is not only better protected but traverses more scenic landscapes than the original route. Many of the A.T.’s most cherished highlights were not part of the A.T. in 1937: Roan Mountain, Tennessee; the Mt. Rogers High Country, including Grayson Highlands, Virginia; the Pochuck Creek swamp, New Jersey; Nuclear Lake, New York; Thundering Falls, Vermont; and Saddleback Mountain, Maine, to name a few.
The treadway itself each year becomes more sustainable. Except for places where the Civilian Conservation Corps provided additional support (mostly in Shenandoah National Park, the Great Smoky Mountains, and Maine), the original trail was often routed straight up and down mountains, making for rough hiking and a treadway prone to severe erosion. The ATC’s trail crews and volunteer trail-maintaining clubs have relocated or rehabilitated countless miles of trail and each year continue to improve the treadway.
As a unit of the National Park System, the A.T. is managed under a unique partnership between public and private sectors that includes the ATC, National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, 31 local trail-maintaining clubs, and an array of state agencies.
To celebrate the 75th anniversary of the completion of the A.T., the ATC will hold a weekend celebration on August 11 and 12 at its headquarters in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. Highlights include guest speakers, workshops, activities, food, music, and games.
Trail-maintaining clubs across the East Coast are also preparing events to celebrate the anniversary, including:
Volunteers from the Mount Rogers Appalachian Trail Club in Damascus, Virginia, have a day hike planned on August 18.
The Maine Appalachian Trail Club in Carrabassett Valley, Maine, has celebratory activities planned on August 18.
For more information about the 75th anniversary of the completion of the A.T., including ways to give back and local celebrations, visit www.appalachiantrail.org/75.
About the ATC
Javier Folgar is the Appalachian Trail Conservancy's Marketing and Communications Manager. The Appalachian Trail Conservancy's mission is to preserve and manage the Appalachian Trail – ensuring that its vast natural beauty and priceless cultural heritage can be shared and enjoyed today, tomorrow, and for centuries to come. ATC is one of the outdoor and environmental non-profit organizations that Trailspace supports.
Visit www.appalachiantrail.org or "like" ATC on Facebook to help support its mission.WASHINGTON -- The Chicago Cubs say their trip to the White House comes at an opportune time and holds more significance than that of a typical World Series champion's visit.
Monday is the beginning of the last week of Chicago native Barack Obama's administration -- and Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
"This is the ultimate time to go to the White House as an athlete, to meet the president after winning a ring," Cubs right fielder Jason Heyward said at this weekend's Cubs winter fan convention. "For me, being an African-American, there's something (special) about it. And for my teammates who are from Venezuela, there's something about it, guys from Alabama or Mississippi (or wherever), there's something about it for them. Yes, there's a lot of significance for a lot of different reasons."
Dexter Fowler, Heyward's good friend, agrees. Fowler said via text that "he had to see (President) Obama" before he left office. After the Cubs won the World Series, Fowler signed as a free agent with the Cardinals.
The Cubs could have waited and visited in June when they play the Nationals. But after Obama's invitation soon after their World Series win in November, the Cubs scrambled to make it happen before he left office.
"When you get invited to go to the White House, you say 'yes,'" team owner Tom Ricketts said last week. "We're excited. It's a plus that President Obama is a Chicagoan -- although he's a Sox fan."
The Cubs are hopeful to "convert" Obama, as several players put it.
"It's an honor to get an invite from the president, especially a high-profile guy like Obama," shortstop Addison Russell said. "We're excited. There's probably about three people I would be starstruck by, and he's one of them."
Second baseman Ben Zobrist added: "I've never been to the White House before. I'm excited to step foot into it. It's such a historical building. It's incredible to think just doing something athletically can give you the opportunity to do that."
Zobrist was part of a World Series-winning team in 2015 as a member of the Kansas City Royals. But he wasn't able to join his former teammates because they went to the White House midseason while Zobrist was playing for the Cubs. By going on Monday, several former Cubs players, including Fowler, will be able to attend.
"I've talked to a couple of people that have gotten to go there and see it, and they said seeing the whole production is cool," pitcher Kyle Hendricks said. "Just how many people are working on the grounds there. It's an awesome opportunity to see the White House, and I'm glad a lot of our team from last season can make it."
There will be some absences, such as pitcher Jake Arrieta, but no one is claiming to be skipping the visit for political reasons. Some had conflicts considering the last-minute scheduling of the ceremony. But for those who are going, it's another reminder that the Cubs won the World Series for the first time in 108 years.
"I'm just going to try and not get arrested," reliever Justin Grimm joked. "It's cool. How many times do you get to go see the president, right?"
More than one player expressed an interest in seeing Obama and the next president. It would mean achieving a rare feat in baseball -- repeating as champions. The Cubs have a shot; they're favorites to win the World Series again.
"It's pretty cool," Heyward said. "We have a unique situation to see two presidents in the same year if it works out the same way."Immortal Technique has responded to Hamilton creator and star Lin-Manuel Miranda's story about being bullied by the rapper back in high school. If you missed the initial news, Miranda stopped by Marc Maron's garage for an episode of "WTF" and revealed that the rapper bullied him at Hunter College High School in New York, going so far as to throw him in a trash can.
Now, the rapper has shared his side of the story. "It was a story about personal growth and redemption, and people twisted it into us being long-time adversaries," Immortal told Complex over email. "We have always been very proud of each others' success, and we even joked about these articles with each other on Twitter over the weekend."
@Lin_Manuel @jsnsvision they definitely were an inspiration as was Pumpkinhead (RIP) & many more Underground heads who deserve recognition. — IG: TechImmortal (@ImmortalTech) November 14, 2016
It turns out the two are even friends now, which is why Immortal almost responded to the entire story in a less serious way. However, the pair share a deeper bond for important issues and it seems that bond inspired Immortal to respond to the headlines in a different way. "I'm appreciative to say that we are friends, we are both staunch supporters of immigrant rights, and we will continue the fight against bigotry in our respective ways."
POST CONTINUES BELOW
Immortal also decided to take a deep turn and be sure to tell Complex that he is not proud of his actions when he was younger. "I want to be very clear with my supporters, I wasn’t just a bully as a kid, I was a criminal. I lived a very violent life," he explained. "I did way worse things that I don’t choose to glorify—things worse than harassing kids and put them in trash cans." He also understands that despite his change, people will always see him as he was 20 years ago. "I think that's unfortunate, however as an adult I have to accept that and hope that at least some of them will look at my life's work since then and understand that a real change is possible."
You can read Immortal Tech's full statement to Complex below.
The other day, in response to a slew of articles that came out about my young life, Lin-Manuel Miranda and many others were gracious enough to point out the changes I have made and the humanitarian actions I have been a part of since high school. After listening to the podcast that all of this originated from, we both found the clickbait headlines misleading. It was a story about personal growth and redemption, and people twisted it into us being long-time adversaries.
We have always been very proud of each others' success, and we even joked about these articles with each other on Twitter over the weekend. To this day, I’m appreciative to say that we are friends, we are both staunch supporters of immigrant rights, and we will continue the fight against bigotry in our respective ways. I guess I could've taken the humorous route and said something like, “And you thought it was hard for YOU to get tickets to 'Hamilton.'” I just thought, that without a larger context, something could be lost in all this friendly exchange. I wouldn't want my supporters to get the impression that anyone was trying to normalize childish bullying, especially coming from someone who now fights for others.
People have told me that back in high school they saw me as both a reckless antagonist and a well-meaning vigilante. I protected the people close to me from kids in school and fought hard against outside groups looking to herb kids. But I also had very little patience with many of the kids who went there, and I even took my anger out on those who were trying to help me. I rarely stopped to think about what that person was going through. I thought by showing strength and power, people would fear me and therefore respect me. As a result, I’m sorry to say that I hurt some of the people I should have been protecting. I ended up exacerbating a lot of my problems. And I guess, at 17, it was hard for me to see that the person I was really fighting was myself.
I want to be very clear with my supporters, I wasn’t just a bully as a kid, I was a criminal. I lived a very violent life. I did way worse things that I don’t choose to glorify—things worse than harassing kids and put them in trash cans. I robbed, I stole, I sold drugs, I ran with gangs. I have never hidden this part of myself. In a way, growing out of that helps me relate to the kids out there, sometimes a lot more than people who never experienced these things. But I can’t excuse my behavior by simply claiming I lived in a non-gentrified NYC.
As adults we like to think that children are going to come to us with all of their problems. The sad reality is that they often don’t. I used to see violence as the answer to all my problems with someone else. The sad reality is that when the only tool you have is a hammer, every problem starts to look like a nail. I understand that there are some people who will never see me as anything more than the angry young person I was 20 years ago. I think that’s unfortunate, however as an adult I have to accept that and hope that at least some of them will look at my life’s work since then and understand that a real change is possible.Redwood City (left side) has significantly less tree cover than its comparatively wealthier neighbor, Menlo Park (center right). Is the oak tree outside your home the next Superman? New research suggests that it may be more protective than it appears. Geoffrey Donovan conducted a study in Portland, Oregon, which showed a negative correlation between tree size and crime rates. The larger the crown area of trees, the lower the crime rates. Well-established trees may deter potential burglars by creating the impression that an area is well cared for, and subject to effective authority. Donovan's study controlled for a number of factors, including the ethnic makeup of the neighborhoods and the value of homes. However, Donovan also admits that areas with larger trees were probably historically well maintained, which resulted in lower crime rates.
This makes sense, as there is also a strong correlation between tree cover and income level. According to a study on the demand for urban forests, for every 1 percent increase in per capita income, there was a 1.76 percent increase in demand for forest cover. When income dropped by the same amount, demand for forest cover dropped by 1.26 percent. You can see this inequality from space (or Google maps).I got a lot of feedback yesterday about whether or not I should be discussing the weekend box office performance of Captain America: Civil War in terms of the prior Captain America films or in terms of the previous Avengers installments. I made a point to mostly ignore the "But, it's Avengers 2.5!" cries mostly because it is a Steve Roger adventure. Yes, Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark plays a significant supporting role, and yes we have cameos from a few other MCU superheroes, but it’s still a Steve Rogers story. But for the sake of argument, let’s presume that it’s a quasi-Avengers sequel. In that light, concerning domestic box office, how did the movie do this weekend? Well, yeah, still pretty darn well.
If we’re discussing Civil War purely as a Captain America installment, the numbers are bonkers. The film out-grossed the entire $176 million U.S. total of The First Avenger in its first three days. Its wide release domestic debut almost doubled the wide release opening weekend of The Winter Soldier ($181.8m vs. $95m). I have never, ever seen that in a threequel outside of the “11years later, in 3D, and with a part two that opened on a Wednesday” Toy Story 3. It’s probably going to make $400m without breaking a sweat and be one of the biggest movies of the year, give or take (offhand) Finding Dory, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.
Regarding its existence as a Captain America sequel, it is an eye-popping triumph. But what about if we do count it as an Avengers sequel? Well, this is where it gets complicated.
It opened (as of this writing) at $181.8 million. That’s the fifth-biggest weekend of all time. That’s also the fourth-biggest weekend in just the last 12 months. And it’s down 5.5% from Avengers: Age of Ultron. Avengers: Age of Ultron debuted with $191m last summer, a figure that was (hilariously) written off as a sign of failure and so-called “superhero fatigue.” It was also 8% lower than the $207.7m debut weekend of The Avengers back in May 2012, which set a record for a Fri-Sun debut at the time. So all told Captain America: Civil War had a 12.5% lower opening weekend than The Avengers. If you bring inflation into the mix, it’s 17% smaller than the “adjusted” $219m debut weekend of The Avengers.
Can this franchise be saved? Sorry, inside joke.
But, if you treat The Avengers, Avengers: Age of Ultron, and Captain America: Civil War as three films in an ongoing series, does their relative decline regarding opening weekend match up with any actual cinematic trilogy in modern times? And honestly, the answer is a little complicated.
There are plenty of trilogies that went nuts on the sequel and then had a part three that opened a little higher or lower than the previous installment. Think Scream ($6m to $32m to $34m) or Chris Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy ($48m to $158m to $160m). The first three Lethal Weapon films had skyrocketing opening weekends ($6.8m to $20.3m to $33.2m), but Lethal Weapon 3 grossed about the same as Lethal Weapon 2 ($144.7m versus $147.2m). There are plenty of trilogies that just kept shooting upwards regarding opening weekend and final domestic gross, like X-Men ($54m to $85m to $102m), the initial Bourne trilogy ($29m to $52m to $69m), Austin Powers ($9.5m to $54m to $73m), or The Lord of the Rings ($47m to $62m to $72m).
The two Spider-Man franchises are a mess for comparisons because three of them opened on a Friday and two of them opened on a Tuesday or Wednesday. There are franchises that peaked in the first two installments and then (comparatively speaking) cratered afterward, such as The Hunger Games and Divergent. There are franchises that peaked at part one but have part threes that made less than the original but more than the sequel, such as both Star Wars trilogies and the first three Indiana Jones films. If Civil War ends up with significantly more than Age of Ultron’s $459m domestic |
want to pay garage prices, or simply can't find a garage in the neighborhood.
Spot Pog spokesman Evan Thies says he expects that feature to be most popular in parts of Park Slope, Boerum Hill and Fort Greene where parking options are minimal. He also says that people with homes near beaches, parks and colleges are likely to make the most money from renting out their extra spaces.
If you're the owner of a driveway (and you have to be the owner to legally rent it out), you can charge anywhere between $1 and $50 (Thies tells us that between $2 and $30 has been the typical rate so far). Owners keep 70 percent of what they make and Spot Pog keeps 30 percent. (We played around with the app a bit, and had a hard time finding options in either Brooklyn or Manhattan, so at least for now, the system seems more useful for users hoping to make a buck renting out their parking spot, rather than for anyone desperately in search of a place to park stat. But we're not sure if that was a momentary hiccup on our test drive.)
All payment is done digitally and via credit or debit card (think Uber-style), so you never have to have cash on hand to get a spot.
In order to find out which neighborhood is likely to see the most Spot Pog activity, we asked our friends at AddressReport to crunch the numbers.
Here's what they found:
In Manhattan, 21 percent of households have at least one vehicle (unsurprisingly, the smallest percentage). In Brooklyn, 43 percent; in Queens, 61 percent (the largest majority) and in the Bronx, 39 percent.
Within Brooklyn, Park Slope and DUMBO have quite a few car owners, 44 percent and 43 percent respectively.
So Queens and Brooklyn brownstone owners: you might have just discovered a new way to make some money this summer. And it could mean less circling around for a spot for the rest of us.
Related:
Help! My neighbors keep stealing my parking spot
Free parking? How to get a space with your apartment (plus, how much it'll cost)
Startup offers monthly valet parking for New Yorkers—anytimePresident Trump and his administration are moving at lightning speeds
Months after the the Ohio State attack by a Somali refugee and days into Trump’s presidency, Somalian refugees are being deported by the plane-full.
Xinhuanet reports:
More than 90 Somalis and Kenyans arrived in the Kenyan capital Nairobi on Wednesday after being deported from the United States, a Kenyan official said.
Government spokesman Eric Kiraithe said the deported included 90 Somali men and two Kenyan women, while adding he did not know why they had been deported.
Other officials termed the number higher as compared to past cases as they noted the American authorities were toughening up on illegal immigrants there.
It came ahead of U.S. President Donald Trump’s expected signing of executive orders that include a temporary ban on most refugees and a suspension of visas for citizens of Syria and six other Middle Eastern and African countries.
SHARE on Facebook and Twitter if you’re glad that these deportations are happening!
http://www.wedgies.com/question/should-donald-trump-get-a-special-prosecutor-to-go-after-hillary-pkaqxxn5zcOn average, it took 20 to 30 minutes to purge a month's worth of posts. After about 12 hours of hand-deleting stories, I decided it was time to automate.
I found two options: the Facebook Timeline Cleaner and Absterge, both scripts than can run in the Firefox or Chrome browsers. Both are actively maintained, which is important. Facebook changes its code frequently, so tools that interact with it need to keep up. They're also open-source, so other coders can check them to make sure they work properly (and don't do anything nefarious).
Facebook Timeline Cleaner is the more nuanced option. It allows you to delete posts older or younger than a given time. However, it didn't work well for me. I spent a week trying to get it to work in Firefox and Chrome. It would run for eight to 10 hours, delete some things, and then the browser would crash. I tried it for only very old posts, but it still fizzled. I suspect this is because I had so much activity, and the computational power required to run the script was more than the browser could handle.
Absterge is less subtle: It deletes everything. You do have some control—you can choose types of activity from the left-hand side of the Activity Log and purge only those posts. For example, pick "likes," then click the Absterge button. It deletes all the likes.
I ran Absterge over a few sections, and then over my whole timeline. It was pretty fast. In about an hour, my timeline was clean.
The most frustrating thing: I found that posts I deleted would reappear later. This happened to posts I hand-deleted as well as those deleted by Absterge. I don't think this is anything nefarious on Facebook's part. The technology it uses to process a deletion could hiccup. Facebook also has a complex and extensive content delivery network with copies of posts stored in many places, so a stray copy could show up after deletion. Still, this resurrection of posts makes an already-painful process even worse. I had to make several passes through each section to get everything deleted.
When moving through the Activity Log, although I was occasionally amused when I came across a picture or an old meme I'd posted (remember "25 random things about me"?), I never found anything that I felt was important enough to keep. At its core, social interaction is a time-sensitive activity. Networks like Facebook are oriented around the present. A like or comment on a week-old post makes sense. A comment on something you posted a year ago feels weird. Some people value having these archives, but for me, there's no reason to hold on to old content, stripped of its context and time, no longer encouraging or inspiring social interaction. I ran Absterge over a few sections, and then over my whole timeline. It was pretty fast. In about an hour, my timeline was clean.
The real lesson I learned from this exercise is how difficult it is to manage one's online persona. I had it pretty easy: I was willing to delete everything. For someone who wants to cull their Timeline more selectively, the automated solutions wouldn't work—it could take dozens of hours to clean it up.
And that's just Facebook. Imagine doing the same on Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Google Plus, and others. As our online lives become more important, so too does our ability to curate them. The tools for this aren't yet mature, but the market is there—both for existing social media companies and startups.
For me, the struggle was worth it. Now, I smile when I look at my Timeline, since it's entirely about this moment.
This article is part of Future Tense, a collaboration among Arizona State University, the New America Foundation, and Slate. Future Tense explores the ways emerging technologies affect society, policy, and culture. To read more, visit the Future Tense blog and the Future Tense home page. You can also follow us on TwitterOnly a dozen men have ever set foot on the moon – the last ones, Jack Schmitt and Eugene Cernan, in 1972. But a group of international space agencies, including NASA and the Canadian Space Agency, have brought up the possibility of laying the groundwork for an eventual human base on the lunar surface.
Hauling enough water and other resources to sustain life on the moon, though, is prohibitively expensive. According to NASA, it costs $10,000 to put one pound of payload into Earth’s orbit–and exponentially more to shuttle it 384,400 kilometres to the moon. So, in 2018, NASA and its partners hope to launch the Lunar Resource Prospector mission, to map water and other resources on the moon.
The Artemis Jr. rover, a 270-kilogram unmanned robot designed and built by Neptec Technologies, is a key part of the project. Its job will be to drill for and collect samples to bring back to Earth (Neptec partnered with Sudbury-based Deltion Innovations, which builds drilling systems for primarily Earth-bound mining companies). To ensure that Neptec’s remote-controlled rover can get the job done, the Artemis Jr. has endured rigorous testing on the slopes of Hawaii’s Mauna Kea, a dormant volcano whose surface closely resembles that of the moon.
Neptec, which has 65 employees at its facility just outside Ottawa, is not a newcomer to space. In the mid-1990s, its breakthrough technology, the Space Vision System, helped astronauts assemble the International Space Station (ISS) and is still in use on Canadarm2. Neptec’s laser sensor technology, employed on the Artemis and in the TriDAR system it designed for docking the Cygnus resupply vehicle with the ISS, is now being used by mining companies to lend precision to the routes of massive open-mine dump trucks. That’s the key to surviving as a small space contractor, says Neptec’s president of space exploration, Mike Kearns: putting the technology you design for space missions to work here on Earth. Ontario Drive and Gear (ODG), which designed and built the Artemis chassis and drivetrain, has started incorporating some Artemis components into its commercial electric-powered vehicles. Kearns, too, has plans for the Artemis Jr. technology. “The U.S. military is having to cut back on the number of soldiers, and one of the ways to do that is to have a fleet of autonomous vehicles,” he says. “There’s an opportunity there. It’s something we’re going to pursue.”
In the meantime, Kearns’s team at Neptec is preparing for its first mission to Mars, also slated for 2018, when the red planet will be just 57.6 million kilometres away from Earth. The company has signed a deal with U.K.-based Astrium to put navigation cameras on the ExoMars rover, part of a mission funded by Russia and the European Space Agency. /Shane DingmanIf you would like to read a recap of the last episode, click here. The midseason finale ended with a bang and was the best episode of the series so far. This created some big shoes for the winter premiere to fill. Most networks do this now but having a great episode followed by a long layoff almost always hurts the momentum of the series coming back. While the previous episode ended on an emotional high and the series can’t be like that all the time, the next one was due to bring things down a notch.
The episode starts off with some sort of EDM party where drugs are being handed out. The dealer, a man named Adam Pressman (Will Brandt), is being followed by some Korean gangsters. Once Pressman reaches outside, he is then shot and killed.
Riggs has been missing for a little while and Trish thinks this worrying is consuming Murtaugh. RJ is having girl problems because no one has asked him out to the dance. Murtaugh complains about the current generation and how they text each other instead of asking each other in person. Murtaugh is called on a case. He argues this with Riggs but he isn’t paying attention. Murtaugh asks Riggs what he did last weekend and he isn’t sharing. He doesn’t commit to going to Murtaugh’s for dinner.
At the scene, follows blood trail into a hall full of seemingly mindless, dancing zombies. They are all listening to music from noise-cancelling headphones. Riggs picks up a pair and joins in. The DJ claims that there is nothing illegal going on and the drugs that were being handed out are legal stimulants. Riggs thinks that this is his kind of party.
They both question the DJ who didn’t see anything and claims that Owlsly behind the drugs is named Owlsly and that they are missing. She claims that Owlsly is super underground where Riggs subtly jabbed at Murtaugh, claiming it as a great place to be. At the morgue, Scorsese is amazed at the work behind the drugs and took some during testing. Everything about them was legal. He finds an address for Owlsly.
Riggs chats with Cahill. He tells her that Roger is worried about how he spends his weekends but other than that, everything is good. He is also eating her salad. She is worried that his isolation may be caused by clinical depression.
Riggs and Murtaugh go to Owlsly’s address. A woman (Lyndon Smith) answers the door and claims to not know an Owlsly but a picture of an owl on the wall leads them to believe otherwise. She admits to being Owlsly and lets them in. She’s been isolated in the same loft for three years and has everything she would ever need. Riggs takes a few more subtle jabs at Murtaugh.
She says she had disagreement with Pressman and that he was threatened by a Korean gang. They attempt to bring her to station when a car drives by and opens fire on them. Owlsly is scared away and runs back to her loft. At the station, Avery briefs them on the sensitive nature of Koreatown and brings in some help in a detective named Cho (Chin Han). Murtaugh and Riggs are worried that this may ruin their dynamic but when Cho offers Korean barbecue hotspots, they quickly change their minds.
Cho has lead from a source in a club and also complements Murtaugh’s hat. Riggs doesn’t notice and wants them to split up and Cho agrees. Riggs brings photos to Owlsly. She is not worried about her life. Bad things seem to keep happening to her but helping find who killed Pressman may help her feel better. She identifies a man named Kang (Jack Yang) from the photo lineup.
Murtaugh and Cho are a restaurant and getting along. Cho talks to his contact who was a server. She spots Kang at the bar. Cho wants to wait for backup. Murtagh mentions that Riggs would not have done that. Riggs arrives and doesn’t want to wait. A shootout ensues and Kang gets away.
Murtaugh complains to Avery about Riggs’ behavior and he tells him that he chose him to be with Riggs. Cahill bumps into Riggs and doesn’t want him to burn his only bridge with the outside world being Murtaugh. Riggs shows up at Murtaugh’s for dinner. Trish introduces him to one of her friends named Kate (Jocelin Donahue). They have an awkward dinner conversation where Kate appears to be into Riggs’ isolation, leading to some more subtle jabbing and ending with a full-on argument. Murtaugh lets it slip that the dinner was to set-up Riggs, making him upset and leaving.
Sonya and Cho get information on a threat to Owlsly and the DJ and Murtaugh and Riggs go after them. Owlsly’s loft is trashed. Murtaugh and Cho find the DJ beaten up at the party. Riggs finds Owlsly in a hiding spot under the floor. Owlsly doesn’t know what they were looking for in her loft. The DJ was beat up by two men who wanted money. The DJ secretly knew Owlsly. Owlsly had a crush on Pressman and wanted to make a life for them. They hug and Riggs starts to drift away. She drugged him and he stumbles while she tries to escape.
Riggs stumbles outside and walks around Koreatown. He sees Owlsly being put into car and begins to ride the roof. Cho empathizes with Murtaugh’s situation. They notice Riggs on the roof driving by. In the other car, Owlsly gives the gangsters money but it is not enough for them. Riggs gets into the car with the others and they follow them. Riggs wants to get out and start shooting but is stopped by the closed windows. Cho takes the wheel, allowing Murtaugh to start shooting which causes the other car to flip. They get to Kang but Owlsly stumbles away. She took drugs to kill herself. She apologizes to the world and Riggs consoles her until she finally passes away.
Cho and Murtaugh are having lunch. Cho offers himself as a new partner but Murtaugh is committed to Riggs for better or worse. He says that Riggs is lucky to have him but Murtaugh believes that Riggs doesn’t see that. Cahill meets with Riggs at the morgue. He promises to her that he will not kill himself.
Riggs comes back to Murtaugh’s. Trish apologizes for pushing him but Riggs tells her that he’s going to need the push. He gives them a bottle of apology wine then leaves. RJ now has a date to the dance because a few girls were impressed that he asked them out in person. Riggs goes to one of the headphone parties and just sits there.
Overall, this was a cooling down episode, treading familiar ground with Riggs and his social problems while also giving him a new sad case to empathize with but was still fun to watch with the third wheel in Cho, contrasting the dynamic between Murtaugh and Riggs. They are great together but it’s also fun to see them sometimes bounce off of other characters.
Score: 8/10
If you liked this, please read my other reviews here and don’t forget to follow me on Twitter, follow me on Instagram, and also like me on Facebook.
*Note: These may come later on certain weeks as this show airs on the same day where I attend advanced screenings*
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Like this: Like Loading...10 Little Known Amazing Facts About Mumbai
by Goranka Medhi
Posted on 27th September, 2015
Noisy yet spiritual, flashy yet humble, Mumbai manages to cram so many extremes into one city it's no wonder that it leaves most visitors exhilarated and entranced. Tower blocks spring up and the newest mall beckons a new crowd. Yet in this fast-growing city, some things never change, such as the gothic spires and gargoyles covering the immense UNESCO-protected Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, and Sunday evenings on Chowpatty Beach where families flock to snack on pani puri on the sands. Here are 10 amazing facts that you didn't know about Aamchi Mumbai, the City of Dreams!
'Mumbai’ is actually a set of 7 islands
The erstwhile ‘Bombay’, which is actually a set of seven islands, was not part of the British Empire but was given as dowry by the Portuguese when Princess Braganza married Charles II of England. It took 60 years to merge the seven islands of Bombay into one landmass between 1784 and 1845. The resulting island of Bombay was later merged with the nearby islands of Trombay and Salsette that lay to its North-east and North respectively to form Greater Bombay.
Mumbai is the seasonal home to a flamboyance of Flamingos
I’m not sure what is more fun: the existence of flamingos in Mumbai, or the fact that, just as a group of fish is called a school, a group of these pink birds is called a flamboyance. Either way, the seasonal Mumbai flamingos have been one of the city’s secret gems since they magically began appearing in the 1990s on the Sewri-Mahul mudflats on the island city’s eastern waterfront. Urban birders better be quick, though: waterfront development is coming soon and a new train line is set to barrel right through the habitat. Flamingo season runs through Mumbai’s winter—roughly, October to March.
Image Credit - gentlesound
'0' KM Milestone
When you travel towards Mumbai, you can see milestone stating Mumbai 35 Kms, but where is the '0' KM milestone? It is at Flora Fountain. Flora Fountain, built in 1864, is a fusion of water, architecture and sculpture, and depicts the Roman goddess Flora. It was built at a total cost of Rs. 47,000, a princely sum in those days.
Flora Fountain
The name Mumbai was derived from Mumba Devi and Bombay from...
From Bom Bahia, literally meaning ‘The Good Bay’. Bombay was actually named by Portuguese explorer Francis Almeida. The present day name ‘Mumbai’ is named after goddess Mumba devi of the Koli community. After the British gained possession of the city in the 17th century, the Portuguese name was officially anglicised as Bombay.
Madh Fort, built by the portuguese
Gilbert Hill - The 66 Million year old hill in Andheri
Gilbert Hill is a 200 ft monolith column of black basalt rock at Andheri. The rock has a sheer vertical face and was formed when molten lava was squeezed out of the Earth's clefts about 66 million years ago. Disregarded by numerous, this hill is actually one of the main two slopes found in the whole world, of the same kind. The other is the Devil’s Tower in northeastern Wyoming in the US.
A Natural Wonder!
The Temple of Kwan Tai Shek
Did you know that there is a Chinese Temple in Aamchi Mumbai? It was during the times of the East India Company's rule that the Chinese residing in Mumbai created this temple. Drenched in red (the Chinese auspicious colour), this temple is indeed a gem hidden in the bylanes of Mazgaon. Although it is a very small temple, it still holds the mystical Yin-Yang and the Fortune Bamboos that provide us valuable insights into the Chinese culture. The temple is active throughout the year, but is a visual treat during the Chinese New Year and Moon Festival.
Note: The temple is closed all the time, so if you want to see go on 1st floor and ask for keys. There is a Chinese family who has the keys of the temple.
The entrance
The Temple
Japanese Temples and Graveyards
Over the centuries, Mumbai has been inhabited by various communities; be it the Israelis, Armenians, English or the Chinese. Amongst all these communities, one such community is the Japanese community. Surprising, isn't it? Although their presence is inconspicuous today, they still form a significant part of Mumbai’s historic past. The Japanese graveyards and temples located in and around E. Moses Road, Worli are a must-visit if you really want to explore the interiors of Mumbai. The Nipponzan Mydhoji Temple was built somewhere in 50's on the land donated by the Birlas and looked after by the followers of Nichiren sect of Japanese Buddhism. This small but spacious temple's walls are lined with paintings of life of Buddha. The cemetery is called 'Nipponjin Bochi'. The cemetery is known to house the ashes of Japanese Geishas and prostitutes, brought to India by the British, and is one of the most beautiful graveyards in town.
The Entrance
Prayer Hall at the Temple
First Bus Service in India
The first bus service in India was started by Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) on 15 July 1926 between Afghan Church and Crawford Market. The people of Bombay received the bus with enthusiasm, but it took quite some time before this means of conveyance really established itself. For several years, it was looked upon as transport for the upper middle class. Those were the days when the tram was the poor man's transport. In response to the pleas made by the Government and the Bombay Municipal Corporation, the company extended its services to the northern part of the city in 1934. Double decker buses were introduced in 1937 in order to cope better with the growing traffic. The first limited bus service in Bombay, and probably the first in the country as well, started running in 1940 between Colaba and Mahim.
First Bus Service
Reservoirs under Hanging Gardens
The Hanging Gardens at Malabar Hill was built over three reservoirs which can store up to 300 lakh gallons of water. Since the gardens were set up on the slope of a hill, they were named as the Hanging Gardens. Situated over the city's main reservoir, they were built in the early 1880's. People say that the Hanging Garden was set up with the aim of covering and protecting the water of the reservoir from the polluting activities of the Towers of Silence, situated nearby.
Hanging Gardens
Mumbai University
Mumbai University was founded in 1857 at the Town Hall, and was shifted to the new complex near Oval Maidan in 1874. Until 1904 the university was purely an exam conducting and affiliating body which developed and dictated curricula to the colleges. Teaching departments, research disciplines and post-graduate courses were added later.
Mumbai Town Hall in 1860
Mumbai University in 1877
Mumbai University Today
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Click here to book your hotelYou hear many stories about the definition of true love or soul mates. What does it mean? Is it about a very deep understanding?
It is in fact so deep, that they can finish each other sentences and in a way know what the other one is thinking, kind of like twins.
You understand how they're feeling and what they need from you. You are able to share anything with each other and know that there will be no judgement. There may also be times of dejavu, like you have had the same conversation before not just now and not just for the first time.
This understanding comes from a very deep connection and a connection which by and large can be very hard to explain to others. It is very hard to put it into words that anyone else is likely to understand.
A common understanding that the two of you share that seems like if comes from many life times together not just from this life and this time. You may share complementary values and beliefs, which ensure a happy union and one which allows a connection at the deepest level possible.
Your true love may show up in your life when you need them most, even if you don't realize it. Now that may be as a lover but it may also be as a friend. A friend that is able to provide guidance, provide love and provide support. This may be provided to you at a time in your life when you are feeling most vulnerable.
A time in your life when you are in need of the type of understanding that true love like soul mates, who has no doubt supported you in many life times, can provide. This support will be provided without judgement and with complete understanding.
If your true love shows up as a lover, look out as you are no doubt in for the best physical relationship or sex of your life. When two souls that know each other this well get together there are bound to be fireworks.
The type of fireworks that would rival the best New Year’s Eve party anywhere in the world. Yes, you are both in for quite a treat if you are lucky enough to have your true love turn up in your life to be your lover. If this happens to you hold onto your hat and just enjoy the ride.
So in trying to give a definition of true love it is then a spiritual connection between soul mates, a deep connection and love, all of which comes from sharing many life times of memories and experiences together.
The other side of the coin is that people are just people at the end of the day and soul mate relationships can end up in trouble just like any other relationship.
Read more about the most reliable way to achieve a long term successful relationship so that together you can understand what true love means.Recently by John W. Whitehead: The Changing Face of the Police and the Death of the Fourth Amendment
"He [a federal agent] had his knee on my back and I had no idea why they were there." ~ Anthony Wright, victim of a Dept. of Education SWAT team raid
The militarization of American police — no doubt a blowback effect of the military empire — has become an unfortunate part of American life. In fact, it says something about our reliance on the military that federal agencies having nothing whatsoever to do with national defense now see the need for their own paramilitary units. Among those federal agencies laying claim to their own law enforcement divisions are the State Department, Department of Education, Department of Energy, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the National Park Service, to name just a few. These agencies have secured the services of fully armed agents — often in SWAT team attire — through a typical bureaucratic sleight-of-hand provision allowing for the creation of Offices of Inspectors General (OIG). Each OIG office is supposedly charged with not only auditing their particular agency's actions but also uncovering possible misconduct, waste, fraud, theft, or certain types of criminal activity by individuals or groups related to the agency's operation. At present, there are 73 such OIG offices in the federal government that, at times, perpetuate a police state aura about them.
For example, it was heavily armed agents from one such OIG office, working under the auspices of the Department of Education, who forced their way into the home of a California man, handcuffed him, and placed his three children (ages 3, 7, and 11) in a squad car while they conducted a search of his home. This federal SWAT team raid, which is essentially what it was, on the home of Anthony Wright on Tuesday, June 7, 2011, was allegedly intended to ferret out information on Wright's estranged wife, Michelle, who no longer lives with him and who was suspected of financial aid fraud (early news reports characterized the purpose of the raid as being over Michelle's delinquent student loans). According to Wright, he was awakened at 6 am by the sound of agents battering down his door and, upon descending the stairs, was immediately subdued by police. One neighbor actually witnessed the team of armed agents surround the house and, after forcing entry, they "dragged [Wright] out in his boxer shorts, threw him to the ground and handcuffed him."
This is not the first time a SWAT team has been employed in non-violent scenarios. Nationwide, SWAT teams have been employed to address an astonishingly trivial array of criminal activity or mere community nuisances: angry dogs, domestic disputes, improper paperwork filed by an orchid farmer, and misdemeanor marijuana possession, to give a brief sampling. In some instances, SWAT teams are even employed, in full armament, to perform routine patrols.
How did we allow ourselves to travel so far down the road to a police state? While we are now grappling with a power-hungry police state at the federal level, the militarization of domestic American law enforcement is largely the result of the militarization of local police forces, which are increasingly militaristic in their uniforms, weaponry, language, training, and tactics and have come to rely on SWAT teams in matters that once could have been satisfactorily performed by traditional civilian officers. Even so, this transformation of law enforcement at the local level could not have been possible without substantial assistance from on high.
Frequently justified as vital tools necessary to combat terrorism and deal with rare but extremely dangerous criminal situations, such as those involving hostages, SWAT teams — which first appeared on the scene in California in the 1960s — have now become intrinsic parts of local law enforcement operations, thanks in large part to substantial federal assistance. For example, in 1994, the U.S. Department of Justice and the Department of Defense agreed to a memorandum of understanding that enabled the transfer of federal military technology to local police forces. Following the passage of the Defense Authorization Security Act of 1997, which was intended to accelerate the transfer of military equipment to domestic law enforcement departments, local police acquired military weaponry — gratuitously or at sharp discounts — at astonishing rates. Between 1997 and 1999, the agency created by the Defense Authorization Security Act conveyed 3.4 million orders of military equipment to over 11,000 local police agencies in all 50 states. Not only did this vast abundance of military weaponry contribute to a more militarized police force, but it also helped spur the creation of SWAT teams in jurisdictions across the country.
In one of the few quantitative studies on the subject, criminologist Peter Kraska found in 1997 that close to 90 percent of cities with populations exceeding 50,000 and at least 100 sworn officers had at least one paramilitary unit. In a separate study, Kraska determined that, as of 1996, 65 percent of towns with populations between 25,000 and 50,000 had a paramilitary unit, with an additional 8 percent intending to establish one.
While the frequency of SWAT operations has increased dramatically in recent years, jumping from 1,000 to 40,000 raids per year by 2001, it appears to have less to do with increases in violent crime and more to do with law enforcement bureaucracy and a police state mentality. Indeed, according to Kraska's estimates, 75-80 percent of SWAT callouts are now for mere warrant service. In some jurisdictions, SWAT teams are responsible for servicing 100 percent of all drug warrants issued. A Maryland study, conducted in the wake of a botched raid in 2008 that resulted in the mistaken detainment of Berwyn Heights mayor Cheye Calvo and the shooting deaths of his two dogs, corroborates Kraska's findings. According to the study, SWAT teams are deployed 4.5 times per day in Maryland with 94 percent of those deployments being for something as minor as serving search or arrest warrants. In the county in which the Calvo raid occurred, more than 50 percent of SWAT operations carried out were for misdemeanors or non-serious felonies.
This overuse of paramilitary forces and increased reliance on military weaponry has inevitably resulted in a pervasive culture of militarism in domestic law enforcement. Police mimicry of the military is enhanced by the war-heavy imagery and metaphors associated with law enforcement activity: the war on drugs, the war on crime, etc. Moreover, it is estimated that 46 percent of paramilitary units were trained by "active-duty military experts in special operations." In turn, the military mindset adopted by many SWAT members encourages a tendency to employ lethal force. After all, soldiers are authorized to terminate enemy combatants. As Lawrence Korb, a former official in the Reagan Administration, put it, soldiers are "trained to vaporize, not Mirandize."
Ironically, despite the fact that SWAT team members are subject to greater legal restraints than their counterparts in the military, they are often less well-trained in the use of force than are the special ops soldiers on which they model themselves. Indeed, SWAT teams frequently fail to conform to the basic precautions required in military raids. For instance, after reading about a drug raid in Missouri, an army officer currently serving in Afghanistan commented:
My first thought on reading this story is this: Most American police SWAT teams probably have fewer restrictions on conducting forced entry raids than do US forces in Afghanistan. For our troops over here to conduct any kind of forced entry, day or night, they have to meet one of two conditions: have a bad guy (or guys) inside actively shooting at them; or obtain permission from a 2-star general, who must be convinced by available intelligence (evidence) that the person or persons they're after is present at the location, and that it's too dangerous to try less coercive methods.
Remember, SWAT teams originated as specialized units dedicated to defusing extremely sensitive, dangerous situations. As the role of paramilitary forces has expanded, however, to include involvement in nondescript police work targeting nonviolent suspects, the mere presence of SWAT units has actually injected a level of danger and violence into police-citizen interactions that was not present as long as these interactions were handled by traditional civilian officers. In one drug raid, for instance, an unarmed pregnant woman was shot as she attempted to flee the police by climbing out a window. In another case, the girlfriend of a drug suspect and her young child crouched on the floor in obedience to police instructions during the execution of a search warrant. One officer proceeded to shoot the family dogs. His fellow officer, in another room, mistook the shots for hostile gunfire and fired blindly into the room where the defendant crouched, killing her and wounding her child.
What we are witnessing is an inversion of the police-civilian relationship. Rather than compelling police officers to remain within constitutional bounds as servants of the people, ordinary Americans are being placed at the mercy of law enforcement. This is what happens when paramilitary forces are used to conduct ordinary policing operations, such as executing warrants on nonviolent defendants. Yet studies indicate that paramilitary raids frequently result in misdemeanor convictions. An investigation by Denver's Rocky Mountain News revealed that of the 146 no-knock raids conducted in Denver in 2000, only 49 resulted in charges. And only two resulted in prison sentences for suspects targeted in the raids.
General incompetence, collateral damage (fatalities, property damage, etc.) and botched raids tend to go hand in hand with an overuse of paramilitary forces. In some cases, officers misread the address on the warrant. In others, they simply barge into the wrong house or even the wrong building. In another subset of cases (such as the Department of Education raid on Anthony Wright's home), police conduct a search of a building where the suspect no longer resides. SWAT teams have even on occasion conducted multiple, sequential raids on wrong addresses or executed search warrants despite the fact that the suspect is already in police custody. Police have also raided homes on the basis of mistaking the presence or scent of legal substances for drugs. Incredibly, these substances have included tomatoes, sunflowers, fish, elderberry bushes, kenaf plants, hibiscus, and ragweed.
All too often, botched SWAT team raids have resulted in one tragedy after another for the residents with little consequences for law enforcement. Judges tend to afford extreme levels of deference to police officers who have mistakenly killed innocent civilians but do not afford similar leniency to civilians who have injured police officers in acts of self-defense. Even homeowners who mistake officers for robbers can be sentenced for assault or murder if they take defensive actions resulting in harm to police.
And as journalist Radley Balko shows in his in-depth study of police militarization, the shock-and-awe tactics utilized by many SWAT teams only increases the likelihood that someone will get hurt. Drug warrants, for instance, are typically served by paramilitary units late at night or shortly before dawn. Unfortunately, to the unsuspecting homeowner — especially in cases involving mistaken identities or wrong addresses — a raid can appear to be nothing less than a violent home invasion, with armed intruders crashing through their door. The natural reaction would be to engage in self-defense. Yet such a defensive reaction on the part of a homeowner, particularly a gun owner, will spur officers to employ lethal force.
That's exactly what happened to Jose |
had posted racist messages on Facebook. Trump’s lawsuit against him, made public on Wednesday, claims Nunberg in May told the New York Post about a public screaming match between two top Trump staffers: campaign spokeswoman Hope Hicks, and Trump’s then-campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski. Nunberg vehemently denies leaking the story.
Samuel Nunberg
At the time of the argument between Hicks and Lewandowski, Nunberg hadn’t been involved with Trump’s campaign for more than 10 months.
Nunberg says in his answer to the lawsuit that the Trump campaign illegally created a fictitious company, called Trump 2012 PCA. The company is listed as a plaintiff in the suit against Nunberg, along with Trump’s formal campaign.
Samuel Nunberg
Nunberg also claims the campaign “may very well” have violated campaign finance laws by using Trump company resources for Trump’s political campaign.
Samuel Nunberg
News of the lawsuit and response upstaged Trump’s search for a running mate, according to a source close to the campaign, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
“This is happening on the worst possible day for him,” said the adviser, who added that Trump disregarded advice not to file the lawsuit in the first place.
At the time the lawsuit was filed in May, Trump was relying on Corey Lewandowski, his campaign manager who was subsequently fired. Lewandowski advocated the suit as a way to make sure his relationship with Hicks ― which Nunberg’s filing calls a “sordid and apparently illicit affair” ― didn’t become public, the adviser said.
“Corey egged him on this suit,” the adviser said, adding that once it was filed, Trump was not interested in dropping it. “Trump never backs down.”
“Nunberg will go for Trump’s throat. This is going to be all-out war,” the adviser predicted. “This is going to be ugly.”
Indeed, there were already signs on Wednesday that Nunberg plans to make the legal battle about Trump’s presidential campaign. Nunberg contends his endorsement of Texas Sen. Ted Cruz (R), Trump’s former rival for the Republican nomination, sparked the lawsuit.
Samuel Nunberg
A spokeswoman for the Trump campaign did not respond to a request for comment from The Huffington Post.A teacher at a Texas middle school is out of a job after she gave mock awards to students that included designations like “most likely to become a terrorist” and “most likely to blend in with white people,” the school district and local media reports said.
“We have concluded our investigation, and the teacher responsible is no longer employed by the district,” the Channelview Independent School District said in a one-sentence statement when asked on Wednesday to confirm reports that the teacher was no longer working at the school, in Channelview, near Houston.
A spokesman did not reply to questions about whether the teacher had been fired or had resigned.
The teacher was not named in the district statement, but the certificates were signed by Stacy Lockett, who handed out the “awards” last week as part of a ceremony to celebrate the end of the term at Anthony Aguirre Junior High.DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran’s parliament voted on Wednesday to approve President Hassan Rouhani’s fifth candidate to head the higher education ministry, ending an ideological tussle over a cabinet post important to his pledge to liberalize life in the Islamic Republic.
Mohammad Farhadi, a centrist who held senior positions in a previous reformist administration, secured a 197-28 vote of confidence with 10 abstentions in the conservative-dominated Majlis (parliament).
It had rejected four other nominees of similar political leanings, citing mainly their alleged ties to mass unrest in 2009 over the disputed re-election victory of Rouhani’s predecessor, conservative hardliner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
The street and university campus protests were the biggest since Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution, shaking the establishment led by hardline Shi’ite clerics and elite Revolutionary Guards before being crushed.
Strong memories of that upheaval made parliament, controlled by allies of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, sensitive about who should head the Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Technology, which sets the ideological tone at universities.
The ministry had been run by a caretaker since reformist Reza Faraji-Dana, appointed by Rouhani after his landslide election victory in June 2013, was impeached by parliament three months ago over perceived links to the 2009 protests.
Rouhani alluded to his resounding election triumph in arguing for his agenda of easing repression at home that institutional hardliners have resisted, accusing him of catering to pro-Western interests.
“(My government) respects the will of parliament under any circumstances but our first reference is public opinion, and the people’s preference is for moderate discourse,” Rouhani was quoted by state media as saying.
Analysts said it may have taken a quiet nudge from Khamenei, with the ultimate say on all matters of state, to prompt parliament’s about-face on Rouhani’s nominee.
“The supreme leader did not like how parliament was handling the situation and he wanted it resolved quickly,” university professor Sadegh Zibakalam told Reuters by phone from Tehran.
While successive governments have insisted they support free speech and welcome constructive opposition, liberal-minded students and academics say the authorities in practice have clamped down on campus and other public dissent.
“I think the situation of universities will improve,” Zibakalam said, recalling the 2009 crackdown that left many students in jail and banned all political assembly in and outside campuses. “During Rouhani’s first year in office, many student groups that were banned have now re-grouped.”Sorry, guys, you're on your own for Fourth Meal.
The Portland Trail Blazers and Taco Bell will no longer run their popular "free Chalupa" promotion at games during the 2013-14 season, team sources tell Blazersedge.
Both sides were interested in continuing the partnership, which offered a coupon for a free Chalupa to every fan in attendance at the "Moda Center" whenever the Blazers topped 100 points. However, team sources say that Taco Bell decision-makers at the national level ultimately opted against continuing the partnership.
Portland has been one of a number of teams to run end-of-game promotions tied to free food. A Blazers decision-maker says the organization is interested in establishing a new, in-game, free-food promotion with another company but there aren't any specific plans in place at this point.
Update : A Blazers spokesperson confirmed the decision in an emailed statement to Blazersedge on Thursday.
"A corporate marketing decision impacting local Taco Bell franchisees has eliminated product promotions like our Chalupa giveaway when the Trail Blazers score 100 points," the statement read. "It's been a wonderful tradition for 14 years that our fans truly love. But rest assured the Trail Blazers will find a suitable replacement item for our fans to celebrate and enjoy when we score 100 points."
The end of the agreement happens to coincide with the departure of 2013 Sixth Man of the Year finalist and Chalupa Hero Luke Babbitt -- who signed to play with BC Nizhny Novgorod in Russia next season -- but the two moves are totally unrelated.
-- Ben Golliver | [email protected] | Twitterch33psh33p Profile Blog Joined October 2010 3039 Posts #2 Great fix for Belshir, should certainly be called Zergshir beach less now. Not sure about the changes on Terminus, rocks at third are just so... @_@ secret - never again
Indrium Profile Joined November 2010 United States 2222 Posts #3 Great info, thank you!
kineticSYN Profile Joined May 2011 United States 853 Posts #4 destructible rocks ;_;
pretty decent changes all around, still think belshir beach is an awful map though :S IMMvp #1 :)
Torte de Lini Profile Blog Joined September 2010 Germany 30667 Posts #5 NOOOOOOOOO DESTRUCTIBLE ROCKS
UGH! Hit by the Blizzard virus https://twitter.com/#!/TorteDeLini (@TorteDeLini)
Chocolate Profile Blog Joined December 2010 United States 2263 Posts #6 Grrrrr Terminus changes
Oh well the Bel'Shir changes look pretty good
johnnywup Profile Blog Joined August 2010 United States 3527 Posts #7 awesome! i like the changes.
justinpal Profile Joined September 2010 United States 3258 Posts #8 Very nice post <3. I like how everything was presented so simply with no random "I think this will make Zerg super good on this..." This is how everything should be presented. Never make a hydralisk.
usethis2 Profile Joined December 2010 2164 Posts #9 Not sure what the rationale for the Terminus change. I mean, it does seem to cripple Terran' expansion but not sure how much it will help P/Z.
ramon Profile Joined April 2011 Germany 3007 Posts #10 thanks for the post, interesting changes, probably for the better (no rocks on third of terminus would just make toss and mech way too happy) bisu
Sandro Profile Joined April 2011 897 Posts #11 Here I was thinking GOM was going to add a whole new slew of maps that are unfavorable to Terran or something.
Arcanne Profile Joined August 2010 United States 1514 Posts #12 terminus change is a pvz buff hah Professional tech investor, part time DotA scrub | Follow @AllMeasures on Twitter
Imbak333 Profile Joined April 2011 Canada 49 Posts #13 Not sure if im happy about the removal of the highground guarding each main on belshir. Im sure its more balanced and all, but I thought it produced a cool scenario in every game on that map someday
Oboeman Profile Joined January 2011 Canada 3958 Posts #14 uhhh did they gave any explanation behind why they were making these changes?
The terminus ones bother me.
The belshir beach ones bug me just because that highground feature was cool and unique.
Kiyo. Profile Joined November 2010 United States 2212 Posts Last Edited: 2011-09-17 02:37:44 #15
Blizzard should make Daybreak a ladder map Terminus seemed fine, I wonder if they added rocks because Blizzard is considering making it a ladder map(like what happened with Tal'Darim)?Blizzard should make Daybreak a ladder map KT Rolster & StarTale <3 | twitter.com/RayFoxII - twitch.tv/RayFoxII
TicketoHELL Profile Joined April 2010 Canada 364 Posts #16 On September 17 2011 11:37 Oboeman wrote:
uhhh did they gave any explanation behind why they were making these changes?
The terminus ones bother me.
The belshir beach ones bug me just because that highground feature was cool and unique.
its to help the protoss struggle in GSL obv nice buff for protoss imo
idk how tvz will play out though its to help the protoss struggle in GSL obv nice buff for protoss imoidk how tvz will play out though (づ.ㅡ) 부비적 (ㅡ.ど) 부비적 (づ.ど) 부비부비
Sandro Profile Joined April 2011 897 Posts #17 On September 17 2011 11:43 TicketoHELL wrote:
Show nested quote +
On September 17 2011 11:37 Oboeman wrote:
uhhh did they gave any explanation behind why they were making these changes?
The terminus ones bother me.
The belshir beach ones bug me just because that highground feature was cool and unique.
its to help the protoss struggle in GSL obv nice buff for protoss imo
idk how tvz will play out though its to help the protoss struggle in GSL obv nice buff for protoss imoidk how tvz will play out though
I'm happy they helped Protoss but GOM needs to make the maps a little more unfavorable to Terran. I'm happy they helped Protoss but GOM needs to make the maps a little more unfavorable to Terran.
Yew Profile Blog Joined July 2011 United States 940 Posts #18 Bel'shir change was needed badly, zergs dominated that map in ZvT and ZvP
eviltomahawk Profile Blog Joined August 2010 United States 10876 Posts #19 Hmmm, the Terminus change at the 3rd bases kinda remind me of the changes to Tal'Darim to make it a ladder map. Perhaps a subtle hint that Terminus might eventually make it into the ladder? I do like it a bit more than Tal'Darim.
Also, I'm not sure if I agree with the removal of the high ground thing at the main base choke on Belshir. I always liked having a bit of high ground advantage there for early defense. If it helps balance out the map, then I guess I'm fine with it. ㅇㅅㅌㅅ
ZeromuS Profile Blog Joined October 2010 Canada 12804 Posts #20 Looks like the maps are a little less Zerg Favoured in the PvZ matchup now... Hurray!! Strategy Overwatch is awesome | Support is the best role | @TL_ZeromuS | www.twitch.tv/Zeromus_
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Next AllEntity-Systems for typescript based games
rhazn Blocked Unblock Follow Following May 28, 2017
For my latest game project Frozzen I want to explore how an external UI, build with Angular, would work for a browser based game. Since Angular is written in Typescript that means ideally the game should also use the same.
Code of a typical data only component in Frozzen
I have used Artemis ODB as framework for a Java based game in the past and liked it a lot. Entity-Systems are much better introduced by any of the huge amount of articles out there (for example the classic on T=Machine) but I feel they are especially well suited to Javascript/Typescript development.
If you work with a strict separation of logic into systems and data only into components there is a very natural way to serialize components, JSON. Whole levels can be expressed as an array of JSON data that is used to set up components. That is why I prefer a very basic but strict implementation like artemis over similar frameworks like PhaserJS.
Frozzen is a turn based strategy game written in Typescript and artemists
I started my development with artemists, a Typescript port of artemis by darkoverlordofdata. Unfortunately the code is a bit outdated and does not use import/export and can not be directly imported for newer Typescript versions (since it extends the built-in Array).
With darkoverlordofdata’s permission I did a quick update to the Typescript parts of the code only, adding import/export support and fixing the build for newer Typescript versions. You can find the updated version here. If you are looking for an example of that framework in action you can play an example level of Frozzen here.Drone racing is a new sport exploding around the globe and Tokoroa is centre for the action in New Zealand.
It's the coolest sport you've never heard of, and now drone racing is exploding across New Zealand. Two leagues have kicked off since January, with the first national championship already underway, and a trans-Tasman battle planned for later in the year.
The sport, which involves competitors racing camera-carrying drones through courses while watching a screen or via a pair of goggles, has taken off overseas. Already YouTube is full of videos showcasing the sport.
In January drone enthusiast Mat Wellington started up Rotorcross NZ, and held the league's first race in March. Wellington says about 20 pilots turn out at each event, held roughly every two weeks around the country, and about as many spectators join the crowd. Group membership is at 50, and growing fast, he says.
Mike Scott Drone racers Bruce Simpson, left, and Gordon Hudson with their drones, POV video goggles and deck chairs are all ready for a bit racing in a forest area near Tokoroa.
"It's the closest sport to actually flying for real," he says. "It's a really immersive sport, really competitive, but everyone has a lot of fun too."
Wellington started the national championship at the same time as the league, with points from regional competitions building towards a grand finale likely to be held next year. He's also organising a group of six pilots to head across the ditch in December for a bit of trans-Tasman rivalry.
Rotorcross NZ, which is supported by Model Flying New Zealand, uses the more established club's flying grounds for competitions, and also has "fun flying" days where people can come along to get a feel for the sport.
It organises events through its Facebook page, and Wellington suspects the sport has taken off because it is much less expensive to crash a drone than other model flying machines. The hardy carbon fibre frames can endure impacts that would cost "hundreds and hundreds" of dollars to repair in another machine, he says.
Waikato man Bruce Simpson - who attained world-wide fame when his attempts to build a backyard turbo jet in 2003 saw him labelled a global terror threat - is behind another drone racing group, the NZ Drone Racing League, and says he's hoping to get approval for incorporated society status soon.
The group started when he and a group of mates began meeting at the weekends to fly the little machines. After a few run-ins with the local council over safe spaces to fly, he managed to secure a spot on private land at Kinleith Mill, Tokoroa.
About eight people turn out from all over the central North Island each weekend, says Simpson, and the group always makes sure a pair of goggles (you can tune in to each racing drone and watch the view from their onboard camera) and an extra drone are around for any passers-by who get curious.
"It started taking off probably about a year ago when things became cheap and relatively available," he says.
"The technology has been evolving for a number of years and it's just got to the stage now where you could set yourself up for well under $1000 with a racing drone, and video glasses and all the stuff you need."
Frankton Model Shop manager Nathan Toia, a drone flying enthusiast himself, agrees with the timeline. He says he noticed drone parts starting to fly out the shop door about a year ago.
"Drone racing is very popular at the moment. We're seeing a big increase in the sales of parts, people are building the drones themselves.
"It's a new clientele, people who don't have any modelling experience in the past. They're people who come from more of an electronics background."
Toia reckons parts would make up less than five per cent of his sales currently, but expects it to grow to 20 per cent by next year. That pick up will largely be due to ready-to-fly models becoming available in the next few weeks, he says.
"There are a few overseas [ready-to-fly models] but they tend to be the cheapest components rather than what your racers want."
But while there are still a "couple of spanners in the works" technologically speaking, and a few racing rules to iron out, all agree that there's nothing likely to slow this trend down in the immediate future.Concept
An open source project where every note head is substituted so that A equals alligator, Re es igual ratón, C er lig med chimpanze, Fa égale fourmi, Σολ ισούται με φίδι, etc…
Why
Because we love music and want kids af all ages to learn musical notation.
Sheets
The sheets come in animal, normal and color yourself versions. You can create your own and/or browse the library on animalnoteheads.com/sheets
Posters
I’m creating posters that you can print and hang up. They’re currently available in: English, Dansk
Puzzle
I’m making a wooden puzzle prototype to pitch the idea for toy producers here in Europe. If that doesn’t pan out I’ll probably create a Kickstarter to start my own puzzle production. Follow me for updates.
Piano
Use the free Pianimo iOS app and/or get the 1.7$ vinyl sticker set to put on your keys like these danish stickers. Getting bulk discount and using 25% coupon makes the price 2.7$ for 6 sets
Contributors
Everyone is welcome to join us at GitHub - you don’t have to be a programmer. We’re adding more languages and features to make it even better and easier to use.
Abraham Lee - Lilypond expert
Tobias Due Munk - iOS developer
Andreas Larsen - Multifaceted open source fanatic
Translators
Yoan Roullard (FR), Elijah Verdoorn (ES), Ελευθερία Χατζηαργυρίου (EL), you?Barcelona Los Blancos see ban reduced
Real Madrid's transfer ban has been reduced
Real Madrid have had their transfer ban lifted and shortened by half, so they will be allowed to sign players in the summer transfer window, a legal decision which left Barcelona president confused at the proceedings.
From the Catalan club's perspective, this hints at differential treatment for what should have been the same verdict and is sure to anger the institution, the board, and its fans, meaning it is now Bartomeu's responsibility to investigate matters further.
"Barcelona and Real Madrid had the same lawyers, so I demand an explanation," the president said shortly after the news broke. "I don't know Real or Atletico Madrid's cases in detail but I have no problem in consulting our lawyers since they were similar cases.
"This legal uncertainty must stop, and I doubt that all of the player's agents were wrong at the same time.
"The players are the ones suffering because the rules aren't clear -this is what happens when their is different criteria used to judge each act."Updated — March 31, 7:30 p.m. ET:
In a meeting with the heads of the five service branches in 2010, President Obama offered the leaders a choice: Support my efforts to end the military's Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy, or resign, the Commandant of the Coast Guard said.
In a video obtained by BuzzFeed via a Freedom of Information Act request, Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Robert Papp revealed that Obama was unwilling to compromise with service leaders over DADT during a meeting in 2010. "We were called into the Oval Office and President Obama looked all five service chiefs in the eye and said, 'This is what I want to do.' I cannot divulge everything he said to us, that's private communications within the Oval Office, but if we didn't agree with it — if any of us didn't agree with it — we all had the opportunity to resign our commissions and go do other things," he said.
Papp talked about the meeting during a Q&A session with U.S. Coast Guard Academy cadets following a leadership address to the corps on Jan 8. The admiral was asked how officers should respond to policies that they disagreed with but were required to enforce. "If I disagree morally with [a policy], it's my obligation to voice that, regardless of the risk it might give my career," he said. "I've been in those situations. I've been fortunate to have good leaders that have appreciated that." Using himself as an example, Papp said it was OK for leaders to "not be thrilled" with a certain regulation, but if they didn't "see anything terribly wrong with it," it was their job as officers to support and enforce it.
The admiral, who will be retiring from active duty on May 30, added that he thought the U.S. military made the right decision by abolishing DADT.
In a 2008 interview, then-Senator Obama told The Advocate that he wouldn't make support of DADt's repeal "a litmus test" for his military leaders. "What I want are members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff who are making decisions based on what strengthens our military and what is going to make us safer, not ideology."
BuzzFeed has reached out to the White House for comment.Union minister for road transport Nitin Gadkari on Friday announced that Rs 2 lakh crore would be allotted for the development of highways in Uttar Pradesh by 2019. “I promise to give Uttar Pradesh Rs 2 lakh crore for road construction by 2019. (PTI)
Union minister for road transport Nitin Gadkari on Friday announced that Rs 2 lakh crore would be allotted for the development of highways in Uttar Pradesh by 2019. “I promise to give Uttar Pradesh Rs 2 lakh crore for road construction by 2019. In fact, some of these projects are already underway or the preliminary ground works have already been completed for speedier take-off. All I ask (UP chief minister) Yogiji is to just acquire land for us and we would make the payment for it,” he said, adding that he would guarantee that roads and expressways made by NHAI would last last at least three generations. Addressing a two-day national conference on ‘Challenges on Road Sector and New Technologies’ in Lucknow on Friday, Gadkari said roads are very important to usher in development and can offer employment to lakhs. He told chief minister Yogi Adityanath, who was also present at the event, that if he could give good roads, power, water and a good transport system along with sound a communication system, industry would come to the state in droves. “Development would come on its own,” he said, adding that then no one in the state would need to migrate to other parts looking for employment. “Uttar Pradesh would become prosperous,” he said.
Stating that lack of vision coupled with corrupt governance is the reason for the backwardness of the state, Gadkari assured the chief minister that the roads being built by NHAI would be of the latest technology and would last for at least three generations.
Exhorting technologists to innovate with new building methods, Gadkari said while it is important to pay attention on the quality of construction, it is also important to bring down the cost of construction. “At present, reducing the cost of construction is not on the agenda while planning DPRs. We must make use of new research and innovative technology and add value to waste in order to bring down the cost of construction. We must create value out of waste. Just as conversion of knowledge is wealth, conversion of waste is also wealth,” he said. Gadkari said that more attention must be paid on improving public transport and new innovative ways to travel.Dancing to throbbing techno beats amidst a throng of other sweaty ravers in post-industrial spaces is a Berlin ritual. Every weekend thousands of tourists and locals alike hit legendary clubs such as Berghain, Weekend or Watergate to party into the small hours.
Those days of hedonistic clubbing could, however, be numbered. The city's clubs say they are facing annihilation if a new set of music royalty payments come into force.
Gema, Germany's powerful collections agency, which represents 65,000 artists, is changing the structure of the fees it charges for performances and recorded music. From 1 January 2013 the agency will introduce a fee system to be based on a percentage of the ticket prices and size of the venue, with a 50% surcharge for events that last more than five hours and a similar increase after another three hours.
The agency claims that 60% of establishments will not see their payments increase at all, and may even see them reduced. It also argues that most clubs should be able to afford to pay 10% of the ticket price.
Many clubs, which are often open for well in excess of 10 hours, say they face annual payments that are five to 10 times the flat rate they currently pay.
The Club Commission, which represents Berlin's nightlife industry, says that an average-sized club that now pays €28,000 (£22,456) a year would face a bill of €180,000. "The clubs are fearful for their existence," said Lutz Leichsenring, spokesman for the Club Commission. A campaign against Gema's move has already collected more than 200,000 signatures and 5,000 people demonstrated on 25 June outside the collections agency's summer party in Berlin. On 30 June, more than 2,000 clubs across Germany halted the decks for five minutes to demonstrate their opposition to the changed royalties.
The German patent office is assessing the legality of the new fee structure, but its decision is expected to take at least a year, which may be too late for many clubs.
Berghain, which has staged events lasting more than 48 hours and which faces a 1,400% increase in fees, said that a New Year's Eve event would be its last. Watergate boss Steffen Hacks, who faces a bill of €200,000 instead of €10,000, says he will also be forced to shut. "How is one supposed to operate as a free entrepreneur under these kinds of conditions?" he told Die Tageszeitung newspaper.
If the clubs start to disappear then Berlin's economy is bound to suffer. More than 10,000 visitors come to the city every weekend and 35% of tourists cite Berlin's nightlife as a big draw.
"It's dangerous not only for the clubs but for the whole of tourism, hotels, taxis, and whoever has something to do with the party industry," said Ingo Damm, who runs regular trance nights at the KitKat Club. "It's definitely a disaster for Berlin."A teenager armed with a machete has attacked a Jewish teacher in southern France, invoking the Islamic State group and saying he had also planned to go after police.
A teenager armed with a machete has attacked a Jewish teacher in southern France, invoking the Islamic State group and saying he had also planned to go after police.
The 15-year-old Turkish Kurd was arrested soon after attacking the teacher, who was injured in the outdoor attack in central Marseille, according to prosecutor Brice Robin.
The teen invoked Allah and the extremist group only after he was detained, saying "the Muslims of France dishonour Islam and the French army protects Jews".
He attacked the teacher first from behind, slashing him in the shoulder, and then went after the man again as he tried to run away, Mr Robin said.
The knife attack comes just days after a man armed with a butcher knife was shot to death after authorities said he went after police in central Paris.
That man's identity has not yet been confirmed but German authorities say he had lived at a shelter for asylum-seekers in the western city of Recklinghausen.
Both incidents coincide with high tension in France, which last week marked a year since the January attacks against the Charlie Hebdo newspaper and a kosher supermarket that left 17 people dead.
Over the weekend, two churches were burned and a boar's head and racist inscriptions were found on Friday at Perpignan's main mosque.
Press AssociationRepublican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan hit back against conservative political pundits who have recently been vocal about their frustrations with Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign. In an interview with the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel on Saturday night, Ryan took a shot at his critics in the conservative movement. He said that the first instinct of Republican pundits is to “complain.”
RELATED: Peggy Noonan Claims Republicans Privately Thanked Her For Slamming The Romney Campaign
When asked about critics of the Romney campaign within the conservative movement, like Wall Street Journal columnist Peggy Noonan and The Weekly Standard editor Bill Kristol, Ryan offered an uncharacteristically unreserved critique of the industry of conservative punditry.
“A, we still have a ways to go. We still have a lot left that we’re planning on doing,” Ryan said. “B, I think that’s just what conservatives do by nature. I think that’s just the nature of conservative punditry is to do that — to kind of complain — about any imperfection they might see.”
h/t The Huffington Post
> >Follow Noah Rothman (@Noah_C_Rothman) on Twitter
Have a tip we should know? [email protected] the years I’ve written a lot about individuals who don’t claim adherence to any religion, dubbed “nones” by journalists and researchers. This group has exploded to around 16% of the population in the United States, and defies easy categorization. What we do know is that their growth is most explosive among younger people, and that “nones” aren’t anti-religioun per se, simply against what they feel institutionalized religion has become (ie polarized and fixated on culture war issues). Now, thanks to a ballot initiative in Washington state on gay marriage, it looks like we might see the first skirmish between socially conservative Christian voters, and this diverse grouping of the non-religious.
According to the 2010 U.S. Religion Census, more than half of the state’s 6.8 million residents don’t belong to a religious group. Preserve Marriage Washington, the organization behind the gay marriage petition (Referendum 74), is a coalition of community and faith groups, including the Washington State Catholic Conference. “Almost 4.4 million people are unclaimed, so that’s the group, that if they vote, will decide this referendum,” said Patricia O’Connell Killen, editor of “Religion and Public Life in the Pacific Northwest: The None Zone,” and academic vice president at Gonzaga University. “Any political issue, whether it passes or fails, depends by and large on how the vast majority of these unchurched are persuaded.”
In short, those who want to preserve the right for same-sex couples to marry in Washington need to reach out to Cascadian “nones” to win this ballot initiative. What are “nones” in the Pacific Northwest like? According to the authors of “Cascadia: The Elusive Utopia,” they are “eclectically, informally, often deeply ‘spiritual.'” Specifically, New Age and nature-oriented spirituality loom large among “nones” here.
a lot of these “nones” in the Pacific Northwest are actually very spiritual, walking a path of their own making, but not into organized religions and churches. Sociology professor Mark Shibley of Southern Oregon University wrote the lead essay called “The Promise and Limits of Secular Spirituality in Cascadia.” “This region is different. The people here are not as connected to religious institutions,” he says. The alternative spirituality here shows itself in two main ways, Shibley notes: “nature spirituality,” such as you see in the secular environmental movement, and the more well-known New Age spirituality, where the gaze is shifted inward.”
Normally, whenever same-sex marriage has gone to the ballot boxes, it works against supporters of marriage equality. It is so successful that it has become something of a tactic to boost voter turnout among social conservatives during important election cycles (though that assertion is being questioned). This year, Washington joins Maryland, Maine and Minnesota in putting this issue up for a vote. However, we may see a reversal of fortunes in Washington where a majority of voters believe same-sex couples should be able to get married, and where gay marriage rights have bipartisan support. With a 4 percentage point margin, the outcome will almost certainly rest on turnout, and who will be able to motivate their supporters better.
Conservative Christians are rightfully praised for their ability in getting out the vote among their supporters. It is how the Religious Right, the Moral Majority, and other permutations of this bloc have been able to wield so much influence in the Republican party, and in politics in general. Washington in 2012 may see the beginning of a challenge to that legendary ground-game, but only if supporters of same-sex marriage know how to reach out to their “nones.” For once, Pagan organizations, New Age institutions, Unitarian-Universalist churches, alternative health outlets, and other touch-points for the non-religious demographic in Washington could be vital in mobilizing groups that are traditionally distrustful or apathetic about the political process. Because if Cascadian nones are truly the New Age, nature religion, do-it-yourselfers that researchers assert, then this could be a preview for what a truly post-Christian pluralistic political struggle will look like.Buy Photo The Iowa Cubs announced three moves Friday that ensure Triple-A baseball will stay in Des Moines for the near future. (Photo: Register file photo)Buy Photo
Triple-A baseball in Des Moines isn’t going anywhere, anytime soon.
The Iowa Cubs announced three steps Friday that ensure minor league baseball would stay in Des Moines, remain a part of the Chicago Cubs organization and retain its namesake of Principal Park.
The organization extended its lease with the city, its marking agreement with Principal Financial Group and its player development contract with the Chicago Cubs.
"It's an awful big day because it cements three of our fantastic partnerships," said Iowa Cubs chairman and majority owner Michael Gartner.
All three steps keep the future of Triple-A baseball in Des Moines alive and well. The club announced the three moves Friday, one day after the team opened the Pacific Coast League season.
The team extended its lease with the city to run through the 2037 season. The Cubs also extended their player development contract with Chicago through the 2020 season.
The last big move: Iowa also extended its marketing agreement with Principal Financial Group for another 10 years — taking it through the 2027 season. That means the team’s stadium will continue to be known as Principal Park.
PREVIOUSLY:
The next big prospect to play for the Iowa Cubs: Ian Happ
9 reasons to root, root root for the Iowa Cubs
Chicago's big prospects who could come to Des Moines this season
The partnership between Iowa and Chicago started in 1981 and is the third-longest active affiliation among minor-league teams not owned by a major-league team. Iowa has reaped the benefits of some of the Chicago's biggest stars coming to Des Moines on their way to the majors, including Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant and Jake Arrieta.
"It's great for the fans to know that we're going to be with the Cubs even longer, and that it's going to be at Principal Park for another 10 years, and it's going to be right down here in this booming part of town," Gartner said.
Gartner said the partnership with Principal Financial Group helps the team afford some changes to the park. The Cubs will unveil a new high-definition ribbon board above the left field skybox suites this season. The digital board will provide additional game information for fans as well as sponsorship opportunities.
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-3 using the 1:4 dilution; a quantity that exceeds the target “mass production” inoculum density of 80-100 propagules cm-3 (Douds et al. 2005).
While the spores and hyphae are mixed in with the compost and vermiculite medium, the host plant’s roots must be chopped up in order to take advantage of the mycorrhizal vesicles inside. Produced by most AM fungi, vesicles are spore-like, globular organs that contain energy reserves. In the spring, the mycorrhiza can regrow from these vesicles. Using the on-farm system, bahiagrass typically have 70-80% of their root length colonized by mycorrhizal fungi. Therefore, even small root pieces contain AM fungi and can be mixed into the medium to increase the number of infectious propagules.
We have found that the best way to harvest the spores and viable hyphae part of the inoculum is to cut off dead leaves, remove the root ball from the bags, and shake off the medium into a large bin. The root system can then be cut into pieces with scissors and mixed into the inoculum. The inoculum is now ready to be mixed with potting media in the greenhouse.
Producing colonized seedlings for outplanting
When deciding how much inoculum should be added to potting mix, the potency of the inoculum and the volume of the cells in which seedlings will be grown needs to be considered. When seven cooperating farms used the on-farm system to produce inoculum for three years, the average production was 82 ± 20 propagules cm-3. However, in a 2006 study, we observed an average of 503 and 240 propagules cm-3 for the 1:4 and 1:9 dilutions of yard clippings compost and vermiculite, respectively (Douds et al. 2006). In either case, only several cubic centimeters would be needed per cell to supply the target 100-200 propagules per plant.
Although in theory only a small amount of inoculum is needed in the potting soil, we suggest using a lower dilution rate than necessary due to the difficulty of obtaining a completely heterogeneous mixture. One study tested a 1:9 and 1:19 inoculum:potting media dilution (volume basis) using an inoculum with 120 propagules cm-3 (Douds 2009). Eight different cultivars of both peppers and tomatoes were planted into the mix and grown in 50 cell flats (70 cm3 per cell). After four weeks the tomatoes averaged 30.5% and 12.9% root length colonization for the 1:9 and 1:19 dilutions, respectively. AM fungi colonization of the peppers averaged 14.8% and 8.0%. All of these degrees of colonization are sufficient to impact growth or yield. The cell size will ultimately determine which dilution should be used. To ensure sufficient propagules per cell, a 1:9 dilution should be used in cells that are 50 cm3 or smaller, a 1:19 dilution can be used in larger cells.
Adapting greenhouse practices
Given the symbiosis’ sensitivity to phosphorus levels, it is important to ensure that the greenhouse fertilization regime is modified for the inoculated seedlings. Phosphorus availability controls the level of root colonization directly by impacting AM fungus hyphae growth and indirectly through the effect of plant tissue P concentration on exudation of signalling molecules from roots. Research clearly shows an inverse relationship between P availability and mycorrhizal fungus colonization. The challenge has been to identify a greenhouse potting mix and fertilization regime that will produce seedlings with satisfactory levels of colonization that are also of a size competitive with plants grown in high P conditions.
For conventional growers, we suggest a standard potting mix supplemented with a balanced nutrient solution low in P (Douds 2009). A phosphorus addition of 3 ppm or less is suggested no more than three times a week. Fertilization three times per week with solutions containing 31 ppm P resulted in effectively no colonization by AM fungi, yet gave little or no increase in shoot weight compared to pepper and tomato seedlings receiving significantly less P.
The situation for organic growers is more challenging than for conventional growers due to the difficulty in precisely controlling P levels. This part of the project is still a work in progress. For now, we suggest using an unaltered potting mix for organic growers. In one study, we used an organically approved potting mix (NP mix from Living Acres, New Sharon, ME) with an NPK analysis of 0.4-0.5-0.3. The manufacturer recommended no nutrient addition to seedlings grown in this medium in the greenhouse. The unamended medium was compared to treatments including the medium with vermiculite and supplemental fertilization. The colonization of the plants grown in the unamended medium was better than in some conventionally managed greenhouses, so we recommend the unamended potting mix as a place to start. If your potting medium requires additional fertilization, use a low P solution such as fish hydrolysate.
For organic growers that mix their own potting medium, it is important to consider the nutrient availability of the mixture. If the medium recipe includes compost, it may be important to cut back on the compost to limit P availability. The complication here, of course, is the concomitant reduction in availability of other nutrients as well. This season’s greenhouse trial with leeks, peppers, and tomatoes included 10% compost and 50% compost treatments. The media treatments was amended with two fertilization regimes, once a week or three times a week with a hydrolyzed fish fertilizer (12-0.5-1). The low colonization observed in all of the organic treatments illustrated that P levels were too high, even in the 10% compost medium with infrequent fertilization. However, in another trial, the 10% compost-based potting mix produced corn seedlings with 19% root length colonization after 19 days. This was considered a satisfactory level of colonization. While these different colonization levels illustrate the varying responses of different crops, it also illustrates the need to continue searching for an ideal farm-produced potting medium recipe that has the ideal nutrient levels to promote colonization.
Getting your system going
Our research has looked at inoculum’s effect on a variety of crops in organic and conventional systems and in high P soils. In each situation, yield increases due to inoculation can be variable from year to year, and even between cultivars. However, when the symbiosis offsets conditions that depress yields, the resulting gain can be significant.
On-farm inoculum production makes it easy to harness the benefits of AM fungi. Our low-cost on-farm system is easy to integrate into any farming system due to the low hands-on time required. Simply plan ahead to make your on-farm system a success; remember, a full season is required to produce the inoculum.Current version: 2.8.0 (February 07, 2019). Just updated! What’s new?
Get the PRO version here.
What others say:
“I noticed nearly an hour increase in potential battery life when using the app to toggle Turbo Boost off on a new model MacBook Pro” (OSXDaily)
“The MacBook Pro also runs noticeably cooler, and gains about 25% more battery life“, “For now, I’m going to continue to happily run Turbo Boost Switcher Pro to selectively give myself better battery life, and I recommend it for anyone else with the same need.” (marco.org)
“En mis pruebas, logré obtener entre un 25 a 30% extra de duración de batería…” (arturogoga.com)
OSX 10.6+ compatible, also working on recently released macOS Mojave. ¿Installing for the first time on a machine and with macOS High Sierra/Mojave installed? Read this first.
Looking about how to update? Read more here. Any additional doubts and/or problems when running/installing? Read the FAQs here.
Features:
Turbo Boost Switcher is a little application for Mac computers that allows to enable and/or disable the Turbo Boost feature.
It installs a precompiled kernel extension (32 or 64 bits depending on your system) that updates the Turbo Boost MSR register, so It will ask for your admin password when using it.
It’s installed on your Mac status bar and allows you to:
Languages: English, Spanish, Chinese (beta), Russian (beta), German (beta), Polish (beta), French (beta), Swedish (beta), Czech (beta), Italian (beta).
macOS Mojave ready with full dark mode support.
Visually know if Turbo Boost is enabled or disabled at any time.
25% more battery life and lowering down the CPU Temp up to 20ºC. (check this). Enable / Disable Turbo Boost manually, getting up to aand lowering down the CPU Temp up to
Fan and Temperature charts.
Configure it to disable Turbo Boost automatically at launch.
Enable / Disable Turbo Boost automatically for a set of apps (only on Pro version).
version). Set default mode for Turbo Boost Enabled or not (On or Off)
Disable Turbo Boost when battery charger is not connected (only on Pro version).
version). Disable Turbo Boost depending on remaining battery time (only on Pro version).
version). Disable Turbo Boost automatically when battery goes below a configurable level (only on Pro version).
version). OSX Notifications/Alerts integration (only on Pro version).
version). Asks for root password only once (only on Pro version).
version). Status Bar configurable.
Status Bar fully configurable (Temperature, fans, cpu load, etc, only on Pro version).
version). Display CPU Load
Check your CPU temp and fan speed.
Display temps in ºC and ºF (only on Pro version).
version). Set it to open at login.
Automatically restore Turbo Boost on exit.
Here you have a couple of additional screenshots (PRO version):
How to install:
Get the Pro version here to help keeping alive this project :).
You can also download a free binary application or the source code to compile it with XCode.
Once downloaded/compiled, just unzip (or open the.dmg if using PRO). Drag the.app to your Applications folder (this is a must on any version equal to Sierra or above) and double click on the App. An icon like the next one will appear on your status bar.
If you see a message saying the app “can’t be opened because it is from an identified developer”, then you need to change your settings to allow not-signed apps to be installed. Go to your System Preferences->Security and Privacy and mark the option “Anyhwere”. Try again, it should work.
Also, and just if you’re running for the first time on a machine with macOS High Sierra installed, you’ll need to allow the kernel extension to be used the first time you try to disable Turbo Boost. Just go to System Preferences -> Security and Privacy and click “allow” after trying to disable Turbo Boost for first time. You can read more about this here.
Motivation:
Turbo Boost is enabled by default on all Macs that support it, but why anyone should want to disable it?
Ok, here are some reasons:
CPU Overheat: When Turbo Boost is activated, prepare to experiment high temperatures on your CPU, since it pushes till it reaches almost the 100 ºC. This is controlled by hardware, but if you want your computer to live long, better keep it as low as possible. With Turbo Boost disabled I’ve been able to get up to 20 ºC degrees less!!!, that’s a value worth considering. When Turbo Boost is activated, prepare to experiment high temperatures on your CPU, since it pushes till it reaches almost the Junction Tº, usually. This is controlled by hardware, but if you want your computer to live long, better keep it as low as possible.
Battery Life: When disabling Turbo Boost you will get up to a 25% more of your battery life. Just check this post at marco.org :).
Parallel Processing: Turbo Boost is activated (by Intel® internal algorithms) when one of the CPU cores reaches 100%, increasing the core Mhz, but It won’t do it if all or your cores are 100%, since that will create a lot of overheat. This will reduce your parallel processing performance so, in some situations, you better disable it.
If you are like me, you probably do some high cpu demanding tasks from time to time, like photoshop editing, video transcoding, casual gaming, etc. and your fans go to max speeds while your CPU keeps crazy ranges like 93 – 98 ºC.
I’ve started to look for applications, and the only thing I found was this cool kernel extension https://github.com/nanoant/DisableTurboBoost.kext created by “nanoant”. This is a very simple extension that manipulates the MSR record writing the Turbo Boost flag.
If you don’t want to always be opening your terminal, compile the code, make sure you don’t forget to re-enable it, etc. then Turbo Boost Switcher is for you.
How to know if Turbo Boost is enabled (or not):
To see the differences between having Turbo Boost enabled or not, you can do the following tasks:
Install smcFanControl, a cool app that will help you to set your fan speeds to desired values.
The simplest one, do some high demanding gaming with Turbo Boost enabled and disabled, checking the CPU temperature values and see the differences.
You can also launch some long time high demanding tasks, like the Geekbench benchmarks app. You’ll get a lower value since Turbo Boost will not be triggered. On my Macbook Air I go from 7500 to 4000 points aprox. with Turbo Boost disabled.
Open a terminal and execute “kextstat”. If you see a line including “com.rugarciap.DisableTurboBoost” that means Turbo Boost is disabled.
Check the MSR register for yourself (0x1a0), but that could be tricky and we’re not going to go deeper here.
Thanks to:A father-of-two was forced to eat his own testicle before his teeth were knocked out with a hammer and chisel and his dead body dumped on a wasteland and eaten by animals, a court has heard.
Jimmy Prout, 45, was allegedly subject to months of “Dark Ages” attacks by a gang of four people. The group had a strange relationship which had a “cultish dimension” to it, the jury at Newcastle Crown Court heard.
Ann Corbett, 26, Zahid Zaman, 43, Myra Wood, 50, and Kay Rayworth, 56, deny murder and causing or allowing the death of a vulnerable adult. They have all pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice.
It is alleged a series of events in late 2015 created tensions that led to a number of serious assaults against Prout, which included him having his teeth knocked out, his scrotum sliced and him being forced to eat his own testicle.
Prout is said to have died as a result of the trauma of his injuries. His body was allegedly wrapped in a sleeping bag by the group and dumped in bushes in Tyne and Wear in February last year to make it seem as though he had died sleeping rough.
The body started to decompose and was partly eaten by animals, the court heard.
Read more
The gang allegedly set about covering their tracks as well as clearing out his bank account while pretending to help search for him, the jury was told.
Prosecutor Paul Greaney, QC, said Prout was not only “mistreated, he was tortured,” adding the group had treated Prout like a “skivvy,” according to the Telegraph.
Greaney told the court that tensions mounted when Zaman, a wheelchair-user and car-crash victim, became obsessed with the belief that Corbett’s brother Ivan had stolen belongings from him, and that Prout had not done enough to help him recover the missing items.
“Probably because of these events and, no doubt, because he was perceived as being vulnerable, the other members of the group started to abuse Jimmy. He was assaulted on several occasions, including in the days just before his death.
“Furthermore those assaults often involved the infliction of terrible injuries and were often associated with humiliation. Awfully, on one occasion, Jimmy Prout’s scrotum was sliced open and his testicle was removed; he was then forced to eat it.
“On another occasion, his teeth were removed with a hammer and chisel.
“In effect, over a period of time, Jimmy Prout was not just mistreated, he was tortured.”
On March 25, the police received a call from Zaman in which he claimed Corbett had attacked him and killed Prout, in an attempt to “throw her to the wolves,” the court heard. Zaman was described as vengeful and controlling and was determined to get his own back.
Officers attended a property in North Tyneside where Zaman, Rayworth and Wood claimed to have letters written by Corbett confessing to the murder.
Greaney told the jurors it was “pure theater” because they knew Prout had been dead for more than six weeks.
Prout was the sixth of eight children and lived a simple life, fathering two children, and was liked by the people who knew him, the court heard. He started to live as a tenant of a property that was owned by Rayworth and he soon became integrated into the group.
The trial, which is expected to last six weeks, continues.Saffron terror is a neologism used to describe acts of violence motivated by Hindu nationalism, usually perpetrated by members, or alleged members, of Hindu nationalist organisations like Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) or Abhinav Bharat.[1][2][3] The term comes from the symbolic use of the saffron colour by many Hindu nationalist organisations.[4][5][6][7]
Term usage
The first known use of the term "Saffron Terror" is from a 2002 article in Frontline.[8] However, it was in the aftermath of the 29 September 2008 bomb blast in the predominantly Muslim town of Malegaon in Maharashtra that it came to be used widely.[9] In late 2008, Indian police arrested members of a Hindu cell allegedly involved in the Malegaon blasts. Former Home Minister of India P. Chidambaram urged Indians to beware of "Saffron terror" in August 2010 at a meeting of state police chiefs in New Delhi.[10] Since making that remark, a Hindu swami in the Patan district has filed a defamation lawsuit against Chidambaram, saying that the saffron colour is a symbol of Hindu religion and that saints across the country wear attire of the same colour. The swami also said that saffron was a symbol of peace, sacrifice and God, and that Chidambaram has hurt the sentiments of Hindus by linking the symbol with terrorism.[11] On 6 September 2010, a Gujarat court ordered a probe into the use of the term by Chidambaram.[12] Chidambaram was also criticised by members of his own party (the Indian National Congress) for the use of the term, with Congress spokesman Janardhan Dwivedi claiming "terrorism does not have any colour other than black."[13]
The saffron colour appears in the party flags of various national parties of India like the Indian National Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).[14][15] A saffron-coloured flag is commonly seen in most temples in India. Buddhist monks typically wear saffron robes as a symbol of wisdom.[16] It has been claimed that the term "saffron terrorism" is a misnomer considering the historical descriptions of the saffron colour compared to the definitions of terrorism.[17][18] Saffron is the colour of the upper band of the Indian national flag. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, who was India's first Vice-President and second President, described the saffron colour as follows: "Bhagwa or the saffron colour denotes renunciation of disinterestedness. Our leaders must be indifferent to material gains and dedicate themselves to their work."[19]
Criticism of the term
The term "saffron terror" has been called a "myth" by the journalist and BJP leader Balbir Punj, who claims that it is an invention of the Congress party to demonise their political opposition as "terrorists".[20] Similar views have been expressed by other journalists in India.[21] Kanchan Gupta and Swapan Dasgupta have accused investigators of making statements using "saffron terror" to the media to promote the agenda of the Congress.[22][23] Raman accused the media of measuring Muslim and Hindu suspects by different yardsticks.[24]
The Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) president, Rajnath Singh, spoke of a "political conspiracy" aimed at the "vilification of Hindu saints and army officers in the name of Hindu terrorism".[25] In 2010, the internet whistleblower organisation WikiLeaks released US embassy cables in which the US ambassador to India scornfully dismissed suggestions by an Indian minister that the death of Hemant Karkare, a senior anti-terrorism investigator killed by Islamist militants during the 2008 Mumbai attacks, was somehow orchestrated by Hindu extremists. The term "saffron terror" was prominently used by some Congress party members in this campaign, most prominently by Digvijaya Singh.[26][27] The BJP criticised these statements and filed a complaint with the Election Commission of India, citing it as a violation of the Model Code of Conduct for political parties. The Election Commission issued a show-cause notice to Digvijay Singh on this complaint.[28] The Hindu spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar has also criticised it, saying that it is a myth and insult to the Hindu religion, which he said is the most tolerant religion.[29]
On 15 April 2015, the Apex Court ruled that there was no evidence to charge Sadhvi Pragya and Shrikant Purohit under the stringent MCOCA, and therefore their bail plea should be examined afresh by the special trial court. A bench headed by Justice F. M. I. Kalifulla said there is no reliable material to prima facie show that the duo along with four other accused was "criminally liable under the provisions of MCOCA".[30]
R.V.S Mani, a former officer in the Home Ministry, published a book Hindu Terror: Insider Account of Ministry of Home Affairs in 2018, alleging that the UPA government had forced Home Ministry officials to "manufacture" a false narrative about the presence of "Hindu terror".[31]
Incidents
Hindu extremist organisations have allegedly carried out terrorist attacks like 2006 Malegaon blasts, Mecca Masjid bombing (Hyderabad), Samjhauta Express bombings and the Ajmer sharif dargah blast. There are some links and connections with Islamist organisations with these blasts.[32][33]
Arif Qasmani of Karachi has been specifically named by the notification on 1 July 2009, by the US Department of Treasury as involved in the Mumbai suburban train blasts of July 2006, and in the Samjhauta Express blast of February, 2007.[33][34]
1999 killing of Graham Staines
The killing of Graham Staines has been cited as example of Saffron terror.[35] Staines, a Christian missionary, and his two sons were burned to death in January 1999. In 2003, a Bajrang Dal activist, Dara Singh, was convicted of leading the gang that murdered Graham Staines and his sons, and was sentenced to life in prison.[36]
2002 Gujarat riots
The 2002 communal riots in Gujarat, where the majority of victims were Muslims, are attributed largely to "foot soldiers" of the Hindutva movement.[37] The riots are part of a recent rise of Hindu extremist movements in India that have been linked to Saffron terrorism.[37]
2007 Samjhauta Express bombings
Twin blasts shook two coaches of the Samjhauta Express around midnight on 18 February 2007. Sixty-eight people were killed in the ensuing fire and dozens were injured.[38] It has been allegedly linked to Abhinav Bharat, a Hindu fundamentalist group.[39] In November 2008, it was reported that the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) suspected the attacks were linked to Prasad Shrikant Purohit, an Indian army officer and member of Abhinav Bharat.[40] Purohit himself claimed that he had "infiltrated" the Abhinav Bharat. During an army's Court of Inquiry, 59 witnesses stated to the court, along with Officers who testified, that Purohit was doing his job of gathering intelligence inputs by infiltrating extremist organisations.[41][42] On 8 January 2011, Swami Aseemanand, a pracharak of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), confessed that he was involved in the bombing of Samjhauta express,[43] a statement he later claimed to have made under duress.[44] Aseemanand claimed that he was tortured to give a false statement.[45]
There have also been allegations that Lashkar-e-Taiba was responsible for the bombings.[46] The United States declared Arif Qasmani, a Pakistani national and alleged 'LeT financier', to be the chief coordinator of the 2006 train bombing in Mumbai as well as the 2007 Samjhauta Express bombings, and labelled him an international terrorist via the United Nations.[47][48][49]
2007 Ajmer Dargah attack
The Ajmer Dargah blast occurred on 11 October 2007, outside the Dargah (shrine) of Sufi saint Moinuddin Chishti in Ajmer, Rajasthan, allegedly by the Hindutva organisation Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and its groups.[50][51][52] On 22 October 2010, five accused perpetrators, of which four said to belong to the RSS, were arrested in connection with the blast.[53][54] Swami Aseemanand, in his confession, implicated the then General Secretary Mohan Bhagwat for ordering the terrorist strike.[55] Bhavesh Patel, another accused in the bombings, has corroborated these statements but later claimed that the Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde and some other Congress leaders forced him to implicate the RSS leaders.[56]
2008 Malegaon blasts
On 29 September 2008, three bombs exploded in the States of Gujarat and Maharashtra killing 8 persons and injuring 80. During the investigation in Maharashtra, a Hindu group was alleged to have been involved in the blasts. Three of the arrested persons were identified as Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur,[57][58] Shiv Narayan Gopal Singh Kalsanghra and Shyam Bhawarlal Sahu. All three were produced before the Chief Judicial Magistrate’s court in Nashik, which remanded them to custody till 3 November.[59] On 28 October, the Shiv Sena, came out in support of the accused saying that the arrests were merely political in nature. Lending credence to this, the party chief, Uddhav Thackeray, pointed out a potential conflict of interest in political rivalry as the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) controlled the relevant ministry.[60] NIA, National Investigation Agency, has found no evidence against Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur and it has recommended the court to drop all charges against her.[61][62] following which Bombay High Court granted bail to Pragya Thakur on 22 April 2017.[63][64]
The Army officer Prasad Shrikant Purohit was also accused of being involved in the blast.[65] His counsel alleged that he was being falsely framed for political reasons because he has intelligence data of a sensitive nature pertaining to the operations of Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) and Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence, which could embarrass some quarters.[66]
2007 Mecca Masjid bombing
The Mecca Masjid bombing occurred on 18 May 2007 inside the Mecca Masjid, a mosque in Hyderabad. Fourteen people were reported dead in the immediate aftermath.[67] The National Investigation Agency,[68] Central Bureau of Investigation[69] and Anti Terrorist Squad (India)[70] questioned former members of the RSS[71][72] On 19 November 2010, the Central Bureau of Investigation produced Swami Aseemanand before the court in connection with the Blast. But later he has retracted the confession citing the mental and physical pressure to provide that confession.[73] The Special investigation Team (SIT) of Hyderabad Police arrested ‘south India commander’ of the LeT, identified as Shaik Abdul Khaja alias Amjad, from Afzalgunj area of the city. Police said that the arrestee was linked to Mohammed Abdul Shahid Bilal, key suspect in the bombing.[74] In 2013, Yasin Bhatkal confessed that Indian Mujahideen had bombed two other places in Hyderabad later in August 2007 to avenge Mecca Masjid blast which was then allegedly attributed to Hindu fundamental groups.[75]
The South Asia Terrorism Portal,[76] the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses,[77] the National Counter Terrorism Centre[78] the United States,[79] and the United Nations[80] reported that Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami was actually behind the attacks while excluding involvement by any Hindu group. Noting this, security analyst Bahukutumbi Raman has questioned "the two different versions that have emerged from Indian and American investigators."[81] The South Asia Terrorism Portal cited Vikar Ahmed as a main suspect in the blast.[74][82] Mohammed Abdul Shahid Bilal, former chief of HuJI’s Indian operations, is also regarded as a key suspect in the Mecca Masjid bombing. Later he was shot by unknown gunmen in Karachi on 30 August 2007.[74][83].
2018 Court Verdict
The NIA began the probe in April 2011 after the initial investigations by the local police and the chargesheet filed by the CBI. 226 witnesses were examined during the trial and about 411 documents exhibited. The verdict was pronounced by a special NIA court acquitting all the accused due to lack of evidence.[84]
Other allegations
Members of Abhinav Bharat have been alleged to have been involved in a plot to kill Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh President Mohan Bhagwat,[85] allegedly with the help of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence.[86] Headlines Today released a recorded video tested by the Central Forensic Science Laboratory which indicated the uncovering of an alleged plot to assassinate the Vice-President of India Hamid Ansari.[87] Tehelka also released alleged audio tape transcripts of main conspirators of Abhinav Bharat, which indicated involvement of Military intelligence officers with the Abhinav Bharat group, in their January 2011 edition.[88]
The Indian Home Secretary Raj Kumar Singh said that at least 10 people having close links with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and its affiliated organisations were named accused in various acts of terror across India.[89]
According to released documents by WikiLeaks, Congress(I) party's general secretary Rahul Gandhi remarked to US Ambassador Timothy Roemer, at a luncheon hosted by Prime Minister of India at his residence in July 2009, that the RSS was a "bigger threat" to India than the Lashkar-e-Tayiba.[90] At The Annual Conference of Director Generals of Police held in New Delhi on 16 September 2011, a special director of the Intelligence Bureau (IB) reportedly informed the state police chiefs that Hindutva activists have either been suspected or are under investigation in 16 incidents of bomb blasts in the country.[91][92]
Torture by Maharashtra ATS
After receiving a complaint letter, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has initiated a probe into the allegation that Melagaon blast accused Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur was illegally detained and tortured by the Maharashtra ATS and state police. The statement was recorded at the Ved Khushilal Ayurvedic College where Pragya is undergoing treatment as the lower part of her body is now paralysed, which she claims is an outcome of the police atrocities. A copy of Pragya Thakur's statement is with TOI, in which she argued that the Maharashtra police beat her with leather belts through the nights, starved her for 24 days without even a morsel of food, gave her electric shocks, verbally abused her and made her listen to objectionable pornographic recordings in the company of male undertrials. When an undertrial objected at the Kala Chouki police station on 26 October 2008, he was brutally beaten.[93]
See also
ReferencesPresident Trump took to New London, Connecticut today to speak to the graduating class of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy.
It’s Trump’s first public outing since being hit with multiple bad stories. The run of bad news began with his poorly executed firing of FBI Director James Comey last week, and picked up steam this week after the Washington Post reported he’d let his out-of-control ego divulge highly classified intelligence to the Russians he was hosting.
Last night’s news that Comey had kept memos of his meetings with Trump, and in them it was revealed that Trump tried to persuade Comey to drop the investigation into former national security adviser Michael Flynn’s Russia connections didn’t exactly quell the inferno.
Today, as I’m certain we will hear more of, those U.S. Coast Guard graduates got to hear their Commander-in-Chief whine like a teen girl.
“No politician in history — and I say this with great surety — has been treated worse or more unfairly,” a fiery Trump said during a commencement address at the New London, Conn., school.
Because nothing that’s going on now has anything to do with Trump’s own behavior and words.
President George W. Bush being compared to Hitler or a monkey? Nothing.
Lawsuits to try and block his presidency? Minor.
And history tells us Lincoln had a cakewalk, so we won’t even go there.
Ronald Reagan was shot, for Pete’s sake!
But no… Trump is the victim. Always.
“You will find that things happen to you that you do not deserve and that are not always warranted,” he said. “But you have to put your head down and fight, fight, fight. Never, ever, ever give up. Things will work out just fine.”
You will also find, as Trump has, that you bring a lot of trouble on yourself when you act like a complete tool, or when you take on a task that you know you are unqualified for.
Trump said that attitude is a big reason why he won the November election. He then listed what he described as a “tremendous amount” of accomplishments from his earliest months in office. “Never stop doing what you know is right,” the president said. “Nothing worth doing ever, ever, ever came easy. And the more righteous your fight, the more opposition you will face.”
Yes, I’m sure that’s the kind of pep talk these graduates were looking forward to, today.Beyond the thirty-year experiment in free-market ideology having been judged a failure in financial markets, one thing is clear: as Kerry Trueman reminded us in a recent post, unfettered capitalism has also been bad for our health, and indeed the safety of our food.
Last week, The New York Times reported that this administration has said it will take a harder line on anti-trust legislation, in diverse sectors of the economy including agriculture. Perhaps its premature to tell what this will look like, but enforcing the laws that we already have on the books would be a great start to building a better food system.
This is because the largest sectors of the agribusiness world (grain, meatpacking, biotechnology, etc) are monopolizing food from seed to supermarket shelf and thereby deciding what we can (and can't) buy and eat across this country, and by extension, the world.
These are the companies that are trying to efficiently process tens of thousands of cows per day -- cows that have been lined up in Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) and fed grain (more efficient than using land to feed them their natural diet of grass), pumped with hormones and other antibiotics to keep them from dying, which means a glut on the market of cheap (anti-biotic-filled) beef. And these are the companies that are creating the seeds -- those seeds that the farmer can't even save for fear of litigation -- to grow the crops that require the use of their pesticides, and which produce a proliferation of fast food.
Yes, efficiency is the bottom line in our current agricultural system. Not safety, not health, or least of all taste; no, for a corporation that is beholden first to it's shareholders, its all about the quickest way to get to the bottom line. Besides exacerbating obesity, heart disease and diabetes cases, this kind of thinking can only be limited in its long term ability to maintain itself, because it refuses to take a holistic approach to creating goods for the common good. In other words, we know it can't be sustained, and therefore it is not sustainable.
But these mega-companies aren't fully to blame, because this is what our economic system has been set up to do for thirty years or more: build a conflagration of trusts.
Will Obama pull a Teddy Roosevelt and begin a new era of trust-busting? Here's hoping he will, and that he begins with Big Ag.
Last week on The Leonard Lopate Show, when he was asked how taking a harder line on anti-trust law could effect the food industry, Michael Pollan responded:
"It's very significant, actually, because you have more concentration in the food industry than in just about any other industry. Most anti-trust experts say that if 4 [or fewer] companies control 40% or more of a marketplace, it's not competitive. And in food we have that in meatpacking, [where] there are 4 companies that control 85% of the beef, [and in] seed production, fertilizer production... there is this tight little hourglass in the food industry, [which means] lots of farmers, very few buyers, which forces farmers to take prices, they have no control over prices at all. So if indeed we were to push an anti-trust agenda in the food industry, it would be the best thing for farmers and the best thing for consumers."
In other words, there are only a handful of people pulling the strings of our food system. And something as fundamental as food should not be so minimally |
Construction of the Huts.—The Dam of the Beaver.—Wonderful Skill shown in its Construction.—Nocturnal Habits of the Beaver.—Remarkable Engineering Instincts of the Animal.—How the Beaver Cuts Timber.—How the Dam is Constructed.—The Formation of "Reefs."—The Tail of the Beaver as a Means of Transportation.—Subterranean Passage to the Huts.—How Beavers are Hunted.—Young of the Beaver.—How to Trap the Beaver.—The Necessary Precautions.—Castoreum or Bark Stone.—Its Great Value in the Capture of the Beaver.—Various Methods of Setting the Trap.—How to Apply the Castoreum.—Use of the Sliding Pole.—Food of the Beaver.—Directions for Skinning the Animal and Stretching the Pelt.—THE MUSK-RAT.—General Description of the Animal.—Its Beaver-like Huts.—Its Nocturnal Habits.—Its Food.—The Flesh of the Musk-rat as an Article of Diet.—Description of the Hut.—Extensive Family of the Musk-Rat.—Its Home.—How the Musk-Rat swims beneath Unbroken Ice.—How it is Killed by being Driven Away from its Breath.—Spearing the Musk-Rat.—Construction of the Spear.—How to Trap the Musk-Rat.—Use of the Sliding Pole.—Various Modes of Setting Trap.—The Spring Pole.—Scent Baits.—Various Devices for Capturing the Musk-Rat.—The Barrel-Trap.—Remarkable Success of the Trap.—The Trail.—Skinning the Musk-Rat.—How to Stretch the Pelt.—THE OTTER.—Description of the Animal.—Beauty of its Fur.—How the "Otter Fur" of Fashion is Prepared.—Food of the Otter.—Its Natural Endowments for Swimming.—Habitation of the Otter.—Its Nest and Young.—The Track or "Seal" of the animal.—How the Otter is Hunted.—Its Fierceness when Attacked.—The Otter as a Pet.—Fishing for its Master.—The Otter "Slide."—How Utilized by the Trapper.—Playfulness of the Otter.—How the Animal is Trapped.—Various Modes of Setting Trap.—The Sliding Pole.—The Spring Pole.—Scent Baits.—How Applied.—Necessary Precautions.—How to Skin the Otter.—Directions for Stretching the Pelt.—THE MINK.—Its Form and Color.—Value of the Fur.—Habits of the Animal.—Its Diet.—Its Perpetual Greed.—Ease with which it may be Trapped.—Habitation of the Mink.—Its Nest and Young.—How to Trap the Mink.—Various Methods of Setting the Trap.—Baits.—The Sliding Pole.—"Medicine."—The Runways of the Mink.—How Utilized in Trapping.—The Trail.—Various Traps Used in the Capture of the Mink.—How to Skin the Animal.—THE PINE MARTEN.—Description of the Animal.—Its Natural Characteristics.—Its Nocturnal Habits.—Its Wonderful Stealth and Activity.—Its "Bill of Fare."—Its Strange mode of Seizing Prey.—The Marten as a Pet.—Its Agreeable Odor.—Various Traps Used in the Capture of the Marten.—Baits for the Marten.—The Steel Trap.—Several Modes of Setting.—Directions for Skinning the Animal.—THE FISHER.—Its Form and Color.—Its Habitation and Young.—How the Animal is Trapped.—Various Methods.—The Spring Pole.—Baits for the Fisher.—Principal Devices Used in its Capture.—The Skin.—How Page viii Removed and Stretched.—THE SKUNK.—Its Fetid Stench.—Origin of the Odor.—Its Effect on Man and Beast.—"Premonitory Symptoms" of Attack.—Acrid Qualities of the Secretion.—Its Terrible Effect on the Eyes.—Interesting Adventure with a Skunk.—"Appearances are often Deceitful."—The Skunk as a Pet.—Color of the Animal.—Habits of the Animal.—Its Food.—Its Young.—"Alaska Sable."—How to Trap the Skunk.—Various Traps Used.—The Steel Trap.—Different Modes of Setting.—Baits.—The Dead Fall.—Modifications in its Construction.—The Twitch-up.—Its Peculiar Advantages for the Capture of the Skunk.—Chloride of Lime as Antidote.—Method of Eradicating the Odor from the Clothing.—Directions for Removing and Stretching the Skin.—THE WOLVERINE.—Its Desperate Fierceness and voracity.—Its General Characteristics.—Its Form and Color.—Food of the Wolverine.—Its Trap-Robbing Propensities.—How to Trap the Wolverine.—Baits.—Use of the "Medicine."—The Gun Trap and Dead Fall.—The Steel Trap.—Various Modes of Setting.—Home and Young of the Animal.—How the Skin should be Removed and Stretched.—THE OPOSSUM.—Description of the Animal.—Its Nature and Habits.—Its Home.—Remarkable Mode of Carrying its Young.—Nocturnal Habits of the Animal.—Its Food.—Its Especial Fondness for Persimmons.—Its Remarkable Tenacity as a Climber.—"Playing Possum."—How the Opossum is Hunted.—How Trapped.—Various Devices Used in its Capture.—Scent Baits.—How the Skin is Removed and Stretched.—THE RABBIT.—Wide-spread Distribution of the Various Species.—Their Remarkable Powers of Speed.—Nest of the Rabbit.—Its Prolific Offspring.—Food of the Rabbit.—Its Enemies.—Various Devices Used in Trapping the Animal.—Necessary Precautions in Skinning the Rabbit.—THE WOODCHUCK.—Description of the Animal.—Its Habits.—Its Burrows.—Its Food.—Toughness of the Skin.—Its Use.—Nest of the Animal.—The Woodchuck as Food.—How the Animal is Trapped.—The Steel Trap.—The Spring Pole.—The Twitch-up.—How the Woodchuck is "Drowned Out."—The Turtle as a Ferret.—Smoking the Burrows.—Directions for Skinning the Animal.—THE GOPHER.—Its Burrows.—Its Food.—Remarkable Cheek Pouches of the Animal.—Their Use.—How to Trap the Animal.—How the Skin is Removed.—THE MOLE.—Its Varied Accomplishments.—Its Remarkable Dwellings.—Complicated Structure of the Habitation.—The Fury and Voracity of the Mole.—Peculiarities of Its Fur.—A Waistcoat of Mole Skins.—Odor of the Mole.—Mole Traps.—Various Species of the Mole.—The Mole of the Cape of Good Hope.—Marvellous Beauty of Its Fur.—SQUIRRELS.—Their General Peculiarities of Form and Habit.—Their Food.—Their Provident Instincts.—"Nutting" in Midwinter.—The Nest of the Squirrel.—Burrowing Squirrels.—The Various American Species.—The Grey Squirrel.—The Chipmunk.—The Chickaree.—The Flying Squirrel, &c.—How Squirrels are Trapped.—Various Traps Used in their Capture.—Removal of Skin.—THE DEER.—Difficulty of Hunting the Animal in Dry Seasons.—Various American Species of the Deer.—How the Deer is Trapped.—Peculiar Construction of the Trap.—Scent Bait for the Deer.—Various Methods of Setting the Trap.—Violence of the Deer when Trapped.—The Clog.—Dead Falls.—Food of the Deer.—Deer "Yards."—Natural Enemies of the Deer.—How the Deer is Hunted.—"Still Hunting."—The Deer's Acute Sense of Smell.—How to Detect the Direction of the Wind.—Natural Habits of the Deer.—"Night Hunting."—Luminosity of the Eyes of the Deer at Night.—Hunting the deer with dogs.—"Deer Licks."—How Salt is used in Hunting the Deer.—Hunting from a Scaffolding.—Peculiar Sight of the Deer.—"Salt Licks" used in Night Hunting.—Head Lantern.—How made.—How used.—The fiery Eyes of the Deer.—"Fox Fire" or Phosphorescent wood.—How used by the Hunter.—Seasons for Deer Hunting.—How to skin the Deer.—THE MOOSE.—Description of the animal.—Immense size of its Horns.—Moose yards.—Hunted on Snow shoes.—The dangers of Moose Hunting.—Exquisite sense of Smell.—How the Moose is Trapped.—Directions for removing the Skin of the Animal.—ROCKY MOUNTAIN SHEEP.—Description of the Animal.—Its enormous Horns.—Habits of the creature.—Its flesh as Food.—How the Animal is Trapped.—THE BUFFALO.—Its Habits.—Its Food.—Buffalo-grass.—How the Animal is Hunted and Trapped.—Buffalo Page ix flesh as Food.—Buffalo skins.—THE PRONG HORN ANTELOPE.—Description of the Animal.—Peculiarity of Horn.—How the creature is Hunted and Destroyed by the Indians.—Remarkable sense of Smell of the Animal.—Its Beauty and grace.—Flesh of the Antelope a Food.—How the Animal is Trapped.—Various Traps used in their Capture.—The Dead-fall.—Pit-fall.—How to remove the Hide of the Animal.—SHOOTING AND POISONING.—"Shot furs."—"Poisoned furs."—"Trapped furs."—Their relative Value in the Fur Market.—Effect of grazing shot on fur.—Effect of Poison on Fur.—Remarks on the use of Poison.—Strychnine.—Poisoning Wolves.—Recipe for mixing the Poison.—Poisoning the Bear.—How the Dose is Prepared.
BOOK VII.
CAMPAIGN LIFE IN THE WILDERNESS.
Introductory Remarks.—"Amateur Trapping."—PLAN OF CAMPAIGN.—Selection of Trapping-ground.—Advantages of a Watered District.—Labor of transportation lightened by Boating.—Lakes, Ponds and Streams.—The Adirondacks and Alleghanies.—Remarks on the "Home Shanty."—Selection of Site for building.—Value of a good Axe.—Remarks on the Bark Shanty.—Its value in case of Storms.—Wise fore-sight.—Remarks on the Indian Birch-bark Canoe.—Dug-out and Bateau.—Commencement of Trapping Season.—Advantages of preliminary preparation.—Extensive route of the Professional Trapper.—Sixty pounds of Personal Luggage.—How the traps and provisions are distributed among the Trapping lines.—Use of the "Home Shanty."—"Keeping Shanty."—Necessity of its being Guarded.—Wolves and Bears as thieves.—Steel Traps considered.—Number used in a Professional Campaign.—Number for an Amateur Campaign.—Their Probable Cost.—The average size of Trap.—Dead-falls, Twitchups, &c., considered.—Requisite Tools for a Campaign.—A "House-wife" a valuable necessity.—"Cleanliness next to Godliness."—The Trappers' Light.—Comparative value of Lanterns and Candles.—The Trappers' Personal outfit.—The jack-knife.—The Pocket-Compass.—Necessity of preparing for Emergencies.—Shot guns and Rifles.—Both combined in the same weapon.—Oil for Fire Arms.—Fat of the Grouse Used on Fire Arms.—Fishing tackle.—The Trappers' portable stove.—The Stove versus The Open Fire.—The Trapper's Clothing.—The Material and Color.—Boots.—High-topped Boots.—Short Boots.—Their Relative Qualities.—Waterproof Boot Dressing.—Recipe.—The Trapping Season.—Hints on Trapping-lines.—The "Wheel" plan.—Mode of following the lines.—"Trap Robbers" or "Poachers."—How to guard against them.—Hiding furs.—How to store Traps from Season to Season.—Gnats and Mosquitoes.—The "Smudge."—How made.—FOOD AND COOKING UTENSILS.—"Roughing it."—"A chance Chip for a Frying Pan."—A "happy medium" between two extremes.—Cosy and Comfortable living on a Campaign.—Portable Food.—Combined Nutriment and lightness in weight to be desired.—The Trappers' Culinary Outfit.—Indian meal as Food.—The Trappers' "Staff of Life."—Wheat flour.—Salt Pork.—Seasoning.—Pork Fritters a luxury.—Cooking Utensils.—The "Telescope" drinking cup.—Recipe for making Pork Fritters.—"Chop Sticks" à la "Chinee."—A Flat Chip as a Plate.—Boiled Mush.—Old "Stand by."—Recipe.—Fried Mush.—Indian meal Cakes.—Recipe.—Johnny Cake.—Recipe.—Hoe Cakes.—Recipe.—Fresh fish.—How to Cook fish in a most Delicious manner.—Prof. Blot, and Delmonico, out-done.—The "NE PLUS ULTRA" of delicacies.—All the sweet Juices of the Fish preserved.—Disadvantages of the ordinary method of cooking.—Partridge, Duck, Quail, Cooked deliciously.—Roasting unrivalled!—Hints on Broiling.—An extemporized Spider or Toaster.—Roasting on a spit.—Venison, Bear, and Moose Meat broiled in the best style.—Venison cutlets.—The Camp fire.—Usual mode Page x of building Fire.—How the Kettle is suspended.—"Luxuries" considered.—The Knapsack a desirable Acquisition.—Matches.—The Bottle Match-safe.—Waterproof Matches.—How made.—Lucifer Matches.—Recipe for Waterproof preparation.—The Pocket Sun Glass.—A necessary adjunct to a Trapper's Outfit.—Its Advantages in case of Emergency.—"Touch wood" or "Punk Tinder," valuable in lighting fires.—How to light Fires without matches or Sun glass.—How to light a fire without Matches, Sun Glass, Powder, or Percussion Caps.—A last Resort.—Matches best in the long run.—The Portable Camp Stove described.—Its accompanying Furniture.—The Combination Camp-knife.—Hint on Provisions.—Potatoes as food.—Beans.—"Self raising" Wheat flour.—Light Bread, Biscuit and Pancakes in Camp.—Various accessories.—Olive Oil for purpose of Frying.—Pork.—Indian meal.—Crackers.—Wheaten Grits.—Rice and Oatmeal.—Tea and Coffee.—Soups.—Liebig's Extract of Beef.—Canned Vegetables.—Lemonade.—Waterproof bags for provisions.—Painted bags.—Caution!—Waterproof preparation.—Air-tight jars for Butter.—Knapsack or Shoulder Basket.—Venison as food.—To preserve the overplus of meat.—"Jerked Venison" Recipe and Process.—Moose and Bear meat and Fish, similarly prepared.—How to protect provisions from Wolves.—The Moufflon and Prong-horn as food.—"Small game," Squirrels, Rabbits, and Woodchucks.—"Skunk Meat" as a delicacy.—The Buffalo as food.—Grouse, the universal Food of Trappers and Hunters.—Various species of Grouse.—The Sage Cock.—The Ptarmigan.—How they are trapped by the Indians in the Hudson's Bay Country.—Waterfowl.—Sea and Inland Ducks.—Various species of Duck.—Mallard. —Muscovy.—Wigeon.—Merganser.—Canvass Back.—Teal, &c.—Wild Geese.—Fish as food.—Angling and Spearing.—Salmon Spearing in the North.—Description of the Salmon Spear used by the Indians.—Salmon Spearing at night.—Requisites of a good Spearsman.—Fishing through the Ice.—Cow's udder and Hogs liver as Bait.—Other Baits.—Assafœtida and Sweet Cicely as fish Baits.—Trout fishing with Tip-up's.—Pickerel fishing in Winter.—Pickerel Spearing through the Ice.—The Box Hut.—The "Fish Lantern" or Fish Trap.—Fish Attracted by light.—Light as Bait.—How the Fish Lantern is made and used.—THE TRAPPER'S SHELTER.—Introductory remarks.—The Perils of a Life in the Wilderness.—A Shelter of some form a Necessity.—The Log Shanty.—Full directions for building.—Ingenious manner of constructing roof.—How the Chimney is built.—Spacious interior of the Shanty.—THE BARK SHANTY.—A Temporary structure.—Full directions for its construction.—Selection of building site.—TENTS.—Advantages of their use.—Various kinds of Tents.—The House Tent.—The Fly Tent.—The Shelter Tent.—Directions for making the Tent.—Tent Cloth.—How to render tents Water and Fire-resistant.—Valuable recipe.—BEDS AND BEDDING.—Perfect rest and comfort to the tired Trapper.—A portable Spring bed for the woods.—A Hammock bed.—Bed Clothes.—The Canton Flannel Bag.—Hammocks.—TENT CARPETING.—Spruce and Hemlock boughs as bedding.—How to cover the ground evenly.—The Rubber Blanket.
BOOK VIII.
THE TRAPPER'S MISCELLANY.
Warning to the Novice.—Winged Cannibals of the Woods.—INSECT OINTMENTS.—Mosquitoes and Gnats.—Their aversion to the scent of Pennyroyal.—Pennyroyal Ointment.—Recipe.—Mutton tallow Ointment.—Tar and Sweet Oil Liniment.—Recipe.—Its effect on the Complexion.—Invasions of Insects by night.—Their pertinacity and severity.—The experience of our Adirondack guide.—The bloodthirsty propensities of the Mosquito admirably depicted.—The "Smudge" Smoke versus Insect Bites.—"Punkeys" and "Midgets."—Their terrible voracity.—Painful effects of their Bites.—Pennyroyal an effective Antidote.—Depraved Page xi appetite of the mosquito.—A Warning to the Intemperate.—Use and abuse of Alcohol.—A Popular error corrected.—A substitute for Whiskey and Brandy.—Red Pepper Tea.—Its great value as a remedy in Illness.—The Mosquitoes' favorite Victim.—Result of the bite of the insect.—The Mosquito Head-Net.—Directions for making the Net.—Netting attachment for the Hat.—Portable Sun Shade or Hat brim.—Netting attachment for the Hat brim.—BOAT BUILDING.—A Boat of some kind a necessity to the Trapper.—The "Dug-Out" or Log-Canoe.—Requisite Tools for its Manufacture.—Selection of the Log.—Directions for making the boat.—Remarkable thinness to which they may be reduced.—Lightness of the boat.—How to gauge the thickness.—How to stop leaks.—THE INDIAN OR BIRCH BARK CANOE.—The Indian as a Canoe-maker.—His remarkable skill.—Perfection of the Indian made Canoe.—Description of the Canoe.—Capacity of the various sizes.—How to construct a Bark Canoe.—Selection of Bark.—How to prevent Leaks.—Material used by the Indians in sewing the Bark.—Advantages of the Birch Bark Canoe.—Basswood, Hemlock, and Spruce Bark Canoes.—A LIGHT HOME-MADE BOAT.—Selection of Boards.—Directions for making the Boat.—Caulking the seams.—Value of Pitch for waterproofing purposes.—How it should be applied.—THE SCOW.—How to construct the ordinary Flat-bottomed Boat.—The Mud-stick.—SNOW SHOES.—A necessity for winter travel.—The "Snow Shoe Race."—The mysteries of a Snow Shoe.—"Taming the Snow Shoe."—How to make the Snow Shoe.—Complicated Net-work.—Two methods of attaching the Net-work.—How the Snow Shoe is worn.—THE TOBOGGAN OR INDIAN SLEDGE.—Its value to the Trapper.—Winter Coasting.—Great sport with the Toboggan.—How to make a Toboggan.—Selection of Boards.—How the Sledge is used.—CURING SKINS.—Importance of Curing Skins properly.—Valuable hints on Skinning Animals.—How to dry Skins.—How to dress Skins for Market.—Astringent preparations.—Recipe.—STRETCHERS.—How skins are stretched.—The Board Stretcher.—How it is made and used.—The Wedge Stretcher.—How made and used.—The Bow Stretcher.—The Hoop Stretcher.—TANNING SKINS.—To Tan with the hair on.—Preparation of Skin for Tanning.—Tanning Mixture.—Recipe.—Second Mixture.—Recipe.—Third Mixture and Recipe.—How the Skin is softened and finished.—HOW TO TAN MINK AND MUSKRAT SKINS.—Preparation of Skin.—Tanning Mixtures.—Various Recipes.—"Fleshing."—The Fleshing-knife.—Substitute for the Fleshing-knife.—HOW TO TAN THE SKINS OF THE BEAVER, OTTER, RACCOON, AND MARTEN.—Tanning Mixtures.—How to soften the Skin.—Simple Tanned Skin.—Recipe for removing the fur.—How to finish the Skin.—OBSERVATIONS ON THE HISTORY OF FURS AND THE FUR TRADE.—Some bits of History in connection with Furs.—Ancient use of Furs.—Furs a medium of Exchange.—Furs and Fashion.—Extravagance in Fur Costume.—Choice Furs as Badges of Rank.—Their use restricted to Royal Families.—The Early Fur Trade of Europe.—A Tribute paid in Furs.—Early History of the Fur Trade in America.—Origin of the Hudson's Bay Company.—Hostility of the French Canadian Traders.—Establishment of the North West Company.—Competition and War.—Consolidation of the two Companies.—Great sales of the Hudson's Bay Company.—Importance of the Fur Trade.—Cities founded by the enterprise of the Trapper.—St. Paul.—Montreal and Mackinaw.—Fortunes built up on Fur Traffic.—John Jacob Astor.—Mink and Muskrat Skins.—Their extensive use in America.—Estimated value of the annual yield of Raw Furs throughout the World.—Classification of Furs by American Dealers.—"Home" Furs.—"Shipping" Furs.—Table of Sales of Hudson's Bay Company, in 1873.—March Sale.—September Sale.—Price according to Quality.—Estimated average per Skin.—List of American "Shipping" Furs.—List of American "Home" Furs.—MARKET VALUE OF FUR SKINS.—Eccentricities of the Fur Market.—Demand governed by Fashion.—How Fashion runs the Fur Trade.—The Amateur Trapper and the Fur Trade.—Difficulty of a profitable disposal of Furs.—Advice to the Novice.—How to realize on the sale of Furs.—TABLE OF VALUES OF AMERICAN FUR SKINS.—A complete list of American Fur bearing Animals.—Various prices of Skins according to Quality.—USES OF AMERICAN FURS AT HOME AND ABROAD.—The Silver Fox.—Fifty Guineas for a Fur Skin.—Red Fox Fur.—Its Page xii use in Oriental Countries.—Beaver Fur.—Its various uses.—Raccoon Skins, a great Staple for Russia and Germany.—Bear Skins and their various uses.—Lynx, Fisher, and Marten Skins.—The Mink.—Use of its hair for Artists pencils.—Muskrat Skins.—Three millions annually exported to Germany alone.—Their extensive use among the American poorer classes.—Otter Fur.—Sleigh Robes from Wolf Skins.—Rabbit Fur.—Its use in the Manufacture of Hats.—Breeding Rabbits for their Fur.—The Wolverine.—Skunk Fur, dignified by the name of Alaska Sable.—Large shipments to Foreign Countries.—How the Fur of the Badger is used.—Opossum, Puma, and Wild Cat Fur.—Robes for the Fashionable.—Squirrel and Mole skins.
FULL PAGES.
1. Caught at last. 2. Traps for Large Game. 3. Snares or Noose Traps. 4. Traps for Feathered Game. 5. Miscellaneous Traps. 6. Household Traps. 7. Steel Traps, and the art of Trapping. 8. Almost Persuaded.—to face. 9. The Campaign. 10. Trapper's Miscellany.
Page xiv ILLUSTRATIONS IN THE TEXT.
11. "Preface". 12. Initial to Preface. 13. End piece to Preface. 14. "Contents". 15. "Illustrations". 16. Initial to Book I. 17. Dead fall for large Animals. 18. Explanatory drawing of pieces. 19. The Gun Trap. 20. The Bow Trap. 21. " " " arrangement of parts. 22. " " " Section. 23. Foot String Bow Trap. 24. The Down fall. 25. The Bear Trap. 26. End piece to Book I. 27. Initial to Book II. 28. Quail Nooses. 29. Hedge Nooses. 30. The Triangle Snare. 31. The Twitch-up. 32. Method of Setting. 33. " " " No. 2. 34. " " " No. 3. 35. " " " No. 4. 36. " " " No. 5. 37. The Poacher's Snare. 38. The Portable Snare. 39. The "Simplest" Snare. 40. Modification No. 2. 41. " " 3. 42. The Quail Snare. 43. The Box Snare. 44. The Double Box Snare. 45. The Old fashioned Springle. 46. The Improved Springle. 47. The Figure Four Ground Snare. 48. The Platform Snare. 49. End piece. 50. Initial to Book III. 51. The Brick Trap. 52. Method of Setting. 53. The Coop Trap. 54. The Bat fowling Net. 55. The Clap Net. 56. The Bird Whistle. 57. The Trap Cage. 58. Diagrams of Cage. 59. The Spring Net Trap. 60. Page xv Section of Spring Net Trap. 61. A Simpler Net Trap. 62. The Upright Net Trap. 63. Second Method " 64. The Box Owl Trap. 65. The Box Bird Trap. 66. The Pendant Box Bird Trap. 67. The Hawk Trap. 68. The Wild Duck Net. 69. The Hook Trap. 70. The Fool's Cap Trap. 71. The Limed Twig. 72. Humming-bird Trap. 73. Initial to Book IV. 74. The Common Box Trap. 75. Two Modes of Setting. 76. Box Trap. 77. The Figure Four Trap. 78. Parts of " 79. The "Double Ender". 80. The Self-Setting Trap. 81. The Dead fall. 82. Method No. 2. 83. The Garotte. 84. Arrangement of "Setting". 85. The Bow Garotte Trap. 86. A Fish Trap. 87. End Piece "Maternal advice". 88. Initial to Book V. 89. The Barrel Trap. 90. The Box Dead Trap. 91. The Board Flap. 92. The Box Pit-fall. 93. Diagram of " 94. Cage Trap. 95. Initial to Book VI. 96. Steel Trap. No. (0) or Rat Trap. 97. Steel Trap. No. 1, or Muskrat Trap. 98. " " No. 2, or Mink Trap. 99. " " No. 2-1/2, or Fox Trap. 100. " " No. 3, or Otter Trap. 101. " " No. 4, or Beaver Trap. 102. "The Great Bear Tamer," Steel Trap. 103. Steel Trap No. 5, or Small Bear Trap. 104. Steel Trap set in pen. 105. The Spring Pole. 106. The Sliding pole. 107. The Grappling Iron. 108. The Wolf. 109. The Puma. 110. The Canada Lynx. Page xvi 111. The Wild Cat. 112. The Bear. 113. The Raccoon. 114. The Badger. 115. The Beaver. 116. The Otter. 117. The Mink. 118. The Marten. 119. The Skunk. 120. The Wolverine. 121. The Opossum. 122. The Squirrel. 123. The Moose. 124. Initial to Book VII. 125. Portable Drinking Cup. 126. The Home Shanty. 127. The Shelter tent. 128. The Trapper's Bed. 129. End Piece. 130. Initial to Book VIII. 131. Head Net. 132. Portable Hat-brim. 133. Hat-brim with netting attachment. 134. The Dug-out or Log Canoe. 135. The Birch-Bark Canoe. 136. A Light Home-made Boat. 137. Diagram view of Boat—. 138. The Snow Shoe. 139. The Toboggan or Indian Sledge. 140. The Board Stretcher. 141. The Wedge Stretcher. 142. The Bow Stretcher. 143. "The End".
Page 17 BOOK I.
TRAPS FOR LARGE GAME.
owever free our forests may be from the lurking dangers of a tropical jungle, they nevertheless shelter a few large and formidable beasts which are legitimate and deserving subjects of the Trapper's Art. Chief among them are the Puma, or Cougar, Bear, Lynx, Wolf and Wolverine.
Although commonly taken in steel traps, as described respectively in a later portion of this work, these animals are nevertheless often captured by Deadfalls and other devices, which are well known to the professional Trapper, and which serve excellently in cases of emergency, or in the scarcity of steel traps.
THE DEAD-FALL.
There are several varieties of this trap, some of which are described in other parts of this volume. In general construction they all bear a similarity, the methods of setting being slightly changed to suit the various game desired for capture. For large animals, and particularly the Bear, the trap is sprung by the pressure of the animal's foot, while reaching for the bait. Select some favorite haunt of the Bear, and proceed to construct a pen of large stakes. These should consist of young trees, or straight branches, about three inches in diameter, and should be of such a length as to reach a height of four or five feet when set in the ground, this being the required height of the pen. Its width should be about two and a half or three feet; its depth, four feet; and the top should be roofed over with cross pieces of timber, to prevent the bait from being Page 18 taken from above. A straight log, about eight inches in diameter, and six feet in length should now be rolled against the opening of the pen, and hemmed in by two upright posts, one on each side, directly on a line with the sides of the enclosure. Another log, or tree trunk, of the same diameter, and about fifteen or twenty feet in length, should next be procured. Having this in readiness, we will now proceed to the construction of the other pieces. In order to understand the arrangement of these, we present a separate drawing of the parts as they appear when the trap is set (a). An upright post, is supplied at the upper end with a notch, having its flat face on the lower side. This post should be driven into the ground in the left hand back corner of the pen, and should be three feet or more in height. Another post (b) of similar dimensions, is provided with a notch at its upper end, the notch being reversed, i. e., having its flat side uppermost. This post should be set in the ground, outside of the pen, on the right hand side and on a line with the first. A third post (c), is provided with a crotch on its upper end. This should be planted outside of the pen on the right hand side, and on a line with the front. The treadle piece consists of a forked branch, about three feet Page 19 in length, supplied with a square board secured across its ends. At the junction of the forks, an augur hole is bored, into which a stiff stick about three feet in length is inserted. This is shown at (h). Two poles, (d) and (e), should next be procured, each about four feet in length. These complete the number of pieces, and the trap may then be set. Pass the pole (d) between the stakes of the pen, laying one end in the notch in the post (a), and holding the other beneath the notch in the upright (b). The second pole (e) should then be adjusted, one end being placed in the crotch post (c), and the other caught beneath the projecting end of the pole (d), as is fully illustrated in the engraving. The dead-log should then be rested on the front extremity of the pole last adjusted, thus effecting an equilibrium.
The treadle-piece should now be placed in position over a short stick of wood (f), with its platform raised in front, and the upright stick at the back secured beneath the edge of the latch pole (d).
The best bait consists of honey, for which Bears have a remarkable fondness. It may be placed on the ground at the back part of the enclosure, or smeared on a piece of meat hung at the end of the pen. The dead-log should now be weighted by resting heavy timbers against its elevated end, as seen in the main drawing, after which the machine is ready for its deadly work.
A Bear will never hesitate to risk his life where a feast of honey is in view, and the odd arrangement of timbers has no fears for him after that tempting bait has once been discovered. Passing beneath the suspended log, his heavy paw encounters the broad board on the treadle-piece, which immediately sinks with his weight. The upright pole at the back of the treadle is thus raised, forcing the latch-piece from the notch: this in turn sets free the side pole, and the heavy log is released falling with a crushing weight over the back of hapless Bruin.
There are many other methods of setting the Dead-fall, several of which appear in another section of this book. The above is the one more commonly used for the capture of Bears, Page 20 but the others are equally applicable and effective when enlarged to the proper size.
In South America and other countries, where Lions, Tigers, Leopards, and Jaguars abound, these and other rude extempore traps are almost the only ones used, and are always very successful. The pit-fall often allures the Bengal Tiger to his destruction, and the Leopard often terminates his career at the muzzle of a rifle baited as seen in our page illustration. A gun thus arranged forms a most sure and deadly trap, and one which may be easily extemporized at a few moments' warning, in cases of emergency. The Puma of our northern forests, although by no means so terrible a foe as the Leopard, is still a blood-thirsty creature, and while he shuns the gaze of man with the utmost fear, he is nevertheless constantly on the alert to spring upon him unawares, either in an unguarded moment or during sleep. A hungry Puma, who excites suspicion by his stealthy prowling and ominous growl, may easily be led to his destruction at the muzzle of a gun, baited as we shall now describe.
THE GUN TRAP.
After a Puma has succeeded in capturing his prey, and has satisfied his appetite by devouring a portion of its carcass, he leaves the remainder for a second meal, and his early return to a second banquet is almost a matter of certainty. Where such a remnant of a bygone feast is found, the capture of the Cougar is an easy matter. Any carcass left in a neighborhood where Pumas are known to exist is sure to attract them, and day after day its bulk will be found to decrease until the bones only remain. By thus "baiting" a certain place and drawing the Pumas thither, the way is paved for their most certain destruction. The gun-trap is very simply constructed, and may be put in working order in a very few moments. The weapon may be a rifle or shot-gun. In the latter case it should be heavily loaded with buck-shot. The stock should be first firmly tied to some tree, or secured in a stout crotch driven into the ground, the barrel being similarly supported.
The gun should be about three feet from the ground, and should be aimed at some near tree to avoid possible accident to a chance passer-by within its range. The gun should then be cocked, but not capped, due caution being always used, and the cap adjusted the very last thing after the trap is baited and Page 21 set. Where a rifle is used, the cartridge should not be inserted until the last thing.
It is next necessary to cut a small sapling about a foot or two in length. Its diameter should allow it to fit snugly inside the guard in front of the trigger, without springing the hammer. Its other end should now be supported by a very slight crotch, as shown in our illustration. Another sapling should next be procured, its length being sufficient to reach from the muzzle of the gun to the end of the first stick, and having a branch stub or hook on one end. The other extremity should be attached by a string to the tip of the first slick.
Now take a portion of the carcass and draw it firmly over the hook in the long stick. Prop the latter in such a position as that the bait shall hang directly in front of the muzzle. The crotch supporting the bait stick should be firmly implanted in the ground in order to hold the bait from being drawn to either side of the muzzle.
The gun-trap is now set, and its merits may be tested. Before adjusting the cap the pieces should be tried several times to insure their perfect working. A slight pull on the bait from the front will draw the short stick forward. This immediately Page 22 acts on the trigger |
two candidates buy up twenty percent of the advertising, splitting it evenly, that gives each candidate twenty-four minutes a week to appeal to these voters. Hillary has been reaching these people uninterrupted for the last three months and millennials are not responding in the numbers she needs. Donald Trump is just starting to target these voters. This represents a major opportunity for him to counter-program the popular culture, academic and media elites, who along with Hillary's campaign have been savaging Trump daily for months. We don't need to wonder, we know that Trump will reach these voters. If he can simply turn a few of these young and minority voters his direction, this tied race is likely to move his direction. Follow my new account on Twitter for daily updates on the election!In response to a nationwide heroin epidemic, some Cincinnati hospitals are starting a new program to test all mothers or their infants for opiates, not just those deemed to be at risk based on their background.
The program is intended to help physicians identify newborns who could suffer from Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS), a group of symptoms related to drug withdrawal including excessive crying, irritability, diarrhea, and seizures. Mothers who test positive will be referred to treatment while their newborns receive extended care.
It’s a bold approach to a growing problem but it may only be effective in a state like Ohio, which, unlike many states, does not punish pregnant women who suffer from drug addictions. Women already bear the brunt of the heroin epidemic and they may face additional criminal and civil consequences if they become pregnant while using drugs.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), heroin use has more than doubled among adults ages 18 to 25 in the last decade, and heroin-related overdose deaths have nearly quadrupled between 2002 and 2013. Among women, heroin use has increased by a staggering 100 percent from 0.8 to 1.6 users per 1,000 people, as compared to a 50 percent increase among men across the same time period.
Over roughly the same time period, the prevalence of NAS has increased from 1.2 to 3.39 per 1,000 hospital births, becoming a pressing public health problem in neonatal ICUs.
In light of the spike in heroin use, the CDC recommends that states increase access to treatment for drug addiction. But some states seem to believe that the best way to help NAS newborns is by threatening their mothers with jail time instead of providing treatment and social support.
In 2014, a Tennessee law went into effect allowing pregnant women who take narcotics while pregnant to be charged with aggravated assault, which could result in a 15-year prison sentence. In so doing, the state earned the dubious honor of becoming the first to pass a specific law that would punish drug-addicted pregnant women.
Weeks after it went into effect, a 26-year-old mother who admitted to using meth before childbirth became the first woman to be charged under it.
"Hopefully it will send a signal to other women who are pregnant and have a drug problem to seek help. That's what we want them to do," a county sheriff told the local ABC affiliate.
But critics including the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) say that such measures do not encourage women to seek help but rather discourage them from seeking prenatal care. Some medical experts even believe that legal prohibitions on pregnancy during drug use may increase abortions among women who would feel pressure to terminate their pregnancies in order to avoid prosecution.
And if Tennessee lawmakers are truly concerned about the welfare of drug-addicted pregnant women, perhaps they should consider funding a specific program to help them recover.
As it turns out, the states that punish drug-addicted pregnant women and the states that prioritize their welfare have a disappointingly narrow intersection. According to the Guttmacher Institute (PDF), 19 states have created or funded targeted drug treatment programs for pregnant women. Tennessee does not number among them. Nor do 10 of the 18 states where it is considered child abuse, although five of them do give pregnant women priority access in general programs.
Of the 15 states that require mandatory reporting to the state when substance abuse is suspected, only six have created or funded treatment programs for pregnant women.
Including Tennessee, a handful of states have gone beyond state reporting requirements and standard definitions of child abuse.
In 2013, the Alabama Supreme Court upheld the conviction of two mothers who had used drugs while pregnant and ruled that drug use during pregnancy constituted chemical endangerment of a child because “the plain meaning of the word ‘child’ in the chemical endangerment statute includes unborn children.”
With this ruling, Alabama joined the South Carolina Supreme Court, which ruled in 1997 that a viable fetus was a “person” and that “maternal acts endangering or likely to endanger the life, comfort, or health of a viable fetus” could be considered criminal child abuse.
Neither Alabama nor South Carolina has funded specific substance abuse treatment programs for pregnant women.
Reuters reports that five other states have tried to pass legislation similar to Tennessee's new law. In March, for example, North Carolina legislators pushed for a law that would classify drug use while pregnant as assault, a class 2 misdemeanor in the state.
But women who use drugs while pregnant have also been charged under the “fetal harm” and “fetal homicide” laws that are already found in a majority of states. Last year, a chronically depressed and uninsured Wisconsin woman named Tamara Loertscher spent 17 days in jail because clinic discovered methamphetamines and marijuana in her system when she went in for a pregnancy test. Loertscher said that she stopped using drugs as soon as she suspected she was pregnant but it was too late.
Many “fetal homicide” laws were originally intended to punish those who injured or killed pregnant women—now they are being applied to punish and demonize pregnant women themselves.
As ACOG notes, several major medical and public health organizations in the United States have argued that states should try to curtail drug and alcohol use during pregnancy through treatment rather than criminal prosecution. The American Medical Association fought the 2013 Alabama Supreme court ruling and opposes legislation that criminalizes drug use during pregnancy. And the American Psychiatric Association said in a 2001 position statement that “societal resources [should] be directed not to punitive actions but to adequate preventive and treatment services for these woman and children.”
Even new universal testing initiative in Cincinnati is not without controversy. As Reuters reports, some advocates would prefer a screening program for pregnant women to mandatory testing. But if mandatory testing can be effective anywhere, it would be in a state like Ohio where there are no criminal consequences for drug-using pregnant women, no mandatory reporting requirement, and state-funded treatment available for pregnant women.
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Wonder Woman Wonders of the world Woody Woodpecker Worksheets World War 1 World War 2 Wreck It Ralph Wrestling WWE X-Men Yakari Yogi Bear Yokomon Yoshi Yugioh Zodiac Zombie Coloring PagesSnicker Doodle Rounds - GF
3 c gluten free all purpose flour
1 c butter
1 1/2 c stevia (sweetener)
2 whole eggs
1 egg yolk
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp cream of tarter
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
Cookie Coating:
2 tbsp stevia
3/4 tbsp cinnamon YIELD: 30-36 cookies
METHOD:
Take the butter out of the fridge and leave it to sit out for a bit so it can soften a little. Heat oven to 350 degrees. If you have a standing mixture bowl use that otherwise take the butter and cut into chunks into a bowl. Add the stevia and using a hand mixer beat until light and smooth. Add the eggs one at a time mixing well after each addition. Add the egg yolk and vanilla and beat again. Add the cream of tarter, baking soda, salt and flour. Mix as far as you can get with the beaters then you should just mix using your hands. Combine the stevia and cinnamon in a small bowl that you can roll cookie balls around in. Roll dough into roughly 1" dough rounds. Roll the dough into the cinnamon/sugar mixture and place about 1 1/2" apart from each other on a cookie sheet. Bake for about 10 minutes or until the tops start cracking a little. You don't want to over cook them where they turn a darker color. Let them cool for a couple of minutes on the cookie sheet. Enjoy!!
The next two blog posts are gluten free desserts that I was supposed to bring to my family's Christmas party. However, as is commonplace in Wisconsin...the weather had to get in the way and ruin those plans! On the bright side, if it had not ruined my plans then I wouldn't have these delicious looking pictures to be able to write this blog post.In my mind they turned out a little dry…but I guess snicker doodles are supposed to be a little dry from what I've heard. I also thought that they would turn out a little less round and flatten out more but they didn't. No big deal though because they were still a hit with my sisters once I finally made it home! Adam thinks that they are a great cookie for dipping into milk.INGREDIENTS:We sometimes forget to give defensive linemen the credit they truly deserve for being incredible athletes. They are chasing ball carriers and quarterbacks that are faster than ever, and they're doing it at 300 pounds or more.
This was brought to mind Monday when B.J. Raji, an incredibly talented interior lineman looking to make a comeback from a torn bicep in 2014, reported to camp at 327 pounds.
He was thrilled.
"I swear to God," Raji told the Journal Sentinel. "I'm 327. Haven't been this low since college."
While this could quickly be filed away under the training camp I'm in the best shape of my life cliche, it will be interesting to see how the weight loss aids Raji's movement this season.
At 29, and with a season of rest under his belt, there's plenty of miles left for the former first-round pick. Listening to him, it sounds like those miles will be far easier with a little less weight on his back.
"To me, it's more about technique in the middle," he said. "Every nose isn't humongous. There are small guys that play with good technique."
The latest Around The NFL Podcast discusses Tom Brady's lawsuit and debates which veteran players are most likely to be cut.Rather than backing down, Puigdemont said the region could formally declare independence if Madrid did not engage in talks – something the Spanish government has repeatedly refused to entertain.
The move to scrap Catalonia’s autonomy – considered Madrid’s “nuclear option” in the standoff – came after Catalan president Carles Puigdemont ignored the 10 a.m. deadline by which to abandon his campaign to secede.
Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said the move would be taken at a special cabinet meeting at which lawmakers would decide on measures to “restore the constitutional order” in Catalonia.
A statement from the Prime Minister’s office Thursday said the government would invoke Article 155 of the constitution, giving it the power to suspend Catalonia’s autonomy and take over the running of its institutions.
Spain will move to impose direct rule on Catalonia this weekend, after the region’s leader refused to drop his bid for independence.
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Spain will move to impose direct rule on Catalonia this weekend, after the region’s leader refused to drop his bid for independence.
A statement from the Prime Minister’s office Thursday said the government would invoke Article 155 of the constitution, giving it the power to suspend Catalonia’s autonomy and take over the running of its institutions.
Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said the move would be taken at a special cabinet meeting at which lawmakers would decide on measures to “restore the constitutional order” in Catalonia.
The move to scrap Catalonia’s autonomy – considered Madrid’s “nuclear option” in the standoff – came after Catalan president Carles Puigdemont ignored the 10 a.m. deadline by which to abandon his campaign to secede.
Rather than backing down, Puigdemont said the region could formally declare independence if Madrid did not engage in talks – something the Spanish government has repeatedly refused to entertain.
“Despite all our efforts and our will for dialogue, the fact that your only answer is canceling our autonomy indicates that that you do not understand the problem and do not wish to talk,” he wrote.
Puigdemont also accused Madrid of the “repression” of separatist leaders, after two were taken into custody earlier this week.
Madrid’s move is a marked escalation in the crisis which has roiled Spain – and divided Catalans – since Catalonia’s leaders held a banned independence referendum earlier this month.
Catalonia, a prosperous region in northeast Spain with a population of about 7.5 million people, has long been home to a secessionist movement.
But despite the referendum result, it is not clear that a majority of Catalans favor independence.
Catalan officials said more than 90 percent of voters backed independence – but only 42 percent of eligible voters took part. Many Catalans who favor remaining part of Spain boycotted the vote, which had been declared unconstitutional by a Spanish court.
Earlier this month, hundreds of thousands of people marched through Catalonia’s capital, Barcelona, opposing independence.
Exactly what will happen next remains unclear, with fears of clashes between demonstrators and national police if the latter mobilize for a government takeover.
Pro-independence leaders were reportedly holding emergency meetings Thursday to plan their next move, which could involve mass demonstrations.
This is the first time Article 155 has been invoked, and the process by which Madrid would assume full control of Catalonia – potentially dismissing the regional government, seizing control of its finances and police force, and holding new elections – remains unclear.
Any measures would require the approval of Spain’s parliament, however, and would not be effective until early next week. Spain’s opposition Socialist party says it will support the government, but any suspension of Catalonia’s autonomy should be for a limited period only.
Puigdemont has twice failed to respond to Madrid’s ultimatums to clarify whether he had declared independence or not.
In an ambiguous post-referendum speech, he said Catalonia had “earned the right” to independence and signed a symbolic declaration – but that he was suspending its effects to allow time for talks with Madrid.3rd time's the charm: Mystery object removed from Westerly beach Copyright by WPRI - All rights reserved Video
WESTERLY, R.I. (WPRI) -- An alien device. A piece of military history. Those are just some of the theories surrounding a mysterious object that was finally dug up off East Beach.
At least two previous attempts to remove the eight-legged metallic object were canceled, largely because of the weather. Thursday's operation seemed to go off without a hitch.
An excavator dug up the object - which has metal poles leading from a circular base to a single point at the top. Once the object was removed, the pieces were loaded onto a truck and taken to an undisclosed location.
Last piece of Westerly'mystery' sea object loaded into pickup - headed for 'undisclosed location,' hopefully experts will look at @wpri12 pic.twitter.com/JqjrT3XIuj — Jared Pliner (@JaredPliner) August 31, 2017
The East Beach Association first called attention to the object after sharing underwater images several weeks ago.
Even though it's been dug up, the mystery remains.
"Not a clue. We haven't solved anything here today," said East Beach Association President Peter Brockmann. "Hopefully, the experts in this field will take a look at it, now that we have it out, and be able to identify it."
One theory is that the object is some kind of oceanographic equipment. However, officials said no one has claimed the device.
Man we just spoke to thinks this has something to do with oceanographic equipment - but really no one here knows @wpri12 pic.twitter.com/iRLKLEs5fw — Jared Pliner (@JaredPliner) August 31, 2017
https://www.facebook.com/WPRI12/videos/10154858993778202/
Eyewitness News is in Westerly for the removal and will update this story as we get more information. 7 Photos Copyright by WPRI - All rights reserved Photo Courtesy: Peter BrockmannES 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
A quiet town in northern England has been exposed as a hotbed for hardcore porn and get-rich-quick websites in a surprising revelation for its residents.
Hundreds of people living in Consett, in County Durham, are directors of companies making millions of pounds from websites like amateurmilftown.com and naughtytrannyfun.com.
The former steel-making town, which is also the birthplace of Rowan Atkinson, was revealed as a hub for directors of companies involved in porn, dating, diet polls and travel.
Many residents were paid to send on post that came to their address – a way to get what they called “free money” – but said they were shocked when it was revealed what the companies did.
More than 420 Consett residents were signed up for the scheme, an investigation by Reuters revealed.
Simon Dowson set up the shell companies to help online businesses trade in Europe.
Mr Dowson said everyone involved was aware of what the business was, the Times reported.
"Any individual that was ever appointed to a company by us 100 per cent consented to do so, was aware of what the business was and received the fees for doing so," he said.
Consett resident John Mawson, 61, was a director of a shell company for years but said he did not realise one of its businesses was Thunder Flash Entertainment which ran porn sites.
Another resident, Emma Brown, 31, who was listed as a former director of a company running websites including amateurslutsociety.com, said she was in “complete shock”.
"I have never had anything to do with porn,” she said. “I am absolutely disgusted. I knew absolutely nothing about this."Somehow, when Matt Baumgartner looked at 165 Erie Blvd. in Schenectady, he saw the perfect spot for a bustling German beer garden.
Schenectady officials gave him tours of other buildings downtown, stately and historic and modern buildings. But he had his heart set on one building — a squat, nondescript one-story structure that used to house a dry cleaning operation. It had been vacant for seven years, surrounded by pavement and a few overgrown weeds here and there.
There was something about the slope of the roof, though. The A-frame of the eaves made him think of a ski lodge, and his imagination took it from there.
“I love renovating old, sad, uninhabited buildings,” he said. “And I remember that building from when I went to school at Union College. It just has a nice feel to it. It has parking. It looks a little like a ski chalet. And I always thought, this would make a really cool beer garden.”
Baumgartner, a prominent Capital Region restaurateur/entrepreneur, holds a fond spot in his heart for Schenectady. He graduated from Union College in 1995 and even drove an ice cream truck around Scotia for some time. In 2009, he opened a Bombers Burrito Bar on two levels of a three-story building across from Proctors in Schenectady.
This week, he’s gearing up to open his second Schenectady restaurant — a Wolff’s Biergarten at 165 Erie Blvd. — with partners Mark and Greta Graydon and Mark Fichera. They’ve set a tentative opening date of Thursday, Oct. 30, assuming the state approves a liquor license by then.
“I hope you all like it and we are all thrilled to add another restaurant to beautiful downtown Schenectady,” Baumgartner said in an Instagram post Sunday.
Transformation
Pictured was a building far different from the nondescript dry cleaner that once occupied the site. The facade is rough-hewn pine. Three garage doors, all a bright red, are punctuated by sconce lighting. Wooden gates and oak barrels topped with yews surround the building. German flags hang from the eaves. A moose head is visible from behind a large glass window.
It will be the second Wolff’s Biergarten in the Capital Region. He opened his first in Albany with partners Jimmy and Demetra Vann in 2009. Wolff’s bills itself as an “authentic German Biergarten.” It was voted the second best soccer bar in America this year by Sirius XM and was The Place To Go during this summer’s World Cup.
Baumgartner said he wants to keep the Wolff’s brand strong across the Albany and Schenectady locations, which is why you’ll find picnic tables and peanut shells littering the floor at both spots. Both locations will feature German food, beer and televisions blaring international soccer matches.
There will be some differences, though.
The Albany location has a much larger kitchen and can serve a full menu’s worth of German food. The Schenectady location will feature more fair-type food. A hot dog cart inside will serve bratwurst, veggie currywurst, pulled pork sandwiches and other hand-held foods. In addition, Wolff’s will contract with food trucks on a rotating basis to park outside and serve food to hungry patrons.
“So far we have about four to five committed food trucks,” Baumgartner said. “We do use them for special events in Albany, but we don’t feel the need to keep them out there all the time because we have a full kitchen.”
The Schenectady site will have 24 draft beers versus 18 in Albany. It will offer lunch, dinner and weekend brunch, and employ about 15 to 20 people.
Wolff’s is leasing the space at “an affordable rent,” he said. For the past six months, the building has undergone an intensive renovation, complete with brand new electrical wiring, plumbing upgrades and construction of a large patio.
The site was abuzz with activity Monday, as box trucks sat outside the chalet-style building and a crane hoisted a large rectangular “Wolff’s Biergarten Und Wurst Haus” sign from a truck bed.
“He always loved that building,” said Schenectady County Metroplex Development Authority Chairman Ray Gillen. “He had a certain vision for it, and he just really thought that building could be something.”
Baumgartner tweeted in April that he had signed a lease to operate a Wolff’s Biergarten in Schenectady. At the time, the building that he always remembered from his college days happened to be right in the middle of a newly reconstructed corridor. The $14 million reconstruction of Erie Boulevard from Interstate-890 to Union Street was just wrapping up. It included new underground utilities, fresh pavement, new sidewalks, bike lanes, crosswalks, redesigned intersections, lampposts, an attractive median and fresh landscaping.
The timing of the two projects conflated to create a lot of buzz along the corridor, Gillen said.
“Matt is a proven operator,” he said. “He’s been very successful with all of his operations around the Capital Region, and we think the fact that he’s investing in this corridor has already brought us other opportunities because people respect him for the work he’s done. It’s generated additional interest in the corridor by other investors.”
Baumgartner said the Erie Boulevard reconstruction was one more reason to choose the old dry cleaning site.
“It all just seemed to be good timing for another beer garden in the Capital Region,” he said.The parts I broke during my time riding the KTM 1090 Adventure R reads like a grocery list for the KTM parts catalog. Two clutch levers, two brake pedals, a high beam switch, a brake lever, the left hand guard, an exhaust hanger, a turn signal lens, and numerous gashes on the crash bars are a testament to how I tested this bike.
When Chris Fillmore from KTM approached me a few months ago about reviewing their new 2017 1090 Adventure R, I immediately expressed my interest in the opportunity. I replied with a few choice photos of dual-sport events I tackled on my Tiger 800 XCx earlier in the summer and told him I was excited to test the 1090 in similar conditions. Referring to one particular photo of the Tiger clawing its way through muddy water up to its tank, Chris was originally skeptical of my plan. He noted that I couldn’t “destroy the bike.”
My reply was something along the lines of “Define, destroy.”
Try as I might, the 1090 Adventure R handled whatever abuse I could dish out and never quit on me. Photo by Ryan Wheatley.
Knowing KTM's pedigree for off-road riding, I expected this bike to handle all of the abuse I was ready to dish out. At a minimum, I expected it to at least match the prowess of my modified Tiger 800 XCx off-road. In the end, Chris agreed to send me a 1090 Adventure R and gave me to two months to figure out exactly how much abuse this bike could handle.
The bike
For 2017, KTM eliminated their 1190 Adventure R and replaced it with two new models. The 1290 Super Adventure R snags the flagship spot in their off-road biased adventure line while the 1090 Adventure R is designed for riders looking for a bit more elemental experience.
Unlike the shnazzy TFT dash on the new 1290 Super Adventure R, the 1090 retains the same unit found on the outgoing 1190. It is hard to read in anything short of ideal conditions. RevZilla photo.
The 1090 didn’t get the fancy TFT dash, electronic cruise control, or cornering ABS of its larger sibling. Nor does it receive a center stand or standard electrical outlets. It’s also about 35 horsepower shy of the 1290’s whopping claimed 160 horsepower. Rather, the 1090 is a stripped-down, purpose-built machine for riders looking to spend a good chunk of their time off-road. In stock trim, with fuel, the 1090 Adventure R comes in at 508 pounds, nearly 25 pounds less than the 1290. As I tested it, with inner tubes and a skid plate installed, it was just over 530 pounds.
The 1090 features the 1190’s engine cases and valves while sharing its camshaft and timing with that of the 1050 Adventure that was previously unavailable in the United States. It gets a new crank and flywheel, which KTM claims will deliver better low-end torque. While I was impressed with how far you can lug this bike down low before it stalls, it still makes the majority of its power in the top half of the engine's rev range. Its 80 foot-pounds of peak torque hit around 6,500 rpm. According to the manual, valve clearance checks aren’t required until 18,600 miles, which is quite impressive.
In order to really test the new KTM 1090 Adventure R, I left my Tiger 800 XCx in the garage for a few months while putting the 1090 through its paces at events like the Michaux Dual Sport ride. Photo by Spurgeon Dunbar.
Controlling that power are the same four rider modes carried over from the 1190’s electronics package. Sport and Street mode provide full horsepower to the rider with Sport delivering the most aggressive throttle response. Off-Road mode cuts power to 100 ponies, softens the throttle, and allows the rear wheel to spin at twice the rate of the front wheel before traction control kicks in. Rain mode cuts power as well, but offers up the most sensitive TC setting, which engages at the mere hint of wheel slip.
Traction control can also be disabled, as can the ABS system. In addition to completely turning off ABS, you can set it to off-road mode, which allows ABS to remain active at those Brembo calipers at the front wheel. Brake feel is solid and there is good feedback at the lever. I liked the placement and feel at the rear brake pedal as well, but the mounting design places stress on the internal bearing. This means if you accidentally hit something and bend the lever, you have to be really careful when bending it back, I'd recommend taking it off the bike to do so. Ask me how I know.
The chassis is unchanged over the 1190 Adventure R and is the same as on the 1290 Super Adventure R. But the new bikes get an updated suspension that is easily the shining star of the new 1090.
Testing the 1090's new suspension at the Touratech Rally's grass track. Photo by Carlos Barrios.
The front 48 mm fork utilizes longer, stiffer, 6.5 newton-millimeter springs compared to the 5.5 newton-millimeter springs found on the 1190. The amount of fork oil was also increased and the valving was stiffened. It is completely adjustable for preload as well as compression and rebound damping.
The new PDS shock offers riders the same level of adjustability at the back end but with a split between high- and low-speed compression damping. PDS stands for Progressive Damping System, which allows for a softer initial set up that gets progressively stiffer through the stroke to keep from bottoming out on large hits. It’s also directly mounted to the swing arm, which means that for those of you regularly riding off-road, there is less maintenance to perform as there are no pivots and bearings to attend to.
Testing the KTM 1090 Adventure R on-road
I picked up our press bike at Solid Performance, our local KTM shop. In addition to selling the bikes, SP does a lot of repair and modification work. For example, they just developed a suspension mod to lower the 1090 Adventure and 1290 Super Adventure Rs by two inches. This is an important advancement for shorter riders who might be intimidated by the 35-inch seat height. And if you don't live near Philadelphia, not to worry. They are working on making this a drop-in kit that you can order from them and have installed at your local shop.
Even at 6 feet, 3 inches, I was initially surprised by how tall this bike is. It’s like sitting on a giant dirt bike. Riding home on some of the winding back roads on the way to my house I was immediately impressed with how sporty the bike felt. It handled aggressive street riding much better than I expected. In the Sport setting, the throttle response was crisp and the power felt noticeably present. I wouldn’t detect its missing power until I rode it side-by-side with the 1190 Adventure R.
Pulling onto the highway, I effortlessly shifted the 1090 through all six gears, aided by the hydraulically actuated PASC slipper clutch. The smooth transmission only requires a light touch at the shift lever, while still offering the rider positive feedback that the shift has been completed. The only negative I noticed was that the indicator on the dash for gear selection would sometimes go blank instead of reading neutral or first. I learned to slowly release the clutch and check for engagement if this happened.
While I initially missed having electronic cruise control, the 1090's on-road performance was so good I soon forgot all about it. RevZilla photo.
On longer treks |
as Labour loves to do.” Nowhere are such ideas being represented in this contest.
The idea of ‘old’ or ‘real’ Labour has become equated with unyielding and uncritical statism and the belief that tax and spend is the only means of redistributing power and wealth. This is, of course, incorrect. A quick glance at the party’s history demonstrates the power of collective action from the bottom up, of mutual societies and cooperatives, and of shared endeavor whether in sports clubs or small businesses. These important, if not fundamental, concepts are unrepresented and marginalised.
Nowhere, however, is the stultifying nature of the contest clearer than in the candidates’ respective attitudes towards EU membership. They are, even for Labour, remarkably narrow. EU membership, a challenging issue that is on the minds of huge swathes of Labour’s traditional support, is uncritically supported. The voices of, for example, Frank Field and Kate Hoey are nowhere to be heard, nor is there any real discussion of what Britain’s role should be within Europe. Does the future lie in greater integration, how can we square the turbulence of mass-migration with the necessity of preserving communities?
Fundamentally, we have not address what can be described as the principal vs. power dilemma. There is a growing belief that the Labour Party’s role is to act as a quasi-debating society cum pressure group. For some we should not compromise to govern the country, but merely, and piously, comment upon it. When Jeremy Corbyn suggested that UKIP voters were “motivated to some extent by racism” he endorsed this perspective. So too did Andy Burnham when he suggested that the 2015 manifesto was the best he had stood on. The bottom line is that the voters rejected our message and we fell to our gravest defeat in decades.
We cannot simply turn our back on the electorate and wait for them to see the light. As a party we have no right to exist and we must remain relevant. A campaign based on anodyne personalities will do little to raise the hopes of party activists, let alone the public. If it seems dark at the moment that’s because it is. We cannot bury our heads in the sand, but must face reality. It’s time for those who truly care about our party to stand up and begin addressing the challenges we face. Until we do so perpetual opposition and eventually irrelevance awaits.— The National Basketball Association today announced a new transparency initiative relating to its officiating program. Beginning March 2 and continuing throughout the 2015 playoffs, the league will provide play-by-play reports regarding all calls and material non-calls that occur in the last two minutes of close games and during entire overtime periods. This new initiative creates a more specific protocol for commenting on the most scrutinized calls in NBA games.
The "Last Two Minutes" officiating report is the latest step in the league's effort toward more transparency in its officiating program. Previous actions include this season's launch of the NBA Replay Center, real-time postings on NBA.com and @NBAOfficial of the replays used by officials to make calls during replay reviews, and bi-weekly rule "points of emphasis" memos that are sent to teams, referees and the media.
"Our fans are passionate and have an intense interest in understanding how the rules are applied," said Mike Bantom, Executive Vice President of Referee Operations. "NBA referees have the most difficult officiating job in sports, with so many split-second decisions in real time. We trust this consistent disclosure will give fans a greater appreciation of the difficulty of the job and a deeper sense of the correct interpretations of the rules of our game."
The league will release assessments of officiated events in the last two minutes of games decided in regulation that were within five points at the two-minute mark. Also, the reports will include plays from the last two minutes and overtime of OT games. Each play will be reviewed by a senior referee manager or basketball operations manager who will provide the assessments. Every play on the report will include a video link to that specific play. The reports will be posted on NBA.com/official and Media Central, the NBA's media website (mediacentral.nba.com), by 5 p.m. ET the day after each game.Clinton campaigns in Reno, Nev., August 25, 2016. (Reuters photo: Aaron P. Bernstein)
A Clinton restoration will leave Americans looking for alternatives — will conservatives be ready?
A new Washington Post/ABC poll, released on Tuesday, shows that Hillary Clinton’s post-convention era of good feelings lasted approximately three weeks. Despite months of relentless media coverage of Donald Trump, his endless string of campaign calamities (including a weeklong spat with the family of a fallen American soldier), and the increasingly widespread view that Trump is a bigot — the worst thing you can be in American public life — the two candidates are about equally unpopular. He’s viewed unfavorably by 60 percent of registered voters; she’s at 59 percent.
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Which is to say that, if Hillary Clinton is elected in November, she is in for a miserable four years. Because none of the sources of her unpopularity are going away.
First are the scandals. Ongoing litigation surrounding Clinton’s e-mails and her use of a private e-mail server would stretch into her first term in office, and is certain to yield further embarrassing revelations (like this week’s discovery that Clinton failed to turn over several e-mails related to the Benghazi attacks), and it was recently reported that field offices of the FBI are considering investigating the e-mail scandal in conjunction with various U.S. Attorneys’ offices. Even if those inquiries turned up nothing, their presence would continue to prompt questions about how seriously Clinton is taking security and transparency concerns as president (having spent her several years as secretary of state evading both). And, of course, looming over all of this will be the question of the Clinton Foundation. Given everything we know already about the way the Clinton Foundation operated during Clinton’s tenure at the State Department, could we trust that the foundation and her White House would be truly separate? Hillary Clinton’s presidency would almost inevitably sit under a cloud of suspicion.
POLL: Should Hillary Clinton Be Impeached?
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That would be of her own making, of course. Voters’ sense that Hillary is untrustworthy is not a fluke. It’s the consequence of the years she has spent periphrasing and circumlocuting — and, yes, outright lying. That has only reinforced what was obvious to many from their first introduction to the Clintons in the early 1990s: She has always been determined to claw her way into the Oval Office, by sheer force of will. Ruthless calculation may be effective, but it’s not attractive. People may tolerate Hillary, but they won’t like her.
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And she will not be able to distract from any of the above with good governance. She has said that she will be Barack Obama’s third term, and the policies she has proposed suggest as much. In response to years of economic stagnation, she will maintain or expand the bureaucratic “solutions” that in fact have helped to entrench problems. (It’s not unlikely that Clinton would have to preside over a second recession.) With the Democrats’ health-care monstrosity creating headaches for millions of people nationwide, she promises to strengthen its grip. As half the nation seethes over unconstitutional immigration directives, she promises to effectively abrogate American immigration law in toto. And she’ll divide, rather than reconcile, on race and guns and abortion and conscience rights and much else. Doubling down on the last eight years is certain to yield more of the same frustration and anger.
#related#None of this will be good for the country. But it does offer conservatives an opportunity. The time is now to come up with a comprehensive, positive agenda that presents a coherent and compelling alternative to the failed liberal agenda that, in 2020, will have held the day for a dozen years. Paul Ryan and the House Republican conference have tried to do this with their “Better Way” agenda, which offers an expansive, detailed agenda for six major areas: the economy, tax reform, health care, poverty and upward mobility, national security, and the Constitution. It’s this agenda, or something like it, that will be crucial if conservatives hope to seem more than a rump opposition. So will be a dedication to promoting this agenda beyond traditional Republican borders; a positive agenda needs to be pitched in Baltimore and Milwaukee, not just Orange County. And, finally, there must be leaders who understand how that agenda reflects conservative principles, and can articulate both as necessary.
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This is a tall order, but hardly an impossible one, and if Donald Trump loses handily, as seems more and more likely, it will be a ready-made opportunity to reconstitute conservatism to address the needs of a larger and more diverse group of Americans.
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Four years of Hillary Clinton will be enormously painful for conservatives. But millions of non-ideological Americans are going to be pained by it, too, and looking for an alternative. When 2020 rolls around, conservatives should have one to offer.January 3rd, 2018 will mark a special stardate in Star Trek history; the 25th anniversary of the premiere of the second live-action Star Trek spinoff series, “Deep Space Nine”…
I still remember the premiere of “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine,” on January 3, 1993. I was living in my tiny bachelor apartment at the time (this was about 4 and a half years before I met my future missus). It was a cool January night (for California), and I was huddled in front of my little 20” Sony Trinitron TV (which lasted just over 22 years before my wife and I gave it to charity). I’d put a fresh premium quality VHS tape into the VCR (nothing but the best to record a new Star Trek), and I was all set to live-tape the premiere (pause-editing all of the commercials, of course).
Deep Space Nine’s premiere, “Emissary” came on with a bang…almost literally.
The opening of DS9 flashes back to the the battle of Wolf 359, three years earlier in Star Trek chronology (we never actually got to see that infamous battle in the Next Generation two-parter “Best of Both Worlds”; only the aftermath). Capt. Jean-Luc Picard, temporarily converted into the Borg “Locutus,” demands the surrender of the USS Saratoga.
On the bridge of that ship, we see a Vulcan captain (played by future Klingon general “Martok” actor, J.G. Hertzler) and his first officer, Commander Benjamin Sisko (DS9 series’ star, Avery Brooks). The battle does not go well; the Saratoga is mortally wounded, and the order is given to abandon ship. In the ensuing chaos, Sisko manages to find his son Jake (apparently families are common on most Federation ships at this point, not just the Enterprise-D) and the bloodied, pinned corpse of his wife, Jennifer. With the aid of a Bolian crew member, a grief-stricken Sisko and his son manage to get into a crowded escape pod and flee the destruction of the Saratoga.
Cut to three years later; Sisko and his son Jake are aboard another Federation starship en route to take command of a recently abandoned mining station (rechristened Deep Space Nine) in orbit of the recently liberated planet Bajor.
Sisko’s orders come (of course) from Capt. Picard; the man whom Sisko unfairly blames for the loss of his wife and his old ship. Upon meeting Picard, Sisko makes it clear he still holds bitterness towards the captain. Picard tells him he will consider looking for a replacement, which Sisko agrees is a good idea. But Sisko tells Picard that until he can find a way out of the assignment, he will carry out his duties on the station.
Aboard Deep Space Nine, Sisko meets some of his staff; chief engineer Miles O’Brien (Colm Meaney, transferring over from Next Generation), as well as…
…fiery-tempered Bajoran first officer Major Kira Nerys (Nana Visitor, throwing herself into the role with appropriate piss and vinegar).
Sisko also meets his grumpy shapeshifting security chief Odo (Rene Auberjonois) and a Ferengi saloon keeper named Quark (Armin Shimerman). Immediately we see that Odo and Quark have a quarry/prey frenemy vibe not too dissimilar from the verbal sparring of Spock and McCoy in the original series (but with a pinch more salt).
Later, we see the arrival of two new Starfleet characters; young, brash doctor Julian Bashir (played with a Clark Kent-like stammer by Alexander Siddig, who was previously credited as Siddig El-Fadil) and science officer Jadzia Dax (Terry Farrell), who is a member of a joined symbiotic species called the Trill. Jadzia’s supermodel body is actually the latest ‘host’ of Sisko’s longtime friend and mentor Curzon Dax; whose Dax ‘symbiont’ now resides inside of her (!). It takes Sisko a moment to get used to his old mentor’s new, 28 year old female appearance; and he affectionately refers to Jadzia as “old man.”
The plot is a bit loose at this point, allowing some space for character exposition. The crew are to recover and analyze mysterious orbs (“tears of the prophets”) left behind by the Bajoran gods (“the prophets”) who reside in a mythical ‘celestial temple’ somewhere within the Bajoran star system. These orbs, one of which Sisko finds on Bajor with the aid of the planet’s spiritual leader Kai Opaka (Camille Saviola), is brought back to the station for analysis. Opaka ‘reads’ Sisko’s “pah” (his soul) by touching his ear. She predicts he will be “the emissary” foretold to Bajor in their scriptures; the one who will find the celestial temple.
Turns out the Cardassians, led by former head of the occupation Gul Dukat (Marc Alaimo) want this newfound orb as well. The Cardassians plundered both the station and the planet Bajor before they ended their decades-long occupation of the system; and they already have several other orbs in their possession.
The orb gives Sisko and Dax powerful visions of their respective pasts. Sisko recalls meeting his future (late) wife Jennifer (Felicia Bell) on what looks like a sunny, hot California beach (guessing Malibu?). The vision reopens old wounds for the still-grieving widower.
Dax sees herself on an operating table, with her symbiont’s former host Curzon dying quietly nearby. Curzon’s still-living symbiont is then transferred into her body…this was the moment she became the dual-being that she is now.
The story then becomes a race to stop the Cardassians from learning the whereabouts of the celestial temple before the DS9 crew can locate it themselves.
The shapeshifting Odo provides a nifty little bit of sabotage to slow the Cardassians down (that a security chief would use sabotage as a means to an end demonstrates the grayer morality of life aboard this Bajoran-run space station versus life aboard a rule-abiding Federation starship. I found that very interesting…).
Dax and Sisko take a runabout (think: bigger shuttlecraft) out to look for the famed ‘celestial temple.’ They instead discover a wormhole; a wormhole that leads to the other side of the galaxy, into the “gamma quadrant” 70,000 light years away. Turns out the wormhole IS the celestial temple, and it is inhabited by non-linear beings (rather similar to the faceless aliens who created the monolith in “2001: A Space Odyssey”).
At this point, Dax is (somehow?) sent back to DS9 by the aliens, but they keep their ‘emissary’ Benjamin Sisko. Sisko tries communicating directly with his hosts, but they can only appear to him as people he’s seen or met over his lifetime (implying that they have no physical forms themselves; not too unlike the original series’ “Organians” from the episode “Errand of Mercy”).
These wormhole aliens (‘prophets’) have no concept of our linear, corporeal existence, and they are initially distrustful of Sisko’s “aggressive, adversarial” nature. Using his favorite game of baseball as a clever means of explaining linear time and existence, Sisko gains the wormhole prophets’ grudging trust.
In the end, they also give Sisko the impetus to get over his lingering grief over Jennifer by reminding him that such prolonged angst is “not linear” and therefore not compatible with continued existence. Sisko eventually understands what the prophets are getting at; as long as he continues to wallow in grief, there is no moving forward with his life (or his son’s).
Through their unintended intervention, the prophets allow Sisko to accept his new life as their ‘emissary’ and embrace his new duty (and adventures) as commander of Deep Space Nine.
Sisko’s runabout returns a short time later, towing a disabled Cardassian vessel left behind in the wormhole, and thus ending an attack on the station by several trigger-happy Cardassian warships. All of the enemy vessels are sent home with their tails between their legs.
By the end of the pilot, we see Sisko and his son reunited and we get a glimpse of day-to-day life aboard this new station.
The End.
To be honest, I wasn’t completely blown away by “Emissary” (just as I wasn’t entirely blown away by “Encounter at Farpoint”).
Some of the quasi-religious sounding mumbo jumbo about ‘prophets’ and ‘destiny’ left me a bit less-than-comfortable (I’ve always preferred my Star Trek to remain somewhat agnostic), but the positives of the pilot still outweighed those relatively minor issues.
I immediately got that the Cardassian-looted space station was a metaphor for the post-riot Los Angeles of 1992 (the now historic “L.A. Riots” had occurred only the previous summer). Sisko’s call for Quark to stand as a ‘community leader’ echoed the sentiments of many Los Angeles area shopkeepers who decided to stay and rebuild following the L.A. Riots’ devastation.
I also appreciated the scale and production value of the pilot. It was far smoother and more surefooted than the initially shaky “Encounter at Farpoint.” At the very least, I was certainly intrigued enough to see where it’d go next.
So I stuck with it. And I was rewarded with an initially slow-burning series that soon exploded into one of my favorite science fiction series of all time…
Things I really like about Deep Space Nine:
* A rich tapestry of primary and secondary characters.
The new characters are introduced with much more confidence and aplomb than the somewhat more awkward introductions of the Next Generation crew six years earlier. The new characters develop quite nicely from their stable foundations established in the pilot episode.
This cast of characters, and an equally fascinating cast of secondary characters, would undergo some of the most extreme arcs in Star Trek history. Dr. Bashir would be revealed to be a closeted genetically engineered superhuman (that Clark Kent affectation in “Emissary” made a bit more sense after that; even if the actor was unaware of that future development then). Widower Sisko would marry again, and his new wife Kassidy Yates (played by “The Orville” ’s Penny Johnson), a former freighter captain/smuggler, would be expecting their first child together by the series’ end.
Major Kira (a former terrorist, by the way; try to imagine a new series with the balls to do that) would be involved in an off-again/on-again relationship with the grumpy shapeshifter Odo. Jadzia Dax would die by the end of S6, and her Dax symbiont would be given to a new character, station counselor Ezri Dax (the amiable Nicole De Boer). Chief Miles O’Brien and his wife Keiko (Rosalind Chao) would welcome a second child into their family. And the noncommissioned, earthy Irish chief would also develop a deep, unlikely bromance with the intellectual, fastidious Dr. Bashir. They become the station’s true odd couple.
Even a seemingly minor character like Quark’s illiterate young nephew Nog (Aron Eisenberg) would go on to become a heroic Starfleet cadet (and later an officer). He’d even lose a leg in combat during the final season. Nog arguably has the greatest arc of the entire crew; from low-level hoodlum to indispensable hero (!).
Cardassian villain Gul Dukat (Marc Alaimo), former head of the occupation of Bajor, would go on to become a tragically demented but truly unhinged megalomaniac by series’ end.
We would also meet (in the 2nd episode) an enigmatic Cardassian tailor named “Garak” (“plain, simple Garak”). We soon learn that Garak is a former operative of the “Obsidian Order” (think: Cardassian CIA) with many stories to tell. He is brought to vivid life throughout the series by “Dirty Harry” ’s ‘Scorpio Killer’ Andy Robinson, who is utterly brilliant. By series’ end, he is one of my favorite characters; and with this bunch, that’s an embarrassment of riches.
In its 4th season, Next Generation’s resident Klingon Worf (Michael Dorn) would come aboard and change the dynamic of the series a bit. Turns out the surly Klingons were a perfect match for the grayer morality and shadier dealings aboard the station. While some complained that the series became “The Worf Show,” that was never truly the case; if anything, his presence only added to the colorful ensemble, but never overshadowed it. There were still plenty of other characters spotlighted during those final four years of the series.
There were countless other so-called secondary characters; Quark’s brother (and Nog’s dad) Rom (Max Grodenchik), his future-wife Leeta (Chase Masterson), Bajoran ‘pope’ Kai Winn (played by Oscar winner Louise Fletcher!), Dominion liaison Weyoun (the incomparable Jeffrey Combs), holographic Rat-Pack era crooner Vic Fontaine (played by ’60s teen idol James Darren) and so many more. These characters often headlined their own episodes, and almost any one of them were interesting enough to have held a lead slot on their own Star Trek series. To call them secondary characters seems almost vaguely insulting, considering their contributions to the show.
DS9 dove into character development like no Star Trek series before or since. The rich tapestry of characters is the very core of Deep Space Nine, and that core remains its best feature.
* Amazing production values for 1990s televison.
DS9’s production team (under Rick Berman and the late Michael Piller) assembled most of the same team that had worked on Star Trek steadily for the last few years, so they were bound to apply a bit more experience to this pilot. The sheer size of the Deep Space Nine interiors was staggering for the time. The operations center of the station is a multilevel, high ceiling chamber with an enclosed office at the rear. The ‘promenade’ decks are multistoried as well, with a large bar, shops, a breakfast area and alien restaurants lining the walls. Along the upper walkways, there are giant orbed windows with starscapes visible in the distance. It’s like LAX in space, and delivered on a 1990s syndicated television budget (!).
Later on, in its third year, the series got a new starship as well; the USS Defiant. While she may have looked like a flying toilet seat, she had teeth; and she could kick some serious enemy ass. She would partake in some of the most epic space battles in all of Star Trek (those dizzying flyovers!). The Defiant also gave the show a unique advantage over other Trek shows; it could be both a ship series and a character-driven homefront show. Truly the best of both worlds…
* The storytelling and writing of DS9 helped blaze the trail for modern serialized television.
DS9 writers/producers such as Ron Moore (who would go on to reimagine a brilliant new version of “Battlestar Galactica” in 2003), Ira Steven Behr, Naren Shankar, Rene Echevarria, Robert Hewitt-Wolfe and many others would take advantage of the show’s ‘middle child’ status (Next Generation and Voyager seemed to be the darlings of Paramount Studios then) to develop DS9 like no other Star Trek. Their relative freedom to do as they wished paid off handsomely for the fans. DS9 would embrace the serialized style of storytelling that is the norm today (see: “Dexter,” “Breaking Bad,” “House of Cards”, etc). At a time when most audiences were comfortable with standalone storytelling, DS9 took them into a longterm relationship with its characters that was far more deep and satisfying than the one-night flings of late 1980s/early 1990s television.
Now for the hardest part of this post:
My personal favorites of each season.
So hard to choose from such a rich assortment, but here goes…
Season 1: “Emissary” (nice kickoff) “Duet” (Kira’s best, and Harris Yulin is arguably the series’ finest guest star) “In the Hands of the Prophets” (all-too relevant today). First season is arguably the weakest (and certainly the shortest).
Season 2: “Invasive Procedures” (great Dax episode) “Whispers” (right out of Philip K. Dick), “The Wire” (best Garak episode), “The Jem’Hadar” (a preview of things to come).
Season 3: “Past Tense” parts 1 & 2 (DS9 takes on homelessness in a big way and it pays off), “Improbable Cause/The Die Is Cast” (great Garak/Odo two-parter), “The Adversary” (“The Thing” in space…).
Season 4: “Way of the Warrior” (sort of a second pilot for the series that introduces Worf to the family), “The Visitor” (arguably a series’ best; guest star Tony Todd owns this story), “Rejoined” (great Dax episode, and a pre-“Discovery” attempt to show a gay Star Trek relationship), “Homefront”/“Paradise Lost” (post 9/11 paranoia, several years ahead of time…).
Season 5: “Apocalypse Rising” (Sisko, O’Brien and Odo do Klingon cosplay), “Trials and Tribble-ations” (the most fun episode of the show; a love letter to the original series), “For the Uniform” (Sisko goes Inspector Javert on traitor Michael Eddington’s ass), “Dr. Bashir, I Presume?” (Bashir’s best), “Children of Time” (a poignant time-travel tragedy) and “Call to Arms” (hell of a cliffhanger).
Season 6: “Sacrifice of Angels” (Sisko and company retake the station), “You Are Cordially Invited” (Dax’s bachelorette party is a blast), “Far Beyond the Stars” (Avery Brooks’ passion project, and it shows), “In the Pale Moonlight” (Sisko, with Garak’s help, crosses the line…into my personal favorite episode).
Season 7: “Treachery, Faith and the Great River…” (great Odo/Weyoun interplay), “It’s Only a Paper Moon” (Nog’s best), “Chimera” (a strong metaphor for bisexuality), and the rich, slightly overstuffed 90 minute finale, “What We Leave Behind…” (the best finale for a Star Trek series yet filmed).
Over those seven seasons (1993-1999), Deep Space Nine would go onto become one of the most creatively (if not always commercially) successful Star Trek incarnations ever. It’s still my favorite of the post-TOS Star Trek spinoffs.
Deep Space Nine is also one of my favorite science fiction series of all time; and that’s a list that includes “Twilight Zone” “The Prisoner” “Battlestar Galactica” (2003-2009 version) and “Doctor Who.”
I enjoy it just as much today as I did in the 1990s. Perhaps even more so.
Guess I’m a Niner for life…
AdvertisementsWe are disappointed that the Senate has failed to advance the USA Freedom Act, a good start for bipartisan surveillance reform that should have passed the Senate.
The Senate still has the remainder of the current legislative session to pass the USA Freedom Act. We continue to urge the Senate to do so and only support amendments that will make it stronger. We strongly oppose any amendment that would water down the strong privacy, special advocate, and transparency provisions of the bill.
We also urge the Senate to remember that the USA Freedom Act is a first step in comprehensive surveillance reform. Future reform must include significant changes to Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Amendments Act, to the operations of Executive Order 12333, and to the broken classification system that the executive branch counts on to hide unconstitutional surveillance from the public.Suppose I assume I have something called experience (or perhaps awareness or consciousness, though these have quite problematic definitions). Experience seems to include things like my senses, my emotions, and my thoughts. Most people naturally believe in something like this. It is also a normal human assumption to believe that other people also have experiences in the same way I do – this is the basis for all human empathy. We also often to place it central to human rights and questions of morality.
Yet this assumption is a big jump philosophically-speaking. My experiences do not include the thoughts, feelings or senses of others – I have no direct knowledge of their experience. How can I know that they experience anything at all? Could they just be complex machines behaving like they have experiences? And if I am careful in my reasoning, how is it I can assume that it is other people that have experiences, but not trees, rocks, water or air?
In order to provide sound reasoning explaining how we could know that other humans have experience, there is an implied reasoning we often selectively ignore:
-I must assume that I and the biological creatures (people) I see before me are of the same category or type (‘I am human and so are you’). This however does not prove they also have experience. Therefore…
-I must assume that my own experience is PHYSICALLY A PART OF my biological body (my mind is basically the same thing as my brain)
-I can then assume that because other people also have biological bodies and brains, that they must therefore also have experiences like I do
We are extremely fond of leaving out the second step, but if you confront the issue logically, it is a neccessary part of believing that others have experiences just as you do.
If instead I assume that my experience is something distinct from my human brain and body (for example by assuming a consciousness as a discrete entity), then I create a problem. I am forced to imagine that this separate entity of experience is somehow causally connected to the biological body, crossing the duality between the mind and the body. This itself is very difficult to explain (philosophers have been trying and failing since Descartes) (I believe there are religious arguments, but this blog does not explore those sorts of arguments). However, even if I accept this link in myself, I have no further evidence to assume that same connection exists elsewhere. Even if it does exist elsewhere, I do not know where. I have no reason to think a rock couldn’t have just as full set of experiences as I do, given that my experience is a separate entity from my body and not the result of neural activity, and given that I have no way to perceive any experience other than my own. I cannot assume it exists in people by thinking ‘well something must connect their experiences or consciousness and their body’, because this assumes the existence of others’ experience and is therefore circular logic.
For all I know, I may be the only entity in the world with experiences, or it could be only people with brown hair or people born on a Tuesday. Or experiences, including my own, could be entities temporarily attaching themselves to objects including myself, perhaps only seconds ago (the memories could be part of the physical body). Certainly I cannot claim to know that all humans have experiences or consciousness. In that case, why would I even care about harming others when I don’t even know if they experience anything at all? Pursued to its logical conclusion, this is a troubling road to walk.
The alternative is to assume that experience is a physical part of the human brain and body. If I think this, it is a perfectly reasonable assumption that others have experiences not unlike my own, simply because I know they have bodies like my own. I know both I and others have a brain – using modern science it is perfectly possible to confirm the existence of my own brain. I also might optionally wish to consider that numerous experiments have shown that behaivours previously thought to be non-physical processes, such as experience and decision-making, correlate extremely closely with specific predictable neural activity in the brain (detectable by brain-scans). It is probably impossible to ever conclusively prove that there is no hidden force somehow involved, yet as science advances we get a clearer and clearer picture of how neural networks can perform all the aspects of complex human decisions without requiring any special help.
The fact that dualism makes it impossible to prove that others have experiences does not disprove the mind-body duality or the idea of a hidden force (that is a separate argument). The real issue is that it creates troubling problems for the dualist versions of our human values. Most alarming is the fact that the metaphysical explanations of altruism, human rights and freedom appear to have been philosophically destroyed, because we have no rational grounds under a dualist system that others have any experiences that we wish to either promote or prevent (eg. suffering).
On the other hand, if the mind is simply the brain and part of the physical body, and if experience is an emergent property, then it is still possible for these things we value to exist. Free-will becomes a biological process (compatibilism) instead of a metaphysical mystery, and human-rights becomes a set of principles derived from biological altruism and reciprocation. From here on we will explore a few implications that may be of interest for those that for whatever reason, have adopted this view.
IF EXPERIENCE IS AN EMERGENT PROPERTY OF NEURAL NETWORKS, THEN IT IS POSSIBLE TO RECREATE IT
The single most important implication of this logic is that it is possible to replicate the components of human experience, decision making and consciousness through Artifical Intelligence (AI). Though both dualism and monist beliefs exist in the AI community, it is a general assumption amongst almost all artifical intelligence researchers that all human qualities can eventually be replicated by AI, or by scanned replications of the human brain’s neural network loaded into a computer system. Robotics have in many areas already surpassed the abilities of humans – the next step is that AI will surpass the ability of humans to think (in a couple of areas they already have).
AI will learn (artifical neural networks have already been able to do this for years), they will have feelings, they will experience pain and pleasure, they will have creativity, they will make complex decisions, they will identify opportunties and threats, they will have beliefs and preferences and choices. All of these beliefs are commonly held by most of those people who actually work with AI and in its related fields. The belief that there is something about the human mind that cannot be reproduced by machines or computers is a belief held primarily by people with little or no experience wth computers or AI. This is unfortunate, because it means that many people who have a valid moral input into such issues are simple not aware or are in denial about the issues. This is less than ideal because fundamental changes in society, including both their benefits and dangers, are better understood when they are discussed by a broad spectrum of intelligent people from many walks of life. This is a view shared by quite a few of the leaders within the industry and field of computer science, who have been trying to get people from wider society to educate themselves and engage with the discussion for a number of years now.
From here I will briefly mention some of the issues related to AI. The first two will be entirely familiar to those with a casual understanding of AI and technology developments.
BASICS IMPLICATIONS AN AGI MIGHT HAVE FOR HUMANITY
AI will probably outcompete people for employment
-Robotics and automation have replaced many occupations. Despite an immense worldwide drive to constantly increase consumption and thereby create new jobs, there are tens or hundreds of millions of people who do not have jobs and a steady source of income. AI will not only increase the abilities of robotics to replace human manual labour, but they will increasingly do the same for intellectual and even creative jobs as AI ability continues to increase. We are now seeing the beginnings of this in the peaking of the prosperity of the middle class in many advanced countries.
-If we begin to value people for their humanity and their moral behaviour, and if we can turn our pursuits to new contructive uses of our time, then there is an amazing opportunity for humanity to discard drudgery and rise to achieve more noble goals. However, if people are only valued for their economic contribution, they will increasingly be outcompeted by AI alternatives. This risks massive social unrest and upheaval, immense poverty and even the death of millions who increasingly have no means of economic income. Eventually even the elite will fall off the bottom as they are outmaneuvered by AI in business, political and military strategy.
-While traditionally people deal with new technology by reskilling to use the technology and maintaining their economic value, this will no longer work because AI CAN RESKILL MUCH FASTER THAN YOU CAN.
Managing a Singularity
-A Singularity is a theoretical event that occurs where the generation of new ideas (eg. technological inventions) is itself automated using AI, and therefore increasingly follows the exponential growth as the AI is able to improve itself without human involvement. This is predicted to lead to an explosion of technological advancement and unpredictable consequences for humanity. If humans are in control of how this exponential advancement proceeds, then it could prove to be an incredible new dawn for our civilisation. If humanity does not deliberately steer the course of a Singulaity, then it is unlikely that humanity’s survival will be either a goal or an outcome of this. In such a case, our species survival is unlikely.
The AI rights issue (the most underappreciated problem of AI)
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chief executive, apologized to customers for the deletions in July. And late Thursday, the company tried to put the incident behind it, offering to deliver new copies of “1984” and “Animal Farm” at no charge to affected customers.
Amazon said in an e-mail message to those customers that if they chose to have their digital copies restored, they would be able to see any digital annotations they had made. Those who do not want the books are eligible for an Amazon gift certificate or a check for $30, the company said.
The message included Mr. Bezos’s mea culpa from July. “This is an apology for the way we previously handled illegally sold copies of ‘1984’ and other novels on Kindle,” Mr. Bezos said. He went on to describe Amazon’s actions as “stupid, thoughtless and painfully out of line with our principles.”
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The troubles began when the novels were added to the Kindle’s online store by an outside company that did not have rights to them. After the rights holder alerted Amazon, it removed the unauthorized versions from its systems and from customers’ devices, distributing refunds.
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But neither the refunds nor the subsequent apology were enough for some critics, who said the incident underscored the depth of the restrictions built into the Kindle. Digital books for the Kindle are sold with so-called digital rights management software, which allows Amazon to maintain strict control over the copies of electronic books on its reader and prevents other companies from selling books for the device.Just about this time a month ago, Tea Partiers and those of us who support things like cutting spending were accused of using “overheated rhetoric” in the immediate aftermath of the attempted assassination of Congresswoman Gabriel Giffords among others. Sarah Palin was blamed by Leftwing pundits for inspiring the gunman because she had “crosshairs” on a campaign map which included Giffords’ district in Tucson, AZ. Remember that?
Now fast forward to the public sector union protests in Wisconsin which overwhelmingly supports Democrats. I think Andrew Klavan of Pajamasmedia captures the violence and overheated rhetoric by these union members quite nicely in this video.
Remember, these are some of the very people who lectured Sarah Palin and the Tea Party just a month ago.
It gets better.
Republican Senators in Wisconsin have also started receiving death threats for daring to stand up against the union thugs. The following is one such e-mail:
Please put your things in order because you will be killed and your familes will also be killed due to your actions in the last 8 weeks. Please explain to them that this is because if we get rid of you and your families then it will save the rights of 300,000 people and also be able to close the deficit that you have created. I hope you have a good time in hell. Read below for
more information on possible scenarios in which you will die. WE want to make this perfectly clear. Because of your actions today and in the past couple of weeks I and the group of people that are working with me have decided that we’ve had enough. We feel that you and the people that support the dictator have to die. We have tried many other ways of dealing with your corruption but you have taken things too far and we will not stand for it any longer. So, this is how it’s going to happen: I as well as many
others know where you and your family live, it’s a matter of public records. We have all planned to assult you by arriving at your house and putting a nice little bullet in your head. However, we decided that we wouldn’t leave it there. We also have decided that this may not be enough to send the message to you since you are so “high” on Koch and have decided that you are now going to single handedly make this a dictatorship instead of a demorcratic process. So we have also built several bombs that we have placed in various locations around the areas in which we know that you frequent. This includes, your house, your car, the state capitol, and well I won’t tell you all of them because that’s just no fun. Since we know that you are not smart enough to figure out why this is happening to you we have decided to make it perfectly clear to you. If you and your goonies feel that it’s necessary to strip the rights of 300,000 people and ruin their lives, making them unable to feed, clothe, and provide the necessities to their families and themselves then We Will “get rid of” (in which I mean kill) you. Please understand that this does not include the heroic Rep. Senator that risked everything to go aganist what you and your goonies wanted him to do. We feel
that it’s worth our lives to do this, because we would be saving the lives of 300,000 people. Please make your peace with God as soon as possible and say goodbye to your loved ones we will not wait any longer. YOU WILL DIE!!!!
Reply Reply to all Forward
What do glass houses and catapults sell for these days?
Hat tip: Boortz‘The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has agreed to take on the case of Ruth Taylor, an photographer who runs the website BytePhoto.com. Taylor is being sued by the owners of Garfum.com for running photography competitions on her own website. Garfum claims to hold the patents (US Patent No. 8,209,618) on online photo competitions.
Before she found out about the EFF, she spent several months attempting to fight the legal case on her, but exhausted all her financial resources. At that point, Talyor had become even more infuriated at the idea that someone could hold a patent on online photo competitions that she decided she didn’t want to pay Garfum any money, even if the amount she was being sued for was reduced to $500. On principle alone, Taylor refused to settle. “It seemed like a scam…How could you have a patent on a contest?’ I’m not a lawyer, but it’s not logical.” Taylor said.
“Even if we were only going to pay $500, I was still outraged,” she said. “All that meant is I would be buying in to this whole mess. I kept thinking, ‘If I let this happen, there are others after me who are going to be sued. Some of them could be websites run by my friends. I couldn’t let that happen.'”
She spent countless sleepless nights researching all her possible options, despite facing bankruptcy. Eventually, she came across United Patents, who put her in contact with the EFF. Taylor’s case marks the first time the organization is representing a patent defendant, though the organization does a have a long running history in patent reform advocacy. They have partnered with a San Francisco law firm, Durie Tnagri to assist with the case.
Daniel Nazer, a representative for the EFF, told ArtsTechnica:
“Our client has been running ‘vote-for-your-favorite-photo’ polls for years, just for fun and the love of photography. The idea that you could patent this abstract idea—and then demand a settlement to go away—goes against both patent law and common sense. Patent bullies sue with weak patents and pick on defendants that can’t afford to prove their innocence.”
The EFF has issued a motion to dismiss the case, in which they cited:
“Competitions determined by popular vote are not specific to the Internet or computers. Garfum might argue that features like a ‘user interface’ or ‘media player’ render at least some of its claims sufficiently concrete for patent protection. But courts have repeatedly rejected similar arguments.”
You can read the EFF’s counterclaim, here.
[ via ArtsTechnica | Photo by OpenSource.com ]Top sources said the suspensions were made following instructions by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who is also the chairperson of DJB.
Delhi Jal Board today suspended 14 engineers against whom CBI had registered cases of alleged cheating and forgery in supply of sewerage equipment.
Top sources said the suspensions were made following instructions by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who is also the chairperson of DJB.
Earlier this week, CBI has registered five cases of alleged cheating and forgery in the supply of sewerage equipment to DJB in which the eight executive engineers and six junior engineers were named along with a private company.
According to CBI, the case relates to the "supply of allegedly spurious, cheap items of motor pumps, gear boxes and machinery, spare parts used in sewage treatment plants at exorbitant rates by showing the firm as authorised dealer of a manufacturing firm on the basis of fake and forged documents".
The executive engineers of DJB allegedly entered in criminal conspiracy with owner of Kirti Nagar-based Metro Projects and Sales Services, Raman Gupta during 2009-12 who forged letters of regional manager of Mumbai-based company Esenpro declaring his company to be authorised supplier of Esenpro equipment in Delhi, the sources said.
CBI has recovered over 100 such letters with varying signatures during its searches carried out at 21 locations in Delhi, Noida and Ghaziabad, agency sources had said.
Based on these letters, Gupta allegedly supplied equipment carrying Esenpro trademark, purportedly spurious, worth Rs six crore to five sub divisions of Jal Board-- Kondli, Keshopur Coronation Park, Maharani Bagh and Wazirabad, they said.Update: We reached out to Microsoft for comment on its plans for bringing Windows 10 to Android devices, but they declined. We have been promised that we'll be kept updated on any further developments.
Original story follows...
It looks like Microsoft has big hopes for its upcoming Windows 10 Mobile operating system, with the Redmond company recently disclosing that its trialing a version of Windows 10 that can be installed on Android devices.
The trial is being run with a select group of owners of the Xiaomi Mi 4, a pretty impressive Android smartphone. Microsoft has created a custom ROM designed to completely replace the Android operating system, much like CyanogenMod. However where CyanogenMod is still heavily based on stock Android, Microsoft's ROM will be based on Windows 10.
This means that after installing the Windows 10 ROM on the Xiaomi Mi 4, users will restart to find no trace of Android. Instead, they'll see an operating system that looks and behaves like Windows 10, complete with all of Microsoft's apps and services.
It won't quite be exactly the same as running Windows 10 on a Windows Phone, but for all intents and purposes it will offer an almost identical experience.
Method to Microsoft's madness
By creating a custom ROM for Android devices, Microsoft could easily port its new operating system to a wide range of existing smartphones and tablets, rather than waiting for phone manufacturers to make their own Windows Phones - which doesn't happen very often.
It could also explain why a partnership between Microsoft and Cyanogen was previously touted, with Microsoft rumoured to be investing $70 million (about £46m, AU$90m). Although the investment never transpired, at the time we did wonder why Microsoft would want to throw money at an Android ROM.
By offering the Windows 10 ROM to owners of the Xiaomi Mi 4, Microsoft can gauge how Android owners take to Windows 10. As Microsoft explained in a statement, "Xiaomi Mi4 users will get the ability to flash their phones with the new Windows 10 OS and provide feedback to Xiaomi and Microsoft on their experience."
The choice of a Chinese brand is no coincidence either, as Chinese consumers are more willing to install custom ROMs on their devices, with a number of Android alternatives freely available. The appeal of getting apps that are otherwise restricted on the official Google Play Store in China often sways people to download an alternative.
But what's in it for Xiaomi? The company isn't particularly wedded to Google, despite using Android as its operating system, but Xiaomi has been keen to stress that this is not a political move; it simply wants to offer its customers more choice.
Would you make the switch?
Gauging how Android users react to Windows 10 will give Microsoft a good idea of the challenges it will face when trying to convince people to make the switch.
Making the process of switching operating systems as simple as possible is a good start, and if the Windows 10 ROM remains free, people might want to try it out before discounting Windows 10. That in itself would be a win for Microsoft.
It should be under no illusions that it will have a struggle on its hands to get Android users to move over, but with an improved app ecosystem and better synergy between Windows 10 desktop and mobile devices, Microsoft could be on the right path.
At last! Microsoft has finally given Windows 10 a release date
Via TechCrunch and MicrosoftThor arrives in multiplexes a mere half-century later but, in keeping with the temper of the times, the movie does away with Norway, the Saturnian Stone Men, and the frail Dr. Blake himself. Directed by Kenneth Branagh (from whom the producers clearly hoped for a little Shakespearian oomph), the film opens as a cosmic tornado eases down on the smooth sands of New Mexico. Observing the phenomenon are astrophysicist Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), her avuncular mentor (Stellan Skarsgard), and a halfhearted intern (Kat Dennings). In an effort to get closer to the action, the gang drive their van over a man standing dazedly at the epicenter of the storm. (Blond locks? Check. Biceps? Check.) "Where did he come from?" Jane exclaims.
Glad you asked. A substantial chunk of backstory establishes that this is indeed Thor (Chris Hemsworth), newly banished from celestial Asgard by his father Odin (Anthony Hopkins). Incited by his deceitful brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston), the headstrong Teutonic hunk had caused a political incident by launching an unauthorized incursion against the frost giants of Jotunheim. His resulting sentence comingles the Christian and Arthurian: Thor is sent to Earth to live life as a mortal, and his hammer, Mjolnir, is implanted in the Southwestern bedrock, from which it will only be pulled by one who is worthy—unlike, at the moment, Thor—of Thor-ness.
Following his abrupt introduction to the front bumper of Jane's van, the Asgardian and the astrophysicist quickly begin exchanging interested glances. The attraction continues even after a zealous midlevel agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. (Clark Gregg, reprising his role from the Iron Man films) confiscates Jane's research, and Thor tries, with limited success, to retrieve it.
Of all the Silver-Age Marvel heroes (Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, etc.), Thor was perhaps the highest-concept and hardest to relate to. He was, after all, a god—even if he spent his downtime as the fragile Dr. Blake (a notion the comics, like the film, eventually abandoned). In Branagh's telling (from a script by Ashley Miller, Zack Stentz, and Don Payne), Thor and his fellow Asgardians are essentially extraterrestrials, long ago mistaken for gods by superstitious Scandinavians. Accordingly, the rainbow bridge between Asgard and Midgard (that's Earth to you and me) is reimagined as an interstellar wormhole machine—think Star Trek's transporter, but with Scotty replaced by mythical gatekeeper Heimdal. The whole aliens-mistaken-for-gods bit is also a way to add a little multiracial variety to the roster of Norse mythology: Heimdal is played by The Wire's Idris Elba; Hogun, one of Thor's warrior pals, by Japanese star Tadanobu Asano.
If all this sounds a bit like the last verse of Styx's "Come Sail Away"—well, it is. And it must be said that, however good a job one might do of costuming such god/alien figures—and I think a reasonably good job was done here—they're inevitably going to wind up looking pretty silly in their anachro-futurist armor. Perhaps the most off-key moment in the film is when Jane, who's seen the topographically buff Thor in jeans and (sometimes) a t-shirt, finally views him in full Asgardian regalia and declares, "It's a good look." Not even astrophysicists have such appalling fashion sense.Delivering medicine with tiny robots inside your veins
Imagine a tiny robot or drug-delivery device that could swim through your veins, using blood sugar as its fuel. Such a device could be powered by the same chain of chemical reactions that propel sperm toward an egg, according to researchers at Cornell University.
The researchers are trying to reproduce (pardon the pun) the steps whereby a sperm's whiplike tail generates energy. (Sperm also generate energy using the mitochondria in their midsection.) Running the length of the tail is a fibrous sheath with 10 enzymes attached to it. These enzymes act in series to break down glucose into ATP, the energy source for cells, in a process known as glycolysis.
So far, the Cornell researchers have managed to attach three of the 10 enzymes to a computer chip and confirm that the enzymes still work. If they can attach all 10 enzymes, they'll have a working version of a sperm engine, which could then be attached to nano-devices. The researchers presented their findings at the American Society for Cell Biology's annual meeting today.—Dawn Stover
See also:
NASA Jumps at Patent for Plasma-Powered UFO TechnologyI’ve got a soft spot for honest, direct, literal songwriting with a punk rock flair. It’s a large part of what I grew up with, and it seems to be waning in popularity. It hasn’t been very often in recent years that I discover a new band that tickles this very particular taste of mine; it’s a dying breed.
The Front Bottoms, however, do manage to tickle this bone in a way that is new and refreshing. With a definite punk rock influence, The Front Bottoms are a stripped down iteration, often making use of acoustic instruments and clean channels for an under-distorted sound. A sound that only New Jersey seems able to produce, it’s fun to see that songs about the anti-establishment, drug use, and poor decision-making are still finding an audience.
After discovering the band, the amount of fans I have been able to recruit have been few and far between; the music definitely appeals to a niche market, but it appeals to this market quite strongly. If your collection contains a strong mix of indie rock and punk rock, and you don’t mind lighthearted subject matter with well-executed yet amateur-sounding vocals, then The Front Bottoms may end up being your cup of tea.
Packaged in a single sleeve, the product is as too-the-point as it’s album art style. It is as understated as the music it contains, and delivers exactly what it is supposed to deliver. In an age where album lengths border on the absurd, single LP albums have actually become refreshing. You’re not going to get anything too elaborate with this purchase, but you will get what you pay for. As a big fan of the album, it receives a disproportionate amount of spins compared to the rest of my collection, and I don’t see it slowing down.
This is one of those albums that have made enough passes through my ears that I know every word and could wax poetic for a while. I’ve limited myself to three favorites, and I think these serve as a good sample for what the album contains. If you end up enjoying any one of these then I would implore you to give the full album a listen, as there are plenty of gems held within.
Skeleton
Some of these lyrics are going to be hard to defend by themselves on a page. I find this to be an interesting phenomenon in music, that lyrics can look ridiculous written, but become suddenly effective when sung. This song’s hook definitely fits the description:
“And I got so stoned
I fell asleep in the front seat
I never sleep in the front seat
I’m too tall
But I got so stoned”
Poetic right? But when put in the context of the song, peppered between verses describing an inebriated, heartbroken and hopeless young person, suddenly the visual it paints makes a little more sense.
This is what I love about this punk-influenced style of songwriting. At a glance it looks like an apathetic rocker boasting a reckless lifestyle, but once you dig even just a little below the surface layer a more relatable narrative starts to form.
The song is built mostly on acoustic guitar with drum and bass rhythm section, with some occasional electric guitar or keyboard for leads. Even with such a sparse arrangement the sound feels full, due largely in part to the aggressive bass line. The band walks a strange line that allows them to fit seamlessly into a punk rock playlist while feeling lighter, less aggressive, and more emotionally driven.
Lone Star
Honest to the point of being ill-advised, it’s interesting they pulled this song off:
“Goodbye future, once so bright, meet my pregnant girlfriend
Watch my bank account run dry, 437 dollars spent
To put things back to the way they used to be
Still, I woulda spent so much more
But 437 dollars somehow shakes all responsibility
But it’s not easy”
Here’s a perspective you don’t hear much in songwriting, and a conclusion most wouldn’t immortalize – at least not so literally. But it achieved it’s intended effect. The first time I heard it I stopped and thought “Whoa…wait what?” and rewound. There’s an emotional honesty to the lyric, along with the lyrics proceeding it, that put you in the narrator’s shoes and make you struggle with the situation.
Not only do you relate, but the straightforward phrasing shows how cold and cruelly simple the outcome is. “437 dollars somehow shakes all responsibility”. You can almost hear the author say “I’m a piece of shit, but what do you want from me?”.
With the characteristic acoustic-guitar-driven track with drum and bass accompaniment, the song is kept clean enough to allow the lyrics to shine through, while sustaining enough beefiness to maintain the album’s momentum. This is the kind of song that shows you we’re dealing with a real person with real problems; stories this specific don’t come out of thin air.
Backflip
CLAP. CLAP. CLAP. A personal favorite, the closest to a full rock tune, and an obvious single. While maintaining the Front Bottoms sound with xylophone notes and acoustic guitar, this song still manages to produce some mosh-ability and hold as a fan favorite.
The songs paints a picture of reckless partying, drug use, and amateur tattoos. The tone is kept lighthearted and apathetic before turning dark near the end of the song. This is a recurring theme in the Front Bottom’s catalog, of providing a fun drinking tune while granting a glimpse into the darker side of the lifestyle.
If I were to sell you on one song to try to bait you into the album, it would be Backflip. It contains all the staples of the Front Bottoms sound, all of the songwriting flair, and does so in what I would consider their most radio-friendly execution. If you don’t like Backflip then you won’t like the Front Bottoms, and if you fall in love with it, you may have a chance of falling in love with the band.
The Front Bottoms. Perhaps a difficult sale: a weird little niche band that appeals to some of my weird little niche tastes. Of their small catalog of 4 records to date, this is the album that drew me in, but much value is emerging from the rest. If you prefer a more polished, worked-out sound, lean towards their newer records. If you like what you’ve heard here then start from the beginning.
I hope that through this review I’ve turned some newbies toward a band that they may not have discovered. This unique breed of punky indie rock can be a lot of fun if enjoyed by the right ears. The vinyl edition hasn’t disappointed, and its one of the most spun records on my shelf. Buy it here (or here for Canada).
And that brings us to the end of another review! Sorry for the delay on this one: insert excuse here. I’ve still got a backlog of records to be reviewed, so there’s no shortage of material to come.
Next week I’ll be reviewing an album that no one in the history of the internet has ever talked about: Kendrick Lamar’s DAMN. r/vinyl is sure to roll their eyes, but I wanna talk about it, alright?
Until then, I hope you enjoyed the review, and I hope you pop back for more. And remember:
I’m Not Your DadIt’s incredible to think that half way around the world a new member of the Disney Parks family is welcoming its first official guests. Shanghai Disneyland Resort is open!
I feel a special connection to this park. I am Chinese by ancestry and I’ve always dreamed of seeing the land of my heritage. Well, dreams do come true … I got to visit China a couple summers ago. It is an amazing and intricate place with centuries of history standing next to the most modern of structures.
Can you picture the wonder and excitement of walking into a brand new Disney park? Riding the newest of new attractions? Being the first to find all of the hidden Mickey’s?!
Our designer, Brittany Ungvarsky, has tried to capture that wonder in this new wallpaper commemorating this auspicious opening. A combination of Disney magic and ancient Chinese culture.
Xièxiè! (Thank you!)
Be sure to check out the terms of use about using the wallpaper before you download it. Want to check out other designs? Visit our complete gallery of wallpapers here.The Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge heads into its 2016 season with a number of question marks, concerns and new variables amidst a dwindling car count and reduction of manufacturers in the GS class.
The challenge for this season – no pun intended – for the Continental Tire Challenge is that the quality of racing, which excelled throughout 2015, doesn’t suffer along with the diminished number of cars.
Porsche’s new Cayman GT4 Clubsport, a Porsche factory-supported car for customers to the GS class, was meant to be a boon.
Instead, it’s only balanced out the losses of four Camaro Z/28.Rs, two Nissan 370Zs and the venerable Fall-Line BMW M3, which either by team or manufacturer withdrew from the category this year.
Meanwhile the ST class field is top-heavy with Porsche’s not factory-supported Cayman, amidst a still solid variety of other cars from Mazda, Honda, MINI, BMW, Audi and now Mercedes-Benz.
It’s a delicate balance IMSA needs to strike, as the Continental Tire series seeks to maintain enough quality entries compared to other IMSA Developmental Series, which includes the single-make Porsche GT3 Cup USA and Canada, Mazda Prototype Lites and the Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo series.
According to Jeff Mishtawy, senior technical manager, Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge, the balancing act can be felt in more ways than one.
“This particular offseason we have some extraordinary news in the GS class because for the first time ever, we have a factory-built Porsche that’s eligible for Continental,” Mishtawy told Sportscar365.
“We have three of them here testing, there have been six of them sold, so we’ll see more of those cars as we get into the season.
“We received a number of inquiries about (other) cars that aren’t in the class now but are conditionally approved for the class.
“It’s extremely regrettable with the Camaros not being here and the Nissans still working to find their sponsorship to come. But we are excited about the new blood coming in.”
One interesting preseason BoP change was a 20-pound across the board minimum weight addition to all cars in both classes to support the introduction of air jacks.
“Most cars were running at or near their minimum, so when the air jacks were installed, everyone’s weight goes up 15-20 pounds,” Mishtawy said.
“Rather than force the teams to find ways to remove weight from the car for the installation of the jacks, we just raised everyone’s minimum weight to offset that.”
The air jack introduction, reduction of one over-the-wall crewmember and other at-track cost cuts are being designed by IMSA to cut costs, per its outlined Mission Statement last year.
However, it’s no secret that compared to perhaps five to seven years ago, full-season costs have gone up and the rise of other series with lower costs has attracted some past Continental Tire entrants.
“The reduction in crew and the addition of air jacks is a big deal internally for us,” Mishtawy explained. “I know Jeff Smallwood, Geoff Carter and I have worked extremely hard on efficiencies at the track for our team and as a result for other teams.”
ST seems in better health with Mishtawy noting the class is still “strong as ever,” and with other new cars such as the BMW 228i, being built by Burton Racing with JDC Motorsports, set to come online later this year.
Whereas the ST-spec Cayman and Mazda MX-5s dominated last year, those two were both hit with a weight addition this year – 90 and 95 pounds, respectively, counting the 20 pounds added to account for the jacks – to bring them closer to the rest of the ST field.
“As we look through the season and at all the performance balancing, and performance analysis, the Cayman and the MX-5 raced really well together,” Mishtawy said.
“But we had a gap to every other car in class, which was another tightly packed bunch. So we needed to compress the field together. The idea was to eliminate the middle gap.
“Consistently we’ve been trying to curtail performance in the GS class, rather than continue the escalation of performance, cost, and car prep.
“That backs the classes together, so we need to move ST away from GS a little bit. The real aim in that was to increase the stratification between GS and ST.”
The other big note for this year is that IMSA has even more data collection at its disposal, thanks to a new spec data logger system. Balance of Performance changes were limited to just three in ST and two in GS last year, and should be similarly adjusted this year.
With IMSA’s thoughts outlined, the grid for Daytona still leaves a lot to be desired.
Just two years ago when the Continental Tire series made its debut under the IMSA banner, the 68-car grid featured 30 GS and 38 ST cars.
In 2012, the field was 81 cars (40 GS, 41 ST), in 2008, 91 cars (42 GS, 49 ST), and in 2007, 104 cars (59 GS, 45 ST).
The GS field’s strongest contenders come from the two remaining holdover entries from last year, Rum Bum Racing and Multimatic Motorsports, with CJ Wilson Racing and Compass360 Racing likely to impress with their new cars and lineups.
ST certainly casts a wider net of potential race winners and champions from any of the manufacturers, and Audi and MINI should definitely improve in their second full seasons with their new cars. Perhaps half of the 28 cars entered have that win or podium potential.
However when you look at the glut of talent on the sidelines or volume of teams that aren’t present for the season opener, it’s hard to see 2016 as, at best, anything more than a transition year before any potential rise in 2017 and beyond.
The views and opinions expressed on this web site are solely those of the original authors and other contributors. These views and opinions do not necessarily represent those of Sportscar365.com, John Dagys Media, LLC and/or any/all contributors to this site.LONDON -- Guor Marial ran for his life to escape a Sudanese child labor camp. Now he will get to run at the Olympics.
Marial's heartwarming rise from a fearful kid who hid in a cave, fled his war-torn homeland and finally arrived in the United States as a refugee took another incredible turn Saturday.
Despite having no passport and officially no country -- and at one time very little hope -- the 28-year-old marathoner was cleared by the IOC to compete at the London Games under the Olympic flag.
"The voice of South Sudan has been heard," Marial told The Associated Press from his home in Flagtaff, Ariz. "The South Sudan has finally got a spot in the world community. Even though I will not carry their flag in this Olympic Games, the country itself is there.
"The dream has come true. The hope of South Sudan is alive."
Marial -- who was born in what is now South Sudan, a newly independent African country that doesn't yet have a national Olympic body -- was one of four competitors let in at the London Games as independent athletes. Three others from Netherlands Antilles also were allowed to take part under the Olympic flag, but the case of Marial was the first of its kind at the Olympics, IOC spokesman Mark Adams said.
"He's actually running times I'm told wouldn't get him a medal but could get him in the top 10 to 20," Adams said. "He's come from out of nowhere. He's done two times, one of 2:14 and one of 2:12. Amazing."
Marial posted the Olympic qualifying time in his first ever marathon last year after being a cross-country runner at Iowa State University. He will get a chance to test himself against the best in the world in the Olympic marathon on Aug. 12, the last day of the games.
But Marial has less than a week to get to London so he can march at the opening ceremony at the Olympic Stadium and be part of the first day.
"I think they (his entourage and backers in the U.S.) will move heaven and earth for him to get here for the ceremony," Adams said.
The IOC's executive board gave Marial a chance after he didn't qualify for Sudan, South Sudan or the United States under its rules. He's a permanent resident of the U.S. after arriving as a refugee when he was a kid, but doesn't yet have American citizenship.
He was ready to head out to train when he heard he could go to the Olympics.
"I was getting ready to go for a run," Marial said. "Wow. This is so exciting. It's hard to describe. I'm speechless. The body temperature is up. I have to train like an Olympian now."
He told AP he didn't want to represent Sudan because he lost 28 family members to violence or disease during the civil unrest that left the country devastated and eventually led to the south splitting from Sudan last year.
Marial said he'd ask his father -- who still lives in South Sudan -- to travel to the nearest city to watch him on TV if he got to compete at the Olympics.
Two decades ago, Marial escaped from the labor camp in Sudan when he was 8, running away under darkness with another child about a week after he was kidnapped by gunmen and forced to work.
The pair hid in a cave until dawn, he said, and then followed the path of the sun. Marial lived in Egypt before eventually reaching the United States.
"I used to hate running. I was running back home to save my life," he told the AP in an interview Friday.
But he was good at it, grew to like it, and now loves it.
At 16, Marial joined the Concord High School track team in New Hampshire after encouragement from a gym teacher who saw he never got winded during any sports activities.
"I think there's something that can make you tired," he said the teacher told him.
He earned an athletic scholarship to Iowa State, becoming an All-American in cross-country in his junior year.
Marial qualified, amazingly, for the Olympics in his first 26.2-mile event, running 2 hours, 14 minutes, 32 seconds at the 2011 Twin Cities marathon -- inside the Olympic qualifying time. He has since run faster.
But despite obvious natural ability, he still needed help to go to the Olympics. On Friday, a U.S. senator from New Hampshire lent support to his bid.
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen sent a letter to the International Olympic Committee appealing for Marial to compete under the Olympic flag.
"When you hear about his amazing personal story, what he has overcome, you just feel like the Olympic committee ought to look at his situation and figure out a way to accommodate him," Shaheen said.
They did, and Marial can now run at the Olympics in London -- and run as fast as he can for the right reasons.Christiane Amanpour talked to former Google CEO (and current executive chairman) Eric Schmidt today about why businesses are in the doldrums:
AMANPOUR: Everybody says that confidence is the name of the game, that the economy and consumers are not going to start buying, businesses are not going to start hiring again, unless they feel a period of confidence and stability, producing the kind of confidence that’s necessary for a hiring binge.
SCHMIDT: The economy is today stuck behind the power curve. It needs a lot of encouragement. It needs not just something like the jobs bill, but also significant government stimulation in terms of buying power and investment. Otherwise we’re set up for years of extraordinarily low growth in the economy and no real solution to the jobless problem.
But you say significant stimulus. Obviously this is a political environment where the only real conversation is about cutting. Do you see any expectation or possibility of a climate for more stimulus?
Well that’s a political question. But the current strategy is ludicrous. You have a situtation where the private sector sees essentially no growth in demand. The classic solution is to have the government step in, and with short-term initiatives help stimulate that demand. If they do it right, they’ll invest in income and growth producing things, like highways and bridges and schools.
….So this is a pretty dark picture that you’re painting. Add to that no confidence from consumers, and businesses sitting on something like 2 trillion worth of profits, which they’re not going to spend apparently. Does the president have a material problem with the business community?
The real problem is not the business community. The real problem is: the Democrats and the Republicans fight for one point or another in a political sphere, while the rest of us are waiting for the government to do something concrete and predictable. What business needs is predictable, long-term plans. We need to know: Where is government spending going to be, what are the government programs going to be? And off we go.
Business can create enormous numbers of new jobs in America. All we need to see is more demand. What’s happening right now is: Businesses are very well-run, they have a lot of cash. They’re waiting for more demand. At the moment, business efficiency allows them to grow at 1 or 2 percent, which is what we’re seeing today. They don’t have to hire more |
prosperity gospel’ exploits the notion that people are giving their money directly to God,” he said. “So my question to you is, why does Jesus need so much money? Is he cash poor right now? Does he need an addition in Heaven?”
“You know, he does say ‘In my Father’s house there are many rooms,’ so I think there’s plenty of good room already,” Bullock responded, before turning serious. “You shouldn’t feel that people are being exploited, you should know they’re being exploited by these congregations. There’s a big suction cup and in it’s in the sanctuary. It’s going from the people to the pastor.”
“If you look at these mega-ministries,” he continued, “the only one who seems to be getting mega-rich is the pastor and the pastor’s family.”
“Once you convince your flock that the son of God is a venture capitalist,” comedian Bradley Whitford chimed in, “the sky’s the limit.”
Watch the entire conversation below via Hulu.EVEN the mighty Storm will be fighting against history this September as they attempt to parlay their emphatic minor premiership into the big prize with a grand final win.
Going into round 26 there are still nine sides in the race for the title, although in one way or another history is counting against every contender.
With data from Fox Sports Lab, we look at every side’s historical obstacle to victory between now and the grand final.
STORM
- No side since Manly in 1972 (11 straight) has won 10 straight matches including the grand final.
- Only three of nine sides to win 20 or more regular season matches have gone on to win the grand final (Roosters 1975, Eels 1982, Storm’s stripped premiership in 2007).
In other words, the Storm might be too successful for their own good. A win against the Raiders this weekend will be their seventh in a row, putting them on track to win their last 10 games before holding the trophy aloft this year, assuming they win their qualifying final.
A win against Canberra would also be their 20th victory of the season.
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ROOSTERS
- Only two sides in the NRL era (1998-2016) have missed the finals the season before winning a premiership.
Those two teams were the Wests Tigers, who finished ninth in 2004 before Benji Marshall’s famous flick pass took them to the trophy in 2005, and the Roosters, who finished 13th in 2012 and won the minor premiership and premiership double in 2013.
So while some might see the Chooks’ poor 2016 (15th) as a reason to rule them out this season, Trent Robinson will be thinking the opposite having been the last coach to achieve the bounce back feat.
Ben Ikin, Nathan Ryan and Ben Glover discuss the problems facing the Titans, the Broncos’ succession planning and Souths turning the corner.
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BRONCOS
- No team has conceded 50 points in a game and won the premiership in the same season.
Brisbane and history were looking good together until their uncharacteristic capitulation against the Eels last Thursday.
Suddenly their defence looks fragile, so much so that Wayne Bennett has this week enlisted outside help to repair it, in the form of Peter Ryan, a former Broncos enforcer and current defence coach for Super Rugby side the Brumbies.
Even if their leaky defence can be fixed, the most costly by-product of the home loss to the Eels might yet be the loss of a week one home final, with the Broncos now looking set for a visit to the Roosters for their qualifying final.
Ben Hunt and Anthony Milford after the Broncos’ thumping loss to the Eels. Source: AAP
EELS
- Only two sides in the NRL era (1998-2016) have missed the finals the season before winning a premiership.
Like the Roosters, Parramatta missed the finals last season, although had they not been docked 12 competition points for salary cap breaches they would have qualified for the playoffs in eighth spot.
Perhaps the more significant history against the Eels is their own club history.
A powerhouse in the 80s, Parramatta haven’t won a premiership since, with their title drought currently stretching to 31 years.
SHARKS
- No team has won back-to-back premierships in a unified competition since Brisbane in 1992-93.
- No team has won the premiership from outside the top four.
Cronulla’s rebuttal to this would presumably be: ‘No team cares less about the weight of history than us’ following last season’s history making title, the Sharks’ first ever, having been involved in the first grade competition since 1967.
However, going back-to-back is a massive ask, and doing it from outside the top four, which now looks likely to be their fate, is improbable to say the least.
PANTHERS
- No team has started the season at 2-7 or worse and gone on to win the premiership. In fact only one side who has made such an inauspicious start has made the grand final (St George in 1930).
- No team has won the premiership from outside the top four.
All of a sudden the Panthers are doing it tough just to qualify for the finals after a slip up against the Dragons that pits them in a possible do-or-die visit to Manly this Saturday.
However, even if they make the eight, Penrith’s poor start has forced them to red line throughout the back half of the season, only to face a bunch of elimination games against higher ranked opponents if they’re to win the grand final.
COWBOYS
- Only two teams in the NRL era have used more than 31 players and won the competition (Roosters: 34 in 2002, and Brisbane: 32 in 2006). The Cowboys have currently used 32 players so far this campaign.
- No team has won the premiership from outside the top four.
The absence of Johnathan Thurston has been difficult for the Cowboys to cover. Source: News Corp Australia
North Queensland are limping into the finals and may yet miss the playoffs if they lose Thursday’s Queensland derby against the Broncos.
Even if they qualify they’ll put to a serious test the adage that you need luck to go your way in a premiership year. Sides just don’t win these days if they have to go too deep with their list, which is why it’s been more than a decade since a side has used more than 31 players and won the title.
When the Roosters achieved it in 2002, they did it after qualifying for finals in fourth place. The Broncos did it from third in 2006.
The Cowboys will have the added burden of trying to climb the mountain from fifth even if everything goes their way in round 26.
SEA EAGLES
- No team has conceded 50 points in a game and won the premiership in the same season.
- No team has won the premiership from outside the top four.
Manly have had a very ordinary last month, so history would be the least of their worries at the moment as they attempt to get back on course in time to compete in the playoffs.
However, of all the things for Trent Barrett to be concerned with, defence is at the top of the list.
The Sea Eagles have conceded 500 points, by far the worst of all the sides in the eight and also inferior to the Dragons (9th), Raiders (10th), and Bulldogs (12th).
Their shocking round 20 collapse against the Dragons when they copped 52 points is the icing on a pretty bitter cake.
DRAGONS
- Only one team in history has won as few as five of their last 12 matches in a season and gone on to win the premiership (Brisbane in 2006).
- No team has won the premiership from outside the top four.
The Dragons have started to put together some better performances in the last few weeks after a shocking mid-season slump that threatened to torpedo their finals chances, despite sitting atop the ladder after eight rounds.
Even now, Paul McGregor’s men are up against it to make the playoffs, needing to beat the Bulldogs and have at least one other result go their way.
If they scrape into the eight they’ll face the unlikely scenario of having to win four straight elimination matches on the road as the seventh or eighth placed qualifier.
If they manage that and win the premiership it will also be the most stunning bounce back from poor form in the second half of the season ever seen.
A win for the Dragons this weekend will be their fifth win from their final 12 regular season games. Only the Broncos in 2006 have won so few games in the back half of the season and gone on to claim the title.U.S. backs away from supporting global arms trade treaty
The United States upended a major international treaty negotiation, telling foreign delegates at the final session today that they needed more time to consider the pact. Some diplomats said that Washington is seeking another six months, pushing off any decision on the politically sensitive treaty until after the U.S. election. Russia, Indonesia, and India also asked for more time.
Thomas Countryman, U.S. deputy secretary of state for international security and nonproliferation, informed representatives of the U.N.’s 193 member states that the United States still needed time to consider the text.
Arms controls advocates expressed dismay over the American move, saying it could undercut momentum that has been building to establish the world’s first international treaty government the export of weapons. Before the U.S. speech, they were convinced that the United States and other big powers were on board.
We are "extremely disappointed about this outcome," said Daryl Kimball, the director of the Arms Control Association. The failure of this treaty is "in large part due to the failure of leadership by President Obama."
"Today the U.S. did not grab the golden ring: an international arms treaty that would have bolstered our country’s reputation as a elader on human rights," said Scott Stedjan, senior policy advisor for Oxfam. "Moving forward, President Obama must show the political courage required to make a strong treaty that contains strong rules on human rights a reality."
The United States told delegates that it did not have "core" objections to the draft treaty under consideration, but that it needed more time, saying that while the U.N. negotiations have been playing out since July 2, they only received the final text in the past 24 hours.
The U.S. mission to the United Nations was preparing a statement.THE Pope's right-hand man has blamed homosexuals for the clerical abuse scandals in the Roman Catholic Church, while denying any connection between pedophilia and priestly celibacy.
Speaking on a visit to Chile, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Vatican Secretary of State, said: "Many psychologists and psychiatrists have demonstrated that there is no relationship between celibacy and pedophilia. But many others have demonstrated, I have been told recently, that there is a relationship between homosexuality and pedophilia. That is true. That is the problem."
His remarks drew a furious reaction from gay spokesmen yesterday. "There is no relationship between pedophilia and homosexuality," said Rolando Jimenez, the head of the Movement for the Integration and Freedom of Homosexuals in Chile.
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"The Catholic Church hierarchy will at some point have to apologise for this perversion, for the sinister attitude of this Vatican gentleman. Neither Bertone nor the Vatican has the moral authority to give lessons on sexuality."
Peter Tatchell, the gay rights campaigner and spokesman for the British Protest the Pope campaign, said that Cardinal Bertone "has, in effect, blamed gay priests for the pedophile scandal".
He described the Cardinal as "a blatant distorter of the truth and an outrageous homophobe... His vile smears against gay people bring shame and dishonour to the Church. The Vatican is trying to deflect attention from the sex crimes of Catholic clergy by blaming gay people."
Cardinal Bertone's remarks were made after another Catholic prelate was reported to have alluded to a Zionist conspiracy behind the abuse allegations.
Giacomo Babini, the retired Bishop of Grosseto in Italy, was quoted by an Italian Catholic website as complaining about a Zionist attack on the Church. He was said to have described Jews as the "natural enemies" of Catholicism. "Deep down, historically speaking, the Jews are deicides [God- killers]," he said. Mgr Babini went on to argue that Hitler had exploited German anger over the "excesses" of Jews, who in the 1930s had "throttled" the German economy. Mgr Babini, 81, denied making such a statement, though the website stands by its story.
As the storm over a leading churchman's role in covering up sex abuse gathered strength, the house where Pope Benedict XVI was born in the German town of Marktl am Inn was daubed overnight with the message "F*** yourselves" painted in foot-high blue letters.
In Malta, where the Pope will arrive this weekend for a visit, billboards publicising his trips were defaced with images related to sexual abuse.
The Vatican has tried to distance the Pope from the scandals but fresh allegations in Germany have brought them closer to his doorstep. An independent report commissioned by the Catholic Church in Bavaria said that more than 100 pupils had been "sadistically tormented and also sexually abused" at the Ettal monastery boarding school over several decades until 1990.
Pope Benedict led the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising, where the Ettal monastery is situated, between 1977 and 1982. Fifteen monks and three lay teachers are accused in the document, which was released yesterday with all names blacked out to protect the identities of alleged victims and perpetrators.
The pedophile scandals threaten to overshadow Pope Benedict's trip to Malta this weekend. He is due to visit Cyprus, Portugal and Britain this year.
The Vatican has tried to shrug off threats made in Britain to have the Pope arrested for crimes against humanity when he arrives in September. Geoffrey Robertson, a barrister, and Mark Stephens, a solicitor, are considering whether they could ask the Crown Prosecution Service to initiate criminal proceedings against the Pope, launch their own civil action or refer him to the International Criminal Court. They question whether the Holy See is a sovereign state, as it claims, and whether the Pope has diplomatic immunity.
Father Federico Lombardi, the Pope's chief spokesman, described the idea as original and bizarre. He said that it was clearly aimed at public opinion, but "I think they should look for something more serious and concrete before we can respond to it".
The Times
Read NextSALT LAKE CITY -- For the first time, Utah's governor addressed the leak of hundreds of names of people accused of being in the country illegally.
Friday morning on KSL's "Doug Wright Show," Gov. Gary Herbert announced, not only does the state know the list came from within the Department of Workforce Services, they're pretty sure they know who's behind it.
"I can tell you that we've narrowed it down to at least two people, and we believe they're involved in creating this list and possibly some others," Herbert said.
Many Utahns still concerned over 'list'
Now many are wondering who the two employees are and how they get the information. Right now there are few answers, as many people continue to wonder if they're on this list.
Coming Up:
Sunday night at 10: To help understand the complexity of the illegal immigration issue, KSL News will present a series of seven in-depth special reports. Join us for the first report Sunday on KSL 5 News at 10.
"My concern is not immigration. I am a citizen," Utahn Jackie Martinez said. "My concern is certain individuals who have this hatred towards me, and who are willing to do anything to get Hispanics out of this state or this country. My fear is for myself and my children."
Martinez said when word spread that the list had been traced to DWS, she panicked.
"I did apply for unemployment through the Department of Workforce, so now they have my information, my children's information, my home address," she said.
Martinez is not an immigrant -- she was born in California -- but she believes her name is listed, along with hundreds of other Latinos.
DWS holds press conference on findings
Kristen Cox, executive director of Workforce Services, said most of the people on the list are there because their children are receiving benefits.
In a press conference Friday morning, Kristen Cox, executive director of the Department of Workforce Services, said, "The people we have identified certainly have some strong political opinions and seem to be frustrated with some of the issues surrounding immigration. Regardless of that, if they work for the Department of Workforce Services, and if they want to go rogue, they need to quit the department."
DWS handles some public benefits like food stamps, CHIP and Medicaid -- which is why its databases would have the information that appears on the list.
Herbert, who was also at the press conference, said the state plans to take action against those responsible. He said the two people identified have been placed on administrative leave.
"Action is being taken in regards to that violation of not only our state protocol, rules and regulations and potential state law, but also violations of federal law in the giving of this information out inappropriately," he said.
Herbert said the investigation is far from over and that the state believes there were others involved in the creation and distribution of the list.
"These people involved have been very patient; they've been very methodical; they've been very deliberate in violating protocols and breaching security to, in fact, gather this information." Gov. Gary Herbert
He said gaining access to the information was not easy, and that the people responsible worked hard to get it.
"These people involved have been very patient; they've been very methodical; they've been very deliberate in violating protocols and breaching security to, in fact, gather this information," Herbert said.
The governor didn't deny his frustration over what he sees as inaction on illegal immigration from the federal government. He said invading privacy and breaking state and federal law to do it just pours "kerosene on the fire" that is the debate.
"This tactic by these rogue employees to go out and to single out these individuals and their families, and in some cases falsely accusing people of an illegal status is, in fact, deplorable and is, in fact, counterproductive to dealing with the issue that ought to be the focus and that is the illegal immigration issue," Herbert said.
Attorney General's Office will decide whether to file charges
Utah's Attorney General Mark Shurtleff said Friday the people who compiled the list likely broke both state and federal laws, and a formal investigation will be underway as soon as the governor hands over the information they've compiled.
Attorney General Mark Shurtleff says his office will likely work their investigation together with the U.S. Attorney's Office because of the nature of possible crimes committed.
Shurtleff also called the list wrong and disgusting, and even compared the making of the list to something that would have been done in Nazi Germany.
"Putting together a list like this smacks of Nazism. I mean, you replace Mexican, you replace illegal alien or illegal immigrant with Jew and use that same kind of language, that was spread throughout Nazi hit lists in Germany," Shurtleff said.
The attorney general said his office will likely work their investigation together with the U.S. Attorney's Office because of the nature of possible crimes committed. He said government workers with access to government databases face tougher penalties for releasing protected data.
"Utah takes this type of crime, if a crime has occurred, very, very seriously," Shurtleff said. "This is not who we are as a people. We condemn in the strongest possible terms the creation and dissemination of this list."
Related:
'List' brings foes together, tears comrades apart The list of purported illegal immigrants living in the state of Utah has has brought two public people on opposite sides of the immigration debate came together for a common cause. At the same time, it has created a rift between members of the Utah Minuteman Project.
As for looking into the background of those on the list to see if they are in fact in the country illegally, Shurtleff said that is not the job of the state.
"I don't support illegal immigration. I don't condone breaking the law in any way, shape or form," He said. "The federal government has that list. They've had it for several months, and that's their job."
Intentionally releasing a private record in Utah is a misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine. If someone stole such a record, it could be prosecuted as a felony with a penalty punishable by up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine.
The list consists of people with Latino surnames and includes names, addresses, phone numbers and some Social Security numbers and private health information, like due dates of babies. Cox said most of the people on the list are there because their children are receiving benefits.
The list was anonymously sent to news media, law enforcement and other government officials, demanding people on the list be deported. Some on the list say they are in the United States legally.
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Story compiled with contributions from Becky Bruce, Randall Jeppesen, John Daley, Jennifer Stagg and the Associated Press.
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Related StoriesThe cost of providing poor Americans with food stamps has doubled in the past four years, reflecting the fact that a record 47.8 million people are struggling to feed themselves and their families. The US Congress has an answer to the growth in poverty: force more people to struggle.
This glib response to a national crisis will be tested in the farm bill that passed the US Senate on Monday and will be up for debate in the House soon. Even though it's called "the farm bill," it's actually the legislation that primarily funds the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program – better known as food stamps.
The Senate version would cut food stamps by $400m a year, adding up to $4bn over the decade covered by the bill. The House version, up for bitter debate starting next week, promises to cut even more: $20bn, mostly as a sop to conservative lawmakers who killed the bill last year because of what they considered a measly $16bn in cuts. At the current size, the House bill would deny 2 million people with low incomes access to food stamps, Reuters said.
By cutting the food stamp program, lawmakers are trying to make room or trade political points for what they really have to do, which is cut wasteful and ineffective subsidies to wealthy farmers that favor factory farming and disadvantage small farmers who make less than $250,000 a year. By the way, some of those wealthy farmers benefitting from subsidies in the farm bill are, very conveniently, also members of Congress.
And before you start believing this is an issue just concerning "the poor," remember that poverty has increasingly affected the middle class, too. Food stamps were initially created to help feed working families. Even now, a man or woman working full-time at minimum wage is making only $15,000 a year – a salary so low that it is eligible for food stamps. Not only do 14% of Americans live in poverty, but in some suburbs, food stamp use has doubled or even tripled. CNN Money told the story of one New Jersey suburb, Morris County, where food stamp use had grown by 240% by 2012. Then, of course, there is the unemployment crisis as 12 million Americans remain unemployed, about 40% of them for long-term periods longer than 6 months.
It should be clear to members of Congress that improving the financial lot of Americans is more important than any other task at hand, as well as a task they have consistently failed to accomplish. Yet legislators keep blowing their chances to do anything constructive, leading even Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke to chide fussbudget lawmakers for their counterproductive waste of time on cutting pie-in-the-sky estimates of deficits.
So, in response to this very real, very pressing, very immediate crisis, Congress is creating a particularly grotesque imitation of economic stimulus. Congress is not providing any alternatives to struggling families as it cuts the food stamp program, it is just slashing the cost and hoping that poverty – and its siblings, unemployment and crime and homelessness – fix themselves. Good plan.
This bill, like almost everything else in Congress, will prove a testing ground for what America values more: partisan power and petty bickering, or some progress, however meager, on our ongoing economic crisis. The economic recovery is not real. The farm bill is an economic disaster as well as a public health disaster.
There is one thing that can change this: any kind of response from Americans. Unfortunately, too many have been silent on the subject of the farm bill. That will leave Congress, over the next few weeks of debate, to listen selectively to the the voices that are loudest: their donors in big agricultural companies and among wealthy farmers. In one year – 2009 to 2010 – those groups poured $8.5m into the fundraising coffers of members of the House Agriculture Committee.
Needless to say, corporate sponsors don't much care what happens to food stamps. Let's see if they carry the day.• Modric 'not for sale and that's it', says Spurs' manager • Redknapp insists player worth 'way in excess of £30m'
Harry Redknapp has ridiculed Chelsea's latest offer for Luka Modric and insists that even a bid of over £30m will not be enough to tempt the club to sell their star playmaker.
After seeing a £22m bid knocked back for Modric last month, Chelsea reportedly returned with an improved £27m offer on Tuesday.
"I still think £27m is a pretty poor offer in my opinion for a player of that ability," Redknapp told Sky Sports News. "It wouldn't be anywhere near what I value him at if he was for sale, but he is not for sale."
The Chelsea owner, Roman Abramovich, is clearly a keen admirer of Modric having authorised the original offer for the player when his team were managerless.
The Russian, who has now installed André Villas-Boas as manager, could back another Chelsea offer, but Redknapp insists such a move would be pointless.
"There is nowhere to go with it really. That's the end of it. The chairman has made his stance. He is not for sale and that's it," the 64-year-old added.
When asked whether a bid of £30m may change the club's stance, Redknapp said: "I don't think so. I honestly value him way in excess of that."
Modric has always said he will not submit a formal transfer request to force through a move despite his claim that Levy has promised to let him languish in the reserves if he continues to oppose the club's stance.
When asked whether a transfer request would lead to Modric leaving, Redknapp replied: "I wouldn't see it having any effect on the situation."
Redknapp has praised the 25-year-old's professional attitude since he returned to training last week and thinks he would not hand in a transfer request anyway.
"He is not a trouble-maker in any way shape or form," Redknapp said. "He has come in, trained great today. That's how he is. He will just get on with his job and we will just wait and see what happens. We really don't want to lose him because he is a key player for us." Modric will board Spurs' plane to South Africa on Wednesday where they will play three matches in a tournament with the Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates.
"He will be going to South Africa, for sure. He is the last lad in the world that would ever cause a problem. You would never meet a nicer boy. He has not got it in him to be nasty," added Redknapp.
"There are players who would want to go who would be a real problem. I have come across many players who, if they wanted to go somewhere, then they would kick up and make sure he got away, but that's just not in his nature."
Ledley King, the club captain, will miss the trip to South Africa after having a knee operation last night.
Spurs expect the defender, who played just nine times last season due to a groin injury, to be fit for the new season.Uber is suspending its service in Taiwan following an ongoing stand-off with the government.
The ride-sharing firm confirmed in a blog post that its service will be “paused” from February 12. Uber isn’t saying when it will resume in the country, where it is present in four cities, but it hopes that the move will “reset the conversation” and help push through new legislation to legalize its service.
Uber has been under pressure over its legitimacy in the country for some time, with regulators taking issue over its use of ‘unlicensed’ drivers. Tensions reached a peak in December, when an amendment raised the maximum fine for Uber drivers caught by authorities to T$25 million ($780,000) from an earlier range of NT$50,000-NT$150,000 ($1,600-$4,800). Earlier, in November, Uber was ordered to pay NT$134 million ($4.3 million) in alleged back taxes and fines in Taiwan.
While Uber is suspending its service, the company claimed that it has played on a number of areas, including obtaining a local insurance policy, initiating “efforts to collaborate” with the local taxi industry, and compliance with the government on cross-border e-commerce policy and a proposed ride-sharing regulation.
Uber first came to Taiwan four years ago. The company said it has completed more than 15 million trips in the country and has “tens of thousands” of drivers there.Surge in military activity in the region comes amid threat of EU embargo on Iranian oil and possible closure of strait of Hormuz
Tensions on the oil shipping lanes in the Gulf have escalated with the announcement of new naval exercises by Iran's Revolutionary Guards and news that Israel and the US are planning to carry out extensive joint manoeuvres in the region.
The naval commander for the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), Rear Admiral Ali Fadavi, said the drill in February would be "different compared to previous exercises held by the IRGC". The Iranian navy finished 10 days of exercises in the Gulf on Monday, during which it tested a range of new missiles. It warned that Iran could close the strait of Hormuz, the narrowest point in the Gulf, through which a fifth of the world's traded oil passes.
On the same day, the Israeli military said it was preparing for joint exercises with the US to rehearse missile defence and co-operation between the forces. The manoeuvres involve thousands of troops, have been planned for some time and were hailed by Israeli and US officials as their biggest joint drill.
Associated Press quoted an unnamed Israel official as saying the drill would test multiple Israeli and US air defence systems against incoming missiles and rockets in the next few weeks. Israel has developed the Arrow anti-ballistic system, which is designed to intercept Iranian missiles in the stratosphere, with the US.
The military activity in the region comes at a time of high tension. At the end of this month, EU foreign ministers are expected to agree to impose an embargo on Iranian oil imports, after a report in November by the UN's nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), confirmed western allegations that Iran had worked on nuclear weapon design.
Iranian officials have made clear they would view an oil embargo as an act of aggression, and could respond by closing the strait. The US and UK have said they would act to keep the shipping lanes open. Philip Hammond, the British defence secretary, said during a visit to Washington: "Disruption to the flow of oil through the strait of Hormuz would threaten regional and global economic growth. Any attempt by Iran to close the strait would be illegal and unsuccessful."
The sabre-rattling over the strait drove the price of crude to more than $100 a barrel. Meanwhile, there is continual speculation that Israel might attack Iran's nuclear programme, which Tehran says is for peaceful purposes, and which the west and Israel allege is a front for acquiring nuclear weapons, or at least a capacity to make them. Observers say all sides are flexing their muscles to deter their adversaries from taking aggressive action, but warn that heightened activity will increase the chances of an unplanned clash.
Mark Fitzpatrick, a former US state department official now at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London, said: "I'm not predicting there is going to be a skirmish, but in the absence of established communications, the tensions and the activity raises the possibility of an unintended exchange of fire."
The USS John Stennis, a US aircraft carrier deployed to the region, is outside the Gulf and an Iranian navy commander has warned Washington not to bring it back. The US navy said it would continue to patrol the Gulf as normal.
Fitzpatrick said he did not think Iran would attack shipping through the strait of Hormuz "as it would be an invitation to the US to take wider action and attack its nuclear sites".
Another flashpoint could come in June, when US sanctions on the trade in Iranian oil come into effect. Gary Sick, an Iran expert and former White House policy adviser now at Columbia University, said such measures were "the equivalent of a military blockade of Iran's oil ports, arguably an act of war".
"The main reason why Iran's putative threat to close the strait of Hormuz was dismissed is because Iran also relies on the strait to export its own oil," Sick wrote in his blog. "But if Iran's oil revenue – 50% of its budget – is cut off, they would have little to lose by striking out at those they hold responsible, including passage through the strait of Hormuz.
"Iran cannot defeat the US navy, but the swarms of cruise missiles they could fire, both from shore and from their fleet of speedboats, could create havoc, as could the flood of mines they could put into the fast-moving waters of the strait."
Fitzpatrick said even under sanctions, Iran would still have "multiple markets for its oil", and would therefore still have a lot to lose by closing the strait.– Sen. Al Franken on Friday joined a growing list of Democratic lawmakers in giving away campaign contributions from embattled Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein to charity.
Franken’s office said he would give the donations to the Minnesota Indian Women’s Resource Center.
The move comes the day after the New York Times reported that Weinstein, a major Democratic donor and high-profile Hollywood figure, had been sexually harassing women for decades. National Republicans quickly called on Democrats, including Franken, to give away what they called “dirty Harvey Weinstein cash.”
The Minnesota GOP echoed those calls, demanding that Franken return about $20,000 in donations he received from Weinstein. Half of those went directly to Franken’s campaign account; the other half went to his Midwest Values PAC.
“Unless Minnesota Democrat Al Franken insists on living the high life off a donor with a pattern of sexually harassing female co-workers and employees, [he needs] to return this dirty money immediately,” GOP Chairwoman Jennifer Carnahan said in a statement. “At this point he at least has the opportunity to follow the lead of other Senate Democrats in returning these tainted funds.”
So far, other Democrats returning Weinstein contributions include Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, Kristin Gillibrand and Chuck Schumer of New York, Corey Booker of New Jersey, Patrick Leahy of Vermont and Martin Heinrich of New Mexico.
Maya Rao • 612-673-4210The ACLU has asked federal authorities to investigate a single-sex education program at a Wisconsin middle school for possible violations in gender equality.
The civil rights group said the program at Somerset Middle School in St. Croix County relies on harmful gender stereotypes and deprives students of equal education opportunities
“There is no solid evidence supporting the assertions about supposed differences between boys’ and girls’ brains that underlie these programs, and there is absolutely no evidence that teaching boys and girls differently leads to any educational improvements,” said Galen Sherwin, senior staff attorney with the ACLU Women’s Rights Project.
Documents obtained through open records laws show the school uses different teaching methods for boys and girls, most of whom are separated into single-sex home rooms, in core subjects, extracurricular activities and nonacademic periods such as lunch and recess, the ACLU says.
The group also expressed doubt that participation in the program was truly voluntary and asked the federal Office for Civil Rights of the U.S. Department of Education to investigate.
The ACLU said the school produced no valid evidence that sex-differentiated teaching improved education achievement or met its vague goals, and instead promoted unlawful and overly broad stereotypes about the interests and abilities of boys and girls.
Among those generalizations, the ACLU says, the school claims “girls hear better,” “boys are messy” and “boys value team affiliation above friendship.”
The school also justifies its program by claiming that girls and boys are “genetically programmed” to learn differently” and that boys notice motion and girls notice bright colors and people, the ACLU says.
The program is heavily influenced by Dr. Leonard Sax, a physician and psychologist who says girls should not be given time limits on tests because they do badly under stress, and author Michael Gurian, who says girls do math as well as boys only a few days a month due to the estrogen surge during their menstrual cycle.
The ACLU says those theories have been widely discredited, including by a recent article published by the journal Science.
The civil rights group asked federal authorities to investigate and enforce federal laws against gender-based discrimination in schools.
[Girls in classroom via Shutterstock]Air Force Staff Sergeant Sentenced in Sex Abuse Case Air Force Staff Sergeant Luis Walker was found guilty of 28 rape and sexual assault charges by a military jury Friday and was sentenced to 20 years in prison. Walker was convicted of sexually abusing 10 women Air Force trainees. In addition to the prison sentence, Walker will also be demoted to the lowest Air Force Rank, be dishonerably discharged, must forfeit pay, and is required to register as a sex offender.
Five women Walker assaulted spoke during sentencing. One woman, who was assaulted by Walker in 2011 at Lackland, testified that "In Afghanistan, I was a little bit more scared of everything...I couldn't work with certain individuals, just since they remind me of Staff Sgt. Walker, reported the Associated Press. " Another woman testified that she couldn't sleep at night as a result of the assault. She also stated that "It's gotten to where I had anger issues even at work...If anyone makes even the slightest sexual reference, I go off. I have zero self-control."
The Walker case is the first to come to trial in the Lackland |
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Either way, there’s more to come.
Watch this space…Gabe Brown isn’t afraid to put 25 species in the seed box
Bismarck, North Dakota — Gabe Brown acknowledges that no planted crop will build soil health as quickly and completely as a well-managed and very diverse perennial pasture. But that doesn’t mean he can’t try.
And boy, does he try. Gabe says the seed boxes on his no-till drill often contain 15 to 25 species at any one time, chosen from a wide variety of warm and cool season grasses and broadleaf crops. Buckwheat, barley, turnips, hairy vetch — you name it, Gabe plants it in mixes that give new meaning to the word “variety.” And he’s ready to use that seed at almost any time when winter isn’t ruling the northern Plains.
“We have the drill hooked up seven months a year. We’re seeding all the time,” Gabe says.
While cover crops are not all that unusual these days, Gabe and his son, Paul, are pushing the envelope to say the least, both in terms of what’s planted and how it is grazed. All of the crop ground here is seeded to cover crops during the course of the growing season. Whether it is crimson clover seeded with oats followed by a multi-species, post-harvest seeding for early winter grazing by the beef herd, or a wide array of warm seasons planted after winter triticale harvest to provide additional late-season grazing, the goal here is to keep the ground covered and a living root in the soil as much of the year as possible, often with highly diverse “cocktail” mixes of forages ranging from kale to triticale, and sudangrass to sweet clover — all with for the purpose of providing good forage yields while also building soils.
And the Browns’ beef herd — lately 350 cow-calf pairs and anywhere from 400 to 800 yearlings — takes the concept of mob grazing to new levels. A herd of 325 heifers has been stocked at a density of 685,000 lbs./acre, moving to new forage as many as seven times a day with the aid of solar-powered automatic gate openers. The Browns say they aim to have their cattle trample at least 60% of the available forage. All of the farm’s calves are forage grown and finished. The herds graze roughly 3,000 acres of “tame” and native dryland pasture in addition to providing natural fertilizer and a host of other soil health benefits to cropped ground.
None of the nearly 2,000 acres (both owned and rented) on which the Browns grow crops has been tilled over the past 20 years. “I will not till,” Gabe asserts. “Tillage destroys carbon, soil life, structure, infiltration and water holding capacity.”
These fields haven’t seen commercial fertilizers since 2008, and it’s been 12 years since any insecticides or fungicides were used. And after having applied herbicides once every two or three years in recent times, the plan for 2013 is to completely eliminate such applications and let the cover cocktails and mob grazing do their thing.
That thing is pretty darn impressive. Over the past two decades of no-till, Gabe has boosted the average organic matter levels of his crop ground from below 2% to above 5%, with most of that gain the result of multi-species covers combined with mob grazing of the beef herd. Soil health by any number of measures — tilth, water holding capacity, critter counts — has been considerably boosted and is visually superior compared to many neighboring fields.
While higher yield is not necessarily the primary objective, the results on this front are also impressive: At 127 bushels/acre, Gabe says his proven corn yield looks pretty good compared to the sub-100 bushel average for Burleigh County, which averages about 16 inches of annual precipitation. Gabe says his total cost for growing and marketing a bushel of corn last year came to $1.44 including a land charge. He says some of his best money is made by using the covers to extend grazing as late as February.
This much seed does cost something: the farm’s annual budget is roughly $25-$35/acre. And Gabe admits that after seven seasons of experimentation with cover cocktails, he and Paul have yet to come up with a foolproof “system” guaranteeing success.
Indeed, the Browns have developed a motto for their farming operation. “We want to fail at several things a year,” Gabe describes.
They’re not the only ones in this area who have become sold on cover crops. Jay Fuhrer, NRCS district conservationist for Burleigh County, says many of the area’s farms with both crops and cattle have shifted over to summer annuals for fall and winter grazing on portions of their land, thus taking important steps toward improving soil health and moisture retention in precipitation-challenged central North Dakota.
But no one in this county has matched the Browns in pushing the boundaries of what covers and grazing can do for the soil — and the bottom line.
“Gabe is just a flagship,” Jay describes. “His operation doesn’t fit a mold. He has no planned rotation on his cropland, and he uses that to his advantage. He’s trying to see how far he can go.”
Born of necessity
Like a lot of innovators, Gabe’s transition from conventional farming to cover cropping pioneer was born of necessity. Though he had already switched to no-till to conserve moisture, a combination of drought and hail caused four consecutive crop failures in the mid ‘90s and made it difficult to obtain the credit required to buy commercial fertilizer. So he began planting legumes for homegrown nitrogen along with other covers for cattle feed, and started noticing that the wheat planted to those acres often produced better than before.
But it was a few years before the concept of soil heath and the importance of diversity in promoting it really dawned on him. In the winter of 2006, Gabe and Jay attended a presentation by Dr. Ademir Calegari, a Brazilian agronomist who extolled the virtues of plant diversity in improving soil health and sustainable production. Jay went home and found some money to buy seed, planting plots ranging from one-crop monocultures to mixes containing as many as eight species.
It was a very dry year, and Jay had pretty much written off the trial when he stopped in to walk the plots. It wasn’t until he had returned to the car that it hit him: The monocultures were indeed dead, but the complex mixes were alive and growing. Indeed, the more species in the mix, the livelier the stand. Instead of competing, the more diverse array of species seemed to be helping one another to produce in a drought that was killing off the monocultures, with the benefits increasing in proportion to each plot’s diversity.
“This didn’t make sense in terms of classical thinking, but once you started thinking in terms of the diversity of nature, it made sense,” Jay explains. The native prairies of the northern Plains are some of the most diverse ecosystems on earth — Gabe says more than 140 species were counted in one of his native swards. This diversity, coupled with high-density bison grazing, built some of the world’s greatest soils. The native prairies are a prime example of complementary plants with a variety of strengths aiding each other, rather than competing as in the modern “crop vs. weeds” line of thinking.
The Burleigh County Soil Conservation District had already been moving away from building structures, and toward working with farmers to promote soil health as the best way to achieve its goals. In 2009 the district purchased 150 acres on which sustainable cropping and grazing systems would be employed to demonstrate improvements in soil health. The Menoken Farm is working with a wide variety of methods that break the conventional mold, including cocktail cover crops, mob grazing, compost applications and seeding in ways that encourage native pollinators and other beneficial insects.
“We are mimicking the native rangelands,” Jay describes. Yet he also notes that some of Gabe’s native pastures register above 7% organic matter. “His crop ground is at around 5%, so he’s got a long ways to go.”
Gabe says he is not enthusiastic about cash grain. “Perennial systems are by far the best as long as they’re highly diverse,” he acknowledges. “But (cash grain) is extremely lucrative right now, and I love toying with this cover cropping.” He likes proving that cropping systems can boost organic matter and overall soil health, which is something that the great majority of soil professionals thought impossible not too many years ago. Active on the speaking circuit, one of Gabe’s missions is to convince the cash-cropping world that cover crops, diversity, grazing and soil health are a far better route to the future compared to corn and bean monocultures and the associated production methods.
After hearing Dr. Calegari, Gabe started planting eight-species mixes, then 10, then 12, and soon enough it was a couple of dozen different seeds in the planter box. Last year the Browns even planted a 70-species mix on 20 acres that provided excellent grazing for cattle and laying hens, along with a variety of vegetables that were donated to the local food pantry. He says almost all species express themselves in even the most complex mixes, although growth of cool and warm seasons obviously varies based on the season’s weather.
“I am willing to try about anything once,” Gabe asserts. “I’ve proven it to myself. Diversity is always best. We can grow much, much more forage on much less rainfall.”
But is there any method to this madness? Yes, but perhaps no. Or at least not completely just yet.
The four main plant categories —broadleaf and grass, both warm and cool season — are planted by need and season. One example the Browns cite is harvesting a crop of winter triticale and hairy vetch and then planting a warm season cover that includes hybrid pearl millet, sorghum-sudangrass, soybeans, cowpeas, sunflowers, sunn hemp, clover, radishes and turnips. This cocktail can then be grazed anytime between October and February.
“To really make gains in soil health, you need full season cover crops — not just other cash crops,” Gabe asserts.
He also looks at the situation in any given field, addressing the resource concern on that particular field. For instance, too much litter on the soil surface means that there is too much carbon to allow proper nutrient cycling. More legumes and brassicas are added to the seeding mix to speed litter breakdown in the no-till system. “I like to see residue cycle through in a year’s time,” Gabe explains. “With diversity, you’re speeding up biological time. With 15 species you can gain 15 years of biological time in just one year.”
“This all depends on what you’re trying to accomplish,” he says. “You have to figure out your specific resource concerns. For instance, if a field is really low in organic matter, you’ll want to increase the number of species with a lot of root development.” He views cover crops as “primers” that start moving soils toward healthier status, with livestock integration providing an additional boost.
He admits to mistakes being made. Some species didn’t fit the environment. Others have proven incompatible, and cash grain yields have been hurt. Yet Gabe is reluctant to go into the details because “what didn’t work for me may well work in your situation. One of the problems with the current production model is that people are locked into their cookie-cutter recipes and are afraid to think outside the box.” Essentially, he’s saying that you’ll have to make your own mistakes.
Will it work elsewhere?
But can such tactics work in places with climates quite different from central North Dakota? “It can be done anywhere,” Gabe asserts, pointing to evidence from around the world that diversity and improvements in soil health can lead to greater agricultural productivity at lower costs. “I honestly believe you can make it work in any environment, although not within the current systems.” For instance, he says midwestern cash croppers will first need to expand their rotations by adding a crop such as winter wheat before starting to experiment with covers that can work in their situations. Dairy farmers who need to harvest high-quality winter feed will do things differently than cow-calf operators in the High Plains.
Jay agrees with Gabe’s views. “We don’t have recipes,” he notes. “But yeah, it will work in other parts of the country, perhaps even better than it does here. It does take a change in thinking though.”
In any event, if you want to pursue something akin to Gabe Brown’s cocktail cover program, keep your drill at the ready all season-long. Most of all, says Gabe, “You’ve got to wrap your mind around soil health.”WASHINGTON -- A request by a new international airline to fly to the U.S. pits the Obama administration against organized labor and its Republican ally: U.S. Rep. Frank LoBiondo of New Jersey
The chairman of the House aviation subcommittee, LoBiondo and others introduced legislation to prevent Norwegian Air International from flying to the U.S. The lawmakers contend that the airline's business model violates labor protections embedded in the U.S.-European Union agreement that ended most barriers to trans-Atlantic flights.
"It's an airline set up to put American jobs at risk," said LoBiondo (R-2nd Dist.).
The new airline is a subsidiary of Norwegian Air Shuttle, a European-based low-cost carrier that last year flew 26 million passengers to 132 destinations, including Kennedy Airport. It would compete with international flights out of Newark Airport.
The bill would prevent the U.S. Transportation Department from approving Norwegian Air International's certification. The agency has given a tentative OK with a final decision expected later this month.
"This is the future of the airline industry on the table," said Edward Wytkind, president of the AFL-CIO's transportation trades department.
The airline and its allies argue that the unions and the legacy air carriers fear competition. Norwegian Air's new subsidiary will be based in Ireland to take advantage of the U.S.-European Union agreement.
A consultant to Norwegian Air, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State John Byerly, said the bill sponsors "more or less bought the lines from the union opponents of NAI, hook, line and sinker."
The unions say Norwegian Air picked Ireland to take advantage of less restrictive labor laws there, and will use lower-paid crews based in Asia.
Just as the maritime industry shifted employees to countries where it could pay much lower wages, union leaders said they feared airlines would do the same thing if the Norwegian Air application is approved.
"It will set up a very quick race to the bottom of a flag of convenience model, the same model that destroyed U.S. shipping," said Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, whose 50,000 members include those at United Airlines, the largest airline at Newark Airport.
Those lower labor costs will give Norwegian Air an unfair advantage, something that the U.S.-European Union agreement was supposed to prevent, union members said.
"They're coming to the field with corked bats and a locker full of steroids," said Capt. Dennis Tajer, an American Airlines pilot and member of the Allied Pilots Association.
Hundreds of union members rallied May 12 before crossing Pennsylvania Avenue and picketing in front of the White House. They argued that the Obama administration disregarded the labor protections in order to approve the application.
"They're circumventing the letter and intent of the open skies agreement," said Capt. Halli Mulei, a United pilot and member of the Air Line Pilots Association.
The DOT said the labor provision "warranted proceeding with caution and careful consideration" but was not grounds to reject the application.
Former U.S. Deputy Transportation Secretary John Porcari, however, said that the labor section was a "very critical part" of the agreement. "Thls was an issue from day one," he said.
In trying to block the DOT action, the unions enlisted LoBiondo's support.
He has received $240,250 from labor for his re-election, more than any other member of Congress, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, a Washington-based research group. His AFL-CIO lifetime 53 percent score is higher than any other House Republican except Rep. Chris Smith (R-4th Dist.).
The airline unions, which have given $2.8 million to federal candidates for the 2016 elections, have plenty of other allies on Capitol Hill. In November 2014, 167 House members, including Smith and six other current New Jersey lawmakers, said the airline's business model "would be detrimental to the future of the U.S. aviation industry, aviation workers, and our national economy." Separately, 38 senators, including both Robert Menendez and Cory Booker (D-N.J.) offered similar concerns in March 2014.
United Airlines, American Airlines and Delta Airlines also asked the DOT to reject the application.
Should a private company handle air traffic?
Congress shouldn't follow the lead of the big airlines, said Jonathan Grella, a spokesman for the U.S. Travel Association, an industry group.
"It's time for Congress to revisit the calculation that when it comes to air travel policy, what's good for the legacy carriers is what's good for the system," Grella said.
Grella joined other supporters of Norwegian Air's application on a conference call with reporters two hours before the union protest.
"Some special interests, having gained the benefits of open skies for themselves, now seek to pull up the ladder," said Kevin Mitchell, president of the Business Travel Coalition. Norwegian Air "will inject competition and lower fares."
Byerly said the trans-Atlantic flights will use European and U.S.-based flight crews and already has 400 cabin crew employees here. He also said the Irish Aviation Authority is well-qualified to regulate the airline.
Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.), the top Democrat on the House Transportation Committee, said he wasn't convinced.
A bill co-sponsor with LoBiondo, DeFazio said he worried that if crews and maintenance are dispersed to low-wage, low-regulation countries, government agencies like the Federal Aviation Administration may not be able to ensure airline safety and security.
"The ticket may be cheaper,'' DeFazio said. "You just may not get there alive."
Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @JDSalant. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.Homeostatic adaptations to stress are regulated by interactions between the brainstem and regions of the forebrain, including limbic sites related to respiratory, autonomic, affective, and cognitive processing. Neuroanatomic connections between these homeostatic regions, however, have not been thoroughly identified in the human brain. In this study, we perform diffusion spectrum imaging tractography using the MGH-USC Connectome MRI scanner to visualize structural connections in the human brain linking autonomic and cardiorespiratory nuclei in the midbrain, pons, and medulla oblongata with forebrain sites critical to homeostatic control. Probabilistic tractography analyses in six healthy adults revealed connections between six brainstem nuclei and seven forebrain regions, several over long distances between the caudal medulla and cerebral cortex. The strongest evidence for brainstem-homeostatic forebrain connectivity in this study was between the brainstem midline raphe and the medial temporal lobe. The subiculum and amygdala were the sampled forebrain nodes with the most extensive brainstem connections. Within the human brainstem-homeostatic forebrain connectome, we observed that a lateral forebrain bundle, whose connectivity is distinct from that of rodents and nonhuman primates, is the primary conduit for connections between the brainstem and medial temporal lobe. This study supports the concept that interconnected brainstem and forebrain nodes form an integrated central homeostatic network (CHN) in the human brain. Our findings provide an initial foundation for elucidating the neuroanatomic basis of homeostasis in the normal human brain, as well as for mapping CHN disconnections in patients with disorders of homeostasis, including sudden and unexpected death, and epilepsy.
Introduction
Deep within the human forebrain lies a group of structures that play major roles in autonomic, respiratory, neuroendocrine, emotional, immune, and cognitive adaptations to stress. Collectively, these forebrain structures have been known, in part, as the limbic system, a term that retains usefulness today due to their anatomic proximity to the hypothalamus, robust mono- and/or oligo-synaptic connectivity to one another, and shared participation in homeostasis. The definition of the limbic system, as apart from the limbic lobe, has evolved since the classical descriptions by Broca (1878), Papez (1937), and Maclean (1952), reflecting different perspectives as to the overarching function(s) of the system.
In this study, we consider an expanded limbic network in which inclusion of neuroanatomic nodes is based upon human and experimental data indicating nodal participation in homeostasis, that is, adaption to stress. Homeostatic forebrain nodes within this network receive sensory information concerning extrinsic threats and intrinsic metabolic derangements from the brainstem, resulting in arousal from sleep, heightened attention and vigilance during waking, and visceral and somatic motor defenses (Ulrich-Lai and Herman, 2009). Yet despite emerging evidence for brainstem–forebrain interactions in regulating homeostasis, little direct information about the neuroanatomic connections between homeostatic regions of the brainstem and forebrain is available in the human brain. Current knowledge is based almost solely upon extrapolations from animal studies (Barger et al., 2014; Kaas, 2013), which are inherently limited due to major species differences in limbic anatomy. Temporal lobes, for example, occur only in primates and are most fully developed in humans (Barger et al., 2014; Kaas, 2013).
In this study, we performed ultra-high resolution diffusion spectrum imaging tractography in the brains of six healthy human adults using the MGH-USC Connectome MRI scanner to elucidate the structural connectome of selected brainstem and forebrain regions related to homeostasis. We tested the hypothesis that brainstem nuclei known to mediate autonomic and cardiorespiratory function are structurally connected with functionally related forebrain regions relevant to autonomic control, respiration, arousal, and affective and cognitive responses to homeostatic challenges in the adult human brain, including traditionally considered limbic regions. Based upon our connectivity findings, we propose the concept of a “central homeostatic network” (CHN) that expands upon prior models of the limbic system by integrating forebrain and brainstem structures involved in human homeostasis. Furthermore, the concept of a CHN is based upon the recognition that the network regulates not only autonomic functions (i.e., cardiac muscle, smooth muscle, and sweat glands) but also respiratory functions, which are mediated by skeletal muscle. The CHN connectome identified in this study represents an initial step toward elucidating the neuroanatomy of human homeostasis and defining altered connectivity in future studies of patients with disorders of homeostasis, such as sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) (Kinney et al., 2015), sudden unexplained death in childhood (SUDC) (Kinney et al., 2007, 2009), and sudden unexplained death in epilepsy (SUDEP) (Massey et al., 2014).
Materials and Methods
Clinical dataset
We analyzed the brains of six healthy human subjects without a history of neurological, psychiatric, or medical disease. All studies were performed with written informed consent and the approval of the Institutional Review Board at the Massachusetts General Hospital (Boston, MA). The three men and women ranged in age from 23 to 37 (median 27.5) years.
Diffusion data acquisition and processing
Data were acquired on the MGH-USC Connectome 3 Tesla MRI scanner (McNab et al., 2013; Setsompop et al., 2013) equipped with 300 mT/m maximum gradient strengths. A custom-made 64-channel phased array coil was used for signal reception (Keil et al., 2013). We utilized probabilistic tractography for quantitative connectivity measurements and deterministic tractography for qualitative visualization of the pathways by which streamlines travel between seed and target nodes (Edlow et al., 2012; McNab et al., 2013). We have previously described our methods in detail (McNab et al., 2013) applying a 55-min diffusion spectrum imaging protocol with a 515 q-space lattice, b max = 10,000 sec/mm2, and 2-mm isotropic voxels.
Brainstem seeds and forebrain targets
We focused on connectivity between six brainstem seed nuclei and seven limbic forebrain target regions (Fig. 1). Four of the six brainstem nuclei were selected because they are key components of the raphe/extra-raphe system and contain neuronal cell bodies that produce serotonin (5-HT), which is critical for homeostatic regulation: (1) median raphe in rostral pons; (2) dorsal raphe in rostral pons and caudal midbrain; (3) caudal raphe (mainly the raphe obscurus) throughout the rostrocaudal length of the medulla oblongata; and (4) paragigantocellularis lateralis (PGCL) in the rostral medulla (Azmitia and Gannon, 1986; Brust et al., 2014; Ray et al., 2011; Severson et al., 2003). In addition, the PGCL is thought to contain the human homologue of the preBotzinger complex, the central rhythm generator of respiration (Feldman et al., 2013; Schwarzacher et al., 2011). The locus coeruleus of the rostral pons was analyzed because it contains neuronal cell bodies that produce norepinephrine (NE), likewise important for homeostatic regulation and arousal (Aston-Jones and Cohen, 2005; Gompf et al., 2010; Li and Nattie, 2006). With diffusion tractography, we were not able to delineate 5-HT- or NE-specific fiber pathways within the raphe/extra-raphe and locus coeruleus pathways, respectively; nevertheless, the connectivity of these brainstem regions of interest (ROIs) as a whole was a surrogate for the transmitter-specific subsets. Two vagal nuclei in the medulla, the dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus, and nucleus of the solitary tract were selected for analysis because, in addition to their roles in sensorimotor aspects of autonomic control, they are involved in the treatment of epilepsy with vagal nerve stimulation (Ogbonnaya and Kaliaperumal, 2013). Due to the very small size of these two nuclei (largest combined diameter in adult human brainstem ∼5 mm), we placed the ROI around these two nuclei together, combined as the vagal complex (VC).
FIG. 1. Brainstem seed regions and homeostatic forebrain regions are demonstrated with three-dimensional reconstructions in native diffusion space from an anterior (A), left lateral (B), posterior (C), and right lateral (D) perspective. Amg, amygdala; CR, caudal raphe; DR, dorsal raphe; Ent, entorhinal cortex; Hippo, hippocampus; Ins, insula; LC, locus coeruleus; MR, median raphe; PGCL, paragigantocellularis lateralis; STGa, superior temporal gyrus (anterior); STGp, superior temporal gyrus (posterior); Sub, subiculum; VC, vagal complex.
The forebrain target ROIs were the hippocampus proper, subiculum, entorhinal cortex, and amygdala in the medial temporal lobe, the superior temporal gyrus (anterior and posterior) in the lateral temporal lobe, and the insula (Frysinger and Harper, 1990; Koseoglu et al., 2009; Oppenheimer et al., 1992; Ter Horst and Postema, 1997; Ulrich-Lai and Herman, 2009; Vertes et al., 1999). The two lateral sites have been shown to participate in modulation of autonomic and/or respiratory processes in humans and experimental animals (Augustine, 1996; Harper et al., 2013). We did not examine the hypothalamus, which is regarded historically as the head ganglion of the autonomic nervous system (Saper and Lowell, 2014), or the cingulate cortex, which was included in early descriptions of the limbic system by Broca and Papez. Rather, because of our group's focus, we concentrated upon those sites known to be responsible for the greatest burden of homeostasis-related disorders, seizures, and sudden death in clinical practice, that is, hippocampus, amygdala, superior temporal lobe, and insula.
Brainstem seed ROIs were traced manually on the diffusion dataset of each subject by a neurologist (B.L.E.) and neuropathologist (H.C.K.). We determined the neuroanatomic boundaries of the seed ROIs by precise correlation of the radiologic data with three reference templates: (1) an ex vivo human brainstem template of ROIs generated by direct correlation with serially sectioned cytoarchitectural data in the same specimen (stained with hematoxylin and eosin and Luxol-fast-blue) (Edlow et al., 2012); (2) a human brainstem atlas (Paxinos et al., 2011); and (3) a novel template of brainstem ROIs in Montreal Neurologic Institute space that is being made available to the academic community as the Harvard Ascending Arousal Network Atlas (www.martinos.org/resources/aan-atlas). Target forebrain regions were generated using atlases distributed with the FMRIB Software Library (FSL; www.fmrib.ox.ac.uk/fsl) (Jenkinson et al., 2011) (Table 1). These target ROIs were transformed from Montreal Neurologic Institute space to native diffusion space using FSL's nonlinear image registration tool (FNIRT). Of note, diffusion tractography does not provide information about the direction of electrical signaling (i.e., anterograde versus retrograde) along a streamline. Thus, we refer to “brainstem–forebrain connections” based upon our probabilistic tractography methodology, in which brainstem nuclei were used as seeds and forebrain regions as targets. This nomenclature convention is not intended to suggest that homeostasis is mediated solely by ascending pathways from the brainstem to forebrain. Rather, prior studies suggest that homeostatic functions are modulated by bidirectional “bottom-up” and “top-down” signaling between the brainstem and forebrain (Saper, 2002; Ulrich-Lai and Herman, 2009).
Table 1. Definition of Target ROIs Target ROI Atlas Atlas ROI(s) used to create target ROI Initial thresholding before coregistrationa Insula Harvard-Oxford Cortical Structural Atlas Insular cortex 10–100 STG anterior Harvard-Oxford Cortical Structural Atlas STG anterior division 10–100 STG posterior Harvard-Oxford Cortical Structural Atlas STG posterior division 10–100 Amygdala Harvard-Oxford Subcortical Structural Atlas Left amygdala + right amygdala 10–100 Hippocampus proper Harvard-Oxford Subcortical Structural Atlas Left hippocampus + right hippocampus 10–100 Subiculum Juelich Histological Atlas GM hippocampus subiculum L + GM hippocampus subiculum R 75–100 Entorhinal cortex Juelich Histological Atlas GM hippocampus entorrhinal cortex L + GM hippocampus entorrhinal cortex R 75–100
Connectivity analyses
Probabilistic tractography was performed using FMRIB's Diffusion Toolbox with the ball and two stick model (Behrens et al., 2003, 2007). Five thousand streamlines were propagated from each voxel within the seed ROIs, and target ROIs were used as termination masks. To quantitatively compare the probabilistic tractography results for seed–target pairs, we report a “streamline probability” (SP):
The SP is a measure of the probability of a streamline connecting a seed ROI and target ROI, and does not reflect the strength of the neuroanatomic connection (Jbabdi and Johansen-Berg, 2011). Since probabilistic tractography yields a flare of high SP near the seed ROI compared to more distant locations, we used the distance correction option (−pd) in FSL (probtrackx). With this option, the SP at each target voxel equals the number of streamline samples that cross the target voxel multiplied by the average length of those streamlines. The distance correction was applied because the distances between the seed and target ROIs are different, and we did not want the SP measurements to be biased by distance. Quantitative SP-based connectivity of the brainstem–forebrain network was visually displayed using an adaptation of the connectogram technique (Irimia et al., 2012) developed by our laboratory (Edlow et al., 2013).
SP may be influenced by a variety of methodological factors pertaining to diffusion data acquisition and postprocessing. Furthermore, the SP value between node A and node B will be lower if node A has widely distributed connectivity because the probability of a fiber tract connecting with node B goes down as the probability of that fiber tract connecting with other nodes goes up. Nevertheless, quantitative measures, such as SP, obtained from probabilistic tractography provide valuable information about the validity of the reconstructed streamline trajectories. In accordance with recently published recommendations for reporting quantitative imaging biomarker results (Kessler et al., 2015), we calculated the between-subject coefficient of variation (standard deviation/mean) for the SP values of each seed–target pair.
Deterministic tractography was also performed for visualization purposes using the Diffusion Toolkit and TrackVis (www.trackvis.org), as previously described (McNab et al., 2013). To reduce the likelihood of identifying spurious streamlines at sites of white matter crossing (Jones et al., 2013), we rigorously excluded nearby, nonlimbic white matter pathways by manually tracing these nonlimbic ROIs and performing a “NOT” function in TrackVis.
Results
Connectivity overview
Probabilistic tractography utilizing the MGH-USC Connectome scanner demonstrated reproducible streamlines in all six subjects that connected the selected seed brainstem nuclei (dorsal raphe, median raphe, locus coeruleus, caudal raphe, PGCL, and VC) with target limbic forebrain regions (hippocampus, amygdala, subiculum, entorhinal cortex, insula, anterior superior temporal gyrus, and posterior superior temporal gyrus) (Figs. 2 and 3). The brainstem nucleus with the highest SP with the sampled forebrain regions overall was the dorsal raphe, and with the lowest SP, the VC. While the trajectories of streamlines between the brainstem and limbic forebrain were consistent across the brains of the six subjects studied, the SP measurements for each pathway among the subjects were variable (Fig. 4). The seed-target pairs with the highest between-subject SP coefficients of variation were the VC-superior temporal gyrus anterior (1.10), dorsal raphe-superior temporal gyrus anterior (0.83), and PGCL-subiculum (0.77). The seed-target pairs with the lowest between-subject SP coefficients of variation were the dorsal raphe-insula (0.19), dorsal raphe-amygdala (0.20), and median raphe-hippocampus (0.20). Overall, the between-subject SP coefficients of variation for the six brainstem seeds were within the following ranges for each forebrain target: amygdala (0.20–0.53), entorhinal cortex (0.34–0.59), hippocampus (0.20–0.44), insula (0.19–0.74), superior temporal gyrus anterior (0.55–1.10), superior temporal gyrus posterior (0.53–0.70), and subiculum (0.39–0.77).
FIG. 2. Streamline probability (SP) measurements and connectogram. (A) SP measurements (mean ± SD) are provided for each seed–target pair. (B) The connectogram of the human central homeostatic network (CHN). Brainstem seed nodes are displayed on the outside of the connectogram and limbic forebrain target nodes at its center. Connectivity is represented quantitatively, with line thickness being proportional to the SP for each dyad. Connectogram lines are color coded according to the brainstem nucleus of origin: turquoise, DR; green, MR; dark blue, LC; red, PGCL; light blue, CR; yellow, VC.
FIG. 3. Montage of probabilistic tractography data from representative cases. Probabilistic streamlines are shown for the lateral forebrain bundle (LFB), superolateral medial forebrain bundle (slMFB), fornix, and cingulum bundle in the axial, coronal, and sagittal planes. Voxels are color coded according to the number of streamlines passing through, with yellow indicating higher numbers and red indicating fewer. Streamline thresholding (i.e., minimum and maximum number displayed) was adjusted to optimize visualization of the pathways of interest. In the LFB analysis, the turquoise arrows indicate LFB streamlines connecting with the amygdala (semitransparent blue target region of interest [ROI]). In the slMFB analysis, streamlines connect with the insula (semitransparent green ROI). In the fornix analysis, the pink arrows indicate fornix streamlines connecting with the amygdala (axial and coronal images) and hippocampus (sagittal image). In the cingulum bundle analysis, the green arrows indicate cingulum streamlines connecting with the hippocampus (semitransparent turquoise, axial and coronal images) and the entorhinal cortex (sagittal image). All streamlines are propagated from the caudal raphe seed ROI to demonstrate long-range connectivity between the caudal medulla and forebrain targets.
FIG. 4. SP bar graphs for all seed–target analyses and all subjects (n = 6).
Despite different streamline trajectories between the seed and target ROIs, the subiculum was the site that shared the highest SP with all but one of the brainstem nuclei sampled. The exception was the PGCL, whose highest SP was with the amygdala, not the subiculum. The medial temporal lobe structures (hippocampus, ent |
.5 per cent respectively. Credit:Louie Douvis
Denial is as common as it is unhelpful. The plain fact is that Australia hosed the benefits of a once-in-a-century resources boom up against the wall. While Norway managed to accumulate a trillion dollar sovereign wealth fund from the sale of its oil, we managed to give away such big tax cuts that governments now argue they have no choice but to cut spending on education. Worse still, we now enter the "renewable century" at the back of a pack that 20 years ago we led. Well played, Australia, well played.
It gets worse. While our politicians drone on about how building mines "creates jobs", what history, economics and common sense tells us is that it is the quality of our investments that matter, not the quantity. The hundreds of billions of dollars that we invested in the expansion of coal and gas exports that the world doesn't want is money that we don't ever get back. It's money we didn't spend on factories, public transport or educating our kids. Our future prosperity is determined not by the size of the things we build, but the future usefulness of the things we invest in. It's not looking good.Peter Capaldi as the Doctor and Matt Lucas as Nardole in Doctor Who: The Return of Doctor Mysterio. Credit:Simon Ridgway We were invited to play with the knobs on the console. We fiddled with the clockwork bit, the squidgy alien bit. I found a chunky switch that made a dial flick right, then left. Dial goes right. Dial goes left. Dial does nothing any more. Oops. If the Christmas special is about the Doctor trying to fix a small but vital switch on the Tardis, you know who to blame.
Except it's not, because it's about superheroes. "I think the Christmas special… which is the only [Doctor Who episode] this year… I think is one of [head writer] Steve [Moffat]'s best ever scripts, absolutely beautiful," Moffat's occasional collaborator Mark Gatiss said in September. "It made me cry." Moffat jokes: "I think he got his finger trapped in a door". But when Moffat's wife read the script – his seventh Doctor Who Christmas special – she also cried. He was more than a little surprised.
"I just thought it was rather good fun," he said. "She said it was so sweet and lovely, I said 'what are you talking about?' It's very emotional, apparently. "There's always a love story at the heart of a good superhero story. It's always a love triangle for two, isn't it? I love that. The only superhero thing I ever want to write is the Clark Kent Lois Lane story, when you can't own up to being the man she's in love with." He laughs. Minor spoiler alert: the Doctor arrives in New York on Christmas Eve, accidentally confers superpowers on a comic book loving child, then many years later has to deal with the result: a man who's "putting on the rubber and flying around". "The best thing about superheroes is not the superhero, it's the guy he pretends to be the rest of the time," says Moffat. "It's the secret identity… Clark Kent is actually the main character. Lois Lane is the other main character and Superman just does the second unit stuff.
"More or less any tall handsome man can play [Superman] if they're prepared to fold their arms long enough. It's playing Clark Kent that's the key. You love Clark Kent because he has to pretend he's not a God all the time." Moffat says Doctor Who is definitely not a superhero. "A lot of the fun of writing the Doctor is that really he's a sort of charlatan. He pretends to be much more powerful than he is and bluffs his way around the universe… but we all know he can't even drive his own time machine properly. He's your crazy uncle who's got his own time machine and a lot of cheek." Speaking of which, Peter Capaldi is having a great time. The Doctor Who Christmas episodes have a "responsibility to be festive", Capaldi says – and this year's fulfils the brief. "It's full of very ironic gags and comic book gags," he says. "It's very enjoyable."
It's been too long between Whos, he says. He wrecked his knee chasing Zygons in the last series and needed an operation. But he had to finish the series first, literally limping to the finish line. He leans back, like an eccentric, genial Scottish uncle, with a cheeky, toothy smile. "The doctors always say 'oh you'll be running around in two weeks' but you never are," he says. "It was about four, five weeks before I could hobble around on a stick – which I loved. It was rather theatrical. My wife had to stop me buying one with a gold demon's head." Because of his knee he couldn't work, not even a play to fill in the time between series. "I was going stir crazy," he says. "And the gap kept opening up, we were supposed to come back much earlier but for whatever reason it got bigger and bigger. I was dying to get back again." He was half-hoping the long pause would give him some respite from fans.
"The funny thing is I seem to be recognised more now even though the show's not on – I can't figure out how that works," he says. "Some days you'd like to just quietly pop to the shops and not have conversations with people. "Doctor Who's exciting but I'm not, so I get into a panic because I think I mustn't disappoint them - but I don't know what to do." He hasn't decided whether the 2017 series will be his last. It's not that he dislikes being an "ambassador" for the series. But it weighs on him. "I had my 25th wedding anniversary this year and we had a party, and I had a band, and I suddenly realised: I danced. I think it was the first time I've danced in years because I knew the party was just full of my friends who don't care how Doctor Who dances."
On the other hand he loves the escapism of the series, the immediate fairytale element. "There is something potent about the death motif in it," he says. "People get very fascinated by the fact that the Doctor can be extinguished. They bond with him, then he has to go through this (regeneration). There's something deeper in this." WHAT Doctor Who: The Return of Doctor Mysterio WHEN ABC, Monday, December 26, 7.30pm Some Who Christmas facts - One of the show's producers – Peter Bennett – oversaw Christopher Reeve's flying scenes in Superman.
- Some of the episode was shot in Bulgaria, where a film set contains a replica of two New York blocks. - The Tardis hasn't been completely renovated, but it does have a new "flight" mode with extra flashing lights. - Judging by the books on the shelves inside the Tardis, Doctor Who (or one of his companions) is a Robert Harris fan. - The Doctor's new companion, played by Pearl Mackie, is not introduced in the Christmas special. The new series begins next year: Moffat says the first episode is a "big family friendly action-based spectacular… it's a reboot to Doctor Who at its simplest purest form". - 2017 will be Steven Moffat's last as head writer – he's handing over to Chris Chibnall, who has worked on Who, Torchwood (as head writer) and created the hit detective series Broadchurch.As Donald Trump’s national security adviser, retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn will have the President’s ear on the country’s military and foreign policy affairs, but he’s espoused controversial views in the past.
Flynn, the former head of the Defense Intelligence Agency under President Obama, 7 for months, and his appointment marks another clear example of the President-elect rewarding loyalty in his budding administration.
“I am pleased that Lieutenant General Michael Flynn will be by my side as we work to defeat radical Islamic terrorism, navigate geopolitical challenges and keep Americans safe at home and abroad,” Trump said in a statement Friday. “General Flynn is one of the country’s foremost experts on military and intelligence matters and he will be an invaluable asset to me and my administration.”
Here’s what we know about Flynn’s worldview.
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On the Middle East
Flynn holds hardline views on Islam and the Middle East. Flynn was fired from his post as the head of the Defense Intelligence Agency in late 2014, which he says was because he wanted to identify terrorists as radical Islamists and “clearly and forcefully attack their crazy doctrines,” he wrote in the New York Post this year. (U.S. officials said he was fired due to poor management.) This year, while promoting his new book, Flynn also wrote in TIME about the need to “wage ideological war against radical Islam and its supporters.” In the book The Field of Fight, Flynn also writes of the need for the U.S. to form more partnerships with nations in the Middle East and help them defeat the “violent Islamists” within their borders.
Flynn has been criticized for some of his rhetoric surrounding the topic, including a February tweet which said, “Fear of Muslims is RATIONAL.”
On Russia
Flynn has come under similar fire as Trump for apparent coziness with Russian President Vladimir Putin. His Russian policy aligns with Trump’s oft-stated view, “Wouldn’t it be nice if we got along with Russia?” The Washington Post reports that Flynn acknowledged being paid to give a speech and attend an anniversary party for the Kremlin-backed RT television network in Moscow last year. He was seated next to Putin at the party.
On Turkey
Flynn wrote an op-ed in The Hill in November arguing the Obama administration isn’t doing enough to support Turkey, a U.S. and NATO ally whose relationship with the United States has been worsening. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan wants the U.S. to hand over Fethullah Gulen, a Pennsylvania-based religious leader accused of backing the Turkey’s failed military coup this year, and Flynn thinks the President should. “We need to adjust our foreign policy to recognize Turkey as a priority,” Flynn wrote. “We need to see the world from Turkey’s perspective. What would we have done if right after 9/11 we heard the news that Osama bin Laden lives in a nice villa at a Turkish resort while running 160 charter schools funded by the Turkish taxpayers?… We should not provide [Gulen] safe haven.”
On abortion
Over the summer when Flynn was being considered for Trump’s running mate, he broke with Republican anti-abortion orthodoxy on abortion during a television interview. “Abortion, I think it’s a thing for women,” he said on ABC in July. “I think women have to be able to choose what they — you know, that — the — sort of the right of choice. But I think that that’s a — that’s a difficult legal decision that — and I think that women are so important in that — in that decision-making process. … They are the ones that have to make the decision because they’re the one that’s — ones that are going to decide to bring up that child or not.”
On same-sex marriage
In the same ABC interview Flynn, a registered Democrat, seemed to support same-sex marriage, or at least agree with settled law on the matter. “What people do in their private lives, I’m not — these are not big issues that our country’s dealing with that are — that will cause our country to collapse,” he said.
Write to Tessa Berenson at [email protected] Delhi: The rapidly expanding e-commerce companies on Tuesday made a strong case for keeping them out of the proposed Goods and Services Tax (GST) net but the state finance ministers appeared in no mood to oblige.
At the first meeting of the empowered committee of state finance ministers held after the Parliament approved the GST bill, online retailers said they only provide a ‘platform’ to vendors and customers and do not make money out of sales made.
According to representation made at the meeting, companies like Flipkart, Amazon India and Snapdeal are only ‘service providers’ to the vendors and as such are liable to pay GST only on service income. When panel chairman and West Bengal finance minister Amit Mitra questioned the billion dollar valuations some of the so-called online platforms command, the e-retailers said their source of revenue is advertisement on which they pay service tax. Vendors selling goods through their portals should be liable to pay GST, they argued.
NASSCOM in its representation said the sector is creating huge job opportunities and allowing small industries to sell their products. Stating that e-commerce facilitates competition, it said in the sector, one cannot avoid being in tax bracket. Mitra however said the discussions so far have concluded that the e-commerce sector is generating millions of dollar but pay practically no taxes.
According to Mitra, consumer buying products online pay VAT, producer pays excise duty but these companies go untaxed on the pretext that the transaction is just a pass through. But their business is $6-8 billion. “E-commerce brings in competition, but you are also adding some value. Else how are your companies generating so much valuation," Mitra observed. He said the issue may become a political hot potato as the end product will come under GST but the intermediary will not pay tax.
Mitra asked the e-commerce companies to give in writing how the tax structure for such companies should be under the new GST regime, which the government proposes to roll out from 1 April, 2017. GST is to subsume most of the indirect taxes like excise duty, VAT and service tax. The model draft GST law has brought e-commerce under its purview. Under it, all online purchases will be taxed at the first point of transaction.
Bringing e-commerce under GST is expected to solve some of the tax woes of such companies. States like Uttarakhand, Assam and Bihar recently imposed a 10% entry tax on the goods sold online and there were fears that more states may follow suit. The GST regime is seen as ending such arbitrary moves by state governments.Not to be confused with Suffragist
A suffragette was a member of militant women's organisations in the early 20th century who, under the banner "Votes for Women", fought for the right to vote in public elections, known as women's suffrage. The term refers in particular to members of the British Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU), a women-only movement founded in 1903 by Emmeline Pankhurst, which engaged in direct action and civil disobedience.[1][2] In 1906 a reporter writing in the Daily Mail coined the term suffragette for the WSPU, from suffragist, in an attempt to belittle the women advocating women's suffrage. The militants embraced the new name, even adopting it for use as the title of the newspaper published by the WSPU.
Women had won the right to vote in several countries by the end of the 19th century; in 1893 New Zealand became the first self-governing country to grant the vote to all women over the age of 21.[3] When by 1903 women in Britain had not been enfranchised, Pankhurst decided that women had to "do the work ourselves";[4] the WSPU motto became "deeds, not words". The suffragettes heckled politicians, tried to storm parliament, were attacked and sexually assaulted during battles with the police, chained themselves to railings, smashed windows, set fire to postboxes and empty buildings, set bombs in order to damage churches and property, and faced anger and ridicule in the media. When imprisoned they went on hunger strike, to which the government responded by force-feeding them. The death of one suffragette, Emily Davison, when she ran in front of the king's horse at the 1913 Epsom Derby, made headlines around the world. The WSPU campaign had varying levels of support from within the suffragette movement; breakaway groups formed, and within the WSPU itself not all members supported the direct action.
The suffragette campaign was suspended when World War I broke out in 1914. After the war, the Representation of the People Act 1918 gave the vote to women over the age of 30 who met certain property qualifications. Ten years later women gained electoral equality with men when the Representation of the People (Equal Franchise) Act 1928 gave all women the vote at age 19
Background [ edit ]
Women's suffrage [ edit ]
Although the Isle of Man had enfranchised women who owned property to vote in parliamentary (Tynwald) elections in 1881, New Zealand was the first self-governing country to grant all women the right to vote in 1893 when women over the age of 21 were permitted to vote in parliamentary elections.[3] Women in South Australia achieved the same right and became the first to obtain the right to stand for parliament in 1895.[6] In the United States, white women over the age of 21 were allowed to vote in the western territories of Wyoming from 1869 and in Utah from 1870.
British suffragists [ edit ]
In 1865 John Stuart Mill was elected to be a feminist on a platform that included votes for women, and in 1869 he published his essay in favour of equality of the sexes The Subjection of Women. Also in 1865 a discussion group was formed to promote higher education for women which was named the Kensington Society. Following discussions on the subject of women's suffrage, the society formed a committee to draft a petition and gather signatures, which Mill agreed to present to Parliament once they had gathered 100 signatures.[7] In October 1866 amateur scientist, Lydia Becker, attended a meeting of the National Association for the Promotion of Social Science held in Manchester and heard one of the organisors of the petition, Barbara Bodichon, read a paper entitled Reasons for the Enfranchisement of Women. Becker was inspired to help gather signatures around Manchester and to join the newly formed Manchester committee. Mill presented the petition to Parliament in 1866 by which time the supporters had gathered 1499 signatures, including those of Florence Nightingale, Harriet Martineau, Josephine Butler and Mary Somerville.[8]
In March 1867, Becker wrote an article for the Contemporary Review, in which she said:
It surely will not be denied that women have, and ought to have, opinions of their own on subjects of public interest, and on the events which arise as the world wends on its way. But if it be granted that women may, without offence, hold political opinions, on what ground can the right be withheld of giving the same expression or effect to their opinions as that enjoyed by their male neighbours?[9]
Two further petitions were presented to parliament in May 1867 and Mill also proposed an amendment to the 1867 Reform Act to give women the same political rights as men but the amendment was treated with derision and defeated by 196 votes to 73.[10]
The first public meeting on the subject of women's suffrage in UK was held in Manchester's Free Trade Hall in 1868; one of the speakers was Lydia Becker, supported by Dr. Richard Pankhurst among others.[citation needed] Amongst the audience was the 15-year-old Emmeline Goulden, who was to become an ardent campaigner for women's rights, and later married Dr. Pankhurst and adopted his surname as was customary, becoming known as Emmeline Pankhurst.[11]
During the summer of 1880, Lydia Becker visited the Isle of Man to address five public meetings on the subject of women's suffrage to audiences mainly composed of women. These speeches instilled in the Manx women a determination to secure the franchise, and on 31 January 1881, women on the island who owned property in their own right were given the vote.[12]
Formation of the WSPU [ edit ]
Emmeline Pankhurst founded the WSPU in 1903 and became the most prominent of Britain's suffragettes.
In Manchester the Women's Suffrage Committee had been formed in 1867 to work with the Independent Labour Party (ILP) to secure votes for women, but although the local ILP were very supportive, nationally the party were more interested in securing the franchise for working class men and refused to make women's suffrage a priority. In 1897 the Manchester Women's Suffrage committee had merged with the National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies (NUWSS) but Emmeline Pankhurst, who was a member of the original Manchester committee, and her eldest daughter Christabel had become impatient with the ILP and on 10 October 1903, Emmeline Pankhurst held a meeting at her home in Manchester to form a breakaway group, the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU). From the outset the WSPU was determined to move away from the staid campaign methods of NUWSS and instead take more positive action:[13]
It was on October 10, 1903 that I invited a number of women to my house in Nelson Street, Manchester, for purposes of organisation. We voted to call our new society the Women's Social and Political Union, partly to emphasise its democracy, and partly to define it object as political rather than propagandist. We resolved to limit our membership exclusively to women, to keep ourselves absolutely free from party affiliation, and to be satisfied with nothing but action on our question. 'Deeds, not words' was to be our permanent motto. Emmeline Pankhurst[14]
The term "suffragette" was first used in 1906 as a term of derision by the journalist Charles E. Hands in the London Daily Mail to describe activists in the movement for women's suffrage, in particular members of the WSPU.[15][16][17] But the women he intended to ridicule embraced the term, saying "suffraGETtes" (hardening the g), implying not only that they wanted the vote, but that they intended to get it.[18]
WSPU campaigns [ edit ]
At a political meeting in Manchester in 1905, Christabel Pankhurst and millworker, Annie Kenney, disrupted speeches by prominent Liberals Winston Churchill and Sir Edward Grey, asking where Churchill and Grey stood with regards to women's political rights. At a time when political meetings were only attended by men and speakers were expected to be given the courtesy of expounding their views without interruption, the audience were outraged, and when the women unfurled a "Votes for Women" banner they were both arrested for a technical assault on a policeman. When Pankhurst and Kenny appeared in court they both refused to pay the fine imposed, preferring to go to prison in order to gain publicity for their cause.[19]
Stung by the stereotypical image of the strong minded woman in masculine clothes created by newspaper cartoonists, the suffragettes resolved to present a fashionable, feminine image when appearing in public. In 1908 the co-editor of the WSPU's newspaper,Votes for Women, Emmeline Pethick-Lawrence, designed the suffragettes' colour scheme of purple for loyalty and dignity, white for purity, and green for hope. Fashionable London shops Selfridges and Liberty sold tricolour-striped ribbon for hats, rosettes, badges and belts, as well as coloured garments, underwear, handbags, shoes, slippers and toilet soap.[20] As membership of the WSPU grew it became fashionable for women to identify with the cause by wearing the colours, often discretely in a small piece of jewellery or by carrying a heart-shaped vesta case[21][20] and in December 1908 the London jewellers, Mappin & Webb, issued a catalogue of suffragette jewellery in time for the Christmas season.[22] Sylvia Pankhurst said at the time: "Many suffragists spend more money on clothes than they can comfortably afford, rather than run the risk of being considered outré, and doing harm to the cause".[20] In 1909 the WSPU presented specially commissioned pieces of jewellery to leading suffragettes, Emmeline Pankhurst and Louise Eates.[22]
The suffragettes also used other methods to publicise and raise money for the cause and from 1909, the "Pank-A-Squith" board game was sold by the WSPU. The name was derived from Pankhurst and the surname of Prime Minister H. H. Asquith, who was largely hated by the movement. The board game was set out in a spiral, and players were required to lead their suffragette figure from their home to parliament, past the obstacles faced from Prime Minister H. H. Asquith and the Liberal government.[23] Also in 1909, suffragettes Solomon and McLellan tried an innovative method of potentially obtaining a meeting with Asquith by sending themselves by Royal Mail courier post, however, Downing Street did not accept the parcel.[24]
Sophia Duleep Singh, the third daughter of the exiled, Maharaja Duleep Singh,[25] had made a trip from her home in London to India, in 1903, to see the celebrations for the accession of King Edward VII as emperor of India and was shocked by the brutality of life under British rule. On her return to the UK in 1909, Singh became an ardent supporter of the cause, selling suffragette newspapers outside her apartment at Hampton Court Palace, refusing to pay taxes, fighting with police at protests and attacking the prime minister's car.[26][27]
1912 was a turning point for the suffragettes as they turned to using more militant tactics and began a window-smashing campaign. Some members off the WSPU, including Emmeline Pethick-Lawrence and her husband Frederick, disagreed with this strategy but Christabel Pankhurst ignored their objections. In answer this, the Government ordered the arrest of the WSPU leaders and, although Christabel Pankhurst escaped to France, the Pethick-Lawrences were arrested, tried and sentenced to nine months imprisonment. On their release, the Pethick-Lawrences began to speak out publiclya gainst the window-smashing campaign, arguing that it would lose support for the cause, and eventually they were expelled from the WSPU. Having lost control of Votes for Women the WSPU began to publish their own newspaper under the title The Suffragette.[28]
The campaign was then escalated with the suffragettes chaining themselves to railings, setting fire to post box contents, smashing windows and eventually detonating bombs.[29] Some radical techniques used by the suffragettes were learned from Russian exiles from tsarism who had escaped to England.[30] In 1914, at least seven churches were bombed or set on fire across the United Kingdom, including Westminster Abbey, where an explosion aimed at destroying the 700-year-old Coronation Chair, only caused minor damage.[31]
One suffragette, Emily Davison, died under the King's horse, Anmer, at The Derby on 4 June 1913. It is debated whether she was trying to pull down the horse, attach a suffragette scarf or banner to it, or commit suicide to become a martyr to the cause. However, recent analysis of the film of the event suggests that she was merely trying to attach a scarf to the horse, and the suicide theory seems unlikely as she was carrying a return train ticket from Epsom and had holiday plans with her sister in the near future.[32]
Many suffragettes were imprisoned and refused food as a scare tactic against the government. The Liberal government of the day led by Asquith responded with the Cat and Mouse Act.
Imprisonment [ edit ]
In the early 20th century until the outbreak of World War I, approximately one thousand suffragettes were imprisoned in Britain.[33] Most early incarcerations were for public order offences and failure to pay outstanding fines. While incarcerated, suffragettes lobbied to be considered political prisoners; with such a designation, suffragettes would be placed in the First Division as opposed to the Second or Third Division of the prison system, and as political prisoners would be granted certain freedoms and liberties not allotted to other prison divisions, such as being allowed frequent visits and being allowed to write books or articles.[34] Because of a lack of consistency between the different courts, suffragettes would not necessarily be placed in the First Division and could be placed in Second or Third Division, which enjoyed fewer liberties.
This cause was taken up by the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU), a large organisation in Britain, that lobbied for women's suffrage led by militant suffragette Emmeline Pankhurst.[35] The WSPU campaigned to get imprisoned suffragettes recognised as political prisoners. However, this campaign was largely unsuccessful. Citing a fear that the suffragettes becoming political prisoners would make for easy martyrdom,[36] and with thoughts from the courts and the Home Office that they were abusing the freedoms of First Division to further the agenda of the WSPU,[37] suffragettes were placed in Second Division, and in some cases the Third Division, in prisons with no special privileges granted to them as a result.[38]
Civil disobedience [ edit ]
Peaceful acts of civil disobedience such as chaining themselves to railings, refusing to pay taxes and fines, and hunger strikes were deployed by the suffragettes.
Arson, bombs, and property damage [ edit ]
Throughout the suffragette movement many violent tactics were employed in order to achieve its goals. Throughout Britain, the contents of letter boxes were set alight or corrosive acids or liquids poured over the letters inside, and shop and office windows were smashed. Telephone wires were cut, and graffiti slogans began appearing on the streets. Places that wealthy people, typically men, frequented were also burnt and destroyed while unattended so that there was no risk to life, including cricket grounds, golf courses and horse-racing tracks.[39] Pinfold Manor in Surrey, which was being built for Chancellor of the exchequer, David Lloyd George, was targeted with two bombs on 19 February, 1913, only one of which exploded, causing significant damage; in her memoirs, Sylvia Pankhurst said that Emily Davison had carried out the attack.[39] There were 250 arson or destruction attacks in a six-month period in 1913.[39] There are reports in the Parliamentary Papers which include lists of the 'incendiary devices', explosions, artwork destruction (including an axe attack upon a painting of The Duke of Wellington in the National Gallery), arson attacks, window-breaking, post-box burning and telegraph cable breaking that took place during the most militant years, from 1910 to 1914.[citation needed] Both suffragettes and police spoke of a "Reign of Terror"; newspaper headlines referred to "Suffragette Terrorism".[40]
Hunger strikes and force-feeding [ edit ]
Suffragette being force-fed
Suffragettes were not recognised as political prisoners, and many of them staged hunger strikes while they were imprisoned. The first woman to refuse food was Marion Wallace Dunlop, a militant suffragette who was sentenced to a month in Holloway for vandalism in July 1909.[41] Without consulting suffragette leaders such as Pankhurst,[42] Dunlop refused food in protest at being denied political prisoner status. After a 92-hour hunger strike, and for fear of her becoming a martyr,[42] the Home Secretary Herbert Gladstone decided to release her early on medical grounds.[37] Dunlop's strategy was adopted by other suffragettes who were incarcerated.[43] It became common practice for suffragettes to refuse food in protest for not being designated as political prisoners, and as a result they would be released after a few days and could return to the "fighting line".[44]
After a public backlash regarding the prison status of suffragettes, the rules of the divisions were amended. In March 1910, Rule 243A was introduced by the Home Secretary Winston Churchill, allowing prisoners in Second and Third Divisions to be allowed certain privileges of the First Division, provided they were not convicted of a serious offence, effectively ending hunger strikes for two years.[45] Hunger strikes began again when Pankhurst was transferred from the Second Division to the First Division, inciting the other suffragettes to demonstrate regarding their prison status.[46]
Memories of Winson Green Prison September 18, 1909; Illustration from Mabel Cappers WSPU prisoners scrapbook
Militant suffragette demonstrations subsequently became more aggressive,[37] and the British Government took action. Unwilling to release all the suffragettes refusing food in prison,[43] in the autumn of 1909, the authorities began to adopt more drastic measures to manage the hunger-strikers. In September 1909 the Home Office became unwilling to release hunger-striking suffragettes before their sentence was served.[44] Suffragettes became a liability because if they were to die in custody, the prison would be responsible for their death. Prisons began the practice of force-feeding the hunger strikers through a tube, most commonly via a nostril or stomach tube or a stomach pump.[43] Force-feeding had previously been practised in Britain but its use had been exclusively for patients in hospitals who were too unwell to eat or swallow food. Despite the practice being deemed safe by medical practitioners for sick patients, it posed health issues for the healthy suffragettes.[42]
The process of tube-feeding was strenuous without the consent of the hunger strikers, who were typically strapped down and force-fed via stomach or nostril tube, often with a considerable amount of force.[47] The process was painful and after the practice was observed and studied by several physicians, it was deemed to cause both short-term damage to the circulatory system, digestive system and nervous system and long-term damage to the physical and mental health of the suffragettes.[48] Some suffragettes who were force-fed developed pleurisy or pneumonia as a result of a misplaced tube.[49]
Legislation [ edit ]
In April 1913, Reginald McKenna of the Home Office passed the Prisoners (Temporary Discharge for Ill Health) Act 1913, or the Cat and Mouse Act as it was commonly known. The act made the hunger strikes legal, in that a suffragette would be temporarily released from prison when their health began to diminish, only to be readmitted when she regained her health to finish her sentence.[47] The act enabled the British Government to be absolved of any blame resulting from death or harm due to the self-starvation of the striker and ensured that the suffragettes would be too ill and too weak to participate in demonstrative activities while not in custody.[43] Most women continued hunger striking when they were readmitted to prison following their leave.[50] After the Act was introduced, force-feeding on a large scale was stopped and only women convicted of more serious crimes and considered likely to repeat their offences if released were force-fed.[51]
The Bodyguard [ edit ]
In early 1913 and in response to the Cat and Mouse Act, the WSPU instituted a secret society of women known as the "Bodyguard" whose role was to physically protect Emmeline Pankhurst and other prominent suffragettes from arrest and assault. Known members included Katherine Willoughby Marshall, Leonora Cohen and Gertrude Harding; Edith Margaret Garrud was their jujitsu trainer.
The origin of the "Bodyguard" can be traced to a WSPU meeting at which Garrud spoke. As suffragettes speaking in public increasingly found themselves the target of violence and attempted assaults, learning jujitsu was a way for women to defend themselves against angry hecklers.[52] Inciting incidents included Black Friday, during which a deputation of 300 suffragettes were physically prevented by police from entering the House of Commons, sparking a near-riot and allegations of both common and sexual assault.
Members of the "Bodyguard" orchestrated the "escapes" of a number of fugitive suffragettes from police surveillance during 1913 and early 1914. They also participated in several violent actions against the police in defence of their leaders, notably including the "Battle of Glasgow" on March 9, 1914, when a group of about 30 Bodyguards brawled with about 50 police constables and detectives on the stage of St. Andrew's Hall in Glasgow, Scotland. The fight was witnessed by an audience of some 4500 people.[53]
World War I [ edit ]
At the commencement of the World War 1, the suffragette movement in Britain moved away from suffrage activities and focused on the war effort, and as a result, hunger strikes largely stopped.[54] In August 1914, the British Government released all prisoners who had been incarcerated for suffrage activities on an amnesty,[55] with Pankhurst ending all militant suffrage activities soon after.[56] The suffragettes' focus on war work turned public opinion in favour of their eventual partial enfranchisement in 1918.[57]
Women eagerly volunteered to take on many traditional male roles – leading to a new view of what women were capable of. The war also caused a split in the British suffragette movement; the mainstream, represented by Emmeline and Christabel Pankhurst's WSPU calling a ceasefire in their campaign for the duration of the war, while more radical suffragettes, represented by Sylvia Pankhurst's Women's Suffrage Federation continued the struggle.
The National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies, which had always employed "constitutional" methods, continued to lobby during the war years and compromises were worked out between the NUWSS and the coalition government.[58] On 6 February, the Representation of the People Act 1918 was passed, enfranchising all men over 21 years of age and women over the age of 30 who met minimum property qualifications,[59][60] gaining the right to vote for about 8.4 million women.[60] In November 1918, the Parliament (Qualification of Women) Act 1918 was passed, allowing women to be elected into parliament.[60] The Representation of the People Act 1928 extended the voting franchise to all women over the age of 21, granting women the vote on the same terms that men had gained ten years earlier.[61]
1918 general election, women Members of Parliament [ edit ]
The 1918 general election, the first general election to be held after the Representation of the People Act 1918, was the first in which some women (property owners older than 30) could vote. At that election, the first woman to be elected an MP was |
opinions.
Modesty Freedom from vanity or conceit. Not inclined to boast.
Obedience Willingness to obey, to be controlled when necessary, to carry out orders.
Openness Ready and willing to talk candidly.Unsecretive.
Orderliness Neatness and tidiness. A personality trait which involves the organization of things into a state of order and symmetry. The quality of appreciating method and system.
Patience The ability to endure delay, trouble, pain or hardship.
Peace Freedom from mental agitation; serenity.
Perseverance Being persistent, refusing to stop despite failures, delays and difficulties.
Piety Humble devotion to a high ideal.
Prudence Wise or careful in conduct. Shrewd or thrifty in planning ahead.
Punctuality The quality or habit of adhering to an appointed time.
Purity Freedom from defilement. Undiluted or unmixed with extraneous material. Unsullied by sin or moral wrong.
Purposefulness Having a definite goal.
Reliability Can be trusted to do something.
Resoluteness The quality of being firm in purpose.
Resourcefulness The ablility to act effectively or imaginatively, especially in regard to difficult situations and unusual problems.
Respect Admiration for others. Treating people with due dignity.
Responsibility Having control over and accountability for appropriate events.
Restraint Holding Back.
Reverence Profound awe and respect.
Righteousness Adhering to moral principles. Holiness.
Selflessness The quality of unselfish concern for the welfare of others.
Self Sacrifice The giving up of one's own benefit, especially giving up one's life, for the good of others.
Service Work done by one person or group that benefits another.
Sensitivity Heightened awareness of oneself and others within the context of social and personal relationships.
Silence Inner peace. Being silent.
Simplicity Straightforward; not complex or complicated. Unpretentious.
Sincerity Free from pretense or deceit in manner or actions.
Sobriety Serious, solemn and calm. Free from intoxication.
Spontaneity Natural, not planned.
Steadfastness Firm, resolute; determinedly unwavering.
Strength Capable of exerting great force.
Tact Consideration in dealing with others and avoiding giving offense.
Temperance Moderation and self-restraint, as in behavior or expression. Restraint in the use of or abstinence from alcoholic liquors/intoxicants.
Thankfulness Warm friendly feelings of gratitude.
Thrift The characteristic of using a minimum of something. Saving.
Tolerance Tending to permit, allow, understand, or accept something; tending to withstand or survive.
Toughness Strong and durable; not easily damaged.
Tranquility Serenely quite and peaceful; undisturbed.
Trust Having confidence in others; lacking suspicion.
Trustworthiness Able to be trusted or depended on; reliable.
Truthfulness Accurately depicting what is real.
Understanding Comprehension, assimilation of knowledge. The holistic awareness of facts.
Unity Freedom from division. Oneness.
Vitality Exuberant physical strength or mental vigor, energy.
Wisdom The trait of utilizing knowledge and experience with common sense and insight.
Wonder The feeling aroused by something strange and surprising.Salvaged bomb material now generates about 10 percent of electricity in the United States — by comparison, hydropower generates about 6 percent and solar, biomass, wind and geothermal together account for 3 percent.
Utilities have been loath to publicize the Russian bomb supply line for fear of spooking consumers: the fuel from missiles that may have once been aimed at your home may now be lighting it.
But at times, recycled Soviet bomb cores have made up the majority of the American market for low-enriched uranium fuel. Today, former bomb material from Russia accounts for 45 percent of the fuel in American nuclear reactors, while another 5 percent comes from American bombs, according to the Nuclear Energy Institute, an industry trade association in Washington.
Treaties at the end of the cold war led to the decommissioning of thousands of warheads. Their energy-rich cores are converted into civilian reactor fuel.
In the United States, the agreements are portrayed as nonproliferation treaties — intended to prevent loose nukes in Russia.
In Russia, where the government argues that fissile materials are impenetrably secure already, the arms agreements are portrayed as a way to make it harder for the United States to reverse disarmament.
The program for dismantling and diluting the fuel cores of decommissioned Russian warheads — known informally as Megatons to Megawatts — is set to expire in 2013, just as the industry is trying to sell it forcefully as an alternative to coal-powered energy plants, which emit greenhouse gases.
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Finding a substitute is a concern for utilities today because nuclear plants buy fuel three to five years in advance.
One potential new source is warheads that would become superfluous if the United States and Russia agree to new cuts under negotiations to renew the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, which expires on Dec. 5.
Photo
Such negotiations revolve around the number of deployed weapons and delivery vehicles. There is no requirement in the treaty that bomb cores be destroyed. That is negotiated separately.
For the industry, that means that now, as in the past, there will be no direct correlation between the number of warheads decommissioned and the quantity of highly enriched uranium or plutonium, also used in weapons, that the two countries declare surplus.
(This summer, Mr. Obama and President Dmitri A. Medvedev of Russia agreed to a new limit on delivery vehicles of 500 to 1,100 and a limit on deployed warheads as low as 1,500. The United States now has about 2,200 nuclear warheads and the Russians 2,800.)
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Mr. Medvedev has reaffirmed Russia’s commitment to a 2000 agreement to dispose of plutonium, and both countries plan to convert that into reactor fuel as well.
An American diplomat and an official with a federal nuclear agency in Washington have confirmed, separately, that the two countries are quietly negotiating another agreement to continue diluting Russia’s highly enriched uranium after the expiration of Megatons to Megawatts, using some or all of the material from warheads likely to be taken out of the arsenals.
The government officials were not authorized to publicly discuss these efforts.
This possible successor deal to Megatons to Megawatts is known in the industry as HEU-2, for a High Enriched Uranium-2, and companies are rooting for it, according to Jeff Combs, president and owner of Ux Consulting, a company tracking uranium fuel pricing.
“You can look at it like a couple of very large uranium mines,” he said of the fissile material that would result from the program.
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American reactors would not shut down without a deal; utilities could turn to commercial imports, which would most likely be much more expensive.
Enriching raw uranium is more expensive than converting highly enriched uranium to fuel grade.
To make fuel for electricity-generating reactors, uranium is enriched to less than 5 percent of the isotope U-235. To make weapons, it is enriched to about 90 percent U-235.
The United States Enrichment Corporation, a private company spun off from the Department of Energy in the 1990s, is the treaty-designated agent on the Russian imports. It, in turn, sells the fuel to utilities at prevailing market prices, an arrangement that at times has angered the Russians.
Since Megatons to Megawatts has existed, American utilities operating nuclear power plants, like Pacific Gas & Electric or Constellation Energy, have benefited as the abundance of fuel that came onto the market drastically reduced overall prices and created savings that were ultimately passed along to consumers and shareholders.
Nuclear industry giants like Areva, the French company; the United States Enrichment Corporation and Nuclear Fuel Services, another American company; and Rosatom, the Russian state nuclear corporation, are deeply involved in recycling weapons material and will need new supplies to continue that side of their businesses.
In the United States, domestic weapons recycling programs are smaller in scale and would be no replacement for Megatons for Megawatts. The Nuclear Fuel Services, in Erwin, Tenn., in 2005 began diluting uranium from the 217 tons the government declared surplus; so far 125 tons have been processed. It is used at the Tennessee Valley Authority plant.
The American plutonium recycling program is also well under way at a factory being built at the Energy Department’s Savannah River site in South Carolina to dismantle warheads from the American arsenal; a type of plutonium fuel, called mixed-oxide fuel, will come on the market in 2017.
In total, the 34 tons to be recycled there are expected to generate enough electricity for a million American homes for 50 years.by Jeff Davis
The cost of allowing Obama’s Amnesty Executive Orders to continue is mind-boggling. We not only are faced with the rapid transition of America from a White nation to a Third World nation, but we will be a badly indebted Third World nation at that!
An article from Breitbart.com reports: “The lifetime costs of Social Security and Medicare benefits of illegal immigrant beneficiaries of President Obama’s executive amnesty would be well over a trillion dollars, according to Heritage Foundation expert Robert Rector’s prepared testimony for a House panel obtained in advance by Breitbart News.”
What many Americans fail to consider is that Social Security funds are used to cover a wide range of medical and physical disabilities. A drunk can actually draw money from Social Security because he’s been disabled by alcoholism. Because of that, a Latino, who just showed up in America and who gets Obama’s Amnesty, could easily be taking money that you thought was going to support your parents and yourself. The Latinos may not completely clean out Social Security and Medicare, but don’t be surprised if your benefits drop to a fraction of what you thought they would be and if your medical benefits no longer cover procedures that would keep you alive past age 60.
The article notes “Rector, a senior research fellow at Heritage, is slated to speak on the costs of Obama’s executive amnesty Tuesday before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. He will testify to the high entitlement costs of granting legal status to millions of illegal immigrants. Based on Rector’s calculations, which assume that at least 3.97 illegal immigrants would apply for and receive legal status under Deferred Action for Parents of U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents (DAPA), and that the average DAPA beneficiary would have a 10th grade education, the costs would be immense.”
“Specifically, in 2010 dollars, the lifetime costs of Social Security benefits to DAPA beneficiaries would be about $1.3 trillion. He further estimates that DAPA recipients would $7.8 billion each year once they have access to the refundable Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and the refundable Additional Child Tax Credit (ACTC). Further, the retroactive costs of the EITC and ACTC— current IRS policy will allow amnesty recipients to claim up to three years of tax benefits for illegal work — Rector expects to be as high as $23.5 billion.”
“The Heritage expert notes that DAPA eligible families are already able to claim certain welfare benefits — such as food stamps, Medicaid, and Women, Infants and Children program (WIC) — on behalf of their U.S.-born children. ‘The average DAPA eligible family already receives around $6,600 per year in means-tested welfare benefits, prior to Obama’s executive action. (The aggregate cost is around $13.4 billion per year.)’ his testimony reads.’ And while DAPA recipients are not eligible for Obamacare, Rector argues that future legislation could eventually make such DAPA-eligible families able to get coverage under Obamacare — at a cost of $14 billion annually.”
So where is all this money going to come from? More borrowing? But no one will lend us any more money since the Chinese cut us off.
America’s wealth and prosperity comes largely from the creativity and productivity of the White people in America. If White people are not allowed to contribute their creativity and brilliance to help big corporations, everyone suffers. The corporations become less productive and start to fall behind European and Asian competitors.
The outsourcing of millions of manufacturing jobs has turned a large number of White people into jobless nomads, looking for any sort of work they can find. The federal government clearly couldn’t care less about full employment for White people. Instead, they do everything they can to betray White workers –either by outsourcing or Affirmative Action.
White workers have been betrayed for decades, and the long term economic backlash from letting millions of White people go idle can and will eventually devastate the economy all by itself.
When you add to that, the cost of educating the children of 34 million illegal aliens, and the extreme cost of giving all those people an Amnesty and access to benefits, that they shouldn’t get, America moves one giant leap closer to a financial collapse.
We already can’t even get close to balancing our budget with Obama in charge. Our National Debt has soared to over 18 trillion dollars, and we’re running out of nations that are willing to lend the US any more money. Sooner or later, we will run into a financial brick wall. Our expenses will greatly exceed the taxes collected from the dwindling number of White taxpayers. China and Japan will “just say no” to lending us more money, and then “BOOM” –a financial collapse will hit us that will make the 2007 subprime mortgage disaster look like a mole hill.Mundo Deportivo, one of Catalonia's FC Barcelona friendly newspapers, have this morning dropped a bomb which they probably don't quite realise the importance of. They've published a story saying that Sir Alex Ferguson is in New York to meet Pep Guardiola about the possibility of him taking the Manchester United job.
Not only that, they say the reason Guardiola chose to live in New York for a year was so he could learn English better enabling him to take over when Sir Alex Ferguson calls it a day, which Mundo reckon will be next July.
Guardiola already speaks very good English so it's odd that he'd need to move to America to improve that. However, there were also reports, before he chose NYC, that he'd been considering a London move and, for those who want to believe what Mundo are saying, that would fit in with the language theory.
Sir Alex Ferguson has taken a trip to New York City, photographs have appeared which prove that, and we know that Guardiola is living there - there's a high possibility this link is made on little more than that.
The Catalan outlet say that Guardiola would relish the challenge of Manchester United and that it would be a club to suit him. The pressure wouldn't be much less, and that's what forced him to leave Barca, but he doesn't have a personal connection so he wouldn't get overly emotionally involved which could have been the case in Spain.
That isn't to say he wouldn't therefore be suitable for the job, he's explained in the past that he was so deeply entrenched that he couldn't see the situation at Barcelona clearly sometimes and that made him worry he wasn't the best option for the club.
If, or more likely when, this is picked up by the mainstream English media it's likely to be quite a big story.
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THANKS to the Internet, universal access to the printed word and economic globalization, the 21st century is expected to be shaped by the free exchange of ideas. But casting a shadow over this optimistic prediction is the emerging threat of “libel tourism.”
In 2004, Khalid bin Mahfouz, a billionaire Saudi businessman, took action against Rachel Ehrenfeld, an American author whose book “Funding Evil: How Terrorism Is Financed and How to Stop It,” published in 2003, argues that Mr. bin Mahfouz has financed Osama bin Laden and other terrorists. Mr. bin Mahfouz sued Ms. Ehrenfeld for libel in Britain, where libel laws impose an onerous burden on authors to prove the truth of their statements, and in 2005 won a default judgment ordering her to apologize, destroy all copies of the book and pay the sheik roughly $230,000 in damages.
The book had never been published or sold in Britain, but about 20 people had ordered it online and had it shipped there. British courts asserted jurisdiction, and Ms. Ehrenfeld found herself subject to the laws of another country.
Until this case came along, American authors and publishers thought that unless their books were actually published in Britain, they would not be subject to its rather draconian libel laws, which put the burden of proof on the defendant rather than the plaintiff as American laws do, and greatly restrict what information writers can present as evidence in their defense. Now it appears that wealthy and powerful people who object to a book can simply find a country with sympathetic laws, have a book shipped there and sue.
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Mr. bin Mahfouz has a history of challenging those who have accused him of links to terrorism. He has sued or threatened to sue a series of publications and has instituted legal action in the cases of at least four different books. He has won many of these cases by default or through settlements, because authors often cannot marshal the resources to defend themselves. Ms. Ehrenfeld herself lost by default, and is relying on the hope that Mr. bin Mahfouz’s judgment will not be enforced here in the United States.TORONTO – A RBC holiday outlook suggests Canadians may be a little more frugal this festive season.
The RBC Canadian Consumer Outlook found that while the majority of Canadians appear to be in a gift-giving mood, they plan on spending less over the holidays than they did last year.
The survey suggests Canadians who celebrate year-end festivities will spend $1,182 on gifts, decorations, entertaining and travel — a figure which is down six per cent from last year’s anticipated amount.
The bank says this season’s holiday spending plans appear to be more in line with Canadians’ 2010 holiday purchasing plans.
The survey suggests shoppers who plan on buying gifts are likely to shell out $629 on their purchases, down from the $640 anticipated last year.
RBC also suggests Canadians plan to cut their spending on holiday expenses other than gifts by 10 per cent from last year.
“It’s clear that Canadians are conscious of their finances and are taking a closer look at what they can afford this holiday season,” said Chris McEachern, financial planning role strategist, RBC Financial Planning.
The results of the RBC survey released Thursday stand in contrast to findings from some other analysts, who believe Canadians will be more generous with their finances over the holidays this year.
A Bank of Montreal survey released earlier this month projected an average 15 per cent jump in holiday spending over last Christmas, with respondents planning to spend $1,610 this season. And an report Ernst & Young predicted Canadian holiday sales would rise 3.5 per cent over last year, supported by signs of improvement in consumer confidence.
Meanwhile, a study from Deloitte projected Canadians will spend one to two per cent more this holiday season, but an increasing number will check for the best prices online before they head to the mall in a season it expects to be highly price competitive.
RBC’s survey, however, suggests Canadians will be tightening their belts.
It found 56 per cent of respondents plan to fund their festivities with their savings, while 24 per cent intend to use credit cards.
Meanwhile, 23 per cent of those surveyed say they haven’t thought about how they’ll pay for the holiday season.
RBC suggests that a little financial preparation for the holidays is likely to go a long way.
“No matter how you choose to purchase your gifts, whether it’s with debit or credit cards, in store or online, knowing how you’ll cover your holiday expenses is crucial to avoiding unwanted debt and ensuring you are in good financial shape for the new year,” McEachern said.
“A little planning ahead of your holiday shopping can make all the difference.”
The online survey was conducted by Ipsos Reid and involved 3,375 Canadians across the country between Oct. 1 to Oct. 10. The poll is accurate to within plus or minus 1.9 percentage points of the entire Canadian population.Every developer will love this saying "It is hard to build a software without using a build tool." To get rid of the repetitive tasks, we are using build tools. If you think Gulp has killed Grunt you may want to think about another tool because npm has surpassed both.
Now Node provides a great way to implement a build process with only npm.
Imagine a situation where using build tools makes you horrible, I felt the same thing when I use Grunt and Gulp. Now that I have been using npm as a build tool, I feel more comfortable. Here I will share with you how to do the same and make yourself comfortable while using the build tool.
At the end of this article, we will be making our own boilerplate.
When using Grunt or Gulp, the packages specific to that build tool are usually just wrappers on the main package. For instance, gulp-sass is really a Gulp specific wrapper to node-sass. We can go straight to the source and just use node-sass with npm!
There are drawbacks of using Grunt/Gulp specific packages.
We need to watch the versions of each sub modules which we are using. If anything gets updated or removed we have to look for another one to achieve the same. But here with npm, no such problem will come. Adding new tasks into build tool will increase dependencies. But here we can use normal command prompt command like '&&' to combine multiple tasks. Custom script file like* (Gruntfile.js)* for tasks. Here only package.json file is enough. Doesn't support any commands which we use in command prompt. Here you can use all commands into your package.json file.
Default scripts Custom scripts
Let's start our build commands!
Create an empty directory and initialize it as npm using npm init. It will ask you to construct your package.json file. If you feel lazy like me to hit enter many times, then go with shorthand script npm init --yes. Now check your directory, a package.json file gets created like this :
{ "name" : "your_directory_name", "version" : "1.0.0", "description" : "", "main" : "index.js", "scripts" : { "test" : "echo \"Error: no test specified\" && exit 1" }, "keywords" : [ ], "author" : "", "license" : "ISC" }
By default, a test script will get created inside the script object. Inside the script object, we are going to configure our tasks. Run the default task using npm test shorthand for npm run test
It states that node_modules missing. We have to add our dependencies.
Let's install dev-dependencies first :
$ npm i -D jshint lite-server mocha concurrently node-sass uglify-js
Let's start creating our scripts :
"scripts" : {... "dev" : "lite-server" }
npm run dev - I have used it as a development server. It will take care of live-reloading and Browser-sync (since it is sub-module of lite-server, no need to install it separately). We don't need to configure a watch property for all your files like (HTML, CSS, JS).
Browser-sync will help you with cross-browser checking. To know more about lite-server refer docs.
"scripts" : {... "db" : "json-server --watch db.json --port 3005" }
npm run db - If you want to know more about JSON-Server refer my *article*.
"scripts" : {... "start" : "concurrently -k \"npm run dev\" \"npm run db\"" }
npm start shorthand for npm run start. Concurrently, using it we can perform two tasks simultaneously. You can also combine both the tasks using '&&' operator. To know more about it refer docs.
"scripts" : {... "uglify" : "mkdir -p dist/js && uglifyjs src/js/*.js -m -o dist/js/app.js" }
npm run uglify - It will minify your JavaScript files and move it into your desired directory. It will create a new folder only if it does not already exist (-p flag).
"scripts" : {... "lint" : "jshint src/**.js" }
npm run lint - It will look for any JavaScript files inside the source folder and helps detect errors and potential problems in your JavaScript code.
"scripts" : {... "sass" : "node-sass --include-path scss scss/main.scss assets/main.css" }
npm run sass - It allows compiling your.scss files to CSS automatically and at a good speed.
"scripts" : {... "test" : "mocha test" }
npm test shorthand for npm run test. Mocha is a JavaScript test framework, which helps you to write test cases.
"scripts" : {... "bash" : "Location of the Bash/Shell script file" }
npm run bash - If you think you're making a lot of commands inside the scripts object, you can make it as Bash/Shell script and include it in your package.json file as like above.
So far we have seen the basic npm build commands and explanation for them. Let's start to prepare our own boilerplate. Using this boilerplate will save your time on preparing build tool. Invest more time on building your app.
"scripts" : { "start" : "concurrently -k \"npm run dev\" \"npm run watch-css\"", "dev" : "lite-server", "db" : "json-server --watch db.json --port 3005", "build-js" : "mkdir -p dist/js && uglifyjs src/js/*.js -m -o dist/js/app.js", "lint" : "lint jshint src/**/**.js", "build-css" : "node-sass --include-path scss scss/main.scss assets/main.css", "watch-css" : "nodemon -e scss -x \"npm run build-css\"", "test" : "mocha test", "pretest" : "npm run lint", "posttest" : "echo the test has been run!", "bash" : "Location of the bash/shell script file" }
This boilerplate will take care of all the necessary things which we need during development phase like:
npm run dev - Bootstraps our app, opens it in the browser, reloads the browser whenever we make changes in source. build-js - Minifies all our JavaScript files, which will be needed during production. watch-css - Nodemon is a utility that will monitor for any changes in your source and automatically restart your server. Here I have used it to monitor for any changes in the.scss file, if there are changes, it will restart the server and build our css.
"scripts" : { "test" : "echo I am test", "pretest" : "echo I run before test", "posttest" : "echo I run after test" }
npm test - It wraps the above three commands *"pretest test posttest"* and executes them in the order I have listed. Initially when you hit npm test it will look for pretest command. If it is there, it gets executed first, followed by test and then posttest. During the look up if it doesn't find pretest command it will directly execute the test command.
The remaining commands I have explained it in the previous section. You can also customize this boilerplate based on your needs.
I hope this article has saved your time while preparing a build tool. Now we have prepared our own boilerplate for npm as a build tool. I hope now you will accept npm has killed both Grunt and Gulp. Feel free to use my boilerplate and contributions are welcome. Further, you can refer official npm scripts.
If you have any queries, please let me know in comments.Photo
Archaeologists exploring a cave in Namibia have found evidence for the earliest domesticated animals in sub-Saharan Africa.
The cave, in the northwestern part of the country, contains stone and bone tools, beads and pendants, pieces of pottery, and the bones of many animals — guinea fowl, ostriches, monitor lizards, tortoises, impala, rock hyraxes and various rodents.
The researchers also found two teeth of either a goat or a sheep — the teeth were too worn to say which, but their form is consistent with that of modern African domesticated sheep and goats. There are no wild sheep or goats in sub-Saharan Africa today. Although some wild species probably became extinct around 12,000 years ago, there is no evidence of their presence in the western part of the continent. The researchers are certain that the remains they found belong to domestic animals.
The teeth date from 2,190 and 2,270 years ago. Until now, the oldest radiocarbon-dated remains were of 2,105-year-old-sheep found in South Africa.
The study, a collaboration between the National Museum of Namibia and the National Museum of Natural History in Paris, appears in PLoS One. Its lead author, David Pleurdeau, an assistant professor at the Paris museum, said the find did not necessarily mean that people living near this site were breeding domestic animals.
“In the cave, there is no evidence that the inhabitants were herders,” he said. “We still don’t know if it’s herders migrating to the area, or the introduction of a few sheep among an indigenous group.”Interviewed by Christopher Lehmann-Haupt and Nathaniel Rich Issue 178, Fall 2006
Stephen King began this interview in the summer of 2001, two years after he was struck by a minivan while walking near his home in Center Lovell, Maine. He was lucky to have survived the accident, in which he suffered scalp lacerations, a collapsed right lung, and multiple fractures of his right hip and leg. Six pounds of metal that had been implanted in King’s body during the initial surgery were removed shortly before the author spoke to The Paris Review, and he was still in constant pain. “The orthopedist found all this infected tissue and outraged flesh,” said King. “The bursas were sticking right out, like little eyes.” The interview was held in Boston, where King, an avid Red Sox fan, had taken up temporary residence to watch his team make its pennant run. Although he was still frail, he was back to writing every day, and by night he would take his manuscript to Fenway Park so that he could edit between innings and during pitching changes.
A second interview session with King was conducted early this year at his winter home in Florida, which happens to be within easy driving distance of the Red Sox’s spring training compound in Fort Myers. The house lies at the end of a sandy key, and looks—by virtue of a high vaulted ceiling—something like an overturned sailboat. It was a hot, sunny morning and King sat on his front steps in blue jeans, white sneakers, and a Tabasco hot sauce T-shirt, reading the local newspaper. The day before, the same paper had printed his home address in its business section, and fans had been driving by all morning to get a peek at the world-famous author. “People forget,” he said, “I’m a real person.”
King was born on September 21, 1947, in Portland, Maine. His father abandoned his family when King was very young, and his mother moved around the country before settling back in Maine—this time in the small inland town of Durham. King’s first published story, “I Was a Teenage Grave Robber,” appeared in 1965 in a fan magazine called Comics Review. Around that time he received a scholarship to attend the University of Maine in Orono, where he met his wife, Tabitha, a novelist with whom he has three children and to whom he is still married. For several years he struggled to support his young family by washing motel linens at a laundry, teaching high-school English, and occasionally selling short stories to men’s magazines. Then, in 1973, he sold his novel Carrie, which quickly became a best seller. Since then, King has sold over three hundred million books.
In addition to forty-three novels, King has written eight collections of short stories, eleven screenplays, and two books on the craft of writing, and he is a co-author with Stewart O’Nan of Faithful, a day-by-day account of the Red Sox’s 2004 championship season. Virtually all of his novels and most of his short stories have been adapted for film or television. Although he was dismissed by critics for much of his career—one New York Times review called King “a writer of fairly engaging and preposterous claptrap”—his writing has received greater recognition in recent years, and in 2003 he won the Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters from the National Book Foundation. King has also been honored for his devoted efforts to support and promote the work of other authors. In 1997 he received the Writers for Writers Award from Poets & Writers magazine, and he was recently selected to edit the 2007 edition of Best American Short Stories.
In person, King has a gracious, funny, sincere manner and speaks with great enthusiasm and candor. He is also a generous host. Halfway through the interview he served lunch: a roasted chicken—which he proceeded to hack at with a frighteningly sharp knife—potato salad, coleslaw, macaroni salad, and, for dessert, key lime pie. When asked what he was currently working on, he stood up and led the way to the beach that runs along his property. He explained that two other houses once stood at the end of the key. One of them collapsed during a storm five years earlier, and bits of wall, furniture, and personal effects still wash ashore at high tide. King is setting his next novel in the other house. It is still standing, though it is abandoned and, undoubtedly, haunted.
INTERVIEWER
How old were you when you started writing?
STEPHEN KING
Believe it or not, I was about six or seven, just copying panels out of comic books and then making up my own stories. I can remember being home from school with tonsillitis and writing stories in bed to pass the time. Film was also a major influence. I loved the movies from the start. I can remember my mother taking me to Radio City Music Hall to see Bambi. Whoa, the size of the place, and the forest fire in the movie—it made a big impression. So when I started to write, I had a tendency to write in images because that was all I knew at the time.
INTERVIEWER
When did you begin reading adult fiction?
KING
In 1959 probably, after we had moved back to Maine. I would have been twelve, and I was going to this little one-room schoolhouse just up the street from my house. All the grades were in one room, and there was a shithouse out back, which stank. There was no library in town, but every week the state sent a big green van called the bookmobile. You could get three books from the bookmobile and they didn’t care which ones—you didn’t have to take out kid books. Up until then what I had been reading was Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys, and things like that. The first books I picked out were these Ed McBain 87th Precinct novels. In the one I read first, the cops go up to question a woman in this tenement apartment and she is standing there in her slip. The cops tell her to put some clothes on, and she grabs her breast through her slip and squeezes it at them and says, “In your eye, cop!” And I went, Shit! Immediately something clicked in my head. I thought, That’s real, that could really happen. That was the end of the Hardy Boys. That was the end of all juvenile fiction for me. It was like, See ya!
INTERVIEWER
But you didn’t read popular fiction exclusively.
KING
I didn’t know what popular fiction was, and nobody told me at the time. I read a wide range of books. I read The Call of the Wild and The Sea-Wolf one week, and then Peyton Place the next week, and then a week later The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit. Whatever came to mind, whatever came to hand, I would read. When I read The Sea-Wolf, I didn’t understand that it was Jack London’s critique of Nietzsche, and when I read McTeague, I didn’t know that was naturalism, that it was Frank Norris saying, You can never win, the system always beats you. But I did understand them on another level. When I read Tess of the d’Urbervilles, I said to myself two things. Number one, if she didn’t wake up when that guy fucked her, she must have really been asleep. And number two, a woman couldn’t catch a break at that time. That was my introduction to women’s lit. I loved that book, so I read a whole bunch of Hardy. But when I read Jude the Obscure, that was the end of my Hardy phase. I thought, This is fucking ridiculous. Nobody’s life is this bad. Give me a break |
Big news on the GPU front today for Mac users. Along with the announcement of its new ridiculously powerful Titan Xp GPU, Nvidia announced that new beta Pascal drivers are coming next week for the Mac.
This is great news for eGPU users and for those interested in building a Hackintosh. It also bodes well for the future of the upcoming modular Mac Pro.
Synology RT2600ac: The AirPort Extreme replacement.
Here are the stats for the new Titan Xp GPU:
12GB of GDDR5X memory running at 11.4 Gbps
3,840 CUDA cores running at 1.6GHz
12 TFLOPs of brute force
The Titan line now takes its rightful place at the top of the heap shortly after the announcement of the GTX 1080 Ti.
More importantly, for Mac users, Nvidia is focused on delivering needed the latest GPU power to the Mac community:
Speaking of users, we’re also making the new TITAN Xp open to the Mac community with new beta Pascal drivers, coming this month. For the first time, this gives Mac users access to the immense horsepower delivered by our award-winning Pascal-powered GPUs.
This is an extremely exciting revelation for Mac users who require the power provided by the latest graphics architecture. Currently Mac users are limited to Maxwell GPUs from the company’s 9-series cards, but next week we’ll be able to finally experience Pascal, albeit a $1200 Pascal model, on the Mac.
We have reached out to Nvidia for a statement about compatibility down the line with lesser 10-series cards, and I’m happy to report that Nvidia states that all Pascal-based GPUs will be Mac-enabled via upcoming drivers. This means that you will be able to use a GTX 1080, for instance, on a Mac system via an eGPU setup, or with a Hackintosh build. Exciting times, indeed.Osi Umenyiora tried to battle his way through a hip issue this offseason, as he figured it was simply another flare-up of a lingering injury that pops up annually during spring workouts.One month into summer, the pain is still there for the Giants’ beleaguered defensive end. And one expert says it won’t go away without surgery.Earlier this month, Umenyiora traveled to the Steadman Clinic in Vail, Colo., to visit noted hip specialist Marc Philippon, according to someone informed of the trip and Philippon’s diagnosis. The person, who requested anonymity because neither the Giants nor Umenyiora’s camp has discussed his condition, said Philippon recommended surgery to repair side effects from a torn hip flexor that kept Umenyiora out of five games in 2006.The person said Philippon, who has performed hip surgeries on the Yankees’ Alex Rodriguez, the Ravens’ Ed Reed, former Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner and several other high-profile athletes, scheduled Umenyiora’s operation for the near future. But Philippon, Umenyiora and the Giants’ medical staff eventually agreed to pass on surgery for now and try to manage the injury because he won’t make it worse by playing through it.A Giants spokesman declined comment. Umenyiora’s agent, Tony Agnone, wrote in a text message he was unavailable to speak on the matter because he was visiting clients Monday. Umenyiora, who will report to training camp with his teammates on Sunday, could not be reached for comment.Umenyiora has been able to play through and manage his hip pain the past few seasons. He led the Giants with seven sacks last season and had 13 in 2007 before missing all of 2008 with a knee injury. However, this spring the hip injury was worse than it had been during recent offseasons. The Giants even cited the hip as a reason for his being absent from an organized team activities practice.The two-time Pro Bowl selection has also been frustrated by being relegated to a part-time role last season and said this offseason he wouldn’t be pleased with backing up Mathias Kiwanuka if he was playing his best football.With his hip pain refusing to subside, it’s unclear if he’ll reach top form at all this season.from surgery performed seven months ago to repair a torn knee ligament that cut short his 2009 season and closed out his career with the Titans.Bulluck, a 33-year-old New City, N.Y., native who signed a one-year deal with the Giants on Saturday, said he’s been told the team is “not going to try to kill me with two-a-days” during training camp, which means he’ll be among the players who will be limited to one practice during days with double sessions.As for the switch to the middle after a decade of playing the weak side in the Titans’ base defense, Bulluck said it will be similar to his role in the Tennessee defense where he was stacked behind a defensive tackle.Plus, he’s looking forward to being involved in every play, not just the ones to his side as an outside linebacker.“If you just play on one side, you know, and you’re the dominant defensive player on your team, they’re usually trying to do things to scheme you up,” Bulluck said, adding: “In the middle, you can run at me, but you can’t run away from me.”to Bulluck and will wear No. 49 — at least until roster cuts make a number in the 50s available.Rights group in the US are calling for a return to hand-counted paper balloting as a universal standard for elections in an effort to boost transparency and prevent vote irregularities that many see as a threat to the country's democratic system.
Shyla Nelson, the co-founder of Election Justice USA, told Al Jazeera that a complete overhaul of the system, including the end of the use of electronic voting machines, is required to ensure truly democratic elections in the country.
"Until we systematically address the myriad ways in which our elections are manipulated - voter suppression, unauthorised registration purges, district gerrymandering, gross exit poll variances, the privatisation of voting machinery, and the lack of transparency in ballot processing - our elections will continue to rank among the lowest in the world in integrity."
Nelson criticised current government initiatives to protect the voting machines - which she noted are in many cases running on increasingly obsolete hardware and software - from cyber attacks as a failure to address "the well-documented reality of election fraud at their root".
US Department of Homeland Security chief Jeh Johnson said on Wednesday that the government would "carefully consider" whether the country's election system should be considered as critical infrastructure, a move that would trigger greater digital security measures for electronic voting machines.
"We’re actively thinking about the election and cybersecurity right now," he told reporters.
But Caitriona Fitzgerald, the chief technology officer of the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) - a civil rights group, told Al Jazeera that the very reliance on electronic voting machines and online voting threatens public trust in US elections.
'Election security'
"Paper ballots are a very important element in election security. Without a paper record of one’s vote, it is impossible to verify if the computer has, indeed, recorded your vote in the system as it is shown on the screen.
OPINION: American democracy is rigged
"Furthermore, lack of a paper record makes meaningful recounts or audits impossible because any recount would simply corroborate the same count the computer made the first time and would not catch any errors."
Clifford Arnebeck, a civil rights attorney who co-chairs the Alliance for Democracy, and has filed multiple lawsuits over alleged election fraud in the US since 2000, told Al Jazeera how it has become much easier to manipulate votes.
"In 2004 - there were still punch card ballots and optical scan ballots - so the flipping of votes had to be done manually by taking ballots to unauthorised locations and reshuffling the deck.
"But with the electronic system, it is much more simple to use a program to flip the tabulation of vote."
The calls for more transparency came after widespread accusations that the Democratic primary was rigged in favour of Hillary Clinton and against her rival Bernie Sanders.
But Gary Nordlinger, a state attorney and professor of politics at George Washington University, told Al Jazeera that it is highly improbable that the US ever faced election fraud, saying the polling system has always been tightly controlled.
He also pointed to Clinton's substantial margin of victory as proof of the unlikelihood that any significant vote manipulation occurred, especially when there are "election observers" at the polling stations.
"Hillary Clinton would not have won by around 3.8 million votes if there was election fraud," he said.
READ MORE: Polls - Sanders has more potential to beat Trump
However, Arnebeck says he has garnered much evidence pointing to use of sophisticated technology to rig electronic voting machines across the country and plans to launch a lawsuit over the alleged fraud in the Democratic primary.
"This is the most extreme case of election fraud yet... the new technology is believed to be capable of stealing 50 (percentage) points in an election," he said.
'Sanders was winning by landslide'
"Sanders was winning by a landslide... so they had to flip whatever votes they could. That is one of the reasons why the evidence is so compelling."
Election Justice USA released a report last month that detailed its alleged evidence of election irregularities and fraud in the Democratic primary and pointed out the lack of transparency practices.
"Unlike other technologically advanced countries such as Germany, Canada, France, Ireland, Italy, Denmark, Finland, and 53 other countries, election ballots in the United States are not counted by hand and in public," the "Democracy Lost" report said.
"Many US states use touch-screen computer voting systems that do not even generate a paper trail. Almost all ballots, whether paper or not, are counted by computers.
"All counting is non-transparent and inaccessible for verification by the public. The few states that audit the computer counts by hand only examine a tiny percentage of the ballots and even this count is not performed according to proper statistical procedures.
"In other words, the results of our elections, based on computer counts, are largely unverified."There are forces in this world whose power stretches beyond our mortal comprehension. Those forces seem to have descended upon Niagara Falls, which will be illuminated in purple this evening in honor of Queen Elizabeth’s 90th birthday Prince’s death at the age of 57.
In a Twitter post this afternoon, Canadian travel account @CanoeTravel revealed a photograph of the majestic Falls illuminated in purple. The account incorrectly stated that Elizabeth’s birthday is the reason for the tribute, as clearly some mystical power has conspired to turn Mother Nature purple to commemorate the late, legendary Prince.
Niagara Falls will be illuminated in purple today for the 90th birthday of Queen Elizabeth. Photo via @NiagaraParks. https://t.co/UeXOH6Yd5w—
Canoe Travel (@canoetravel) April 21, 2016
With literally thousands of Prince tributes pouring in from all corners of the world, it’s good to see Niagara Falls doing its part to pay homage to one of the most brilliant, prolific artists humanity has ever known, who was found dead at his Paisley Park Estate in Chanhassen, Minnesota, this morning.Salvage workers preparing to begin removing some of the 1,280 containers aboard the MV Rena off the coast of Tauranga, New Zealand. AP Photo/New Zealand Herald, Alan Gibson World trade is as bad as it has been at any point since the global financial crisis in 2008.
The Baltic Dry Index, a measure of how much it costs to transport raw materials, in November dropped below 500 for the first time, and it has kept falling.
The index was as high as 1,222 in August, and it has fallen 84% from a recent peak of 2,330 in late 2013.
The index measures how much it costs to ship dry commodities, meaning raw materials like grain and steel, around the world.
It is frequently used as a so-called canary in the coal mine for the state of the global economy and how well international trade is performing. If the price is low, it suggests trade is slowing.
Analysts at Deutsche Bank led by Amit Mehrotra have been watching the fall closely. The drop has been so bad that ships are being scrapped faster than they are being built. Here are the main points in a recent note (emphasis ours):
Total dry bulk capacity declined by almost 1M tons (net) last week as the pace of deliveries slowed and scrapping remained elevated.
Around 16 ships were sold for scrap last week totaling 1.6M tons. This more than offset 9 new deliveries, translating to a net reduction of 7 vessels.
Last week's scrapping would represent an annualized pace of 11% of installed capacity, which is almost double the all-time high of 6.3% set in 1986.
Year-to-date scrapping is up 80% versus same time last year.Last night's Person of Interest gave us a long, hard look at this show's darkest theories about how the government actually works. Plus, it looks like the battle of the AIs is about to begin. Spoilers ahead!
Our number of the week was McCourt, a congressman who serves on the House Rules Committee (which Finch helpfully explains means that he has a crucial role to play in approving or stalling new legislation). Finch and Reese suspect that McCourt is being targeted by the privacy terrorists in Vigilance, but that makes no sense because McCourt has actually been an outspoken privacy advocate who is against surveillance. If anything, Vigilance would be McCourt's ally. So why did the Machine think he was in danger?
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They think they have the answer when they discover a guy shadowing McCourt is driving a car rented by a company owned by Decima. If you recall, Decima is the company owned by evil global entrepreneur Greer, who wants nothing more than to bring the AI Samaritan online and make a profit with it. So maybe Decima is targeting McCourt because he's trying to block legislation that would allow the government to do business with Decima?
This seems increasingly likely when we see Greer having a secret meeting with Garrison, the senator who was Control's main buddy in the Northern Lights gang. Greer is trying to sell him on Decima's evil AI project, using soothing assurances that add up to things like "we will destroy all your enemies" and "no Earth is too scorched for us." Garrison is interested, but thinks that all the revelations about spying will make it a tough sell in the senate. Which is when Greer gives him the final tough sell line about how all he has to do is say yes and all opposition will be "taken care of."
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It makes sense. After all, the Northern Lights program and all the intelligence "black budget" projects have been shut down. So if you can't get total information awareness that's funded by the government, why not turn to private military contractors for the same thing?
Oh and by the way, while all of this is going on, Root has invited Shaw to hijack a plane with her and go to Miami on a "relevant number" mission. Because now that Northern Lights is dead, the Machine is using Root to stop terrorism. Which makes me feel... kind of safe? Shaw can't turn down an invite to hijack a plane, so we get some nice comic relief with Root and Shaw sipping girly drinks in a bar full of the terrorist ninjas they've just incapacitated/slaughtered. Before she takes off on another mission, Root reveals to Shaw that the Machine is doing work she will only call "preparation." Ominous.
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But those "preparations" leave Shaw free to zoom back to New York to rescue McCourt, Reese and Finch from a firefight with some Decima guys who have been tailing them. She even throws one of the Decima heavies into her trunk for interrogation later. Oh Shaw — you think of everything. Unfortunately, McCourt thinks Reese and Finch have kidnapped him. Plus, Finch still has no idea what the hell is going on with Decima.
As soon as they start interrogating, however, things get really weird. It turns out Decima's little militia has been charged with protecting McCourt. And finally, Finch gets McCourt to confess snarkily that he's been in Decima's pocket all along. They've been feeding him insider information so he can get rich on the stock exchange, and in return he's greasing the wheels of legislation that will replace the Machine's ethical goal of "helping everyone" with Samaritan's bloodthirsty libertarian insanity. But why would anti-surveillance McCourt support such things? "The business of government is business," he explains with a snort to a wide-eyed Finch.
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But of course it isn't just business. McCourt won't end his relationship with Decima for any price, even when Finch offers him tons of money. He obviously likes the power that they're offering him. This scenario touches on one of the most powerful themes in Person of Interest, which is that government corruption isn't just about bastards lining their pockets. It's also about, well, genocide. McCourt's decisions may well lead to a nation where Decima's AI will be an enforcer for the most successful authoritarian regime the world has ever known.
Out of personal corruption grows a corrupt state, with the power to destroy millions of lives. And it's that realization that leads to the weirdest and most intense part of the episode.
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The Machine Gang is left wondering why, exactly, they've been given McCourt's number. He's obviously a potential victim, but who is the threat? "Us," Reese acknowledges finally. He thinks the Machine wants them to kill McCourt. Shaw reluctantly agrees, but Finch refuses to believe it. Even if it's true, he says, he wants no part of it. With the police closing in on them, they have to make a decision.
Reese approaches McCourt with a gun, but ultimately can't pull the trigger. He's spent too long trying to be good to take assassinate somebody, even if killing that person might save the lives of hundreds or thousands. I have a feeling this ethical decision will wind up biting everybody in the ass, and hard. When we see McCourt later, he's still wheeling and dealing, telling Garrison that he'll push the Decima-friendly legislation through the House if Garrison will push it through the Senate.
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Of course Garrison and Greer are making their evil plans in front of a Hieronymus Bosch painting.
Meanwhile, Greer has convinced Garrison to let him have access to the NSA's surveillance feeds in New York City as "a demonstration" of their capability. Once they do that, Greer assures Garrison, all their opposition will be "taken care of." The plan appears to be to let Samaritan loose in New York and then just kill everyone who gets in Decima's way. Which — I have some questions about that. First of all, why would Decima want to be a government contractor anyway? Doesn't the government pay way less than private industry? And second, if you want to stake your future on selling your "destroy them all" services to the government, doesn't it seem like a bad idea to kill a bunch of politicians? I'm just saying.
Regardless, Greer has got his wish. As the episode closes, Samaritan comes online and starts accessing New York's feeds. "Find Harold Finch," Greer orders languidly. Meanwhile, a wounded Shaw and Reese are limping through the streets while Finch tries to disappear. They're trying to stay off the radar, because presumably they've figured out that Decima is likely to have Samaritan tracking them.
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Here's our first look at Samaritan's interface.
Can Finch's powers of privacy withstand Samaritan's onslaught? What about the Machine? Has it really become an assassin who is willing to take out corrupt politicians to stop its AI rival? Our heroes have held onto their ethics, but at what cost to the future?A Nasty Piece of Work: Bill Maher’s Politics are Unreal
Eoin Higgins Blocked Unblock Follow Following Feb 27, 2016
I have a writing prompt on my blog’s dashboard reading: “Bill Maher’s latest repulsive comments.”
It’s a perennially useful prompt, even though most of what I write about him doesn’t see print.
The nominally liberal comedian uses his weekly discussion show on HBO, Real Time With Bill Maher, to pretentiously preen to a reliably sycophantic audience and spread xenophobic hate speech, barely veiled racism, and dismissive misogyny. It’s a nasty piece of work that enjoys a substantial influence in mainstream liberal circles.
Maher’s base is expanding out of the liberal mainstream, though, thanks to his virulent hatred of Islam and its adherents. Much like evangelical atheist Richard Dawkins, whose views on Islam and the Global South have won him fans across the rising right wing in Europe, Maher is enjoying something of a career renaissance as he garners praise from the American hard right.
Maher’s speechifying this week was at its most inspired when he was speaking with his new buddy Michael Hayden, the former head of the CIA. Hayden came on the show to promote his new memoir/torture apologia. Maher had a lot of fun squawking to one of the architects of the modern surveillance state about how Apple should give the FBI the tech to unlock the iPhone- tech the company claims it has specifically not designed in response to consumer concerns over privacy.
Bad enough, but the real horror show came, as it often does, on the internet-only post-show discussion called “Overtime.”
During Overtime on February 26, Maher and his guests debated the efficacy and wisdom of closing the extralegal Guantanamo Bay Prison Camp which houses upwards of seventy men who have never been tried for any crimes. Most men in the prison were scooped up in the aftermath of the immediate US invasion and destruction of Afghanistan after the 9/11 attacks.
Now, Maher is on the right side here- he believes the prison should be closed and the prisoners given trials- but for the wrong reason. Maher thinks the US should give the Guantanamo Bay prisoners trials because “it works.”
“It works.”
This sounds reasonable enough. It’s not.
What constitutes the judicial system “working” in trying terror suspects in Bill Maher’s world? Why, it’s the fact that the trials have a 100 percent success rate.
That success rate is not necessarily an indication of guilt.
The trial process is heavily weighted towards the prosecution. Much of the evidence that is presented at these trials is deemed far too sensitive for the public and a threat to national security. The deck is so stacked against the defense that the entire process functions more as going through the motions; a military tribunal rather than an actual trial.
This is the system that Maher believes works- a system that is designed to maintain the power of the state to the detriment of the powerless, irrespective of their crimes- because it reliably returns the result he believes it should.
It’s the same logical fallacy that maintains inequality of power, access, and justice, promoted by the same kind of person the fallacy requires: An ignorant, well-to-do blowhard, untouched by the reality of the inequity, all too ready to trumpet it to his receptive audience.
Like Bill Maher.Foreword
Year Beginning Impressions
Kodokan President Haruki UEMURA
I would like to wish you a Happy New Year, with the coming of 2017.
Last year, the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, a big event of sporting world, was held on a large scale. World’s top athletes showed exciting matches making their utmost effort of mind, body and technique, in 306 events of 28 sports. The Japanese delegation gained a record number of 41 medals including 12 gold medals. Their performance impressed us and provided cheerful, pleasant topics.
In Judo events, 390 athletes from 136 countries and regions participated. Most players were gripping each other well and showed their offensive and defensive techniques in exciting matches. However, there were some players who were desperate to win and disregarded Riai (the principle of using correct, sufficient motion to perform each technique properly with maximum efficiency) such as Kuzushi, Tsukuri and Kake, and repeated false attacks. Also there were some players who only focused on blocking opponent’s grip and continued that until the end of match. There were also many cases that referees called Osaekomi although the situations did not satisfy required conditions. The definition of Osaekomi and the way of refereeing need to be reconfirmed immediately.
This time, the number of countries with a gold medalist became 10, including Argentina and Kosovo that gained a gold medal for the first time in the history of Olympic Judo. Also the number of countries and regions that gained any kind of medal became 26. These results show that world’s Judo has increased the level surely and extensively. In such circumstances, the Japan team struggled to win a record high 12 medals including three gold medals. Not only that, their proper Reiho, posture, fighting style always aiming at Ippon, and also their manner after matches were highly praised by IJF and Federation officials as well as audience. Also in Paralympics, Japanese delegation gained 24 medals much more than the previous time. In Judo events, a Japanese female player won a medal for the first time, and Japanese delegation brought four medals to the country. I believe that these efforts and momentum in Rio de Janeiro will lead toward the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics in 2020 four years later.
Kano Jigoro Shihan created Kodokan Judo and diffused domestically and internationally. At the same time, he preached about the importance and need of physical education throughout his life. Not only accomplishing enormous achievements as an educator, he became the first Asian member of the IOC in 1909 and devoted himself to realize Japan’s participation in the Olympics, a festival of peace, and to make Japan a hosting country. He founded Dai Nihon Taiiku Kyokai that is the predecessor of Japan Amateur Sports Association and Japanese Olympic Committee in 1911, and became the first president. The next year, in 1912, the 5th Stockholm Olympics was held with 2437 participants from 28 countries. Kano Shihan participated in this Olympics as the chief of Japanese delegation consisting of one coach, Mr. Hyozo Omori, and two track-and-field athletes, Mr.Yahiro MISHIMA and Mr. Shiso KANAGURI. After that, he worked actively to realize the first Olympics in Asia. In 1936, finally Tokyo defeated Helsinki in the bid to host the Olympics in 1940, in the IOC General Assembly held just before the Berlin Olympics. However, Shina-jihen (China Incident) broke out in 1937, therefore IOC members raised questions about the possibility of the Tokyo Olympics and Japan’s aptitude as a hosting country. In the IOC General Assembly at Cairo in 1938, there was a meeting to take a vote on the holding of the Tokyo Olympics two years later. Kano Shihan made a great effort to persuade his opponents and gained the final approval of the Tokyo Olympics as well as the holding of the Winter Olympics in Sapporo.
After getting the approval of summer and winter Olympics in Japan, Kano Shihan went to Athene to pay respect at gravesite of his friend, Baron Pierre de Coubertin, a former IOC president. He visited various IOC officials travelling across the Atlantic Ocean and the North America, then boarded a ship Hikawamaru at Seattle to return to Japan via Vancouver. On the ship, he got pneumonia from a common cold and passed away on the 4th of May, in 1938.
In July of the same year, Japan’s government decided to give up holding the Olympics due to the intensification of the war. If the Tokyo Olympics was held in 1940, Judo matches were supposed to be held as demonstration sport. I sometimes imagine if the Tokyo Olympics had been held in 1940, how it would have been, “Was it held in open-weight or weight class?”, “How was the refereeing?”, or “Did it help Judo to diffuse to the world earlier?”
24 years later, Judo became official events in the Tokyo Olympics in 1964, and 74 male athletes from 27 countries participated. Women’s Judo started as a demonstration sport in the Seoul Olympics, and became official events in the Barcelona Olympics.
I thought about the reason why Kano Shihan aimed at participating and hosting Olympics. The purpose of Olympic Movement is to seek hand-in-hand world peace through sport, cultivating friendship, cooperation and the spirit of fair play while promoting mutual understanding. In chapter 1 of the Olympic Charter, it is prescribed as follows: “The goal of the Olympic Movement is to contribute to building a peaceful and better world by educating youth through sport practiced in accordance with Olympism and its values.” Probably the reason is that these Olympic principles are consistent with Kano Shihan’s thought, “Judo is the way of using one’s mental and physical strength in the most efficient manner. Through training and practicing techniques for offense and defense, one disciplines and cultivates body and spirit, and thereby masters the essence of this way. Thus, the ultimate goal of Judo is to strive for personal perfection by means of this and to benefit the world.”
In the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, 11000 athletes from 206 countries and regions participated. Japanese delegation was 601 of these. The Olympics has popularized and promoted sports in these 104 years and shown its history of expanding and enriching.
We think that all Judo-related people need to make the utmost effort for the success of the Tokyo Olympics in 2020, to pursue Kano Shihan’s goal. That is to say, developing human resources through sports and promoting international exchange and friendship, as well as the furtherance of world peace.
This year again, the Kodokan is going to conduct various events. Not only Kodokan Seminars both at home and abroad, we will further develop Kodokan Youth Cultivation Training Seminars that have been held for four years with co-sponsorship of Token Corporation. The seminars are providing good opportunities for young people and their coaches and parents to review the basics of Judo. In addition, we will enhance Youth Judo Education Camps and International Seminars for overseas coaches and trainees, and also willingly respond to requests from other countries to dispatch experts and provide instructional tours.
Here at the start of the year, I express my resolve to pursue the concept of Seiryoku-zenyo and Jita-kyoei, and to dedicate all my strength to diffuse and promote Judo, in order to carry out my responsibility to correctly pass down Kodokan Judo created by predecessors to posterity.
I greatly appreciate your guidance, support, and cooperation.
Lastly, I wish that this year will be a good year for you all.Latino Voters Hit Hardest By Brooklyn Voter Purge
toggle caption KENA BETANCUR/AFP/Getty Images
This story was originally posted on the website of member station WNYC:
Ever since New York state's presidential primary in April, officials from the city Board of Elections have been trying to explain what led to two illegal voter purges that removed more than 120,000 voters from the rolls.
Executive Director Michael Ryan has apologized publicly, but he has also tried to debunk claims that any specific group of voters was unduly affected by the purge. Testifying under oath at a City Council hearing last month, Ryan said that "a broad cross-section of voters [was] removed from the voter rolls."
But a WNYC analysis found something very different. Under the state Freedom of Information Law, WNYC obtained the list of every voter the board says was removed from the books in a major purge over two days last summer. When mapped by election district, the analysis shows that Hispanic voters were disproportionately purged from the rolls when compared with all other groups.
More broadly, board officials have said repeatedly that the purges were a mistake. The two top clerks at the Brooklyn office have been suspended without pay since shortly after the primary. Ryan announced earlier this month that the board would return all the purged voters to the rolls in time for Tuesday's congressional primary.
toggle caption WNYC, 2010 Census, NY Board of Elections
The election districts with the largest number of purged voters are heavily concentrated in the neighborhoods of Sunset Park, East New York, and parts of Bushwick and Williamsburg — largely within the bounds of the 7th Congressional District, whose incumbent, Democrat Nydia Velázquez, faces a primary challenge later this month from two candidates.
According to New York state election law, there are legitimate reasons why voters should be removed from the rolls — they move, they die, they are convicted of felonies. But the distribution of these voter purges raises a series of troubling questions about how the board performs some of its most basic and essential functions, and whether the weakening of the federal Voting Rights Act in 2013 allowed the board's misconduct to slip under the radar.
Read more at WNYC.orgIn light of Sunday's crushing trial by combat, HBO.com connected with Pedro Pascal, the actor behind Oberyn Martell. Pascal shares his analysis of the scene ("cathartic"), what it was like to hold a replica of his own skull, and his take on Oberyn's relationships with the women in his life.
HBO: At what point did you learn Oberyn's fate?
Pedro Pascal: I was told right off the bat. It was in the description of the character arc when I auditioned for the part. I didn't know how he died, until I met [series creators] David Benioff and Dan Weiss in Belfast. They mentioned the crushing of my head in three steps: first the teeth, then the eyes, and finally the entire melon head. My first thought was, "Hopefully I'll be able to compete for a top spot for the most gruesome death on 'Game of Thrones,' " which is saying a lot.
HBO: Have you seen the finished scene?
Pedro Pascal: I haven't, but I can't imagine. [This interview took place before the episode aired.] I have to watch it in time with everyone else. I worry for my family; I really do.
HBO: As gruesome as it is, it looks authentic. Did they make a cast of your head?
Pedro Pascal: They made a cast of my head from the shoulders up and dressed it with facial hair and the expression of violent agony.
HBO: Have you seen it?
Pedro Pascal: Yes! They caught me staring at my head on set. We never get a chance to see ourselves three-dimensionally, and it's totally different. Maybe there was a little narcissism or just the fascination of seeing myself in 360 degrees. I was like, "Holy sh*t. I really look like my dad."
HBO: How much training did you have with the spear?
Pedro Pascal: HBO and 'Game of Thrones' put me in training with a master of wushu, an acrobatic martial arts. People train their entire lives to master this skill, so in a couple of weeks Master Hu could only show me the basics.
HBO: What was the most challenging thing about it?
Pedro Pascal: Everything. Mostly working with a spear that was a foot taller than me. There was sort of a helicopter-propeller move with the spear that I wanted to achieve the "woosh woosh woosh" of. I bought a curtain rod from Home Depot and practiced in my apartment because I was too shy to do it in public.
HBO: What was it like to film the combat scene? Can you explain Oberyn's decisions?
Pedro Pascal: It was very challenging because there was a physical aspect of it – which was the most demanding work that I've ever done – but also Oberyn is climaxing emotionally. Those two things synchronize themselves really beautifully.
I had a fascinating conversation with Lena Headey on set where we discussed the entire arc of the character. Oberyn is desperate to hear the Mountain make his confession. Although it's a violently tragic end, he does ultimately hear the words. There is this bittersweet ecstasy in the idea of delivering oneself to one's own end. It's a very cathartic moment.
HBO: In a previous episode, Oberyn is writing a poem for his daughter. Have you thought through his life in Dorne?
Pedro Pascal: I see him as an extremely contemporary, progressive and loving father. I think it's so suitable that he had nothing but daughters to raise. He doesn't shape ideas based on old conventions so his daughters are not limited by backwards, medieval morality.
HBO: He's very emotionally intelligent.
Pedro Pascal: I think there's a depth in the way that Oberyn perceives the world and the way he lives in it. I think there's a lot of woman inside of Oberyn, which attributes to his strength.
HBO: Can you explain what you mean by "a lot of woman"?
Pedro Pascal: Perceptiveness. Intelligence. In the world of 'Game of Thrones,' which can harshly reflect some of the darker elements of our reality, I would argue that women are often forced to be smarter and more in touch with themselves because their circumstances are so ruled by men. Women's survival skills kick in a bit earlier.
HBO: Would you say that Oberyn is a feminist?Pakistan Army Chief Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa on Wednesday said that Jamaat-ud-Dawah chief and the Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed can play an ‘active role’ to resolve the Kashmir conflict, as every other citizen of Pakistan, reports ANI.
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Speaking at ‘in-camera session’ of the Senate Committee of the Whole in Islamabad, Bajwa while speaking on topics like counter-terrorism operations and foreign policy, said, “Like every other Pakistani, Saeed can also take up the Kashmir cause.” His statement comes days after former Pakistan President and military dictator Pervez Musharraf called LeT and JuD ‘patriotic’and expressed his willingness to forge an alliance with them for the “safety and security” of Pakistan.
Saeed, the founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba and a UN-designated terrorist, carries a USD 10 million bounty on his head. His JuD was declared as a foreign terrorist organisation by the US in June 2014. The United States had also recently raised its reservations about Saeed running for office in 2018.
“Saeed, who was released by Pakistan from house arrest last November resulting in angry reaction from the US, was the mastermind of the Mumbai terrorist attacks and is leader of Lashkar-e-Taiba,” PTI quoted State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert as saying.
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The United States had also strongly condemned his release and had called for his immediate re-arrest and prosecution. Warning that the release can have an impact on the bilateral ties between the two countries, the White House had asked Pakistan to immediately re-arrest and prosecute the Mumbai attack mastermind.For our friends who live in countries where YouTube is blocked, watch the session on Vimeo.
Session Tracklisting
1. Sh |
but admits to some challenges. "Steven [Spielberg] and [Donner] and all the powers that be... they really feel like the thing that made the movie strong was that it was about kids, so they really want to make the next movie about kids... the next generation of Goonies," he said. "And they've had a hard time tackling that."
2008: Corey Feldman weighs in, squashing Goonies 2 talk. "NO!" he wrote in a blog post. "There is no Goonies 2! I'm sorry but it's just not gonna happen." (Last year he released a memoir, Coreography, which touched on some of his Goonies experiences.)
2011: Donner tells Collider.com the plan is to take Goonies to Broadway as an irreverent musical. "Goonies is moving at the beginning stages," he said, while admitting it was a "long process."
2014: With new comments from Donner, we've reached out to Warner Bros. for comment. In the meantime, there's always this classic clip. So, do you want a Goonies sequel?
Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/1gxs4QaMichigan Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mark Schauer addresses supporters during his concession speech at an election night rally in Detroit, Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2014. Republican Gov. Rick Snyder won a second term defeating Schauer after a closely watched race in which the Republican touted an economic and fiscal turnaround and promised to keep Michigan on the right path. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)
Democrats launched a super PAC Thursday with the purpose of flipping state legislatures before the next round of redistricting, which will follow the 2020 elections.
The PAC, called Advantage 2020, will be led by Mark Schauer, a former Democratic congressman and Michigan state Senate leader who lost the state's gubernatorial race to Republican Gov. Rick Snyder last year. Advantage 2020 plans to spend about $70 million over the next three elections in an attempt to chip away at GOP majorities in key battleground states where Republicans established legislative districts after the 2010 elections.
“The coming round of congressional redistricting will shape the political landscape for the next decade, and Mark’s leadership of Advantage 2020 is crucial to empowering us to win the state legislative seats critical to that process," said Michael Sargeant, the executive director of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, which is funding the PAC, in a statement.
Though both parties have used state legislative control to shape the contours of districts, Democrats have argued that Republicans have more successfully capitalized on their redistricting power. After the GOP flipped 22 state legislatures and gained six governorships in their 2010 wave, some idiosyncratic results were seen in the 2012 election. Republicans won nine of Michigan's 14 congressional races, for instance, but President Barack Obama won the state by 9.5 percentage points.
“When state legislative and congressional district lines are redrawn after the next Census, state lawmakers will play a direct role in that process in 36 states, encompassing 336 congressional districts,” Schauer said in the statement. “Democrats must have a role in this redistricting, or the nation could face another decade of the GOP’s extreme, out-of-touch agenda as Republicans gerrymander themselves into power."
Republicans dominated down-ballot races in 2014, emerging with control of a historic 68 of the of 98 partisan state legislative chambers. Given that disparity, the Advantage 2020 PAC -- along with the State Innovation Exchange, a new organization dedicated to helping push through progressive legislation -- are part and parcel of a Democratic effort to pay as much attention to the states as their Republican counterparts.
Some states have attempted to reduce the partisanship involved in the redistricting process, with varying levels of success. A bipartisan group of North Carolina lawmakers are working to pass a bill that would create a nonpartisan redistricting process after the GOP won nine of the state's 13 seats in the House of Representatives in 2012, despite the fact that Democrats received 51 percent of the popular vote in those races.Most farmers want to grow their business. My daughter and I farm 2,300 acres in northern Indiana, and poor prices have somewhat depleted our working capital. I’m seeing land prices discounted around 15% from levels two years ago. How should we decide if it’s time to grow, and is buying land the best way? S.C., Indiana
Predictably unprofitable, irrational growth is by far the No. 1 financial problem facing Midwest farmers. Yet, we all need to have growing operations to be satisfied with our success.
We have well-known Midwest farm operations selling their century family farms so they can keep growing with high-end cash rent acres. Why? What does it take in this Midwest capitalistic farming economy to prioritize the importance and sanity of growing your equity vs. your acres? How do we return to being more satisfied with the bottom line vs. the top line? Did $7 corn permanently brain-damage a generation?
If your working capital is somewhat depleted as you put it, a change in its status is probably atop the list of deciding when it’s time to grow. Of course, this is largely dependent on the size of the expansion, and there will always be a maximum size your financial position can shoulder at a given point in time.
Banks are increasingly intolerant of the things we do to deplete working capital, so having this conversation with your banker is a good place to start. There’s no shortage of stories of regulators passing new thresholds down to banks, so it’s wise to find out if your ability to finance a land purchase is still based on the same criteria you were previously used to.
Jerry and Jason Moss operate Moss Family Farms Inc. [email protected]’s installment will teach you how to have a quick, filling, healthy breakfast for the week. Every weekday I have granola and yogurt, but it isn’t as simple as just adding the two together. We have to maximize taste/health and minimize time/cost. This is how I make my breakfast meet those goals.
This is a picture of most of my raw materials: 5 cups granola, big container of yogurt, fruit, 5x containers, 5x plastic bags optional: dried fruit and nuts
Step 1: Separate the yogurt out into the 5 containers. Get a big container of plain Greek yogurt. The granola and fruit will have plenty of sweetness to them so stick with plain yogurt, and Greek yogurt has even less sugar and more protein!
Step 2: Separate out your fruit and throw it in the with yogurt. Then close up the containers. Throw these in the fridge. Note that water will probably separate from the yogurt but this doesn’t matter at all. You’ll just mix everything back up when you eat.
Step 3: Put 1 cup of granola in each of your plastic bags. In order to reduce the chance of making a mess and speed up the process I just put most of the measuring cup into the plastic bag so it acts as a backstop. Then I don’t pour it everywhere.
Optional: Add dried fruit/nuts to the granola!
That is it. In the morning on your way out just grab 1 of each container and then eat it at work. I purposefully eat breakfast at work to use their time and not my own. Additionally the reason I do all of this at one time is that by doing it all at the same time I make 5 breakfasts in 10 minutes rather than 1 breakfast every morning in 4 minutes. You can easily do this while making the Fish/Broccoli/rice from my other post.
AdvertisementsThis week, scientists, policymakers and experts from more than forty-five countries assemble in Auckland, for the largest-ever summit on scientific advice. Sir Peter Gluckman, chief science advisor of New Zealand and convenor of the meeting, previews the topics that will be discussed.
No one doubts that the challenges citizens and their governments face require decisions to be informed by objective knowledge. Public and media attention tends to focus on “grand challenges”, such as climate change and food security, or on urgent issues such as pandemics or natural disasters. But in everyday policymaking, on matters ranging from transport to social welfare, governments face complex trade-offs and science has a role to play.
In recent years, the need for a stronger nexus between the worlds of science and policy has been identified, but there is still much to learn about how to translate effectively between these two worlds. The recent controversy over the role of the chief science adviser to the president of European Commission is a case in point. How much of this debate is about science and how much about values-based advocacy and the realities of policymaking on complex or contentious issues?
These are the sorts of questions that we will be asking at this week’s conference on science advice to governments in Auckland. One important distinction is required from the outset: science advice for the purpose of enhancing public policy is not the same as advice on the management of the public science system itself. Yet it is inevitable that these get intertwined, particularly by those in the science community. So while advice to governments about how best to invest in R&D or structure a science system is critical, this is quite distinct from science advice for policy, in which there is often high public interest in the questions for which governments need evidence.
That public interest may present itself as advocacy for a particular course of action, but with little consideration of the complex context of decision-making. In such situations, science itself can often be coopted and indeed misused as a proxy for the real debate that should be taking place – one that hinges on social values, not science.
For instance, whether deliberately or not, we often find ourselves arguing about the science of climate change rather than discussing the issues of intergenerational economic equity and long-term sustainability that fuel the climate debate. Similarly, it seems easier (or strategic for some?) to continue to debate the safety of GM foods, rather than to consider the values that underlie the GM controversy – that is, what we consider “natural” and perceptions of access (or lack thereof) to the benefits of new knowledge.
Science inevitably gets drawn into such matters, not only because scientific processes are the only way we have to gain relatively reliable knowledge about the world around and within us, but also because increasingly refined scientific tools and methods are better able to address the complex questions that preoccupy citizens and their governments.
Yet science, by definition, is never complete. There are always uncertainties and gaps between what is known, and the need for policymakers to act decisively in the absence of total knowledge. Some level of risk is involved in all decision-making, and without it, we are left with inertia. What is important is to be clear about where science-based discussions stop and values-based discussions start.
We need to identify the purpose and style of science advice. Policymaking needs to take account of considerations ranging from fiscal priorities to diplomatic objectives and, particularly, the electoral contract between governments and citizens. These domains are largely values-laden and values-based. The business of government is largely about managing the trade-offs between multiple options. The role of science advice is to provide interpretation and translation of what is known, and what is not known, and to communicate across the cultural divide between science and policy.
How should that brokering be done and what principles should underpin it? Increasingly governments are appointing science advisers and science advisory panels, or turning to national academies for inputs into the policy process. These different models are not mutually exclusive and the diversity of approaches reflects differing cultures of public reason across jurisdictions, and the different types of issues on which advice is sought.
In my view, a vital point has been lost in recent debates over the relative merits of individual science advisers, standing committees or academies: the very different nature of formal and informal advice.
For instance, where an issue is technically complex and protracted, governments have long turned to advisory panels or academies for structured advice. However where an issue is urgent, such as in a crisis, academy and committee structures are often impractical, and it is sensible to turn to an adviser who can reach out to the science community and assemble the relevant experts in a less formalised way.
Informal methods also play a role in the everyday business of policymaking. For academic purposes, this is often presented as a formal cycle of problem identification, data collection, analysis, option development, political decision making and monitoring. In practice, however, it is much fuzzier than that.
In my role as the first chief science adviser to the prime,inister of New Zealand, I find that much of my time is spent not in preparing formal reports (though there have been a good number of these, for which I have convened panels of experts). Rather, I contribute by informally offering advice at the earliest (and most opportune) stage, when officials or ministers are exploring whether to formally work up a policy, or in the multiple incremental decisions that are made daily. These actions do not generate headlines but are central to the operation of government.
It is often through rapid, opportune and informal conversations that a science adviser can nudge decision-makers towards a scientifically robust path. I suspect this informal component of the science advisory system that is the least analysed. But, provided the adviser’s independence is protected from political influence, this may well be among the most important.
The currency of science advice is also trust. Robust knowledge is the product of a range of internationally accepted research methodologies, but the production of the trust necessary to mobilise that knowledge has less obvious algorithms behind it. Indeed, ours has been described as a “post-trust” society, where social media can be used by advocates of a particular course of action to undermine trust in an individual, panel or regulator, regardless of their scientific merit, and wider checks and balances in place.
The recent debate surrounding Anne Glover’s role as chief scientific adviser to the president of the European Commission is interesting, because it demonstrates how easily trust can be granted or withdrawn depending on context. The role was called into question by a group of NGOs unhappy with the notion that science might show that GMOs could be anything other than unsafe, who took aim at the adviser as a result. Yet these same groups might well show strong support for the same adviser when she carries a message about the need to take action on climate change. Here, values and biases compete with knowledge, and it is essential that the role of the adviser be understood and protected as a knowledge broker.
Over the past two decades, we have experienced a revolution in the relationship between science and society. Citizens are much more aware of the ways in which science permeates our everyday lives and there is an unprecedented and flourishing public engagement with science – from deliberative public input into the setting of national science priorities, to accessing the results of publicly funded research. There is also greater public awareness about how science can be misused, and scientific uncertainty exploited. This has contributed to an atmosphere of public mistrust that is sometimes justified, and sometimes unjustified. The challenge is to understand the difference, which is a long-term project that must enlist educators, the media and the science community themselves.
Science informs but does not define policy decisions. Other considerations nearly always come into play. Some think that the failure of science to dominate is a failure of the science advisory system. More often, I suspect it reflects a misunderstanding of what science can do in policy contexts. Science is a knowledge base on which these other dimensions of policy decisions interact and are overlaid. The challenge is to ensure that the knowledge base is not corrupted in the process, and to assist governments in making the best use of it.
For two days at the end of August, senior practitioners of science advice, academics and communication experts from 45 countries will converge on Auckland, New Zealand for two days of intensive discussions. Delegates will consider the potential for strengthening science advice to governments in a variety of challenging policy contexts. Over the coming days, some of the voices at that conference will share their thoughts here. I look forward to the growing conversation.
Sir Peter Gluckman FRS (@PeterGluckman) is chief science adviser to the prime minister of New Zealand and convenor of the first global conference on Science Advice to Governments (@GlobalSciAdvice). This is the first of a series of articles linked to the Auckland meeting on the Political Science blog this week.MUSKOGEE-- Back in May, Gary Peterson said he noticed several fish stressing and dying in Johnston Creek near his home. He walked further down the creek near main street where he said he found what killed hundreds of dead fish.
“When I got here I noticed there were several hundred gallons of what looked like straight sewer water,” said Peterson.
Peterson contacted the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation and the Department of Environmental Quality who began investigating the scene. Authorities found 936 dead fish in the creek.
“About 2.75 miles. This flows down to the Arkansas River and it was pretty much that full extent,” said ODWC Stream Supervisor Jim Burroughs.
City officials said one of the city’s lift stations experienced failure, causing a 27-inch sewer main to back up.
“We were able to fix that the next day and also the next day we were able to get the aquatic life back in the channel,” said City of Muskogee Public Works Dir, Mike Stewart.
Now the city faces a $10,000 penalty from ODEQ and more than $850 penalty from The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation.
Peterson said with Health issues at risk, he hopes this doesn’t happen again.
“The possibility of getting e-coli infection. The possibility of just getting any kind of bacterial or fungal infection,” said Peterson.
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Last year's Halloween costume replica release of the Nike Mag left a lot of folks with Marty McFly sneakers that were visibly very different from the legitimate Nike version.
Hoping to help that crowd out is this Nike Mag upgrade kit. The kit consists of custom made Nike Mag straps complete with the light up detailing, as well as a set of decals that includes logos and "Nike Mag" hits that can be applied to pairs to make them look more like the real deal. The kit is selling for $200 and the replica Halloween Costumes version costs $100, but even $300 total is a fraction of the price that one can expect to pay for a pair from the charity auction Nike Mag release.
Then again there is the grey area on whether the sneaker should be considered a fake, which caused many to avoid the costume replica of the Back to the Future shoes in the first place. Remember that that pair isn't an actual Nike item, and makes no claims to be, but it is officially licensed by Universal Studios.
Anyone wanting to upgrade their Nike Mag pair can grab the kit on eBay.Just weeks before Turkey’s early elections on Nov. 1, Ms. Merkel came to Istanbul to meet with Mr. Erdogan and strike a deal: If Turkey helped stem the flow of refugees into Europe, Germany would help push forward talks on Turkey’s membership in the European Union. Many people fear that Ms. Merkel offered another compensation in exchange for help on the refugee issues: The European Union would tolerate Turkey’s human rights violations and its reckless handling of the Kurdish conflict.
The United States, which has crucial air bases in Turkey, cannot afford to alienate the Erdogan government, either. When Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. visited Turkey recently, he made a point of meeting with journalists who had been fired under government pressure. But afterward, Mr. Biden declared that the Turkish government was the United States’ “strategic partner” — an apparent gesture of reconciliation by Washington. Like many Western governments, the Obama administration has distanced itself from Mr. Erdogan since his suppression of the Gezi Park protests of 2013.
The diplomatic balancing act cannot go on indefinitely. The Syrian Kurdish group known as the Democratic Union Party, or P.Y.D., a branch of the P.K.K., is an American ally on the ground against the Islamic State and has received American military aid. Meanwhile, Turkey continues its attempt to overthrow the regime of Bashar al-Assad by supporting Jaish al-Fatah, a Syrian rebel group that includes the Nusra Front, Al Qaeda’s Syrian branch.
Turkey and the United States also do not see eye to eye when it comes to the Islamic State. Washington views the group as a high-priority threat and is pressuring Turkey to build a wall along its 60-mile border with the territory the jihadist group controls. Ankara, by contrast, sees the Islamic State as a symptom of a larger problem — Bashar al-Assad’s continued presence in Damascus — and is entreating Washington to back an Islamist-dominated rebel group. The United States is ill at ease about this state of affairs, yet believes it has no choice but to stand behind Mr. Erdogan.
Turkey and the European Union are in a more complex entanglement. At present, the European Union wields considerable leverage over Turkey, both as the market for more than 40 percent of its exports and as the arbiter of its long-stalled membership bid. Europe’s current strategy of placating Mr. Erdogan for the sake of its own short-term interests is misguided. As the Paris and Istanbul attacks have shown, Europe and the Middle East are part of one open system: Chaos and conflict in one region is sure to have repercussions in another. The millions of Syrians seeking refuge in the West, as well as the thousands of jihadists going to Syria from Europe, are now Europe’s problem — a problem that cannot be solved by building walls.For cats, appropriate housing conditions and a quick adjustment to new surroundings should be promoted during temporary stays in animal shelters and boarding catteries. In this study the development of stress in 140 boarding cats during a two-week stay under single-, pair- and group-housing conditions in a boarding cattery was investigated and compared with the stress levels of 45 control cats which had been at the animal shelter for several weeks. Signs of stress were recorded by a non-invasive Cat-Stress-Score.
Overall, the levels of stress in boarding cats declined during the two weeks of boarding, with a pronounced decline in the first days, but did not reach the stress levels of the control group by the end of the second week of housing. In the second week, the average stress level of about one third of all boarding cats was rated higher than 'weakly tense' with 4 per cent of cats rated even higher than'very tense'. Neither housing style (single, paired or grouped) nor age had an influence on stress levels.
It was concluded that about two thirds of the boarding cats adjusted well to the boarding cattery during a two-week stay, while for the other third, temporary boarding was more stressful. For 4 per cent of the animals the two-week stay in a boarding cattery was classified as inappropriate because no reduction of their high stress levels occurred.
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No MetricsThere’s a problem in the design world. It’s not a problem of the magnitude of wage inequality, discrimination in the workplace, or child labor, but it’s a problem nonetheless.
It’s the epidemic of pretentious designers. Some are just a little bit pretentious, and do so in a hipster sort of ironic way. And others seem to take themselves entirely seriously, and are apparently unaware of their pretentious nature.
In either case, it’s time for this to end. That’s right, I’m calling for an end of the pretentious designer.
This isn’t cancer research
Let’s get one thing out of the way right off the bat. For 99% of web designers, the things we create aren’t going to change the world. At least not directly.
On its most basic level, our job is to make pretty things that are useful. Sure, sometimes those useful things can make a huge impact. But we’re not curing cancer here.
Even if you work for a non-profit and they’re working on curing cancer, your design isn’t doing that. It’s still just a website.
Now, that’s not to say that good web design isn’t important at all, or that it can’t affect change. Of course it can. But at the end of the day, we’re still just pushing pixels around on a screen.
Of course there are exceptions to this rule, but it’s going to be the case for 99% of designers.
Contributing to the problem
While there are a lot of things that contribute to the pretension problem in design, one of the biggest factors is the language we’ve started to use surrounding our jobs and our work.
Ten years ago, a web designer was a web designer. Maybe you were a UI or UX designer, but most likely, you were a web designer. Someone managing a team might have been an art director, creative director, or project manager, but these were all accurate job titles that reflected what the person actually did.
Now, we have titles like these:
Digital Marketing Magician
Social Media Badass
Brand Warrior
Digital Overlord
Mobile Sensei
Chief Visionary Officer
Digital Prophet
Dream Alchemist
Happiness Heroes
Innovation Sherpa
Genius
Also commonly found are Gurus, Jedis, Evangelists, and the like.
You’re not a magician, you’re likely not a badass, warrior, overlord, sensei, prophet, alchemist, sherpa, or hero. You might be a genius, but it’s more than a little pretentious to use that as your job title.
A magician is a person with magical powers. A warrior is a soldier or fighter (or a yoga pose). An overlord is a ruler or feudal lord. A sensei is a teacher (generally in martial arts). A prophet proclaims the will of God. An alchemist transmutes base metals into gold. A sherpa is a mountaineer who’s only going to be found in the Himalayas. A guru is a spiritual leader or teacher. A Jedi can use the force. And an evangelist is looking to convert others to Christianity. In all likelihood, you are none of these in your role as a designer (or in other roles in your life).
This is a sherpa. You are not a sherpa.
You’re a designer. You might be an art director, design director, creative director, UI designer, UX designer, information architect, mobile designer or designer/developer. But you are not a magician, warrior, badass, overlord, sensei, prophet, alchemist, guru, sherpa, Jedi, evangelist, or hero. In fact, you’re not even a ninja or rockstar, either.
Part of this also has to do with the level of expertise that a lot of those using these titles have. If your biggest web design project to date was for your cousin’s band and they paid you in waived cover charges and free domestic beer, then you’re not a guru. Sorry to break it to you.
On the other hand, if you’re someone like Jeffrey Zeldman, Adelle Charles, or Jakob Nielsen, and you want to call yourself a guru, then who am I to tell you not to? Although you might notice that none of those people use wacky job titles (they use Founder & Chairman, Visual Designer, and Principal and User Advocate, respectively).
Why it’s bad
The issue with pretentious designers is that they can alienate others. Design is already looked at in many circles as an uncomplicated position, and one that almost anyone can do.
By creating titles that basically sound like jokes, we’re reinforcing that view. But beyond that, it makes us sound arrogant and alienates people.
Alienates clients
Clients are looking for a web designer. They’re not looking for a guru, or a sensei, or a warrior, or an overlord. They just want a designer. Preferably one who isn’t going to make them feel stupid if they don’t understand the difference between rhythm and hierarchy or they if they need it explained why a red and black color scheme might not be the best idea for a daycare website.
Alienates the public
Beyond just your clients, the public at large already has an often dim view of designers. It’s not always taken seriously. We’re looked at as pixel pushers, or a bunch of computer nerds living in our parents’ basements.
Cutesy, artificial-sounding job titles do not improve our public image. “Design director” is a title that elicits at least a bit of respect. “Dream Alchemist” does not. And doesn’t even really say what it is that you might do.
Alienates other designers
While some designers have jumped on the bandwagon, not everyone has. You can make those who choose to use standard job titles and describe their work in accessible language feel like you’re looking down on them or won’t take them seriously.
Beyond the job titles
But beyond the job titles, a lot of designers come across as pretentious in all of their language. It’s using pretentious, hard-to-understand terms in your portfolio, correspondence, contracts, and other work that will make it hard for potential clients to relate to you.
Is it really worth appealing to the tiny percentage of people who respond positively to a pretentious image at the expense of the majority who don’t?
An 8-step program to stop!
Pretentiousness can be like an addiction. So here are some steps to help you stop. Originally this was going to be a 12-step program, but it’s not that complicated, so forcing 12 steps in itself seemed very pretentious.
1. Admit you’re pretentious
The first step in overcoming your pretentious designer tendencies is to identify them and admit to them.
2. Look to those who inspire you
Take a good look at the designers you admire and look up to. You’ll probably find that most of the best designers out there don’t use pretentious titles, but instead use titles that accurately describe what they do. Even those who do use fun titles generally do so in a very tongue-in-cheek way and do so in limited quantities.
Take your cues from those who have already gained the success you hope to achieve.
3. Use a title that describes what you actually do
If you’re a web designer, call yourself a web designer. If you’re an art director, call yourself an art director. The same goes for creative directors, project managers, design directors, and every other design-related position out there.
4. Rewrite your copy
Think about how you’d write the copy on your website if your grandmother was reading it. Or someone whose idea of high-tech is their flip phone. In any case, the goal here is to write copy that’s accessible and user-friendly.
5. Apologize for being pretentious
While this one isn’t necessarily something you have to do, realizing that you may have pissed people off or annoyed them is a positive step.
6. Keep tabs on your pretension
Just because you’ve banished pretentiousness from your life for now doesn’t mean it won’t creep back in. So make sure you remain ever-vigilant against it.
7. Educate others
When someone on your design team is proposing using titles like “sherpa” or “guru”, educate them. Tell them why it might not be the best idea for anything beyond internal use.
8. Laugh about it
Above all, be willing to laugh at this kind of thing. Again, people, this isn’t curing cancer. If you really want to use titles like “Jedi”, go for it. Realize that you may alienate some people, and try to keep in mind just how ridiculous it’s going to sound to some, but if it makes you happy and you’re willing to risk it, then do it.
Featured image by Ryan McGuire, Gratisography.***Greetings! I am currently preparing for the upcoming Martial Arts Studies conference in Cardiff. As such we will be taking a deep dive into the archives for today’s post. This essay and biographical sketch was first published four years ago in our “Lives of Chinese Martial Artists” series. While not well known in the West, Li Pei Xian is one of the many interesting figures I encountered while researching the history of the martial arts in the Pearl River Delta. Better yet, his life story provides students with a cross-sectional view of a critical period in the formation of the modern Chinese martial arts.***
Introduction: Critiquing the Conceptual Coherence of the Martial Arts.
In this installment of the “Lives of the Chinese Martial Artists” series we will be looking at the life and career of Li Pei Xian. While a regionally important individual I doubt that many of my readers will be familiar with this name. Nevertheless, I am very excited to be able to include him in our growing collection of biographical sketches.
The central purpose of this series of posts is to remind modern readers of the variety of life experiences and careers that were experienced by late 19th and 20th century Chinese martial artists. For current students, both in China and the west, this is a very real blind spot.
The problem starts with our terms. We assume that we know what the “martial arts” are. From our perspective they are a single, easily identifiable, activity. Individuals who are involved in the martial arts are easily identified by their colorful traditional uniforms and can be found carrying on a certain type of economic activity in any self-respecting strip mall. Further, modern martial artists usually self-identify as such. They even have trade organizations and publications that usually include the words “martial arts” in their titles to limit the possibility of confusion.
The situation in 19th century China was very different. I would go so far as to guess that many, maybe even most, individuals who studied martial skills would have been surprised, and in some cases even offended, to discover that they were mere “martial artists.” When asked about their identity most of these people would have responded that they were professional soldiers, night watchmen or runners for the local yamen. Many would have been farmers who out of necessity joined a local crop watching society. Being a “respectable peasant” was a much higher class occupation than being a boxing instructor or guard. Others may have been traditional medical doctors or opera performers. In a few cases you might even encounter members of the gentry who studied boxing or archery as a form of self-cultivation and entertainment.
If you would have grouped these individuals together and told the soldier, the farmer, the opera singer and the gentleman that the skills they practiced were all functionally equivalent or interchangeable they would have been very confused. The idea of the “martial arts” as we use it in contemporary conversation is a modern construction. These things look similar to us because of our modern perspective. Indeed many of these categories got mixed together in the early 20th century.
If you search for an 18th century Chinese word that encompassed all of these skills and life experiences what you will quickly discover that there wasn’t one. The arts of war practiced by soldiers were conceptually distinct from “Quanban” (an archaic term favored by the Qing administration translating roughly to “Fist and Pole”) which by definition could only be studied by a civilian. And all of that was quite distinct from “medicine” and “theater training.”
Later in the 19th century all of this starts to change. As China came into deeper contact with the western world conceptual categories were loosened and rearranged. Ideas like “Chinese culture” and “traditional culture” took on a new relevance when there was an accessible alternative. Suddenly categories like “traditional dress,” “traditional painting,” “traditional music” and even “traditional physical culture” came into daily use.
By the turn of the century, and even more so in the 1920s, certain intellectuals were scrambling to collect the remains of China’s “traditional culture” and preserve elements of it for posterity. Yet this entire exercise is predicated on the creation of categories of thought and types of associations that could not have existed a century before. The modern world never really preserves the past, it recreates it.
This is why I personally tell people that the traditional Chinese martial arts are a product of the late 19th and early 20th century. Were there schools of boxing and wrestling that existed before this? Certainly. We have wonderful accounts of martial performers in the Song dynasty, and many still extant manuals on boxing and fencing from the Ming period. Daoist medicine involving gymnastics and breathing exercises goes back even further. But thinking about the “martial arts” as a distinct, coherent, conceptual category that unites all of this within a world of civilian commercial activity? That is a product of the late 19th and early 20th century.
This is why the exercise behind the “Lives of the Chinese Martial Artists” series is so important. It helps to explore the variety of life experiences that existed in the past as well as allowing us to study the unification and modernization of the traditional fighting styles.
Indeed, the traditional Chinese arts have gone through an impressive conceptual evolution. This has not always been a smooth process. There have certainly been some episodes of high drama. One can almost follow the story of the creation and the evolution of the modern “martial arts” like the plot of a novel.
A wide variety of mostly unnamed folk combat traditions have existed from time immemorial. These skills have formed an important means of escape for youth from the countryside looking to move and better their lot in life. However, with the advent of modernization, different sorts of movement and economic activity are now possible.
Responding to this challenge the “martial arts” reorganize themselves and gain conceptual coherence. In so doing they reposition themselves from “local traditions” to elements of “national culture.” This was not possible in previous eras as “the nation,” as a conceptual category, did not yet exist. While initially resisted by some, this movement of the traditional fighting style proves to be successful. It was actually so successful that factions within the state (who were actively looking for tools to extend their reach into local society) decide that they could use these newly minted “traditional arts” to craft and reinforce their preferred vision of popular political identity.
However, alignment with a single political faction creates the opportunity for a violent backlash once other forces come to power (as has happened multiple times, including during the Cultural Revolution). Finally, as the economy advances new types of problems emerge. Now the martial arts are called upon to address the problems that inevitably accompany rapid urbanization and the growth of a fast paced capitalist society.
The flexibility of the Chinese martial arts in the face of this degree of social change is nothing short of amazing. No character better exemplifies these 20th century trends than Master Li Pei Xian. While less well known in the west his own stories mirrors each of these larger twists and turns with uncanny precision.
Li Pei Xian: Local Boy Makes Good
I first encountered Li Pei Xian while researching the history of the Foshan branch of the Jingwu (sometimes Chinwoo or “Pure Martial”) association. Foshan plays an important role in the evolution of Guangdong’s modern martial arts. As I have discussed elsewhere, one cannot understand |
the night.
Due to the abundance of light today we have lost the beauty of the night in many places of the world. Particles in the sky that reflect urban light emissions reduce the opportunity to enjoy the stars at night. Not only does this “sky glow” affect people, particularly astronomers, but it also affects other organisms, such as birds that are oriented by stars. Therefore several groups like the Dark Sky Association or the research team “Loss of the Night” have raised public awareness for the ecological effects of outdoor lighting. In addition, medical scientist have pointed out the health risk that night shift worker face when their circadian rhythms are disrupted.
Hence, more research is necessary to understand the dependencies between light and health in order to find adequate answers for challenging living and working situations. The wide perspective of the IYL2015 will ensure that the various dimensions of light, culture, technology and energy will be included. Sometimes even very simple technologies can have a remarkable impact in solving problems: “Liter of Light” or “SolarAid” have proven to be successful ways for developing countries to enjoy better light. In the case of “Liter of Light,” all that is required is an old plastic bottle filled with water and chlorine that refracts sunlight - enough to light up a home and easy to make, thanks to Alfredo Moser and a group of MIT students.
Save this picture! Swing time. Boston, 2014. Image © Howeler + Yoon Architecture
Get ready and join the International Year of Light 2015 with interesting conferences, attractive exhibitions or enlightening publications. Check out the global event programme by the United Nations or partner sites like L-RO, which focuses more on architectural perspectives. The following selection includes some highlights for the architecture community:
Exhibitions
Gent, Belgium, until March 15: Lightopia, an enlightening exhibition considering different facets of designing with light and creating luminaires.
London, England, until March 1: 24:00:00 – Lighting in the Urban Age, showcasing the importance of light in a city context.
Save this picture! Exhibition "24:00:00 – Lighting in the Urban Age," London. Image Courtesy of Arup
Stockholm, Sweden, until January 23: You Say Light – I Think Shadow, a collection of 109 perspectives on light and darkness from architects such as Tadao Ando, Jean Nouvel and Snøhetta.
, a collection of 109 perspectives on light and darkness from architects such as Tadao Ando, Jean Nouvel and Snøhetta. Paris, France, until February 23: Contact, an exhibition by Olafur Eliasson - one of the most important contemporary light artists – at the new Fondation Louis Vuitton by Frank Gehry.
, an exhibition by Olafur Eliasson - one of the most important contemporary light artists – at the new Fondation Louis Vuitton by Frank Gehry. Paris, France, March 4 – May 31: The Play of Brilliant, an exciting exhibition to experience the brilliance of light by a selection of fantastic light art pieces organized by Light Collective.
Save this picture! Soo Sunny Park. Light Art: Unwoven Light. Exhibition, Paris. Image © Soo Sunny Park
Conferences
New York, USA, March 13: From the Right to Light to the Right Lights: Social Lighting in Motion. Parsons, The New School For Design. An interesting debate about practice in and discourse on social issues and activism.
. Parsons, The New School For Design. An interesting debate about practice in and discourse on social issues and activism. Stockholm, Sweden, March 19: Lighting for future healthy architecture. Light Symposium KTH University. Informative international symposium about architecture, design, biology and behavioral sciences.
Save this picture! Lighting for future healthy architecture. Light Symposium KTH University, Stockholm. Image © KTH
Baltimore, USA, October 8-10: IALD Enlighten America, a comprehensive global lighting conference on themes raised by the UNESCO initiative.
, a comprehensive global lighting conference on themes raised by the UNESCO initiative. Atacama, Chile, October 12: Noche Zero, an inspirational event to preserve the night sky.
Rome, Italy, October 28-31: Professional Lighting Design Convention, an informative global convention on architectural lighting design.
Publications
Cities of Light - Two Centuries of Urban Illumination. Global framework for historical studies of urban lighting offering new perspectives on the fast-moving developments of lighting today. Authors: Sandy Isenstadt, Margaret Maile Petty, Dietrich Neumann. Routledge.
Save this picture! Book: Cities of Light. Authors: Sandy Isenstadt, Margaret Maile Petty, Dietrich Neumann. Image Courtesy of Routledge
SuperLux: Smart Light Art, Design and Architecture for Cities. Authors: Davina Jackson (ed.), Mary Anne Kyriakou, Vesna Petresin-Robert, Thomas Schielke, Peter Weibel, Peter Droege. London: Thames & Hudson. (forthcoming)
. (forthcoming) You Say Light - I Think Shadow. Collection of 109 perspectives on light and darkness from Tadao Ando, Jean Nouvel up to Snøhetta. Authors: Sandra Praun and Aleksandra Stratimirovic. Stockholm: Art and Theory Publishing.
Save this picture! Book: You Say Light - I Think Shadow. Authors: Sandra Praun and Aleksandra Stratimirovic. Image © Sandra Praun and Aleksandra Stratimirovic
After Dark. Impressive and multifaceted online issue about the dark for entertainment, for illumination, for experimentation and for life. uncube magazine No.29: After Dark.
Save this picture! Uncube magazine No.29: After Dark. “Yellowred” sculpture by Arnout Meijer from his “Thanks for the Planets” series. Image © Pim Top, courtesy Arnout Meijer Studio via uncubemagazine.com
Light matters, a monthly column on light and space, is written by Thomas Schielke. Based in Germany, he is fascinated by architectural lighting and works for the lighting company and academy DIAL. He has published numerous articles and co-authored the book „Light Perspectives“. For more information check www.arclighting.de or follow him @arcspaces.A tax crackdown by the United States has sent more than one million Americans and green-card holders living in Canada scrambling to figure out how to comply.
The move is part of a push by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to make sure U.S. taxpayers are paying what they owe on foreign accounts. Unlike most countries, the U.S. requires its citizens to file annual tax returns based on their worldwide income, regardless of where they live.
That means that people like Kerry Knoll's two teenage daughters, who have never had a U.S. address or earned a penny there but have dual Canadian and American citizenship, will have to file U.S. tax returns on accounts they hold in Canada and may face penalties.
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"Suddenly we are being told that my daughter's savings account from her summer job is considered an illegal offshore account by the Americans, something that I find preposterous," Mr. Knoll said in an interview.
"My daughters might owe thousands out of their registered education savings plans (RESP). These are not even taxes, these are penalties because it was not reported. And the reason we did not report it is because we had no idea we were required to," Mr. Knoll said.
Starting in 2013, the IRS will require financial institutions outside the United States to disclose all accounts held by current and former U.S. citizens and green-card holders. They will likely have to file years of U.S. tax returns and detailed annual account disclosure.
Finance Minister Jim Flaherty said Friday that Canada is not a tax haven and that the U.S. Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act will place an onerous burden on Canadian financial institutions.
"Unfortunately, U.S. tax law does little to distinguish between U.S. citizens living on sandy beaches in Caribbean tax havens and those living in a relatively high-tax country like Canada," said Warren Dueck, a certified public accountant and chartered accountant with W.L. Dueck & Co. in Richmond, B.C.
The IRS has issued a limited amnesty for U.S. citizens, residents and green-card holders to report their foreign bank accounts. Under the Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Initiative, which ends on Aug. 31, penalties are reduced to a range of zero to 25 per cent of the balance of all non-U.S. financial accounts and assets in 2010.
Mr. Dueck, who specializes in cross-border tax matters, offers these tips for any U.S. citizens, residents and green-card holders living in Canada who want to come clean to Uncle Sam:
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1) Determine your status. If you are a U.S. citizen or resident, a dual citizen or a green-card holder, you are generally required to file U.S. federal income-tax returns.
2) Americans whose financial accounts outside the U.S. do not exceed $10,000 in aggregate are generally only subject to tax penalties if they owe U.S. tax. They still have to file returns.
3) All U.S. citizens, residents and green-card holders who own financial accounts outside the U.S. that exceed $10,000 in total at any time of the year must disclose them in the U.S. Department of Treasury Form TD F 90-22.1, Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts, commonly called FBARs.
4) A "foreign financial account" means Canadian bank accounts, checking and savings accounts, investments, securities and brokerage accounts, RRSPs, RESPs, TFSAs, insurance and annuity policies with a cash surrender value, commodity futures or options account, shares in a mutual fund, etc.
5) U.S. citizens, residents and green-card holders who own 10 per cent or more of a Canadian or other non-U.S. corporation, partnership or other entity, must disclose that or face penalties of $10,000 for each year and for each entity.
6) The amnesty program allows U.S. citizens, residents and green-card holders to eliminate or minimize their tax penalties and also protects accepted applications from criminal prosecution. In most cases, failure to submit information will mean more severe penalties in the future.
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7) Paying taxes in Canada does not offset all of your U.S. tax obligations. Figure out what your U.S. tax liability is before you apply for the amnesty, since it may change your overall tax strategy.Sen. Dianne Feinstein at a news conference in Washington in 2014. Associated Press/J. Scott Applewhite Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California on Thursday cast suspicion on the memo written by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein that recommended the firing of James Comey as FBI director, saying in a statement she had grown more "troubled" by its contents after reading it three times.
"The memo appears to have been hastily assembled to justify a preordained outcome," Feinstein said, adding that it read more like a "political document" than "meaningful analysis."
"Given Rosenstein's legal expertise and 27-year Justice Department career, I would have expected him to produce a detailed and comprehensive rationale for Director Comey's firing, including input from the agents and staff who worked with Director Comey," she continued.
Feinstein, who is the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, also said the memo cited months-old quotes from op-ed articles and media appearances and no current insights from within the FBI.
Feinstein's statement also called for Rosenstein and Attorney General Jeff Sessions to recuse themselves from the "appointment, selection, and reporting of" a special counsel to investigate contacts between associates of President Donald Trump and Russia.
Thursday's statement is one several Feinstein has issued since Comey's Tuesday firing, with each appearing more critical than the previous.
Her original statement on Comey's firing was two sentences long and said his replacement "must be strong and independent and will receive a fair hearing in the Judiciary Committee." The following day, Feinstein questioned the timing of Comey's firing and whether it was due to the ongoing Russia investigation.
"If Director Comey was fired to stifle the FBI's Russia investigation — and the timing of this action makes that a real possibility — that simply cannot be allowed to happen," she said.Playing Pauper: Mono White Tokens
playing pauper video
Welcome to another fun week of Playing Pauper! This week's deck is brought to us by a published 5-0 Pauper league finish from sakkra on Magic Online. It's a sweet Mono White Tokens list that dumps its hand quickly then finishes things off with a Guardians' Pledge. It's also among the cheaper Pauper decks with an online price of only 7 tickets.
Check out the matches, then read the discussion below. If you enjoy Playing Pauper, subscribe to the MTGGoldfish YouTube channel! It helps us draw more people to the channel, and it helps you to never miss any of our great video content.
Mono White Tokens Intro
Mono White Tokens vs Slivers
Mono White Tokens vs Dimir Control
Mono White Tokens vs Brainstorm Barrens
Mono White Tokens vs Elves
Mono White Tokens vs Mono White Provoke
The Deck
$ 0.00 $ 0.00 $ 0.00 $ 0.00 $ 0.00 $ 0.00 $ 0.00 $ 0.00 $ 0.00 $ 0.00
The token makers in the deck are hyper-efficient, with the two mana choices smoothing out the curve and the top end being Battle Screech, which gives four flying tokens for four mana (and a creature tap).
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The pump spells range from the great Guardians' Pledge to the decent Borrowed Grace to the only okay Ramosian Rally. Ramosian Rally is more expensive for a smaller effect, but its alternate cost is quite manageable and can surprise opponents who expect you not to be able to cast spells while tapped out.
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Other creatures in the deck include Selfless Cathar which is a backup pump spell, and Soul Warden and Soul's Attendant which help race against aggressive decks.
Lumithread Field pops up as a one-of in the main deck but if I played the deck again, I'd probably leave it in the sideboard.
The Sideboard
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Out of the sideboard, we have more Soul's Attendant and a few Journey to Nowhere to help in the race against aggro.
Lumithread Field comes in to stop Electrickery and Shrivel from ruining our day.
$ 0.00 $ 0.00 $ 0.00 $ 0.00
Sundering Growth works well against Affinity and the populate ability will usually give us an extra creature.
Holy Light can kill swarms of opposing Elves or Mono Blue Delver creatures while leaving our creatures alive.
The Matchups
Against decks playing Gurmag Angler or Diabolic Edict, tokens prove very effective at being good chump blockers and efficient against sacrifice effects. Unfortunately those same decks are often playing Evincar's Justice, which you have to watch out for.
Against other aggressive decks, this deck's lifegain can give it the edge it needs to survive until a turn when Guardians' Pledge will win the game.
The worst possible matchup for this deck would probably be Izzet Blitz given its aggressive creatures that you have to remove and the access to red for Electrickery in the sideboard. Luckily for Mono White Tokens, Izzet Blitz is less popular now than in the past.
Conclusion
For such a cheap deck, Mono White Tokens packs a great win percentage, and our 4-1 finish in the league is evidence that this deck may be a good contender in the current metagame. Whether the correct choice is to stay monocolor and consistent or splash red for Rally the Peasants or blue for Keep Watch remains to be seen.
Submissions
Viewer submissions are open! I'll still be playing known decks occasionally, but I'll mostly be playing:
Decks submitted by viewers
Decks created from viewer challenges (e.g. build a deck around Horned Kavu)
Decks created by Jake (especially ones comprised of cards from new sets such as Aether Revolt)
Email me at [email protected] or Tweet to me @JakeStilesMTG with your decklist or challenge, and I'll give you a shout-out if I use your submission!by Sad Man’s Tongue Photos by: Olga Plakitina of Olga Plakitina Photography
Now here is a photographer that makes us want to do two things. First start a second blog so we could feature more of her gorgeous photos that don’t fit our own theme of Kustom Kulture. Secondly perhaps get engaged and married, especially if she will create a wonderful set for us as she does in so many of the photos we have seen.
Yes, when you browse the pages of Olga Plakitina webpage or VK site, images of love abound. Engagements, weddings, especially alternative ones abound in a misty cloud that makes you feel you are in a fairy tale as the young prince kisses the beautiful princess.
But Olga’s talent does not stop there. Her Retro Beach Pin Up Shoot, “Pin Up Vacation,” has colors that equal the springtime bloom of our garden in color and vibrance. The set has us clamoring to decide which beach we should head to first. This talented photographer from Yekaterinburg, Russia takes us on a brief retro pin up vacation and we our loving it. Hope she will branch out and do more with Pin Ups in the future.
Enjoy today’s gallery to Jittery Jack out of Boston, Mass. with “Gonna Have A Time.”Just as US President Barack Obama moves ahead with even tougher cuts on greenhouse gas emissions from power plants across the country, a new report out of Australia has highlighted just how ineffectual the Abbott government’s key climate policy – Direct Action – will be in cutting industrial emissions.
The report, released by energy market analysts RepuTex on Monday, suggests that just 30 of Australia’s 150 largest emitting companies will be required to reduce emissions under the government’s Emissions Reduction Fund (ERF) “Safeguard Mechanism” – a “light touch” approach, says RepuTex, that will render the policy ineffective.
Moreover, Reputex’s analysis finds that none of Australia’s 20 largest emitting facilities are expected to be accountable for their emissions, despite almost all being forecast to grow emissions over the next 10 years.
Here’s why: The Coalition’s so-called Safeguard Mechanism means to establish emissions baselines for around 150 companies from July 1, 2016, in an effort to ensure emissions reductions purchased through the $2.55 billion ERF are not displaced by a rise in emissions elsewhere in the economy.
But According to RepuTex, the majority of these proposed pollution baselines will be set so high, the companies will not exceed them, even if their emissions grow.
This is because the scheme proposes to set historic baselines at the ‘high point’ of each existing facility’s emissions over the past five years, the report explains.
Given industry emissions have generally fallen over the last five years, this will allow companies to increase their emissions from current levels without facing a liability.
As the report notes, the findings place further pressure on the government to explain how it will curb emissions growth, ahead of the announcement of Australia’s post-2020 emissions target, scheduled for after Parliament resumes next week.
They also highlight just how far behind other major economies Australia stands on emissions reduction and climate change policy.
In the US on Sunday, President Obama moved ahead with unprecedented pollution controls for American power plants, as part of an effort to secure a legacy on fighting global warming that would extend beyond the 2016 presidential campaign.
“Climate change is not a problem for another generation,” Obama said in a video posted to Facebook. “Not anymore.”
On top of this, more than a dozen US corporate giants signed up to a government-led pledge to slash their emissions and invest up to $140 billion in low-carbon investments – including 1.6GW of renewable energy capacity – last week, in a demonstration of their support for a global climate change deal at the UN’s Paris Summit in December.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/obama-to-unveil-final-power-plant-emissions-limits-on-monday/2015/08/02/5b61252c-38cd-11e5-ab7b-6416d97c73c2_story.html
So, while the US government tightens the screws on its heavy emitting power companies, and invites others to self-regulate, the Abbott government’s key policy effectively provides “a significant amount of headroom” to grow emissions, says RepuTex executive director Hugh Grossman.
“With baselines set so high, we project that emissions will actually grow under the safeguard scheme – by around 20 per cent – so the policy will fail to curb emissions growth, let alone assist in reducing emissions to meet our new post-2020 emissions target,” he said.
The report notes that, of the 30 companies expected to be caught by the government’s baseline scheme – operating 85 facilities – existing metals manufacturing, coal mining, oil and gas, and transport facilities are expected to have the largest exposure.
Meanwhile, after all rules and concessions are applied, not one of Australia’s 20 largest emitting facilities is expected to exceed their baseline – despite almost all being forecast to grow their emissions over the next 10 years.
This means the largest electricity generators such as Loy Yang A and B, Hazelwood, Bayswater, and Yallourn are expected to avoid exceeding their sectoral baseline under the scheme, while new LNG export facilities Wheatstone, Gorgon, Itchys and Pluto are also expected to avoid facing any liability.
Combined, RepuTex forecasts these largest facilities will account for over 50 per cent of all emissions covered by the safeguard mechanism by 2020, yet not be liable for emissions increases.
“Given the ineffectiveness of the scheme, it is untenable for the policy to stay in its current form, particularly with the steepest increase in Australia’s emissions projected to occur in the next 4 years,” said Mr Grossman.
“It is counter intuitive to let emissions grow while at the same time implementing a more ambitious post-2020 emissions target. This approach will simply impose a far greater cost at a later time,” he said.
“It is inevitable that tighter baselines, or a cap on emissions, will ultimately be set, particularly given the significant abatement task we are likely to face to meet our new emissions target,” said Grossman.
“Should even minor adjustments be made to current policy, we anticipate the safeguard compliance market may abate emissions by up to 500 million tonnes through to 2025, covering around 100 companies” he said.
“This would better manage emissions growth, particularly in the Power and Energy sectors, and would more effectively safeguard the abatement being purchased by the Emissions Reduction Fund, which will be wholly displaced under the proposed scheme” said Mr Grossman.? The State Board of Education on Tuesday approved regulations that would allow schools to hire teachers in certain subject areas who don’t have education degrees but bring subject expertise to the classroom.
The board had been working its own proposal when the Kansas Legislature approved a bill that allowed the hires.
To qualify teaching candidates would have to meet one of three criteria:
• They have a valid out-of-state license and pass the licensure tests required by the state board.
• They have at least a bachelor’s degree and at least five years of related work experience in the area of science, technology, engineering or math.
• Or they hold an industry-recognized certificate in a technical profession and have at least five years of related work experience.
The regulations were approved 8-0 by the board.
The Kansas National Education Association said the new option in hiring teachers means “classrooms are now open to those without background and training in methods and strategies critical for achievement ….” The Kansas Association of School Boards recommended caution concerning the new option.
The regulations will take effect as temporary ones, and then be subject to public comments for 120 days before the board will adopt permanent regulations.
Kansas Interim Education Commissioner Brad Neuenswander said he believed the hiring option would be used mostly in career and technical education courses.
State Board of Education Member Steve Roberts, R-Overland Park, said of the new law, “What I am really hoping is that it will give more flexibility to the hardscrabble schools that have a hard time finding people who have the technical expertise.”Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe was photographed with Willie Nelson and Willie Nelson’s marijuana this weekend in Virginia, where marijuana is illegal and where authorities arrested more than 20,000 people for marijuana last year alone.
The governor stopped by Nelson’s bus while thanking several performers at Farm Aid 2016, an annual festival meant to benefit family farmers. His spokesman, Brian Coy, told the Richmond Times-Dispatch that McAuliffe was not aware of the marijuana. McAuliffe, who opposes marijuana legalization, visited Nelson for 10 minutes or less and “had no idea” what else was on the bus, Coy said.
“He was not and still is not aware of whatever was on the table or anywhere around him and wouldn’t know marijuana or related paraphernalia if it walked up and shook his hand,” Coy said. “He’s cool, but he’s not that cool.”
On the table was a 1/4-ounce can from Nelson’s cannabis line called Willie’s Reserve, as well as a grinder and an ashtray. Though the strain of the marijuana is not legible in the photo, an “S” can be made out — indicating a strain in the sativa species. The brand is grown and sold in Colorado and Washington, where it is legal. The company notes that its 100 percent recyclable cans are nitrogen-sealed for maximum freshness.
Local marijuana activists pointed to the discrepancy between McAuliffe’s interaction with Nelson and his own opposition to marijuana legalization.
“No one would like Willie Nelson to be arrested, or the governor — who unlike thousands of Virginians this year — was not arrested for sitting with another privileged white man with marijuana and paraphernalia in their presence,” Jenn Michelle Pedini, executive director of Virginia National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), told The Intercept. “And I think that’s the biggest disconnect, even if the governor wants to admit his willful ignorance to this nontoxic substance that thousands of his constituents consume on a regular basis, if he is so ignorant of it, then he probably should not be dictating policies on stuff that he doesn’t even appear to understand.”
Marijuana arrests have been concentrated disproportionately on the African-American population, the Washington Post reported last year; 47 percent of those arrested in Virginia in 2013 were black, while they are one-fifth of the state’s population. Blacks were three times as likely to get arrested for marijuana as whites.
McAuliffe has in the past voiced support for medical marijuana, citing a cancer patient who lived next door to him who used the substance to ease her pain. In 2015, he signed into law legislation that decriminalized some medical marijuana derivatives to treat epilepsy.
He has resisted decriminalization or legalization of recreational marijuana, though, saying in 2014 that he’s “not there yet.” Legislation to decriminalize marijuana possession failed to make it out of subcommittee in the state early this year.By AFP
MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin heads to Japan Thursday to meet Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in the latest bid to reach an elusive deal on a territorial dispute that has prevented their nations signing a formal treaty to end World War II.
Abe will host Putin at the hot springs in his ancestral city of Nagato in the hope of breaking the ice on an agreement over the Kuril Islands, seized by Soviet troops in 1945 and demanded back by Tokyo ever since.
But hope is scant that despite months of preparatory negotiations the leaders can finally hammer out the differences over the four islands -- known as the Southern Kurils in Russia and the Northern Territories in Japan -- during Putin's first visit in more than a decade.
Instead the two will likely settle for a raft of pacts to bolster business ties battered by sanctions slapped on Moscow by staunch US ally Tokyo over the Ukraine crisis.
Putin's two-day trip, including a forum in Tokyo, has been long in the pipeline and follows two visits by Abe to Russia this year -- one to the Black Sea resort of Sochi and another in September to the far-eastern city of Vladivostok.
Abe has looked to eke out concessions on the Kurils by dangling the prospect of major Japanese investment in front of Moscow, still mired in economic crisis.
"This new approach is very bold," said James Brown, assistant professor in political science at Temple University, Japan. "He is determined to try to make a breakthrough."
But few believe that Putin is likely to cave in to Japanese demands to hand back at least some control over the islands, especially after the election of Donald Trump in the US gave him an unexpected fillip.
In the run-up to the meeting officials have been careful to roll back any expectation of a deal.
"It's not simple to bring the two sides' positions closer," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said after meeting his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida this month.
And while Tokyo might have been hoping that the mood could be changing, Russia pointedly fired off a timely message of strength ahead of Putin's visit by bolstering its might on the Kurils.
Last month Moscow reportedly deployed coastal defence missiles to two of the four islands, heightening Japanese anger already piqued by the construction of two modern military compounds.
'Don't trade in territories'
The meeting between Putin and Abe is just the latest attempt to draw a line finally under World War II since Japan and the Soviet Union began talks in 1956.
Experts view recent rapprochement efforts as a positive development for Moscow's trade ties with a stalwart US ally but doubt that either side will budge on the territorial issue.
Bilateral trade fell last year by 31 percent to $21.3 billion (19 billion euros), in part due to Japan signing up to Western sanctions against Moscow over Ukraine.
But some 30 agreements between Russian and Japanese companies are expected to be signed during Putin's visit, including in the fields of energy, agriculture and technology.
Analyst Fyodor Lukyanov said that under its current difficult economic circumstances, Moscow is "highly interested in attracting Japanese investments to Russia's far-east".
But Japanese experts doubt that Tokyo will be able to use its economic leverage to force Moscow to make compromises over the islands.
"It's too optimistic to expect that economic cooperation will help win Russian concessions on the territorial row," said Shigeki Hakamada, a political science professor at Japan's University of Niigata Prefecture.
Although Russia is seeking to thaw relations on the economic front, Putin insisted that "we don't trade in territories" in an interview with Bloomberg News in September.
"Throughout this year there have been clear indications that the Russian side is delighted to talk about economic cooperation," analyst Brown said.
"They are willing to build closer relations but they have never really given any sign that a major breakthrough on the territorial issue was a possibility."As the General Assembly debates repealing a hotly contested fee meant to pay for efforts to clean up the Chesapeake Bay, it turns out the name you give that fee can make it less controversial.
Proponents call it the stormwater fee. Critics, including Republican Gov. Larry Hogan, call it the rain tax.
Two recent polls show how framing the issue can sway public attitudes. They were conducted as lawmakers debate repealing the three-year-old law, which mandated fees on residents and businesses in Baltimore City and the state's nine largest counties. The fees help pay for controlling polluted runoff from buildings and pavement, a problem for the bay.
The Senate unanimously passed a bill this month that would make clear it is optional for the jurisdictions to levy the fees. A hearing is scheduled Wednesday in the House of Delegates.
In a poll earlier this month by OpinionWorks of Annapolis, half of those questioned said they think people will be taxed "for the rain that falls on their rooftops and driveways."
The telephone poll of 594 voters was commissioned by the Clean Water Healthy Families Coalition, a group opposed to repeal of the fee mandate.
In that poll, only 23 percent of respondents said they supported the fees based on what they had read or heard. Forty percent opposed the fees, while 26 percent had no opinion.
After the pollsters read off "a few facts," support doubled to 46 percent and opposition fell to 35 percent. The questioners said the money collected would go to reducing toxins and contaminants in the water. And they told respondents the funding would make it "safer for pets and kids to swim" and for people to eat crabs and fish.
Another poll, done by Goucher College, also found views about the fees were more negative when "rain tax" was mentioned instead of "stormwater management fees."
In the poll of 619 Maryland residents, half were asked a question that included the phrase "rain tax," while half got the same question without that term. Of those who heard it referred to as a "rain tax," 62 percent opposed paying the fee, while 36 percent supported it. Attitudes shifted among those asked about the stormwater fee — 51 percent opposed paying it and 46 percent favored it.
[email protected] Is the Relationship Between Income Inequality and Revolution?
A pair of interesting-looking papers, particularly interesting when paired, about income inequality and its relationship (or not?) to revolutions. From “Russian Inequality on the Eve of Revolution,” by Steven Nafziger and Peter H. Lindert:
Just how unequal were the incomes of different classes of Russians on
the eve of Revolution, relative to other countries, to Russia’s earlier history, and to Russia’s income distribution today? Careful weighing of an eclectic data set provides provisional answers. We provide detailed income estimates for economic and social classes in each of the 50 provinces of European Russia. In 1904, on the eve of military defeat and the 1905 Revolution, Russian income inequality was middling by the standards of that era, and less severe than inequality has become today in such countries as China, the United States, and Russia itself. We also note how the interplay of some distinctive fiscal and relative-price features of Imperial Russia might have shaped the now-revealed level of inequality.
And from “American Incomes 1774-1860,” by Lindert and Jeffrey G. Williamson:Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Fans of backward running say it burns more calories than running forward
A town famed for its peculiar sports is staging an alternative to the Olympics, with underwater hockey, wife carrying and gravy wrestling among the events.
The World Alternative Games 2012 see people competing for gold, silver and bronze in Llanwrtyd Wells, Powys.
The town is better known for hosting the World Bog Snorkelling Championships and Man versus Horse race.
The organisers joked that the Olympics with its running, jumping, cycling and swimming was rather mundane.
The alternative games started on Friday and last for a fortnight.
We wanted an alternative to the Olympics to show that people who take part in unusual sports are as committed as their Olympic counterparts Gordon Green, World Alternative Games 2012
Llanwrtyd Wells has been staging unusual sporting events since 1980 in a bid to boost tourism.
The idea for its own version of the Olympics, with an array of unrecognised sports, came after London was named the host city for the official games.
Organisers claim their competitors in the 35 events will be just as dedicated as their Olympic and Paralympic counterparts, and just like the Olympics there will be an opening ceremony.
But it will not be as elaborate as London's and certainly will not cost as much, say the organisers.
Image caption The World Bog Snorkelling Championship is one of the annual events staged in Llanwrtyd Wells
One of the people behind the games is Gordon Green, who said the emphasis would be on taking part rather than winning.
He said: "We've been staging a number of events since 1980, but we wanted an alternative to the Olympics to show that people who take part in unusual sports are as committed as their Olympic counterparts.
"They might not train as hard, but they have easily as much fun."
The World Alternative Games include: Chariot racing
Wife carrying
Worm charming
World bog snorkelling
International underwater hockey championships
Gravy wrestling
Russian egg roulette
Ditch racing
Wheel barrow racing
Space hopper racing
Three-inch stiletto racing
Office chair racing
Underwater rugby
Source: World Alternative Games 2012
Gravy wrestling originated in Lancashire, and Russian egg roulette features four eggs, one of them hard boiled, lined up in front of the competitors and they smash them against their heads. The winner is whoever finds the hard boiled one.
Wife carrying involves a half-mile course across a river and fields, but competitors do not have to be married and can be the same sex. The winner receives the weight of the person they carry in beer.
One of the more unusual sports is three-inch stiletto racing, which will see both men and women competing over 60 yards.
The town's annual world bog snorkelling championships at the end of the month will also form part of the alternative games.
The international underwater hockey championships come under the umbrella of the games, and will be staged in Newport.
Meanwhile, a number of events for children are planned on Monday with such as Pooh sticks and rock, paper, scissors.
Instead of a games flame, Llanwrtyd Wells's town fountain will flow for the duration, signifying its past as a famous spa town.
Unlike the four-yearly Olympics which take place every four years, the World Alternative Games are set to be biennial.
Mr Green said the games had received a £50,000 grant from the Welsh government.Rob Ford has returned to the scene of one of his biggest controversies Thursday, but it appears, apart from at least one “photobomb,” that this time the Toronto mayor was on his best behaviour.
Ford seems to have been one of the most popular guests at the Canadian Jewish Political Affairs Committee Action Party.
Scores of photos of the mayor and guests appeared online in the hours after the event — all of which were more flattering than the one that emerged from the 2013 party, where he was accused of groping former mayoral candidate Sarah Thomson.
Thomson claimed that Ford grabbed her buttocks while taking a photo. She also alleged the mayor suggested she should have been in Florida with him when |
an example of the authoritarian Right. Obviously, in this case, both Affirmative Action and the Holocaust are examples of the use of State authority to regulate matters of race. According to both the Political Compass and the Nolan Chart these two policies would have to be lumped together on their political spectrums, which plainly makes no sense. Likewise, by viewing Left and Right as progressive vs. conservative it insinuates that "Rightist" policy is about "keeping things the same" and "Leftist" policy is about "change," however this ultimately makes no sense either. Keeping things the same as what? There are thousands of different examples of ideology from the past and this would imply that today's "Leftist" is tomorrow's "Rightist" such that the positions are based on tradition and not ideology. For example, when applying this terminology to the former Soviet Union during the 1980s the Communist hard-liners were viewed as "conservative," but obviously "conservative" in this sense didn't mean "members of the Christian Coalition," it meant Stalinist. So, progressive vs. conservative and liberal vs. authoritarian do not accurately describe "Left vs. Right." How then are Left and Right to be viewed? What makes ideology Leftist or Rightist? It may be helpful to actually look back at the origin of the terms Left and Right. The use of the terms Left and Right emerged in France during the French Revolution, where the aristocrats sat on the right side of the assembly and commoners sat on the left. From that time on Right has generally been associated with ideology that favors an elite social group and the Left has been associated with ideology that is intended to favor "the masses." What is important about the Rational Spectrum is that pure "Left" and "Right" give way to a system based on Liberalism, with positions Left of Liberal and Right of Liberal. In the Rational Spectrum Left and Right are not so much seen in relation to each other as they are in how they relate to Liberalism. The positions of Left and Right towards Liberalism must first be defined and understood before Left and Right can be contrasted with each other. The position of the original "Right" against original Liberalism: The original opposition to Liberalism came from the aristocracy. In feudal times the interests of Church, State and Commerce were all tied together into one generally mutually supporting entity. The aristocracy held exclusive rights to property, usually passed down by family lineage. The aristocracy owned the land and controlled the government. Because the aristocracy owned the land and also held rights to all the general avenues of trade, by controlling harbors, bridges, etc, they received much of their income from rents on land, taxes, and tariffs on the State regulated trade. In the social sense the aristocracy had a strong relationship with religious institutions and supported the role of the Church through the powers of the State. Churches received tribute from the aristocracy as well, and generally benefited from aristocratic rule. While aristocratic culture was typically characterized by lasciviousness, wild indulgences, vast wealth and often a lack of religious belief, the aristocrats supported the Church because religion was seen as a way to bring order to society and keep "the commoners" in line and subservient to the economic interests of the aristocracy. Prior to the revolution in France this was formally institutionalized within the French political system. Though the king of France held significant power, there were also legislative assemblies which voted on matters of State. The constituents were divided into three groups: the First Estate (which represented the Clergy), the Second Estate (which represented the Nobles), and the Third Estate (which represented the commoners). The Third Estate represented about 98% of the population, however, each of the Estates had an equal number of votes, and thus the Third Estate could be, and almost always was, outvoted by the First and Second Estates, who cooperated together to overrule the Third Estate. The economic systems supported by the aristocratic Right were those of feudalism and mercantilism. Feudalism describes a wide range of economic and social systems, but feudal economic systems were generally based on noble systems of land ownership, whereby peasants lived and worked on land owned ultimately by a king or emperor. These systems were often based on pyramid type schemes, whereby a king allocated land to a certain few members of royalty, and each of those people allocated their land to others, and so on and so forth. The Churches typically owned between 10% and 30% of the land in countries throughout Europe and paid no taxes. Virtually all taxation was paid by the working classes. The peasants worked the land and paid rents and taxes to their landlord, who then paid a share of the fees that they collected to those above them, and so forth up the chain. Aristocrats generally never had to do any kind of work, although some chose to do so. Education was generally only for the aristocracy and the only other means of receiving an education was typically through the Catholic Church and was reserved for upper-class commoners. In the Rights of Man, written during the French Revolution, Thomas Paine noted: The aristocracy are not the farmers who work the land, and raise the produce, but are the mere consumers of the rent; and when compared with the active world, are the drones, a seraglio of males, who neither collect the honey nor form the hive, but exist only for lazy enjoyment. Mercantilism was characterized by State governed trade. All trade was managed by the State and merchants engaged in trade on behalf of the State according to quotas. A certain portion, often a large portion, of their profits in trade went to the aristocracy who governed the trade systems. Merchants did not control production, instead they bought goods from craftsmen and other laborers. They then brought these goods to market and sold them. The Liberals, the original so-called "Leftists", were those who opposed these social and economic systems and called for the establishment of democratic systems of government, with separation of Church and State, freedom of the press, and the establishment of "free-enterprise". The free-enterprise system was seen as an economic system where owners of property were free to engage in business however they so chose without the interference of the State and without having to pay tribute to the State in order to conduct business. In this case, however, "the State" was ultimately the king and his nobility, and the tribute went not to paying for public programs, but instead to supporting the Churches and the extravagant living conditions of the aristocracy. Thus, when reading much of the literature from the 17th and 18th century, one has to keep in mind that anger directed towards "the government" is anger directed towards aristocracy and the Church. The "Right" conservatives were the members of the establishment who opposed these changes and wanted to maintain a theocratic system of government based on royalty, where the majority working-class people were disenfranchised and paid taxes and fees to the wealthy aristocracy. With the adoption of free-enterprise the "Merchant class" developed into the "Capitalist class" and began owning and controlling commodity production, thereby putting large numbers of craftsmen out of work. This was the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, which resulted in the widespread adoption of wage labor. Early "Left" opposition to Liberalism Soon after the Liberal Democratic revolutions took place in America and France a "Left" opposition to the new Liberal society took place. This was much, much stronger in Old World Europe where the countries were already developed and a major social structure was already in place. Left opposition to Liberalism never gained major significance in early America primarily because the country was so vast and undeveloped and there was no significant underclass in America among white society. America was to where many of the oppressed of Europe fled to gain freedom, as opposed to staying in Europe and trying to change the system there. Since the vast majority of America was untamed wilderness, class antagonisms based on ownership of land and property hardly existed in America. In Europe, however, it was a much different story and this is why a Left opposition to Liberalism quickly and strongly formed there. Gerrard Winstanley of England provided some of the early roots of what would later become the Leftist movement of the 1800s. In 1649 he wrote: In the beginning of Time, the great Creator Reason, made the Earth to be a Common Treasury, to preserve Beasts, Birds, Fishes, and Man, the lord that was to govern this Creation; for Man had Domination given to him, over the Beasts, Birds, and Fishes; but not one word was spoken in the beginning, That one branch of mankind should rule over another... And hereupon, The Earth (which was made to be a Common Treasury of relief for all, both Beasts and Men) was hedged in to In-closures by the teachers and rulers, and the others were made Servants and Slaves: And that Earth that is within this Creation made a Common Store-house for all, is bought and sold, and kept in the hands of a few, whereby the great Creator is mightily dishonoured, as if he were a respector of persons, delighting in the comfortable Livelihoods of some, and rejoycing in the miserable povertie and straits of others. From the beginning it was not so. The commonly known and most influential movements of Left opposition to Liberalism are the Socialist, Anarchist, and Communist movements. All of these movements to some degree have their roots among French socialist ideology that developed after the French Revolution and/or the British workers movements of the 1700s that took shape after the establishment of a constitutional monarchy in England. Even at this early stage, and perhaps even more-so at this early stage, Leftist ideology was extremely vast and covered a wide range of ideas and positions, and therefore it is impossible for me to completely categorize the early Left ideological positions here. Generally speaking though, the early Left opposition to Liberalism was rooted in protecting traditional roles of workers in society, such as guilds, craftsmen and farming communities, from the effects of the Industrial Revolution. The early Left focused mostly on workers' movements and working class interests - the working class being non-propertied people who had to constantly work for a living, i.e. those that had become wage laborers. Overall, one of the main ideological positions of the Left has always been that of equality. Leftist positions from the beginning have generally been tied to the idea that "all men are created equal." It is this idea of equality that pervades virtually all Leftist ideology. The most common and fundamental element of Left opposition to Liberalism is the issue of labor and property. Another major criticism of Liberal society by the Left was on the issue of democracy. Left criticism of Liberal democracy centered on pointing out that Liberal democracy was really just a democracy for the wealthy, and that it excluded the interests of women, non-propertied men, and non-whites. Another of the characteristics of the early Left was a tendency to be opposed to technological progress. The early Left movements were dominated by peasants, miners, and craftsmen, many of whom were being displaced by the changes brought on by industrialization and forced to work in factories at wages well below their traditional earnings, thus adopting much lower living standards. Some early Leftists were involved in such activities as vandalizing factories and destroying machines, which they saw as a threat to their humanity and livelihood. The most well known of these movements is known as Luddism, named after Ned Ludd. The Luddites were organized groups of workers in England who opposed "free market" practices and supported retaining the traditional pricing customs of the community. The Luddites raided factories and sabotaged machinery. To many in the early Left movement, Liberalism only represented an exchange of masters - trading the royal aristocracy for a new type of aristocracy. As the Industrial Revolution progressed in Europe these workers' movements gained in strength and support as the disparity between rich and poor grew during the 1800s while unemployment, child labor and poverty increased. In early America these issues were of lesser importance. In America the major issue of the Left was that of slavery. The Left movements in America were very different from those of Europe because slaves in America were so disenfranchised that they themselves were effectively unable to fight for their own rights in a constructive manner. In Europe Left movements made a strong point of the fact that any oppressed class was responsible for its own emancipation and that it was impossible to expect or depend on the actions of an enfranchised class to come to the aid of the oppressed. For this reason, European Leftist movements often strongly promoted revolutionary tactics, believing reform to be impossible because reform by definition meant collaboration with the dominant establishment. Because of the situation of blacks in America it was virtually impossible for blacks to emancipate themselves. Thus Left movements in America, which naturally coalesced around this issue, were much more reformist in nature, because they were movements of generally enfranchised people seeking to help a disenfranchised minority, as opposed to the Leftist movements of Europe which were considered to be movements of a disenfranchised majority seeking to overthrow the power of an enfranchised minority. By the mid 1800s there was a very wide variety of Left opposition to Liberal capitalism and Liberal society. Again there were some major differences between American and European Leftist groups. In America a significant number of groups who opposed Liberal capitalism were Christian based groups who, due to the nature of the country and the availability of land, often went off on their own to form secluded communes. Some of these groups included religious groups related to the Anabaptists, such and the Mennonites, Quakers and the Amish. While it is impossible to completely categorize the views of these different groups, they generally opposed slavery, were pacifists, strongly supported the idea of human equality and democracy, and they believed in simple lifestyles based on shared community property and shared community interests. They opposed banking and the charging of interest on money lending, and they opposed government support for, or involvement with, churches and religious organizations. While they technically supported separation of Church and State at the national level, religion was a central aspect of their own societies, and so within their own communities Church and Community, which was like its own "mini-State", were definitely united. These could effectively be categorized as socialist Christian groups. Many Quakers in particular became prominent advocates for women's suffrage, such as Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Caddy Stanton. While many Quakers were vocal opponents of slavery and supporters of women's rights, these groups had little overall impact on society in the economic sense because they were largely reclusive groups that formed their own independent communities and were seldom active on a larger scale. While the practices regarding labor and property within their own groups was very much Leftist in nature, they did not advocate these practices at the national level or seek to become involved in larger labor movements. In Europe, however, the situation was somewhat different. While all of the above mentioned groups came to America from Europe, mostly from the Germanic regions, the Left movement in Europe was of a largely different character, and by the mid 1800s Marxism had become a major factor among the European Left. Marxist opposition to Liberalism While it would not be true to say that Marxism represents all views of the modern Left, Marxism had an undeniably enormous impact on the Left during the 19th and 20th centuries. Though many in America today associate the Left with both Marxism and "Liberalism" (this is largely due to the actions of the House Un-American Activities Committee and Joseph McCarthy in the 1950s, who accused many members of the Roosevelt and Truman administration, who called themselves Liberals, of being Communists), Marxism was actually extremely critical of Liberal society. The main focus of Marxism politically was in fact opposition to Liberalism. Marxism is opposed to Liberal "middle-class" society, referred to by Marxists as bourgeois (pronounced boor-zhwa') society, on a variety of levels, all of which are ultimately related. What then are the Marxist positions in opposition to Liberalism? Fundamentally Marx, like Adam Smith, argued that all value is a product of labor and human social relations. Marx argued that value that is created in an economy is primarily the product of human beings doing work and the exchange of that work with other human beings. Other value is created by nature without human effort. From this Marx made a variety of other arguments. Marx argued that capitalists are those who own rights to the value that is created by workers, and that capitalists are thereby depriving workers of the value of their own labor - that profits are, in effect, just a new name for the taxes once levied by the feudal aristocracy. Marx also argued that the exchange of commodities actually represents not an exchange of objects, but a pattern of human relationships. He argued that in Liberal society the human basis of labor and creation of value is masked and disregarded in such a way that members of society become both "materialistic" and ignorant of the human cost of production, thereby alienating members of society from one another. This leads to individuals becoming self-centered, and to the objectification of themselves and others. Marx called this commodity fetishism, and he argued that commodity fetishism led people to view value as a product of objects themselves and not as a product of labor and society. This is what Marx argued that value really was, a product of labor and social relations between people. Marx, like Adam Smith and David Ricardo before him, separated out "use-value" and "exchange-value". Use-value is the value of an object for satisfying some want or need, for example the value of a car is that it can transport people from place to place. This value is the product of labor and/or nature. Marx based this definition of value on John Locke's and Adam Smith's definitions of value, both of whom stated that labor is the primary means by which value is created. Locke argued that value that is inherent in nature is common property since it is not created by man. All other use-value that is not inherent in nature is the product of labor, and is rightfully the property of the person who labored to create it. Exchange-value is the value that a commodity has in a market, which is a socially created value. Exchange-value is the value that commodities are judged to have in relationship to other commodities. One basket is worth two eggs; three cows are worth a horse and wagon; a pair of shoes is worth $30, etc. In any economic exchange, use-value is resolved to exchange-value by the parties involved in the exchange. One of the major contributions of Marx to Leftism was his support for technological progress and modernism. Prior to Marx many Leftists saw technology as bad because it was technology that was subordinating them socially, however, Marx embraced technological advance and supported elements of capitalism as a form of progress over feudalism. Marx was instrumental in shifting the Left from being anti-industry to pro-industry. For Marx, the objective was not for workers to oppose industrialization, but rather for workers to take hold of industrialization, embrace it, and control it themselves. Marx saw Communism as the democratization of industrialization. Marx pointed out that capitalism increased the socialization of production, i.e. the interactions and interdependencies between human beings throughout the production process. At the same time, capitalism restricted ownership of socially created value to a few. Therefore capitalists acquire unto themselves value that is created by society, and this is the key to the way in which capitalists are able to amass great wealth in a short period of time - they are accumulating socially created value that is produced by millions of people around the world. In relation to the effects of the capitalist mode of production on society Marx stated in 1844: We have seen what significance, given socialism, the wealth of human needs acquires, and what significance, therefore, both a new mode of production and a new object of production obtain: a new manifestation of the forces of human nature and a new enrichment of human nature. Under private property their significance is reversed: every person speculates on creating a new need in another, so as to drive him to fresh sacrifice, to place him in a new dependence and to seduce him into a new mode of enjoyment and therefore economic ruin. Each tries to establish over the other an alien power, so as thereby to find satisfaction of his own selfish need. The increase in the quantity of objects is therefore accompanied by an extension of the realm of the alien powers to which man is subjected, and every new product represents a new potentiality of mutual swindling and mutual plundering. Man becomes ever poorer as man, his need for money becomes ever greater if he wants to master the hostile power. The power of his money declines in inverse proportion to the increase in the volume of production: that is, his neediness grows as the power of money increases. Marx argued that in liberal capitalist societies people would increasingly relate to one another not as human beings, but instead, because of commodity fetishism, they would relate to one another through objects. Marx argued that people in capitalist society viewed one-another not from a personal basis, but instead people were viewed based on their possessions and what they owned. Marx noted that commodity fetishism resulted in people imparting a supernatural type of quality to objects and believing that commodities actually made them "a better person," or enhanced "who they were" in some fashion. On the issue of democracy Marx was not just an advocate of democracy, but argued that it was essential that democracy be fully inclusive of everyone. During Marx's life the majority of people were not legally included in the democratic process in so-called democratic countries. Women didn't have democratic rights and the working class was largely disenfranchised from the democratic process, either officially or effectively, and of course America was still home to one of the largest slavery systems in the history of the world. Marx argued, therefore, that the disenfranchised majority would have to seize control through revolutionary measures and institute a "democratic dictatorship." In this manner he considered a "dictatorship of the working-class" to be merely the same thing as what he considered to be the existing dictatorship of the capitalist class. He basically argued that democracy as it existed was exclusive to a certain class of people and that this represented a "class dictatorship." He argued that the bourgeois class was able to come to power and protect its own interests by establishing a class dictatorship when it overthrew the feudal system and the powers of the aristocracy, and that the working-class would have to follow the same pattern, taking control and overthrowing the powers of the capitalist class. After the interests of the working class had been secured, then complete and total democracy should be restored, and at that time, for the first time, true democracy would exist. Marx argued that democratic concessions by the bourgeois may occur, but that they would only occur once their own class interests had been secured, thus ultimately continuing to alienate the working class. Marx gave relatively little attention to "conservatives" of his day. This is because, for the most part, conservatives were not in power, as they had been disenfranchised by the Liberal revolutions. Religion was the area that brought Marx into the most direct conflict with "conservative" views, but Marx was quick to recognize and point out that both liberal and conservative society was based on an acceptance of religious ideology. Thus, his criticism of religion applied to both the liberal and conservative views of the time. While some liberals were critical of religion, the Marxist view and criticism of religion was quite distinct and worthy of note in understanding the difference between Liberal, Marxist Left, and Right views on religion. Marx was not opposed to "Christian values", in fact Marx saw Christianity as a generally positive ideology and viewed the early Christian movement as a socialist movement of its day. Marx's criticism of Christianity was not that Christian values were bad, but rather that Christianity, and all religions, were man-made constructs. Marx criticized religion not as something that had no role in society and should simply be discarded, but rather that religion played an important role in society, however since all religions were man-made and based on primitive concepts about reality, the objective was not merely to abolish religion, but rather to replace the role of religion in society with an ethical system based on philosophy and scientifically understood principles. For this reason Marxism seems to share qualities of conservatism in some ways. This again is where Marx was in conflict with liberal society. In 1844 Marx wrote: Luther, we grant, overcame bondage out of devotion by replacing it by bondage out of conviction. He shattered faith in authority because he restored the authority of faith. He turned priests into laymen because he turned laymen into priests. He freed man from outer religiosity because he made religiosity the inner man. He freed the body from chains because he enchained the heart. But, if Protestantism was not the true solution of the problem, it was at least the true setting of it. It was no longer a case of the layman's struggle against the priest outside himself but of his struggle against his own priest inside himself, his priestly nature. And if the Protestant transformation of the German layman into priests emancipated the lay popes, the princes, with the whole of their priestly clique, the privileged and philistines, the philosophical transformation of priestly Germans into men will emancipate the people. (Note: Some 90 years later Adolph Hitler would base his political movement on opposition to Marxism and a call for a religious revival in Germany.) Liberal society was generally supportive of religion and called for "religious liberty", effectively embracing the idea of "equality of all religious views". The conservatives, of course, firmly supported religion, however they supported only their own religious views and did not believe in tolerance of other religions, instead supporting State-enforced religion. The Protestant Reformation effectively represented a "liberalizing" of religion, making religion individual and personal, and it is no coincidence that the movement for Liberal Democracy and society based on individuality coincided with the Protestant Reformation. Marx was critical of liberal society in that it still supported "idealism", which is the basis of religious belief. Marx noted that while "religious freedom" was increasing, what it was really causing was increased confusion and a lack of social cohesion, leading to the continuation of all manner of superstitious views and beliefs. Vladimir Lenin later commented on this in 1913 writing: The philosophy of Marxism is materialism. Throughout the modern history of Europe, and especially at the end of the eighteenth century in France, which was the scene of a decisive battle against every kind of medieval rubbish, against feudalism in institutions and ideas, materialism has proved to be the only philosophy that is consistent, true to all the teachings of natural science and hostile to superstition, bigotry, etc. The enemies of democracy therefore tried in every way to "refute," undermine and defame materialism, and advocated various forms of philosophical idealism, which always, in one way or another, amounts to an advocacy or support of religion. Marx and Engels always defended philosophical materialism in the most determined manner and repeatedly explained the profound error of every deviation from this basis. The problem with secular liberalism was that even if it did not support religion, it did not refute it either. While elements of secular liberal society did work towards the diminishing of religious beliefs, they failed to provide a solid philosophical replacement for religion. Marxism on the other hand, made a positive refutation of all religion and sought to replace the role of religion in society with philosophy, science, and ethics. The Liberal position on religion was for the State to remain neutral, and neither support religion nor oppose it. The Conservative position was to use the State to support religion. The Marxist position was to use the State to oppose religion. The rise of the modern Right Throughout the 1800s the primary political conflict was between the Left and Liberalism, because the "old conservatives" had been largely vanquished and their base of power almost completely undermined. Old conservatism was rooted in theocracy and State control over the economy and society in ways that supported the wealth of the aristocracy. Capitalism was the product of the liberal democratic revolutions, and by the late 1800s the capitalists of America and Europe were easily the most powerful members of society and thus represented the new establishment and the basis of power in society. By the beginning of the 20th century a "new Right" was beginning to form however. The new Right, like the old Right, was opposed to both Liberalism and the Left as well, especially Marxism. The name for strongest element of this new Right movement was "Fascism", as Mussolini stated in 1932: If it is admitted that the nineteenth century has been the century of Socialism, Liberalism and Democracy, it does not follow that the twentieth must also be the century of Liberalism, Socialism and Democracy. Political doctrines pass; peoples remain. It is to be expected that this century may be that of authority, a century of the "Right," a Fascist century. In 1935 he went on to write: The foundation of Fascism is the conception of the State, its character, its duty, and its aim. Fascism conceives of the State as an absolute, in comparison with which all individuals or groups are relative, only to be conceived of in their relation to the State. The "Liberal State" is not a directing force, guiding the play and development (both material and spiritual) of a collective body, but merely a force limited to the function of recording results. On the other hand, the Fascist State is itself conscious, and has itself a will and a personality - thus it may be called the "ethical" State...
The individual in the Fascist State is not annulled but rather multiplied, just in the same way that a soldier in a regiment is not diminished but rather increased by the number of his comrades. The Fascist State organizes the nation, but leaves a sufficient margin of liberty to the individual; the latter is deprived of all useless and possibly harmful freedom, but retains what is essential; the deciding power in this question cannot be the individual, but the State alone...
The Fascist State is an embodied will to power and government, the idea of force in action. According to Fascism, government is not so much a thing to be expressed in territorial or military terms as in terms of morality and spirit. It is an empire - that is to say, a nation which directly or indirectly rules other nations without the need of conquering a single square yard of territory. Fascism cannot be said to have been a truly "conservative" movement per se, but it did incorporate elements of conservatism and it did ally itself with elements of the "old Right." Fascism was not purely conservative because fascists embraced new technology and new ideology and the fascists looked to the future, not the past. Instead of saying "we have to get back to the old ways," they said "we have to develop a new system." Additionally, fascism was based on capitalist economy, unlike the feudal systems of the "old Right". This is why fascism was a "new Right" movement. Socialism was seen as a working-class, or under-class, movement and Liberalism was then seen to be the ideology supported by the wealthy elite class and capitalism. Fascism was based on a middle-class movement and gained its initial base of support largely from middle-class workers and small business owners, people who both opposed the "Left" and also opposed the existing wealthy establishment as well. The Liberal revolutions had effectively separated the realms of Church from State and Commerce from State. That was what the Liberal revolutions were all about - eliminating the State control over commerce (feudalism and mercantilism) and State control over religion (theocracy) (or religious control over the State). This was in many ways an indirect result of the Protestant movement. The Catholic Church was the institution that had for over 1,000 years been the central authority in Western civilization that controlled the State, and thereby controlled both commerce and religion. Even though many Protestants were conservative, they broke the Catholic system of social control, thereby facilitating liberalism. The result of the Liberal revolutions, even in Catholic-dominated France, was that there was a massive move away from the Catholic Church, and Protestants had declared an almost ruthless war against Catholicism, many of them seeking the eventual complete abolition of the Catholic Church. Protestant hatred of Catholicism was very profound. After all, many Protestants in the 17th and 18th centuries suffered death and persecution from the Catholic Church, and even in the 19th century the sentiment was still strong that Catholicism was not real Christianity, but in fact was a form of enslavement of mankind that twisted and abused "true Christianity." Because of this the Catholic Church was suffering massive losses of membership throughout the 19th century and into the early 20th century. However, as the Communist and Socialist movements progressed, and as atheism became increasingly popular during the early part of the 20th century, Protestants and Catholics began to reconcile their differences and direct their energies less towards attacking each other and instead towards attacking secularism, Communism and Liberalism. This was one of the ways in which the Fascists connected with the "old Right", because the Fascists allied with the Catholic Church and re-embraced the merger of Church and State. Under the old system, however, it was largely the Church that had power over the State, but with the "new Right" it was the State that dominated the Church. In 1929 Mussolini signed the Lateran Treaty with Pope Pius XI, which established Catholicism as the official State religion of Italy. In 1937 Pope Pius XI wrote the Encyclical Letter On Atheistic Communism, in which he denounced Communism and any nation that would ally itself with the Soviet Union. In it he stated: If we would explain the blind acceptance of Communism by so many thousands of workmen, we must remember that the way had been already prepared for it by the religious and moral destitution in which wage-earners had been left by liberal economics. Even on Sundays and holy days, labor-shifts were given no time to attend to their essential religious duties. No one thought of building churches within convenient distance of factories, nor of facilitating the work of the priest. On the contrary, laicism (separation of Church and State) was actively and persistently promoted, with the result that we are now reaping the fruits of the errors so often denounced by Our Predecessors and by Ourselves. Here is it understood that "liberal economics" has its traditional meaning which is "free market capitalism". And so, the "new Right" movement represented a re-joining of Church, State, and Commerce into what Mussolini called, the "ethical corporate State", as Mussolini noted: Fascism should more appropriately be called Corporatism because it is a merger of State and corporate power. Though the "new Right", i.e. Fascism (reemerging today as neo-conservatism), drew its base of support from the middle-class and was viewed as a middle-class movement, due to its extreme involvement in industry and its strong opposition to Communism, which was perceived as a very real threat to private wealth in Europe, Fascism quickly drew the support of many of the world's wealthy elite as well, especially during the time of its rise, which was during a global economic depression. While the fascists continued to speak about support for the middle-class, in fact they were increasingly aligning themselves with the interests of wealthy capitalists. This "new Right", then, represented cooperation between the State and private industry in ways that were mutually beneficial to both private industry and the State. In this case, State involvement in industry was not something that was done to try and help the working-class, but indeed it was the opposite: the State became a tool for protecting the interests of corporations. The emergence of post-modern politics The major political positions have now been outlined: Liberalism, the original Right opposition to Liberalism, the Left opposition to Liberalism, and the new Right opposition to both Liberalism and the Left. These positions form the foundation of the present political spectrum, and as you can see, there is opposition to both social and economic Liberalism from every direction. There is a great deal of political confusion in America today, in part because the American view of the political spectrum is flawed. The same thing happened in America after World War II that happened in Europe before World War II: The threat of Communism resulted in the Church, State, and Commerce aligning interests to support each other, and most importantly, the interests of the wealthy elite. An American "Right" emerged that ideologically claims to support both free-market capitalism, individuality, traditional values, and Christianity. Because of the persistent opposition in American society to Soviet Communism, and because of FDR's New Deal, Americans tend to view all government involvement in Commerce as "anti-business," however this is actually not the case. Additionally, FDR proclaimed himself to be a "Liberal" and thus FDR's creation of "big government" associated the word "Liberal" in America with "big government", although "Liberal" and "big government" really have nothing at all to do with each other. These facts combine to promote the view that "Liberals" are anti-free market capitalism, or rather that free-market capitalists are "anti-Liberal". Furthermore the view in America is that "Liberalism" is "Leftism". Now it has to be explained why these views are all wrong and actually mask political and economic realities. Free-market capitalism and Liberalism (in both the economic and social sense) go hand in hand with each other. It is the fact that people fail to understand this that makes the current "Conservative" movement in America so misdirected. Capitalism is actually the driving force behind the breakdown of all of the old bonds of society. Many conservatives in America today believe that any government involvement in anything is some form of "Socialism", and they then support the interests of private industry to almost absurd extremes. In fact, however, government is essential for the support of the wealthy, and naturally acts to benefit the richest members of society and to facilitate economic disparity, as Adam Smith noted in The Wealth of Nations in 1776: It is in the age of shepherds, in the second period of society, that the inequality of fortune first begins to take place, and introduces among men a degree of authority and subordination which could not possibly exist before. It thereby introduces some degree of that civil government which is indispensably necessary for its own preservation: and it seems to do this naturally, and even independent of the consideration of that necessity. The consideration of that necessity comes no doubt afterwards to contribute very much to maintain and secure that authority and subordination. The rich, in particular, are necessarily interested to support that order of things which can alone secure them in the possession of their own advantages. Men of inferior wealth combine to defend those of superior wealth in the possession of their property, in order that men of superior wealth may combine to defend them in the possession of theirs. All the inferior shepherds and herdsmen feel that the security of their own herds and flocks depends upon the security of those of the great shepherd or herdsman; that the maintenance of their lesser authority depends upon that of his greater authority, and that upon their subordination to him depends his power of keeping their inferiors in subordination to them. They constitute a sort of little nobility, who feel themselves interested to defend the property |
fall. Tax reform, Roth said “is hard enough as it is.” And "in order to successfully pass tax reform, you need a large amount of unity and focus.”
Right now, Roth said, “there is a big concern” that unity just isn’t there — and that Trump is not doing enough.
"For tax reform to pass, we need the president to be talking about it every day and twice on Sunday," he added. "He needs to go out across the country and push for it and fight for it and talk about it all the time. It's the single most-important thing between now and the end of the year.”
John Bresnahan contributed to this report.Pictured above (via Flickr) is what looks like two hunks of rock — the larger in its unrefined state and the smaller one in a polished form. It’s easily recognizable by its thin, multicolored layers. It’s called Fordite. You used to be able to find it in some areas of Michigan and various other places, although it’s increasingly rare and we’re not likely to find an undiscovered cache of it any time in the future.
That’s because Fordite isn’t a naturally occurring mineral. It comes from automobile manufacturing plants.
If you buy a car, you can typically choose from a wide array of colors, regardless of the model you purchase. In recent years, the painting process, like most other parts of the production process, has become machine-run and automated. But that wasn’t always the case. For years, the paint — typically enamel paint — was sprayed on by hand. It was an inexact science, to say the least, and not all the paint ended up on the cars. As Jalopnik explained, “overspray accumulated on the tracks and skids where vehicles were painted, and over the course of dozens – sometimes hundreds – of coats, the paint would build up. These layers would wind up in the paint-curing ovens where it would harden under the heat.”
The hardened, excess paint didn’t build up forever, though. Fordite.com — yes, there’s a website dedicated to this non-natural mineral — explains that “eventually, the paint build-up would become obstructing, or too thick and heavy, and had to be removed.” Often enough, an opportunistic worker would not only remove the caked-on paint but keep it for him or herself. And as seen above, the raw specimens could be cut and polished into beautiful gemstone-like trinkets.
As a result, Fordite became a trendy “stone” for jewelry. As the New York Times reported, Fordite jewelry sells for as much as $300 a piece — a price justified by how rare it is, even if it is just wasted car paint. Only a limited amount of Fordite was made and collected, after all, and there’s no more being made today.
More images of Fordite, as well as the one above, can be found at This Is Colossal.
Bonus Fact : There’s one car which still has some of the paint job applied by hand — the Rolls Royce. As CNN Money reported, most Rolls Royces come adorned with a “long, thin dead-straight line that goes from the just behind the headlights to just before the taillights” which is hand-painted. Because the paint bonds to the coat of paint beneath it nearly instantly, there’s no room for mistakes, so Rolls Royce has to find people who are very good at making very straight, six meter lines without error. It requires a certain expertise. A former pub sign painter named Mark Court, profiled in that CNN Money article, currently fills that role in one Rolls Royce factory — it’s Court’s only job, and he’s the only one in his factory who does it. (He is, however, searching for an apprentice.)
From the Archives : Fordlandia: Ford’s corporate-run city in Brazil, designed to grow rubber trees.
Take the Quiz : Name the one-syllable words that rhyme with “Ford.”
Related : Fordite jewelry.
Image via Eliane Sweeney, original available via Flickr.“The most important thing we bring is the love of 19 million New Yorkers for the people of Puerto Rico,” Gov. Andrew Cuomo said. | Office of Governor Andrew Cuomo Cuomo leads state rescue mission to Puerto Rico
ALBANY — Flanked by prominent officials from Puerto Rico, a friendly labor leader and his youngest daughter, Gov. Andrew Cuomo set out Friday morning on an aid mission to the Caribbean territory as it struggles to rebuild from Hurricane Maria.
“The most important thing we bring is the love of 19 million New Yorkers for the people of Puerto Rico,” Cuomo, a Democrat positioning himself for a possible 2020 presidential bid, said at John F. Kennedy International Airport.
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More specifically, the governor is bringing expertise — top officials from the New York Power Authority will meet with their Puerto Rican counterparts to help restore electrical service — 34,000 bottles of water, 1,400 cots, 500 flashlights, 3,000 cans of food, 9,600 ready-to-eat meals, 10 generators and two drones.
The governor, donning a windbreaker, said he had been invited to Puerto Rico by its governor, Ricardo Rosselló. Cuomo said he would help assess the damage so he could better know what supplies to send. Unlike a similar trip he made last week to the U.S. Virgin Islands, Cuomo did not do a satellite tour of television interviews before he departed — just a press conference.
The goods and services were donated by various entities that have interests before the government. JetBlue provided the airplane, Coca Cola supplied the water, and the National Supermarket Association, the canned goods.
Last week, Cuomo used a plane donated by oil and supermarket mogul John Catsimatidis — two days after Cuomo signed a bill benefiting Catsimatidis’ refining business. A lawyer for JCOPE, the state ethics commission, blessed that arrangement and declared “it is not reasonable to infer that the gift was intended as a reward for any official action.”
The latest delegation includes New York Power Authority president Gil Quiniones, Rep. Nydia Velazquez, Assemblyman Marcos Crespo and Robert Mujica, director of the state’s Budget Division.
Both Crespo and Velazquez said they were unable to reach family members who live on the island. Crespo displayed a birthday card for his mother, with whom he lost contact four days ago.
New York City is home to an estimated 700,000 people of Puerto Rican descent, and Cuomo noted the deep ties between the states in his remarks.
“Gov. Rosselló didn’t have to ask, because in New York we are family with the Puerto Rican community,” he said. “Anything this state can do for Puerto Rico we will do.”
Click here to watch a video of Cuomo’s press conference.Our One:12 Collective Instagram Contest was an absolute success! After weeks of receiving cinematic shots, comic recreations, telling portraits, and badass fight scenes, we are overwhelmed by the talent and creativity inspired by our One:12 Collective. While going through each of the amazing photos was a great time for us, it became extremely difficult to choose a winner. However after a few rounds of picking and choosing, we are proud to bring you the winning photo of the One:12 Collective Instagram Contest.
Photo Credit: https://www.instagram.com/lordajust2/
This image of The Punisher is beyond incredible. The cinematic lighting, the natural pose, and the tiny prop bricks all help to create a moody atmosphere that fits The Punisher perfectly. Thank you Lordajust2 for your amazing work.
Honorable Mentions:
It was extremely hard picking only one winner with so many great entries. This compelled us to extend a prize to the honorable mentions to show just how great we thought your photos were. The photographers of the photos on this page will receive a ten percent off coupon for Mezco Toyz as a token of our gratitude for your participation. Expect a private message on Instagram from Mezco Toyz.
Photo Credit: https://www.instagram.com/brutalpoohbear/
Photo Credit: https://www.instagram.com/one12collector/
Photo Credit: https://www.instagram.com/plasticwvndrer/
Photo Credit: https://www.instagram.com/eyeofuatu/
Photo Credit: https://www.instagram.com/darth_zilla/
Photo Credit: https://www.instagram.com/prof_jack/
Photo Credit:
https://www.instagram.com/merc_with_a_mouth_07
Photo Credit: https://www.instagram.com/kjsnap.photography/
Photo Credit: https://www.instagram.com/r2ktroopers/
Photo Credit: https://www.instagram.com/toy_walle/
Photo Credit: https://www.instagram.com/therealdallasjames/
Photo Credit:
https://www.instagram.com/mike_w_421/
Photo Credit: https://www.instagram.com/r2ktroopers/
Photo Credit:
https://www.instagram.com/jake.schneider.dawg/
Photo Credit: https://www.instagram.com/grandpa_batman/
Photo Credit:
https://www.instagram.com/2nd_childhood_/
Photo Credit:
https://www.instagram.com/e7ik_plays/
Photo Credit:
https://www.instagram.com/darth_zilla/
Photo Credit:
https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/obiwancanary/
Photo Credit:
https://www.instagram.com/batforcetom/
Again, Mezco Toyz would like to extend our deepest thanks to everyone that participated in our photography contest. We were overwhelmed and overjoyed by the quality and amount of submissions we received. It was humbling to see the amount of passion and creativity our One:12 figures can spark.
For all of you Living Dead Doll fans that wished you could've gotten in on the action, next month kicks off the LDD Instagram Photo Contest. Get your cameras ready!Yorkshire coach Jason Gillespie has proposed scrapping T20 internationals outside of the biannual World T20 tournament in favour of a resurrected Champions League.
As Britain's players continue to flit between formats for their domestic T20 competition in a crowded summer schedule, Gillespie says reviving the dormant Champions League, which was discontinued in 2014 after six seasons, could lift the global profile of local T20 teams.
And the former Aussie tearaway, who played just one T20 international in 2005, says the shortest format of the game with its sporadic programming could make way.
"If you think about it, there is not a great deal of T20 played internationally," Gillespie wrote in the Evening Standard.
"There are World Twenty20s but they are at least two years apart.
"While there may be T20 matches in bilateral series, there are not usually too many of them — and let’s face it, they’re a money-grab.
Star celebrates a wicket against Yorkshire in the 2012 Champions League // Getty
"Perhaps you don’t even need to have T20 matches between countries outside the World T20. Perhaps that would be the way to promote the Champions League and give it the status and profile it deserves.
"As was the case before it was halted, you would stage it in a three-week block in a single country.
"It’s a fantastic opportunity for the game and all involved should look closely at bringing it back.
"It doesn’t seem to be on the agenda at the moment, yet I think it would be a fantastic idea to revive it.
"I’m convinced it could be structured so players, administrators and media supported it.
"It’s a fantastic concept: bring in the best teams from the various T20 competitions around the world and establish which of them is best. What is not to like about that?"
The CLT20 was the brainchild of the boards of Australia, India and South Africa in 2008, with a 10-year multi-million dollar TV deal providing financial support and a lucrative prize purse for the competing teams.
However, poor attendances and television viewership dogged the tournament, despite the introduction of more Indian teams in attempt to boost popularity in the subcontinent.
By 2014 the tournament was on its last legs, with a decision the following year to end the event after six editions.
Despite the competition's issues, Cricket Australia Chief Executive Officer James Sutherland is an advocate of the concept.
Hazlewood bowls Yorkshire captain Andrew Gale in the 2012 Champions League // Getty
"We believe there is genuine value in the concept of bringing clubs from different domestic T20 teams together for a world championship play-off," Sutherland told cricket.com.au.
"There were a number of very positive and successful aspects to the Champions League T20 event, but in the end it did not attract the fan support in attendance or viewership to maintain viability."
Australia played just the one T20 in 2015, but have played 10 so far this year with the World T20 in India, with another two on the Qantas Tour of Sri Lanka scheduled for 2016.
Sutherland said CA plans to address the scheduling of bilateral tours with the ICC to get the best out of each format.
"We will continue to explore new opportunities but our immediate priority is to work with ICC and member countries on the review into the structure of bilateral cricket to ensure that each of the three international formats continue to be strongly supported by cricket fans," he said.
"We are also keen to see that cricket enjoys strong growth in interest and popularity in developing cricket markets – and remain open-minded about how this review may address this challenge."BEIRUT/MURSITPINAR Turkey (Reuters) - U.S. warplanes attacked Islamic State targets in Syria overnight, in raids that a group monitoring the war said killed civilians as well as jihadist fighters.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the strikes hit mills and grain storage areas in the northern Syrian town of Manbij, in an area controlled by Islamic State, killing at least two civilian workers.
Strikes on a building on a road leading out of the town also killed a number of Islamic State fighters, said Rami Abdulrahman, who runs the Observatory which gathers information from sources in Syria.
The U.S. military said on Monday an American air strike overnight targeted Islamic State vehicles in a staging area adjacent to a grain storage facility near Manbij, but it had no evidence so far of civilian casualties.
While raids in Iraq and Syria have taken a toll on Islamic State equipment and fighters on the ground, there is no sign yet that the tide is being turned against the group, which controls large areas of both countries.
A U.S. Air Force general said Islamic State militants are changing their tactics in the face of American air strikes in Iraq and Syria, abandoning large formations such as convoys that had been easier for the U.S. military to target.
“They are a smart adversary, and they have seen that that’s not effective for their survival, so they are now dispersing themselves,” said Air Force Major General Jeffrey Harrigian at a Pentagon news conference.
This “requires us to work harder to locate them, and then develop the situation to appropriately target them”, he said.
In a statement to the United Nations that appeared to give approval of U.S. and Arab air strikes in Syria against the militants, Syria’s foreign minister said his country backed the campaign against Islamic State.
Syria “stands with any international effort aimed at fighting and combating terrorism”, said Walid al-Moualem, whose government has long been an international pariah because of what critics say is its brutality in a civil war that has killed 190,000 people.
The U.S.-led strikes have so far failed to halt an advance by Islamic State fighters in northern Syria on Kobani, a Kurdish town on the border with Turkey where fighting over the past week caused the fastest refugee flight of Syria’s three-year-old war.
At least 15 Turkish tanks could be seen at the frontier, some with guns pointed towards Syrian territory. More tanks and armored vehicles moved towards the border after shells landed in Turkey on Sunday and Monday.
ARAB ALLIES
The United States has been bombing Islamic State and other groups in Syria for a week with the help of Arab allies, and hitting targets in neighboring Iraq since last month. European countries have joined the campaign in Iraq but not in Syria.
Islamic State, a Sunni militant group which broke off from al Qaeda, alarmed the West and the Middle East by sweeping through northern Iraq in June, slaughtering prisoners and ordering Shi’ites and non-Muslims to convert or die.
It is battling Shi’ite backed governments in both Iraq and Syria, as well as other Sunni groups in Syria and Kurdish groups in both countries, part of complex multi-sided civil wars in which nearly every country in the Middle East has a stake.
The head of Syria’s al Qaeda branch, the Nusra Front, a Sunni militant group which is a rival of Islamic State and has also been targeted by U.S. strikes, said Islamists would carry out attacks on the West in retaliation for the campaign.
Obama has worked since August to build an international coalition to combat the fighters, describing them last week in an address to the United Nations as a “network of death”.
His acknowledgment in an interview broadcast on Sunday that U.S. intelligence had underestimated Islamic State offered an explanation for why Washington appeared to have been taken by surprise when the fighters surged through northern Iraq in June.
The militants had gone underground when U.S. forces quashed al Qaeda in Iraq with the aid of local tribes during the U.S. war there which ended in 2011, Obama told CBS’s “60 Minutes”.
Members of the Kurdish security forces stand guard against Islamic State militants (background), behind sandbags on the Mullah Abdullah bridge in southern Kirkuk September 29, 2014. REUTERS/Ako Rasheed
“But over the past couple of years, during the chaos of the Syrian civil war, where essentially you have huge swathes of the country that are completely ungoverned, they were able to reconstitute themselves and take advantage of that chaos.”
BATTLE ON BORDER
Gunfire rang out from across the border and a plume of smoke rose over Kobani as periodic shelling by Islamic State fighters took place. Kurds watching the fighting from the Turkish side of the border said the Syrian Kurdish group, the YPG, was putting up a strong defense.
“Many Islamic State fighters have been killed. They’re not taking the bodies with them,” said Ayhan, a Turkish Kurd who had spoken by phone with one of his friends fighting with the YPG. He said Kurdish forces had picked up eight Islamic State bodies.
At Mursitpinar, the nearby border crossing, scores of young men were returning to Syria saying they would join the fight. More refugees were fleeing in the opposite direction.
“Because of the bombs, everyone is running away. We heard people have been killed,” said Xelil, a 39-year-old engineer who fled Kobani on Monday. “The YPG have got light weapons but Islamic State has big guns and tanks.”
A local official in Kobani said Islamic State continued to besiege the town from the east, west and south and that the militants were 10 km (6 miles) from the outskirts.
“From the morning there has been shelling into Kobani and... maybe about 20 rockets,” Idris Nassan, deputy foreign minister in a local Kurdish administration said by phone. He said the rockets had killed at least three people in the town.
Turkey has not permitted its own Kurds to cross to join the battle: “If they’ve got Syrian identity or passports, they can go. But only Syrians, not Turks,” said one Turkish official at the border where security has been tightened.
A NATO member with the most powerful army in the area, Turkey has so far kept out of the U.S.-led coalition, angering many of its own Kurds who say the policy has abandoned their cousins in Syria to the wrath of Islamic State fighters.
Slideshow (3 Images)
GAS PLANT
The Syrian Observatory, which monitors the conflict with a network of sources on the ground, said U.S.-led strikes had hit a Conoco gas plant controlled by Islamic State outside Deir al-Zor city in eastern Syria, wounding several fighters.
The plant feeds a power station in Homs that provides several provinces with electricity and powers oilfield generators, the Observatory said.
The observatory also said warplanes had hit mills and grain storage areas in the northern Syrian town of Manbij, killing civilian workers.
“We are aware of media reports alleging civilian casualties, but have no evidence to corroborate these claims,” Colonel Patrick Ryder, a spokesman at the U.S. military’s Central Command said, adding the military however took such reports seriously and would look into them further.For competitive reasons, General Electric (NYSE:GE) won't reveal the exact dollar amount it'll be investing in 3-D printing in the coming years, but investors can piece together a series of data points and determine that GE's investment in the technology is truly unprecedented. After all, General Electric has plans to 3-D metal print 45,000 fuel nozzles a year for its upcoming Leap jet engine and has more than 130,000 3-D printed fuel nozzles in its order backlog today. No other company's 3-D printing commitment even comes close to this.
Part of an even bigger plan
In an effort to keep up with booming aviation demand, GE Aviation has pledged to invest more than $3.5 billion between 2013 and 2017 toward manufacturing plants and equipment worldwide, of which the majority will be spent here in the U.S. General Electric's 3-D printing investment falls within this greater investment plan, which Bloomberg believes will reach the "tens of millions" range.
To get a better sense of GE's scale, I recently had the opportunity to speak with Steve Rengers, R&D manager at GE Aviation's Additive Development Center, or ADC, who helps oversee GE's 3-D printing research and development. According to Rengers, the ADC and GE's Lean Lab are the two facilities that handle General Electric's 3-D printing operations, and each house about 50,000 square feet of floor space. In the next 18 months, General Electric has plans to triple that floor space, and over the next three years, the company will fill it out with new 3-D printing equipment.
As far as how many 3-D printers this equates to would be anyone's guess. Rengers explained that in order to meet its annual production target of 45,000 fuel nozzles a year, General Electric would have to purchase more than 100 machines based on today's direct metal 3-D printing technology -- not a very practical or cost-effective approach when each printer can easily cost upwards of $500,000.
However, in the coming years, it's expected that a host of 3-D printing companies will introduce direct metal 3-D printers with significantly larger build volume and throughput to handle the needs to large-scale manufacturers like GE. This would allow GE to consolidate the number of machines it needs to meet its 45,000 fuel nozzles a year production target and likely save on costs at the same time. In other words, it's a pretty safe bet that General Electric is waiting to significantly ramp its 3-D printing capacity until these next-generation machines hit the market.
A sizable investment
Although General Electric has yet to release any fuel efficiency data related to its 3-D printed fuel nozzles, it's clear that the performance gains over a conventionally manufactured fuel nozzle are significant enough for the company to move forward with expansion plans that'll triple its 3-D printing capacity. Coupled with more than 130,000 3-D printed fuel nozzles already in General Electric's order backlog, it's likely going to take a rather sizable 3-D printing investment from the manufacturing giant in the years ahead.AP Photo Tillerson retires as Exxon CEO as he prepares to head State Dept.
President-elect Donald Trump’s secretary of state nominee has retired from his post from ExxonMobil, effective at the end of the year.
Rex Tillerson — whom Trump tapped Tuesday to head the State Department, concluding a public, weeks-long, reality TV-style search — announced his intent to retire Wednesday.
Story Continued Below
Tillerson’s imminent retirement as chairman and CEO of ExxonMobil culminates the end of a 41-year career there that began as a production engineer in 1975. But it also comes as he begins his transition to undergo Senate hearings before the upper chamber of Congress votes on whether to confirm him as the next secretary of state.
“We thank Rex for his leadership, service and dedication to ExxonMobil,” Exxon Mobil Corporation’s board of directors said in a statement. “He led the company with integrity and honor, ensuring that safety and environmental protection were at the forefront of everything we do, generating value for shareholders and highlighting the impressive accomplishments of the company’s diverse workforce throughout the world. We know that his service to the nation as secretary of state will be equally successful and distinguished.”
Tillerson’s retirement from Exxon comes a few months early, as he would have had to do so next March after he turned 65, the company’s mandatory retirement age for his position.
Darren Woods, 51, who was elected president and a board member of ExxonMobil in January, will take over as chairman and chief executive. The Kansan came to Exxon Company International in 1992 but has held a number of senior domestic and international positions.
“Effective and disciplined succession planning is critical to the corporation’s ongoing success and a key component of its competitive advantage,” Exxon's board said. “This change in leadership is consistent with the board of directors' succession plan developed years in advance and demonstrates the strength of the management development system. With the retirement of Tillerson, the ExxonMobil board now is comprised of 12 directors, 11 of whom are non-employees.”The conclusion that no consensus has been reached is a valid conclusion and can result due to poor topology or Byzantine failure. Certainty is always with respect to something that has occurred in the past. It is not possible to know with certainty the present state without observing at more points than will normally be possible.
So each server runs out ahead of what it knows for certain, applying transactions and attempting to reach consensus on them. When and if a consensus is in fact produced, the server later determines this with certainty, and thus can advance what it knows for certain.
Essentially, the consensus process produces a a stream of signed messages called "validations" from which it's possible to determine with certainty whether a consensus had actually been reached at some point in the past.
It is possible to create UNL topologies that frequently fail to reach consensus. The plan is to have Ripple servers build their UNLs using an algorithm that makes such topologies exceedingly unlikely.
Even with a perfect topology, two types of Byzantine failures are possible.
One, which is not that uncommon (one out of every 200 rounds or so), is a local failure. In order for a consensus to ever arise, someone has to declare a consensus. And for that to happen, someone must declare a consensus first. When that happens, whoever makes that declaration can't know for certain that others will declare that same consensus (or they would have already done so, and so he wouldn't be first). So it's always possible that he declares the wrong consensus.
In this case, the server that suffered the Byzantine failure quickly discovers that the other validators have built a different ledger than it did and it begins its resynchronization process. Other servers will still, from the validations, which ledger was the majority ledger.
A much less common type of failure is complete Byzantine failure. In this case, several servers declare different consensuses and there is no clear majority ledger. In this rare case, the network as a whole must reconverge before a true consensus will emerge. Ripple has an algorithm to do exactly this. Servers will see the conflicting validations and know with certainty that there was no actual consensus.W izards of the Coast is excited to announce the 2011 Grand Prix schedule, featuring 20 events across 13 different countries.
The first combined Grand Prix and Pro Tour at Magic Weekend Paris highlights the season, along with a return to China and Latin America and events in always-popular Kobe, Singapore, Amsterdam, Montreal, and San Diego. Formats will include six Standard, three Extended, two Legacy, and nine Sealed Deck / Booster Draft Grand Prix next year.
The first five Grand Prix take place in some of the top cities in the world: Atlanta, Paris, Denver, Kobe, and Barcelona. Grand Prix–Paris looks to be the can't-miss event of the year because it's the debut of Magic Weekend, featuring a combined Pro Tour and Grand Prix all under one roof! The schedule of Magic Weekend Paris allows players to participate in both events. Earn a Top 16 finish at any of these Grand Prix and you'll earn an invitation to Pro Tour–Nagoya in June.
The spring and early summer Grand Prix slate offers up six more amazing stops. Dallas, London, Prague, Providence, Singapore, and Kansas City will be your destinations in April, May, and June. The event in Singapore is scheduled the week prior to Magic Weekend Nagoya to help you attend both events. Top finishes at these six events grant invitations to Pro Tour–Philadelphia in September.
The last set of Grand Prix in 2011 is the biggest, with nine events from August to November. Highlighting the late-season schedule are trips to Shanghai, China and Santiago, Chile. Grand Prix in Amsterdam, Pittsburgh, Montreal, Milan, Brisbane, Hiroshima, and San Diego round out the 2011 season. For those looking to include Magic Weekends in their Grand Prix travel schedule, Pittsburgh is the weekend before Magic Weekend Philadelphia and San Diego is the weekend before the 2011 World Championships at Magic Weekend San Francisco. These nine events provide invitations to the first Pro Tour of the 2012 season.
Along with the excitement and big prizes of the Grand Prix, each of these weekends features all types of Magic activity. From Pro Tour Qualifiers and other major public events down to 8-person pick-up drafts, it's non-stop Magic when a Grand Prix comes to your town. You can also meet prominent Magic artists at each Grand Prix and have them sign your cards for an unforgettable memento of your tournament experience. Plus, every participant in each Grand Prix receives a special foil promotional Maelstrom Pulse (while supplies last).
If you're looking for a leg up on the competition, be sure to check out Grand Prix Trials held at local WPN locations leading up to a Grand Prix. These tournaments provide three-round byes for specific Grand Prix to top finishers and are run in the months prior to each Grand Prix. Become a part of the Pro Tour community by joining the Pro Tour Facebook group and share your experiences traveling the world playing Magic with your friends.
For more information about Grand Prix, click here.Read the full report here: Tattered Robes: The State of the Ku Klux Klan in the United States (PDF).
Despite a persistent ability to attract media attention, organized Ku Klux Klan groups are actually continuing a long-term trend of decline. They remain a collection of mostly small, disjointed groups that continually change in name and leadership. Down slightly from a year ago, there are currently just over thirty active Klan groups in the United States, most of them very small. However, the association of Klan members with criminal activity has remained consistent.
The long-term decline of Ku Klux Klan groups is due to several factors, including increasing societal rejection of what the Klan stands for; a growing perception by white supremacists that Klan groups are outdated; and competition with other white supremacist movements, from racist skinheads to white supremacist prison gangs, over the small pool of potential recruits. In recent years, one of the clearest signs of the declining state of Ku Klux Klan groups has been in their complete inability to maintain anything resembling stability.
More than half of the currently active Klan groups were formed only in the last five years. This is not, as it may first seem, a sign of growth, but rather illustrates how short-lived today’s Ku Klux Klan groups actually tend to be. Just some of the recently disbanded Klan groups include the Aryan Nations Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, the Eastern White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, and the United Dixie White Knights.
While a few longstanding Klan groups still exist, they continue to fade away. Just a decade ago, Klan groups such as the White Camelia Knights, the Mississippi White Knights, and the Church of the National Knights exhibited consistent activity. Today, all three are mere shadows of their former selves. Despite their diminishing numbers, there are still approximately 3,000 Klan members nationwide, as well an additional but unknown number of associates and supporters. Even with relatively small numbers, groups like the North Carolinabased Loyal White Knights (LWK), perhaps the most active Klan group in the United States today, have a fairly expansive geographical reach. In 2015, with just 150-200 members, they were able to draw attention to themselves in 15 different states (mostly in the south and east), typically through fliering, which requires only a single participant.
Other Klan groups are smaller still—often considerably smaller. For example, the Kentucky-based Elders Blood-NBlood Out Knights (EBBOK) consists of just a handful of members. Formed in 2015 by disgruntled members of the LWK who believe the LWK leader, Christopher Barker, had been a federal informant against another Klansman, EBBOK also serves as an example of the fractious and unstable nature of Ku Klux Klan groups.
Many of the newer Klan groups promote a traditional Klan ideology infused with neo-Nazi beliefs, continuing a trend from the early 2000s. EBBOK itself is one of these, its website explaining, “We are a Christian hate group. We are a group unlike other groups. We accept all Nazis and skin heads (sic) cause we have the same beliefs.” Two such Klan groups have already formed in 2016: the Great Lake Knights, based in Alpena, Michigan, and the Pacific Coast Knights of Spokane, Washington.An unprecedented compromise of a Brazilian bank’s operations has been discovered by security researchers, with all 36 domains including DNS and corporate email under the control of attackers.
Security engineers at industry firm Kaspersky Lab have revealed details of a stunning, sweeping compromise of an unnamed Brazilian bank’s core cyberinfrastructure.
According to researchers, the attack took place on a weekend in October, specifically the Saturday, October 22, 2016. The attack took place over about five hours after hackers compromised the bank’s DNS hosting service using sophisticated targeted attacks. From here, the attackers managed to transfer all 36 of the bank’s domains to fraudulent websites. These rogue websites, purporting to be the bank’s official domains, used free HTTPS certificates from Let’s Encrypt, a free Certificate Authority, to display valid SSL credentials. With the compromise, the criminals were able to steal and siphon customers’ credentials – usernames and passwords – when entered into the faux websites’ login fields.
In breathtaking scale, all 36 domains of the bank, including online banking, mobile banking, financing, acquisitions, point-of-sale systems and more were under the attackers’ control.
“All domains, including corporate domains, were in control of the bad guy,” stated Kaspersky Lab researcher Fabio Assolini. A native Brazilian, Assolini also confirmed that the unnamed multinational bank operates around 500 branches in Brazil, the U.S., Argentina and Grand Cayman, serving 5 million customers with $25 billion in assets.
Dissecting the malware, researchers found eight separate modules including credential-stealing modules for Microsoft Exchange, Thunderbird and the local address book, as well as internet banking control and decryption modules. One of the modules, called Avenger, was discovered to be a legitimate penetration testing tool used to kill rootkits, reverse-engineered to remove security products on targeted and compromised machines. Altogether, researchers were able to locate up to nine other banks around the world that were targeted and compromised by hackers, using Avenger.
“The bad guys wanted to use that opportunity to hijack operations of the original bank but also drop malware with the capacity to steal money from banks of other countries,” added Kaspersky Lab researcher Dmitry Bestuzhev.
Ultimately, the rapid development and deployment of malware planted enough red flags for security staff to get the original DNS credentials resorted to the bank. Still, the incident is a telling real-world example of just how vulnerable banks and its employees can be.
“Imagine if one employee is phished and the attackers had access to the DNS tables, man that would be very bad,” Bestuzhev said. “If DNS was under control of the criminals, you’re screwed.”
The researchers added that the bank could have avoided the sweeping compromise if it had enabled two-factor authentication to securer its DNS infrastructure.
Image credit: Wikimedia.Bob Brown's High Court challenge against Tasmania's workplace protest laws set to proceed
Posted
A High Court challenge against the Tasmanian Government's controversial workplace anti-protest laws is set to go ahead, despite police discontinuing prosecution against the only five protesters to be charged under the laws.
Tasmania Police has decided not to prosecute any of the protesters charged under the State Government's new workplace protection laws, which aim to crack down on activists disrupting forestry and mining activities.
Five people, including former Australian Greens leader Bob Brown, were charged during a forest protest at Lapoinya in the state's north-west in January.
In May, police decided not to pursue the charge against Mr Brown because he was directed to leave a "business access area", when he was actually on a "business premises".
On Friday, police dropped charges against two other protesters for the same reason.
Police said the remaining two were not given instructions strictly in accordance with the Act when given a direction to leave, rendering their subsequent charge for returning to the area invalid.
Mr Brown said he and another protestor, Jessica Hoyt, would still push ahead with a High Court challenge to the legislation.
"It infringes the inherent right of people to peaceful political protest," Mr Brown said.
"The laws are so badly drafted and Premier [Will] Hodgman needs to rescind this piece of shoddy legislation."
Ms Hoyt said the legislation did not hold up.
"I think the fact that the charge is dropped shows that the law is wrong," she said.
Forestry Minister Peter Gutwein said it was disappointing police would not prosecute the protestors, but he had been advised the decision was based on "purely technical matters".
The Government aims to have the High Court case discontinued.
A directions hearing is expected on June 29.
In a statement, Tasmania Police Assistant Commissioner Glenn Frame said officers were being given appropriate guidance in relation to the application of these particular sections of the Act.
Topics: courts-and-trials, activism-and-lobbying, tas, lapoinya-7325A woman has been given a life sentence for murdering her boyfriend after an alleged row over the amount of time he spent on Facebook.
Terri-Marie Palmer, 23, a hairdresser from Heysham, Lancaster was found guilty on Friday of stabbing Damon Searson to death following a heated argument over his social media use, according to the Lancashire Evening Post
Police were called to a caravan on Stud Farm Park in Morecambe in August 2015, and found 23-year-old Mr Searson with serious stab wounds in his chest, Lancashire Police said.
We’ll tell you what’s true. You |
Model: Single Group Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary Purpose: Treatment Frequency of the seizures
Examination of EEG
Examination of MRI
Adverse events 50 All 6 Years to 70 Years (Child, Adult, Older Adult) NCT02889627 Epilepsy-CN-160816 June 2016 September 2019 September 2019 September 5, 2016 February 15, 2019 Medical Center for Digestive Diseases, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University
Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
93 NCT02378792 Unknown † Clinical Trial of Vagus Nerve Stimulation for Treatment of Refractory Epilepsy Refractory Epilepsy Device: Vagus Nerve Stimulation Interventional
Early Phase 1 Beijing Pins Medical Co., Ltd
Beijing Tiantan Hospital Industry / Other Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Double (Participant, Outcomes Assessor)
Primary Purpose: Treatment Changes in seizure frequency from baseline to the seizure count evaluvation period 6 month
Changes in seizure frequency from baseline to the seizure count evaluvation period
Overall Quality of Life in Epilepsy- 31 (QOLIE-31) Score in Patients With Baseline & at Least One Post-baseline QOLIE Assessment
31 (QOLIE-31) Score in Patients With Baseline & at Least One Post-baseline QOLIE Assessment (and 3 more...) 300 All 6 Years to 60 Years (Child, Adult) NCT02378792 PINS-012 VNSRE August 2014 October 2017 December 2017 March 4, 2015 October 12, 2016 Beijing Tiantan Hospital
Beijing, Beijing, China
Beijing, Beijing, China The first hospital of jilin university
Changchun, Jilin, China
Changchun, Jilin, China The general of shenyang military
Shenyang, Liaoning, China
Shenyang, Liaoning, China (and 2 more...)
94 NCT03478852 Recruiting Investigating Epilepsy : Screening, Evaluation and Treatment Seizures
Epilepsy
Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe
, Temporal Lobe Partial Epilepsy Observational
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
National Institutes of Health Clinical Center (CC) NIH Observational Model: Case-Control
Time Perspective: Prospective Screening and characterization of patients with drug-resistant epilepsy for epilepsy- related protocols
for related protocols Teaching and training of clinical fellows and residents
Provision of standard care evaluation and medical management of enrolled patients 500 All 8 Years and older (Child, Adult, Older Adult) NCT03478852 180066
18-N-0066 March 28, 2018 July 30, 2027 August 31, 2027 March 27, 2018 February 19, 2019 National Institutes of Health Clinical Center
Bethesda, Maryland, United States
95 NCT02820740 Active, not recruiting Feasibility Study on LITT for Medical Refractory Epilepsy Epilepsy Device: NeuroBlate System Interventional
Not Applicable Monteris Medical Industry Intervention Model: Single Group Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary Purpose: Treatment Adverse events
Changes in neuropsychological functioning
Changes in seizure frequency
(and 2 more...) 30 All 18 Years and older (Adult, Older Adult) NCT02820740 FLARE April 21, 2017 December 2019 December 2019 July 1, 2016 March 22, 2018 St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center
Phoenix, Arizona, United States
Phoenix, Arizona, United States Yale University School of Medicine
New Haven, Connecticut, United States
New Haven, Connecticut, United States University of Kansas Medical Center
Kansas City, Kansas, United States
Kansas City, Kansas, United States (and 2 more...)
96 NCT03547050 Recruiting Rolandic Epilepsy Genomewide Association International Study Rolandic Epilepsy Other: Blood draw
Other: Existing samples Observational
King's College London
King's College Hospital NHS Trust
Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust
(and 10 more...) Other Observational Model: Case-Control
Time Perspective: Other Allelic association p value corrected for genome wide testing 3000 All 6 Years to 25 Years (Child, Adult) NCT03547050 229844
TWF 164-3020 REGAIN June 1, 2018 December 31, 2020 December 31, 2020 June 6, 2018 August 14, 2018 Columbia University Medical Center
New York, New York, United States
New York, New York, United States Hasbro Children's Hospital
Providence, Rhode Island, United States
Providence, Rhode Island, United States Seattle Children's Hospital
Seattle, Washington, United States
Seattle, Washington, United States (and 10 more...)
97 NCT00642564 Completed Study on Migraine and Headache in Epileptic Patients Epilepsy Other: Observational study in Epileptic Patients Observational
Johnson & Johnson Taiwan Ltd Industry Observational Model: Cohort
Time Perspective: Prospective To determine the prevalence and the frequencies of migraines and other types of headache among patients with epilepsy, and to explore the relationship between seizure frequencies and headache occurrences
, and to explore the relationship between seizure frequencies and headache occurrences A decreased number of seizure symptoms as noted by the improved score on the 10-point Visual Analog Scale 955 All 7 Years and older (Child, Adult, Older Adult) NCT00642564 CR014668 February 2008 March 2009 March 2009 March 25, 2008 May 23, 2014
98 NCT03307863 Recruiting Effect of Anti- epileptic Drugs on Etonogestrel-releasing Implant Pharmacokinetics in Women With Epilepsy Contraception
Drug Interactions Drug: Carbamazepine-Implant
Drug: Topiramate-Implant
Drug: Implant Interventional
Phase 4 University of Sao Paulo Other Allocation: Non-Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Single (Outcomes Assessor)
Primary Purpose: Other Area under the plasma concentration versus time curve (AUC) of ENG in women with epilepsy (WWE) using carbamazepine
(WWE) using carbamazepine Plasma maximum concentration (Cmax) of ENG in women with epilepsy (WWE) using carbamazepine
(WWE) using carbamazepine Plasma minimum concentration (Cmin) of ENG in women with epilepsy (WWE) using carbamazepine
(WWE) using carbamazepine (and 14 more...) 69 Female 18 Years to 40 Years (Adult) NCT03307863 2.140.103 October 2017 July 2019 July 2019 October 12, 2017 October 12, 2017 Hospital das Clínicas de Ribeirão Preto da Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto da Universidade de São Paulo
Ribeirão Preto, Sao Paulo, Brazil
99 NCT01587339 Completed Systematic Review: Retigabine for Adjunctive Therapy in Partial Epilepsy Epilepsy Drug: retigabine/ezogabine
Drug: lacosamide
Drug: zonisamide
(and 2 more...) Observational
GlaxoSmithKline Industry Time Perspective: Retrospective Responder Rate
Median Seizure reduction
Seizure severity
(and 7 more...) 6498 All Child, Adult, Older Adult NCT01587339 115049 September 2010 March 2011 July 2011 April 30, 2012 September 16, 20131981 studio album by Def Leppard
High 'n' Dry is the second studio album by the English rock band Def Leppard, released on July 11, 1981. High 'n' Dry was Pete Willis' last full-time album with Def Leppard. It charted at No. 38 on the Billboard 200[6] and No. 26 on the UK Albums Chart.[7] "High 'n' Dry (Saturday Night)", ranked No. 33 on VH1's 40 Greatest Metal Songs.[8] Following the success of Pyromania, the album re-entered in the US chart and reached No. 72 in 1983.[6]
High 'n' Dry was reissued on 31 May 1984 with two bonus tracks:
"Bringin' On the Heartbreak" (Remix), essentially the same recording with a few synthesiser overdubs. The remix was released in 1984 as a single, peaking at No. 61 in the US charts. [9]
"Me & My Wine" (Remix), a remixed version of a 1981 B-side.
Videos for both were made, featuring Phil Collen (who was not in the band at the time of the album's recording). Both bonus tracks were omitted from the US mid-1990s re-releases of the album, although other countries' releases did include them, but returned when Def Leppard and Mercury came to terms in 2018 and the album was put on digital streaming and downloading platforms.
Track listing [ edit ]
Side two No. Title Writer(s) Solos Length 6. "You Got Me Runnin'" Willis, Clark, Elliott Willis 4:23 7. "Lady Strange" Willis, Clark, Rick Allen, Elliott Clark 4:39 8. "On Through the Night" Clark, Savage, Elliott Clark 5:06 9. "Mirror, Mirror (Look into My Eyes)" Clark, Elliott Willis 4:08 10. "No No No" Savage, Willis, Elliott Willis 3:13
1984 & 2018 reissue bonus tracks No. Title Writer(s) Length 11. "Bringin' On the Heartbreak" Remix) Clark, Willis, Elliott 4:34 12. "Me & My Wine" (Remix) Savage, Clark, Elliott 3:40
On vinyl and cassette releases, "Me & My Wine" (Remix) is added to the end of side one, while "Bringin' On the Heartbreak" (Remix) leads off side two. On CD releases, "Bringin' On the Heartbreak" (Remix) and "Me & My Wine" (Remix) follow "No No No".
The last lyric, 'no', in "No No No" repeats infinitely on the original vinyl album release. The original cassette features "no" being screamed 46 times and then ending abruptly when the cassette finished. On later releases the no's simply fade out.
Personnel [ edit ]
Def Leppard [ edit ]
Production [ edit ]
Charts [ edit ]
Certifications [ edit ]
Country Organization Year Sales USA RIAA 1992 2x Platinum (+ 2,000,000)[11] Canada CRIA 1988 Platinum (+ 100,000)[12]The common fallacy after winning a championship is to try to bring back just about everyone you had on the title-winning roster the following year. You can see the logic — you did just achieve everything you set out to achieve with those players — but it ignores the concept of despite. Namely, everyone on your roster doesn’t equally contribute to a championship; you can win a title despite some of the players in your organization, too.
In other cases, there are players who want to leave, guys who emerge as key contributors during a title run and then leave for bigger roles or more money elsewhere. Anecdotally, that move seems to rarely work out, with the classic example coming from the hapless Al Davis Raiders, who gave a big contract to Super Bowl XXX MVP Larry Brown after the Cowboys cornerback picked off Neil O’Donnell twice. Brown started one game in two years before being released by Oakland. That Davis made a similar move — with similar success — in signing Colts running back Dominic Rhodes years later speaks to how well he learned from his mistakes.
Regardless of who wins this Sunday’s Super Bowl, we’re going to see examples of both these personnel scenarios play out after the season. The winner (and probably the loser) will likely hold on to a piece or two too many, because that’s what happens when you make it this far. A player who had a big postseason will get a hefty contract elsewhere. There are players on each side who will be suiting up for the final time with their respective teams this Sunday, even if they don’t yet know it. So let’s run through both these teams and figure out what their immediate offseason after the Super Bowl is going to look like. That’ll tell us what to expect from each of these teams this spring, but even more so, it tells us who might profit most from having a dominant performance in New Jersey.
Note that all the contract data and terms in this piece come from the publicly available data at Spotrac.
Denver Broncos
Free Agents: Amazingly, Denver could be starting as many as nine players in the Super Bowl who are due to become free agents after the season, with a number of players who provide depth also hitting the market. The injured Chris Harris, starting safety Duke Ihenacho, and return man Trindon Holliday are each restricted free agents, leaving them likely to return to Denver. The others? It wouldn’t be a surprise if many of the players booked to leave chose to sign elsewhere.
The biggest free agent coming out of Denver is cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, who has had an impressive rebuilding season after signing a short-term “prove it” deal with the Broncos. The free-agent market for cornerbacks is relatively deep this offseason, but DRC proved he should be near the top of the class in terms of performance and salary. His two-year deal should void next week, and Rodgers-Cromartie has already made his intentions clear by suggesting he would consider retirement if he didn’t get a long-term deal from somebody. The Broncos could certainly use a top cornerback, but their strategy in recent years has been to cast veteran reclamation projects and young players with upside across from Champ Bailey. That might change this year, but more on that later.
Speaking of veteran reclamation projects, Shaun Phillips did a nice job in rebuilding his value with a 10-sack season, his third double-digit campaign as a pro, as Denver’s primary pass-rusher. Phillips is on a one-year deal for $1 million (he earned an additional $800,000 in sack incentives), and while last year’s market for veteran pass-rushers suggests he’s unlikely to get a massive deal for his age-33 season and beyond, Phillips will almost surely receive a salary in the $4 million-plus range on a short-term deal. Again, Denver might look to move on to the next veteran pass-rusher and cast him across from Von Miller. The team will also have to make decisions on linebackers Wesley Woodyard and Paris Lenon, as well as safety Mike Adams. Woodyard has faded badly as the season’s gone along, so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see somebody snatch him up as an upside play after he recovers from a stinger this offseason.
Denver’s offense could lose several quietly valuable components, too. The most notable name would be wideout Eric Decker, generally considered to be Denver’s second wideout behind Demaryius Thomas. Decker put up two virtually identical seasons with Peyton Manning under center, with an 85-1,064-13 line in 2012 followed up by an 87-1,288-11 line in 2013. Since moving into the starting lineup in 2011, Decker has scored 32 receiving touchdowns, the fourth-highest total in football, behind some guys who are going to get paid a lot more money than he will: Jimmy Graham, Dez Bryant, and Calvin Johnson. I always caution against giving big contracts to second bananas in elite passing offenses, but with Decker about to hit 27, somebody’s going to give him a pretty substantial long-term deal. The five-year, $43 million deal (albeit with $15.6 million guaranteed) signed by Victor Cruz looms as a logical comp. I would imagine that Decker ends up staying in Denver, even if he takes a little bit off the top of that contract. It’s certainly hard to imagine where he might end up were he to leave Denver. The Jets could certainly use a wideout …
A more likely departure is Knowshon Moreno. The Broncos drafted Montee Ball in the second round a year ago to serve as their long-term starter at halfback, and while Moreno’s been a valuable, versatile starter for Denver this season, it wasn’t so long ago that this same administration had no need for Moreno. He will likely join the epic game of running back musical chairs that’s about to begin this offseason, and with his recent success and young age (27 in 2014) balanced against a rocky injury history, it seems like he could get a two-year deal for less than $10 million from somebody like the Titans or Giants. Denver could also lose starting left guard Zane Beadles, the lesser half of one of the league’s more underrated guard tandems with Louis Vasquez. It seems most likely that Beadles will hit the market, see that there’s no Andy Levitre–size contract waiting for him, and re-sign with the Broncos on a long-term deal.
New Deals: Denver has to clear out space for a number of new contracts. It seems likely the organization would want to re-sign the likes of Decker, Beadles, and possibly Rodgers-Cromartie, but there are players with contracts coming due in 2015 and 2016 who will receive massive raises. That starts with Von Miller, whose four-year, $21 million rookie contract expires next season. The Broncos retain a fifth-year option on Miller’s rookie contract and could either use it to push the inevitable Miller extension into the future or as leverage to bring his asking price down. Given that Miller’s 2013 season included a six-game suspension and a torn ACL, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Denver waited another year before working on what will be a massive new deal for Miller.
Don’t worry: There are plenty of other contracts the Broncos can work on. The most obvious deal would be that of Demaryius Thomas, who has one of the old-CBA rookie contracts by virtue of his selection in the first round of the 2010 draft. He’ll be an unrestricted free agent after the 2015 season, and the Broncos will likely sign him to a new contract this offseason, especially if they don’t sign Miller to a new deal. Thomas is going to get paid either way, but a big Super Bowl performance — especially if it comes against Richard Sherman — could be worth a few extra million dollars in guaranteed money.
The Broncos will also likely want to find new deals for tight end Julius Thomas, right tackle Orlando Franklin, and safety Rahim Moore, each of whom become free agents after the 2015 campaign. They also have defensive tackle Terrance Knighton signed to a bargain-basement deal for next season, but they could again use the cheap contract as leverage to sign Knighton to a (relatively) cheaper long-term deal if so inclined.
Possible Cap Casualties: The ultimate cap casualty, of course, would be Peyton Manning. A Manning retirement would throw this entire organization into flux, but Manning himself has said he has no intention of retiring after the season. Let’s proceed accordingly.
While Denver’s in relatively good cap shape, there are a number of deals it will likely expect to renegotiate or remove from its cap this offseason. The most obvious renegotiation belongs to legendary cornerback Champ Bailey, who was injured for virtually the entire season with a recurring foot problem. Bailey’s four-year, $42.5 million contract was structured without a signing bonus, which allows the Broncos to release him without causing much stress to their cap. Both the 35-year-old Bailey and the team know he wouldn’t come close to matching the $10.75 million due in his contract on the free market were the organization to release Bailey, so it seems likely the team will either release the future Hall of Famer this offseason or convince him to return on a much smaller contract. Releasing Bailey would save Denver $9.5 million on its 2014 cap.
The team will almost surely cut bait on its two backup tight ends. Jacob Tamme became an afterthought after the emergence of Julius Thomas, and while Tamme is friends with Manning, the Broncos are unlikely to pay their backup tight end $3.5 million next year for companionship’s sake. They will also surely let Joel Dreessen, now the team’s fourth-string tight end, hit the market one year early. Releasing Tamme and Dreessen would save a combined $5.5 million, and if the team let deposed guard Chris Kuper follow them into free agency, the savings would hit $9.5 million.
Offseason Plan: If they follow their previous course of action, the Broncos under John Elway will target young players with considerable raw talent in free agency, guys Denver thinks they can coach up into more useful assets. Given their perpetual need for bodies up front, that could lead them to a former 3-4 lineman like Ziggy Hood or Tyson Jackson, both first-round picks who failed to develop as planned in their first stops. If Shaun Phillips leaves, I wonder if the Broncos would target Jared Allen on a one-year deal to serve as their primary pass-rusher while Miller recovers from his ACL tear. And with question marks at cornerback, if they don’t sign Rodgers-Cromartie and they release Bailey, the Broncos could target one of the top cornerbacks on the market, like Aqib Talib or Sam Shields. DeAngelo Hall would even make sense on a lesser contract.
Seattle Seahawks
Free Agents: The Seahawks will run the risk of losing a number of notable contributors this offseason, but they’ll still have plenty of cap space to work with, given that several of their best players (Russell Wilson, Richard Sherman, Bobby Wagner, and Earl Thomas) are still on their rookie deals. That will change starting in 2015. Until then, the Seahawks still have one more year in cap heaven.
Their most notable free agent this offseason will be Michael Bennett, who provided a hefty return on the one-year deal Seattle gave him this past spring. In fact, Bennett might very well have been too good; the Seahawks would surely love to have him back on another one-year deal, but Bennett did enough this year to earn a long-term contract from somebody, with the natural landing point seeming to be a reunion with brother Martellus in Chicago. Seattle will likely search for a short-term deal with another 4-3 end who can kick inside on passing downs.
The only other notable free agents Seattle has on defense are cornerback Walter Thurmond, who lost his job to Byron Maxwell after being suspended in midseason, and useful defensive tackle Clinton McDonald, who should re-sign for a moderate amount of money. Suspended cornerback Brandon Browner is also as good as gone. Otherwise, virtually all the big questions come on offense. While wideout Doug Baldwin is a restricted free agent who will almost surely return, fellow receiver Golden Tate is an unrestricted free agent. Tate had his best season in 2014, but it was only a 64-898-5 line. It certainly feels like he has some untapped potential, and he won’t turn 26 until August, but it also seems likely the Seahawks would have given him an extension by now if they were intending to keep him around.
The Seahawks will also have to make decisions on starting right tackle Breno Giacomini and utility lineman Paul McQuistan. Given the injury woes suffered by Seattle up front this season, you can imagine they would want to hold on to both of their linemen, but Giacomini will likely seek a raise on the two-year, $6.5 million deal he’s currently playing out. The Seahawks could also choose to install rookie seventh-rounder Michael Bowie at right tackle or use him as McQuistan’s replacement in the swing role.
New Deals: Oh dear. It’s a good thing to have a lot of talented players who deserve big-money contracts, but man, Paul Allen has a ton of money to hand out over the next few years.
2014 will mark the final year before unrestricted free agency for, among others, Baldwin, Cliff Avril, Chris Clemons, Malcolm Smith, Sherman, Thomas, and K.J. Wright. Yikes. The Seahawks have no option years available to them on those deals, either, like the Broncos have with Miller.
All those players are relative bargains (Clemons aside, perhaps) in 2014, but the Seahawks need to give them new deals so they can push a bunch of their guaranteed money onto next year’s cap and clear out space for the next set of extensions they’ll have to give out. That’s because Bruce Irvin (who will have a fifth-year option), Marshawn Lynch, Brandon Mebane, Russell Okung, Wilson, and Wagner will all become free agents after the 2015 season, and that doesn’t include a number of key veterans I suspect won’t be on the roster by then. (More on them in a second.) Holy hell. How are the Seahawks going to fit all these guys under the cap?
Giving the players long contracts with big signing bonuses is only part of the solution. General manager John Schneider is going to have to stagger the base salaries in these contracts to ensure that the likes of Sherman and Thomas collect big guarantees before the likes of Wilson and Wagner do the same. The Seahawks will also have to start stockpiling draft picks, because a top-heavy roster like the one they’re about to have in 2015 and beyond is going to need plenty of cheap depth behind it.
It wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Seahawks extend Thomas and Sherman this offseason. They currently have a combined cap hold of just more than $7.5 million for 2014; new deals would probably see that figure approach a combined $30 million, especially if the Seahawks weight the deals in favor of a bigger first-year payout.
Possible Cap Casualties: The long line of impending extensions will force the Seahawks to make some tough decisions, and that starts this year. The third-highest paid player on the roster next year will be wideout Sidney Rice, who has failed to live up to expectations and struggled to stay healthy since coming over in free agency from Minnesota. He’s owed $9.7 million and then $10.2 million over the next two seasons, salaries that don’t remotely match his production. The Seahawks will likely need to cut him this offseason, a move that will save them $7.3 million this year and the full $10.2 million in 2015.
Their highest-paid player in 2013 was, surprisingly, tight end Zach Miller. The former Raiders star had an $11 million cap hit in 2013, a figure that falls to $7 million and then $6 million over the final two years of his contract. Miller’s a useful blocker, but he hasn’t been quite as effective a receiver as the Seahawks might have expected when they gave him a five-year, $34 million deal. Releasing Miller would save them $5 million in 2014 and $6 million in 2015, but it seems more likely the Seahawks will ask Miller to restructure. They aren’t particularly deep at tight end. The same is true at guard, but the struggles of former first-round pick James Carpenter could lead the Seahawks to cut him and save $1.3 million over the final year of his deal.
Those are the two obvious places to make changes. Seattle could also try to restructure the deals of Clemons (who has a $9.7 million cap hit in the final year of his deal) and Red Bryant ($8.5 million next year). They can’t do much about the biggest escalator on their cap; Percy Harvin’s new contract extension really kicks in next year, as his cap hit rises from $4.9 million to $13.4 million and stays above $11 million for each of the next four seasons.
Offseason Plans: The Seahawks will begin the process of coming to terms on long extensions with their young stars. They’ll need to clear out some space at the top of the cap to do so while maintaining the flexibility they want to bring in a veteran to help the pass rush. If they don’t sign Giacomini, their need for a zone-blocking right tackle could bring them to Eric Winston, who enjoyed success in that role for the Texans. Any additions they make will need to be on a one- or two-year deal, because the cap space just isn’t going to be there in 2016 and beyond. Of course, with the talent Seattle has, it won’t miss the cap space all that much.Jul 18, 2016 at 11:32 // Price
Albert Libenzon Author
Prices for the most popular cryptocurrencies are now in growth again. Continuous price corrections against the US Dollar, which lasted for nearly a month, seem to comes to an end. In the coming days we expect altcoins to reach new support and resistance levels.
Altcoins as investments are too young to rely on the experience of their usability. We asked cryptocurrency experts, about whether altcoins are regarded an investment today. And we got the following answers:
Michael Patryn, co-founder of Quadriga, and Founder of Fintech Ventures Group, an active trader:
“ I feel that the value of these coins are too volatile, and uncertain, for long term placement into one’s investment portfolio. While their volatility makes them fantastic for day trading, I would not park six figures in there for 3+ years. My "investment portfolio" is made up of gold, real estate, and the S&P 500. My "trading portfolio" is made up of bitcoins, fiat, and micro cap stocks.”
Daniel Dabek, founder of Safe Exchange, curator of Alt Coin Trading Community:
“If I may, my take is that ETH will continue to decline in price this week following the hard fork. Its role as a store of value is questionable. I think that ETH will stay low for some time until a trend of stability with its contract language is realized. Of course we can still expect typical volatility in both directions. The trend is down, and there is plenty of room to go. Additionally the risk of holding ETH prior to a major change such as this far outweighs the constancy of Bitcoin.”
Ethereum (ETH)
The ETH/USD pair has moved to the upper levels of its sideways trend, to the level of $11.50 - $11.70. However, it’s not the right time to speak about a sustainable uptrend. The movement of ETH prices will depend on the activity of the players in the cryptoccurency market, which is about 70%.
Today the support level for ETH is $ 11.20. $11.70 is the resistance level.
ETH/USD chart July 12 – 18
Litecoin (LTC)
LTC/USD price is now about $4.20. A slight increase could mean the end of the downward trend. Overall, growth of cryptocurrencies will give Litecoin a support for some time and, possibly, a long-term LTC price growth.
Support level today is $4.10. Resistance level is $4.25.
LTC/USD price chart, July 12 - 18
Dogecoin (DOGE)
USD/DOGE did not react to the general rise in price of most other cryptocurrencies. The DOGE rates against the USD continues its gradual decline, going down to 0.00025. Apparently the reason for this decrease is the low activity of DOGE traders on the stock markets – only 38%. The absence of a steady demand pushes the USD/DOGE pair to new low levels.
The level of support is $0.0002580, the resistance level is $0.00027.
DOGE/USD price chart, July 12 - 18
The dynamics of cryptocurrency prices and a strengthening of USD on the foreign exchange market allows us to conclude that the growth of the Dollar actually gives a support for major cryptocurrencies. Do you agree?
This analysis and forecast are the personal opinions of the author and are not a recommendation to buy or sell cryptocurrency.One of the most common objections to free markets is that they ignore ethical considerations. In particular, critics argue that there are many things we “ought” to do that they believe will make people’s lives better off. We ought to “redistribute” income to the poor, they say. We ought to make health care a right. We ought to fix the economy by bailing out the financial industry.
The problem with all these “oughts” is that they eventually confront the principle ought implies can. Can the desired end (improving the welfare of the poor, for example) be achieved by the chosen means (income “redistribution”)? If not, then what does the “ought” really mean? “Oughts” without “cans”–ethical pronouncements without economics–are likely to lead to disastrous public policies.
In exploring the relationship between economics and ethics, we can start with two definitions that seem relevant here. The economist David Prychitko once defined economics as “the art of putting parameters on our utopias.” And in a particularly insightful definition, Nobel laureate F. A. Hayek wrote that “The curious task of economics is to demonstrate to men how little they really know about what they imagine they can design.” What both definitions suggest is that economics deals with the realm of the possible and in doing so demarcates the limits to what should be imaginable. Before we say we “ought” to do something, perhaps we should be sure we can do it, in the sense that the action is likely to achieve the intended ends. Put differently: ought implies can.
Ethicists can imagine all kinds of schemes to remedy perceived social ills, but none of the aspiring benefactors can afford to ignore economic analysis. Being able to dream something doesn’t guarantee it is possible. Too often ethical pronouncements have an air of hubris about them, as the pronouncer simply assumes we can do what he says we ought to do. By contrast, economics demands some humility. We always have to ask whether it’s humanly possible to do what the ethicists say we ought. To say we ought to do something we cannot do, in the sense that it won’t achieve our end, is to engage in a pointless exercise. If we cannot do it, to say that we ought to is to command the impossible.
So contrary to the commonly heard complaint, it is not that economists ignore ethical issues. Rather we attempt to describe the likely results of putting particular ethical rules into practice. For example, someone can argue that a living wage is an ethical imperative, but that doesn’t change the economic analysis of minimum-wage laws. Those laws increase unemployment and/or lead to reductions in nonmonetary forms of compensation among all unskilled workers, but especially the young, male, and nonwhite. No matter how much we think we ought to pass such legislation as a way of helping the poor, the reality remains that economics shows us that we cannot help them that way. Those who argue we ought to have such a law can still pass it if they want, but they should do it with eyes wide open to the fact that it will not achieve the result they wish, no matter how much they think we ought to have it.
It might be more accurate to say that ethicists ignore economics than that economists ignore ethics. To the extent that good economics shows what we can and cannot do with social policy, it is engaged with ethics. After all, if the point of saying we ought to do X is that we think it will achieve some set of morally desirable goals, then knowing whether or not doing X will actually achieve those goals is, or at least should be, a key part of moral inquiry. One of the tasks that economists should set for themselves is to engage in this sort of dialogue with moral philosophers and others who argue from “oughts.” Economist Leland Yeager’s recent book Ethics as Social Science is a good example of how economics can inform ethical questions just this way.
Studying “Ought,” Ignoring “Can”
The more interesting question is the degree to which moral philosophers are engaged with economics as they develop their theories. It might be true that introductory economics courses do not consider moral questions as often as they might, but it would seem at least as true that courses in ethics and religious studies are unlikely to confront either economic arguments or economic data that relate to their subjects. Exploring the “ought” without broaching the “can” will not get one far in designing policies that will achieve the intended results. One exception to this neglect of economics is the philosopher Daniel Shapiro’s Is the Welfare State Justified? In that book he brings to bear a good deal of empirical data and economic theory on the question of whether the welfare state can do what its proponents claim for it. From the philosophy side, this is the kind of work that needs to be done.
Can Doesn’t Imply Ought
Once we recognize the insight behind “ought implies can,” we can see that the reverse is true as well. Just as we cannot do everything people say we ought, we ought not do everything we can. We see this in the frequent calls for political actors to “do something” in the face of a crisis. There are many things politicians can actually do in a crisis, and doing them is often fairly easy, especially if the politicians can generate a climate of fear to help make the “ought” seem more pressing. But the fact that they can do something does not always mean they ought to. Even if it is true that “yes we can,” understanding the unseen and unintended consequences of what politicians are able to do should help us to decide whether they ought to do it.
Both ways of looking at “ought implies can” put economists in the position of throwing cold water on the plans and designs of social engineers left and right. This is what Prychitko and Hayek mean. Economists are thus often seen as only knocking down the ideas of others without coming up with solutions of their own. There is some truth to this claim. That is how economists spend much of their time. But it’s an important function: showing why a proposed solution would only make matters worse is a valuable contribution to the broader process of solving the problem.
More relevant, however, is that economics teaches us that solutions are much more often found in the actions of individuals and organizations responding entrepreneurially to the situations they face. The notion of a top-down solution to any social problem is going to attract the economist’s critical eye. In terms of “ought implies can,” economists are often reluctant to say what everyone ought to do because no one person or group knows what people can do. If ought implies can, and “can” is particular people in particular contexts developing solutions to their problems, then it is difficult to say what we all |
a call about a suspected kidnapping of six children from a man who saw Huerta’s and his girlfriend’s children getting into the hatchback of their newly purchased 99 Mercury Cougar. TPD was searching for the car when they pulled Huerta over in the early afternoon of Sunday, February 17. After determining that no kidnapping had taken place, TPD officers asked Huerta for his driver’s license, a document he did not have. Deciding that they had probable cause to suspect Huerta was in the country without proper documentation, TPD called the Border Patrol (BP), which came to detain him.
This is a scene that plays out constantly in communities within 100 air miles of the US-Mexico border, the so-called “constitution-free zone” where BP has expansive powers of search and seizure. In Arizona, this is compounded by Senate Bill 1070 (also called SB 1070), the state’s infamous 2010 “show me your papers” law that was partially upheld by the US Supreme Court in June of 2011. Section 2(b) of the law, which was not struck down, requires all state law enforcement officers, “when practicable, to determine the immigration status of the person, except if the determination may hinder or obstruct an investigation,” when “reasonable suspicion exists that the person is an alien and is unlawfully present in the United States.”
There’s a lot about Huerta’s deportation that makes it totally unexceptional, most importantly that it resulted in the separation of yet another parent from his children. What sets it apart is that somebody tried to stop it: Raúl Alcaraz Ochoa, a day labor organizer with the Southside Worker Center and member of the migrant justice group Corazón de Tucson.
Eleazar Castellanos, an undocumented day laborer affiliated with Tucson’s Southside Worker Center, leads the crowd in chants of solidarity. (Photo: Murphy Joseph Woodhouse)
Ochoa’s decision to place himself under a BP truck to prevent the detention and likely deportation of Huerta was a bold act of civil disobedience and a tremendous personal risk. Ochoa, who was born in Mexico, is a legal permanent resident, meaning that he is subject to deportation if convicted of certain crimes. Ochoa’s and Huerta’s arrests sparked a 300-strong protest in front of TPD’s headquarters the next day, little more than 12 hours after the previous afternoon’s events. Attendees demanded the immediate release without charges of both men, an end to TPD/BP collaboration and a halt to all deportations.
Truthout interviews Raúl Ochoa below. The interview is followed by a video of René Huerta’s account of his arrest, incarceration, “trial” and deportation. The two men discuss the events of that February afternoon and, more broadly, their thoughts on what contemporary immigration enforcement means for undocumented communities and the role civil disobedience should play in the ongoing struggle for migrant justice.
Raúl Alcaraz Ochoa, whose attempt to intervene in the arrest of René Meza Huerta helped spark today’s rally, tells the crowd that “immigration reform is either just for absolutely everyone, or it’s not immigration reform.” (Photo: Murphy Joseph Woodhouse)
Murphy Joseph Woodhouse for Truthout: Could you give me a brief account of what happened and what you did the afternoon of Sunday, February 17?
Raúl Alcaraz Ochoa: I was biking from my home to a community meeting. About a block east of there, just as I was about to arrive at the meeting, I saw three Tucson Police Department vehicles that had pulled over a car to my left on a corner one street over. I walked my bike to the scene, and I saw that there was a man who was handcuffed and in the custody of the police officers. I approached the car and there were six kids inside, six children. They were scared; they were startled; they were crying. I approached René’s partner and she was crying and she really didn’t know what to do. She explained to me what had happened. She said that they got pulled over by the police and that [the police] had called the Border Patrol.
When she told me this, I took out my notebook and I started writing everything down: the time, the officers’ names, the patrol car numbers, just as much information as I could. An officer approached me; he was a sergeant. He asked me if I needed help. I immediately asked him, “Why did you call Border Patrol on this family?”
When I asked that, he said, “My officers are obligated and required to call Border Patrol because of SB 1070.” I responded to that, “You actually have discretion even within 1070. You only need call Border Patrol when practicable and if it’s not going to hinder another investigation.” And then he told me that they had received a call that René had abducted children and that’s why they had stopped him.
“So you mean to tell me that these children in the middle of the street crying for their father because you have him handcuffed – are you telling me that these children were abducted by him?” And then he said: “Well, no no no no. We determined, after the investigation, that that was not the case, that he was not abducting the children.”
Raul Alcaraz Ochoa hugs René Meza’s sister-in-law Lizbeth Hernandez, who spoke about what happened to her brother-and-law and his family. (Photo: Murphy Joseph Woodhouse)
“So why is he still handcuffed?” I asked. “Why is he under your custody?” That’s when he said that they had reasonable suspicion to believe that he was undocumented. Then I asked him to define what reasonable suspicion was and why René was reasonably suspicious. He refused to answer and threatened to have me arrested if I didn’t leave. I told him I wasn’t going to move because I was on a public sidewalk within a reasonable distance and I wasn’t interfering with any of his duties. Then the Border Patrol came onto the scene. It was one vehicle and one agent. Once the Border Patrol parked, I immediately thought “I’m going to get under the vehicle. I’m going to try to impede as much as possible them taking away this father away from his crying children.”
Once I got closer to the Border Patrol vehicle and I saw that the agent was walking toward the vehicle with René handcuffed, I immediately rushed in front of the vehicle and lay down on the ground and crawled underneath the vehicle. As soon as I did, the officers rushed up to the vehicle and screamed, “What the hell are you doing?” And then one of them grabbed me by the arm and then he let go like he was really confused and surprised. They didn’t know how to respond. When he let go of me, that’s when I crawled deeper underneath the car. The Border Patrol agents were taking pictures of me and I was taking pictures back. I was calling people, sending messages and telling people to come. Then the Border Patrol agent came up to me and said if I didn’t leave the area, if I didn’t get out from underneath the vehicle, then I would get felony charges for impeding the work of a federal agent. They threatened to pepper-spray and Taser me. Eventually they pepper-sprayed me to get me out, and then they dragged me on the concrete floor until we were in an area where they could handcuff me and take me away to the Border Patrol station. That’s where René and I were taken.
Why did you feel compelled to intervene?
I work with day laborers, with domestic workers, with mothers and fathers, and youth. On a regular basis I receive calls from people, friends, colleagues, coworkers, who tell me they have been stopped by the police and that they may potentially call Border Patrol. Sometimes I don’t even know that this happens until I get a call from somebody in detention who has been incarcerated. Police pull them over, stop them and then call Border Patrol. This happens on a regular basis. This is daily life in Tucson, Arizona, in one of the most militarized regions of the continent. I regularly hear about my community, my family members, my coworkers being taken, pulled over by police and then handed over to Border Patrol and disappeared from their communities: torn apart, family separation, community disruption taking place invisibly. I constantly deal with the effects of detentions and deportations and how they tear people and families apart. I have witnessed firsthand the effects of all of these injustices that take place.
After dealing with them from the time I was little and detained along with my parents when we were crossing over to the United States when I was young, all the way to my auntie getting her house raided by ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] agents, to working here in Tucson, Arizona, amidst SB 1070, and working with families and day laborers and them constantly getting pulled over, harassed and incarcerated, I felt like enough is enough. We do everything that we can; we document when abuse happens; we take pictures; we show videos. But at this point, seeing René being handcuffed in front of his six children, and his six children crying their eyes out and screaming for their father to be given back to them, and then just thinking that these are children who are possibly not going to have their dad with them this evening at home, comforting them, I felt like I needed to do something that was more than just document what was going on. I felt like I needed to put my body on the line to interrupt this detention from taking place. That’s what I felt needed to be done at the moment. I needed to do everything in my power to be able to attempt to stop this injustice that takes place due to unjust immigration and state laws.
Lizbeth Hernandez, René’s sister-in-law, addresses the crowd. (Photo: Murphy Joseph Woodhouse)
Have you been charged with felony obstruction?
Currently, my case is being reviewed by the US Attorney. So, it’s pending. I haven’t received word of anything as of yet.
In your view, what is the importance of direct action and civil disobedience in the context of the ongoing debate around immigration policy?
Currently, the only thing that can save us from the right-wing immigration reform debate is grassroots community organizing, direct action and civil disobedience. If there is no massive movement that resurfaces again, much like the DREAMers have done in the past and continue to do, if there isn’t a focus on strategizing around community organizing and direct action, then our movement is going to be hijacked and co-opted by the center-right tendencies of the big national Hispanic organizations that claim to represent us.
In the conversations around immigration reform, I believe it is key to demand a moratorium on deportation, ending detention and family separation, and a halt to the militarization of the US-Mexico border. To give voice to those demands, we are going to need to continue and escalate civil disobedience and direct action. In order to be able to amplify these messages and these demands that don’t have the mainstream appeal within the movement, I think we need to learn from the actions that the DREAMers have done, the UndocuBus, the civil disobedience that took place in North Carolina and along the journey to North Carolina, where undocumented people were speaking for themselves and making that sacrifice and taking that risk to come out of the shadows, undocumented and unafraid. That’s where the power lies.
It is up to people power, how much the people believe in their own power and act on that power to really create political pressure for an immigration reform that truly lives up to our visions of equity and liberation; an immigration reform that will be meaningful and that will include all of the 11 million people who are undocumented at the moment. Living under this deportation regime, I am not sure this can happen, but we must utilize all direct action tactics to make our undocumented dreams a reality.
Raul Alcaraz Ochoa, Lydia Lopez, Rene Meza’s mother-in-law, and one of René Meza’s six children. (Photo: Murphy Joseph Woodhouse)
How is René’s case representative of how undocumented people and their families are forced to live by state law and national policies in a place like Southern Arizona?
Pre-SB-1070 Arizona is, in practice, not too different from post-SB-1070 Arizona, meaning that before SB 1070, local police departments were calling Border Patrol agents to take people away that they suspected were undocumented. Now that SB 1070 has become law and the US Supreme Court has upheld it, people, families and community members continue to be targeted at a higher level, now with the backing of state law and the court’s ruling. Now, local police departments in Arizona have been given the green light to continue using the practices that before were seen as unacceptable but were still taking place. Now that there’s a law that legalizes racial profiling, there’s been an increased amount of persecution and an increased amount of terror within our communities. Families I know have decided to no longer drive a vehicle because of the high risk of a police officer pulling them over and calling Border Patrol. I know families that don’t go out at night at all. I have met families that will take all the precautions available so that they will not come in direct contact with law enforcement. A lot of people, women that I have met who suffer from domestic violence, don’t call local police.
So, there are a lot of things that happen in our communities that go unreported because there is no trust with local law enforcement. In terms of work, I work with day laborers, so this environment of persecution, of being under surveillance, of racial profiling, of police brutality, has created an environment where employers don’t want to hire workers and be perceived as people who are hiring undocumented people. It has created a hostile environment that is anti-labor and that really targets and serves to exploit undocumented people as a source of cheap labor. It drives people even further into the underground, into the shadows, and that creates a more exploitable permanent underclass that capitalism needs to flourish.
So, on the one hand, this system says they want us deported, and at the same time, they benefit economically from undocumented labor that is exploitable. I think that René’s situation brings up so many issues with regard to the brown working-class community living and working in an economically and politically oppressive environment, society and political structure in Arizona and the rest of the country. René represents the people who will not qualify for immigration reform as it is currently being proposed. What is the United States going to do with the millions of people who are still not going to qualify for immigration reform if it is to pass as they are currently proposing? He is an example of the plight of millions of undocumented people who will still remain in the shadows despite the promises of legalization and pathways to citizenship.
His case also highlights the fact that there is only so much that we can do within the legal structures that we have, within the court systems that we have and within the immigration laws that we have. These laws are inherently unjust and no immigration reform is going to be able to overturn and dismantle this oppressive structure that will ultimately deport whomever it wants. René’s case highlights how we can demand as much as we want, but at the end of the day, there are laws that are unjust, and these laws need to be challenged and defied in order for our community to be able to have justice and live in political and economic equality within the system.
His case also highlights how local police departments are calling Border Patrol and arguing that they are enforcing SB 1070 and that their hands are tied because of the state law. That’s why, when this sergeant approached me and said that they are mandated to report René to Border Patrol, I challenged him on that. I believe that René’s case highlights how SB 1070 is being enforced. Local police departments, city councils and all governmental agencies are complicit and compliant to this unjust state law, a law that still leaves room for loopholes where officers don’t have to call Border Patrol on families if it is not “practicable” or if it “hinders the investigation” of an officer.
Protesters rally in front of Tucson Police Department headquarters on Monday, February 18. (Photo: Murphy Joseph Woodhouse)
How do you see movements for migrant justice fitting into broader struggles for social justice?
I think right now we are at a historic crossroads in the movement not just for migrant justice, but for human liberation. I think this is a pivotal moment for us to continue to demand that our dreams and our visions of a just world be fulfilled. This is the moment to be uncompromising; this is the moment to really feel free to demand and articulate the vision of the society in which we want to live. I believe right now it’s important to make all the connections of everything taking place in terms of family separation and persecution of undocumented people here, and the situation of innocent Iraqis or Palestinians being persecuted and bombed abroad. We need to see this in terms of the US military involvement and economic interventions in Latin America, Africa and Asia. We see migration as a global issue, as an international issue, as a universal issue because it is something that takes place all over the world.
What drives migration is elites and US/Western economic and military policies and decisions that are created to benefit the 1 percent at the expense of the 99 percent, as the Occupy movement would say. Right now we have a government that wants to deal with immigration with Band-Aid solutions that are not solutions. Instead, it should really look at the policies that it has at a global level that are driving and causing migration to the United States. I think that for us to continue fighting in this movement, to continue struggling for justice and migrant liberation, it is important to see this in the context of a global movement for human and life liberation.
In this video, René Meza Huerta describes the events of Sunday, February 17, their consequences and implications:From English Next: Native speakers as a percentage of the global population for major languages. As English native speakers decline in comparison to those that use it as a second language, the chance of the emergence a new version of the language unsanctioned by these native speakers rises.
Not with English as we recognize it, that is, and the sooner we realize this the better. Take a look at this article today detailing the problem:
Monsieur Nerriere is a retired French businessman who one day in the course of his work made a fascinating observation. In a meeting with colleagues from around the world, including an Englishman, a Korean and a Brazilian, he noticed that he and the other non-native English speakers were communicating in a form of English that was completely comprehensible to them, but which left the Englishman nonplussed. He, Jean-Paul Nerriere, could talk to the Korean and the Brazilian in this neo-language, and they could understand each other perfectly. But the Englishman was left out because his language was too subtle, too full of meaning that could not be grasped by the others. In other words, Monsieur Nerriere concluded, a new form of English is developing around the world, used by people for whom it is their second language.
I don't agree with his conclusion (that a language called Globish based on 1500 English words is the answer) but his observation on the phenomenon certainly is correct. This is what happens when the ratio of L1 (mother tongue) to L2 (second language) speakers drops below a certain level. That is, at a certain point native speakers of English cease to be the envied authority on the language and turn into a hindrance. If there is a meeting of people from ten different countries, all except one using English as a second language, what use is the last one person that speaks the language perfectly? No lesser authority than the British Council points out the same thing:
The new language which is rapidly ousting the language of Shakespeare as the world’s lingua franca is English itself – English in its new global form. As this book demonstrates, this is not English as we have known it, and have taught it in the past as a foreign language. It is a new phenomenon, and if it represents any kind of triumph it is probably not a cause of celebration by native speakers.
and:
Anyone who believes that native speakers of English remain in control of these developments will be very troubled. This book suggests that it is native speakers who, perhaps, should be the most concerned. But the fact is, that the future development of English in the world is now a global concern and should be troubling us all.
Some examples of this in practice are the relaxing of grammatical rules such as article usage, as well as approving new terms without the input of native speakers.
WE ALL STRYKER!
Here's one example:
Ubiquitous exhibition enter incorporating state-of-the-art IT technologies and cumulated know-how s Exhibition floor trench that supports diverse facilities
Ubiquitous is a buzzword in Korea that has really caught on with the general population, and a word I had never seen in use until I came here. Note also the pluralization of know-how.
Here's another example of both pluralization and bad article usage:
In the contrast with many researche s on orbital ordering in 3d and 4f electron systems
What makes this especially hard to control is the fact that a search term like "many researches" turns up 109,000 hits on Google, so if you're using English as a second language and aren't sure if this is correct, a search there will give the impression that yes, you do pluralize research and thus you can say "one research, two researches, three researches..." when this just isn't the case.
Nevertheless, if you are using English as an L2 and are reading a paper written by someone else using it as an L2, something like pluralizing the word research or using the wrong article isn't going to make a difference, because the information you glean from the report is the same. It's only we L1 speakers that feel uncomfortable reading something like that. If English continues in this way as a global language the situation is only going to become worse; there will eventually be one non-standardized version of English for those using it as an L2, and another kind of seemingly uptight and snooty version reserved for L1 speakers, using terms like "bereft of" and "unbeknownst to".
The British Council also predicts that English will fail to reach the status of a universally spoken language, and that in 2050 it will still be the predominant language but that other languages will be strengthened regionally and we'll be no closer to the goal of a single universal language. With this happening, I doubt that this new English will reach a point where it becomes standardized, and instead we'll see a continuation of the current stalemate. My proposal for solving this is a language like Occidental. Other ways to counteract this include attempts to strengthen the status of other strong regional languages like Spanish (if you're good at Spanish you may want to contribute to their Wikipedia a bit more for example), because the sooner people realize that English is not going to attain the status of a global L2 the better, and we can begin to work on bringing about a real global L2 that is easy to learn, and more suitable than the current contender.
Edit: two more examples of L2 usage fun. Expect a lot more of this in the future:
Korea Sparkling replaced the previous "Dynamic Korea" motto used by the government to promote the country some two years ago now. The design cost a ton of money to create.
This is a conglomerate called Doosan with revenues of some $20 billion. They have a brand of apartments called "Doosan We've".Compulsory desexing of pet dogs, cats to be considered by SA citizens' jury
Posted
Compulsory desexing of pet dogs and cats is being considered in South Australia, with public input guiding planned changes.
An overhaul of the Cat and Dog Management Act will take into account the views of a citizens' jury of 35 randomly selected members of the public.
It will consider the problem and report back to the State Government in about two months.
The Dog and Cat Management Board said compulsory desexing would help to reduce the number of unwanted animals, but said any change would require a commonsense approach.
"We don't want to make this something where we have no pets for people," board chair Felicity-Ann Lewis said.
"We certainly don't want to see the end of the moggie."
It is estimated more than 10,000 unwanted dogs and cats are put down annually in South Australia.
Hefty rise in fines questioned
Changes to the animal management act might also see a trebling of fines for animal-related offences, a move that Opposition environment spokeswoman Michelle Lensink disagrees with.
"To put a $315 fine on every family who's got an overly friendly dog I think is really unfair," she said of the proposed higher fine on dogs found wandering.
We'd be concerned as to whether that might have the effect that people can't afford to reclaim their dogs or are going to take longer to reclaim them because they need to get the money together. Tim Vasudeva, RSPCA
RSPCA chief executive Tim Vasudeva agreed.
"We'd be concerned as to whether that might have the effect that people can't afford to reclaim their dogs or are going to take longer to reclaim them because they need to get the money together," he said.
In response, the Government pointed out it was two decades since the fines last increased.
Environment Minister Ian Hunter said pet owners might think higher fines are unfair but some other people considered public safety the priority.
"If you're a pedestrian or out in the street or have got a young toddler with you and you're attacked by a dog, you might think $315 is way too low," he said.
The Dog and Cat Management Board indicated there was room for a softening of some of the planned changes.
"It's a bit of a blunt instrument to say someone who didn't submit paperwork is going to get a $315 fine and someone whose dog attacks someone gets a $315 fine," Ms Lewis said of the offences that the fine might encompass.
Topics: states-and-territories, government-and-politics, local-government, animal-welfare, adelaide-5000, saPut on your tinfoil hat, anons.
A few months ago, while browsing /pol/, I came across a political cartoon. I can't find it for the life of me right now, but it went something like this: a chess game between the US and the USSR. The US won the game, but the USSR managed to get a piece, make a move if you will, on the US' brain, saying: "checkmate."
The picture has been stuck in the back of my head since then. What if it's not far from the truth?
The Soviet Union made its last thump in the 90s. And the first widespread case of political correctness came out of the 90s, targeting the disenfranchised and those looking for validation. Soon it grew into obscurity, left to grow and inject itself into modern feminism, a "positive" word in people's language.
We can't really deny that our enemies are largely Marxist. They're largely overeducated people with no grasp of the real world, but who want to pursue Marxism, and the only way to do so is through force. i.e. Communists. Because the only way Marxism actually works is by forcing people to participate in the system and pull their weight.
We are dealing with the same type of people we were dealing with fifty years ago. People who want to use force to enact their doomed socioeconomic political system. People who do not want criticism and will rain hell on dissenters. People who want to hijack education and feed the masses what THEY want people to think.
Are we dealing with the remnants of the Cold War? Are these people the final gift from the Soviet Union? Has it come upon our shoulders to stomp the tumor before it grows?
I'm beginning to think that this battle is far far far far more than just ethics in journalism or shitting up tumblurrets. The center to left media has been hijacked by ideologues pushing the same agenda, and it's not like the state can do much about it even if they knew something was off: the media is protected by the state's own guidelines. These people have hijacked most of modern higher education. They're producing our scientists, engineers, and most importantly, they're producing dead weight who will have nothing but contempt for the Capitalist system, or so they think, that failed them: no useful skills, a useless degree, and $100k of inescapable, ever-growing debt. They're not only pumping out new recruits, they're essentially sabotaging our competitiveness in the world stage, whether they know it or not.
Am I just being tinfoily here or could there be a connection?DAYTON, Ohio — The brother of a slain southwest Ohio pastor was expected to be charged Monday in the fatal shooting that occurred at the pastor's church office as services were winding down, police said.
Dayton police said Sunday that the Rev. William B. Schooler, 70, was shot around 12:30 p.m. Sunday at St. Peter's Missionary Baptist Church.
The pastor's brother, 68-year-old Daniel Gregory Schooler, was arrested at the church and taken to the Montgomery County jail.. He was facing an expected murder charge on Monday, said Sgt. Richard Blommel. Calls to police Monday morning weren't immediately returned.
Jail records didn't list an attorney for Schooler.
"We heard pow, pow," church member Beulah Booker-Robertson said, recounting the shooting to the Dayton Daily News.
"The usher at the door said 'everybody get down, everybody get out.' "
Police said they did not know Sunday what led to the shooting, but said the pastor was the only intended victim.
The brothers' niece, Joyce Napier, told the newspaper that Daniel Schooler has a history of mental illness.
"I would think it has to be something's going on in his head to do something like that, because we were raised to love," she told the newspaper.
William Schooler also was a past interim president of the Dayton school board and current president of the local Baptist ministers union.Las Vegas police have released a chilling video that shows the final, frenzied moments of Sunday's deadly shootout between police and a couple who authorities say killed two police officers at a pizza restaurant and a shopper at a nearby Wal-Mart.
The surveillance footage — taken from inside the store — appears to show Amanda Miller firing at her 31-year-old husband, Jerad Miller. At a news conference on Wednesday, Assistant Sheriff Kevin McMahill said police believe she missed, and Jared Miller was killed by a fellow police officer.
The video then fades to black as the 22-year-old points a gun at herself. Police say Amanda Miller shot herself in the head.
Investigators believe the Millers' anti-police and anti-government attitudes fueled Sunday's rampage.
Witnesses say the couple entered CiCi's Pizza around 11:30 a.m. Sunday, fatally shooting two police officers — 31-year-old Igor Soldo and 41-year-old Alyn Beck — as they were having lunch. According to police, the pair took the officers' guns and ammunition and placed a "Don't Tread on Me" flag and a Nazi swastika on one of them.
McMahill said police had talked with the couple on three different occasions earlier this year — once for threats Jerad Miller allegedly made to motor vehicle officials in Indiana — but that they did not express anti-police views.
"We don't necessarily believe that they are white supremacists or associated with the Nazi movement," McMahill told reporters on Tuesday. "We believe that they equate government and law enforcement... with Nazis. In other words, they believe that law enforcement is the oppressor."
As they entered the Wal-Mart, witnesses say, Jerad Miller shouted, "This is the beginning of the revolution! Everybody get out! You will be shot!"
"There is no doubt that the suspects have some apparent ideology that's along the lines of militia and white supremacists," McMahill said.
The third victim, Joseph Wilcox, was shot while trying to stop the couple as others fled the store.
Police say they recovered hundreds of rounds of ammunition from the couple's backpacks.
Reuters reports the Millers had expressed support for Cliven Bundy, the Nevada rancher who staged a protest on his property against federal agents over a forced roundup of his cattle from public land. The couple even visited the ranch but were asked to leave after other demonstrators expressed concern about Jerad's "aggressive nature and volatility," the Bundy family said.UPDATE, JANUARY 24 2017: Spring 2016 was yet another fizzer. When I consider that 2011 was the last good season (after a succession of good seasons), I’m inclined to get frustrated. While the grove stays perfectly healthy in poor years it simply refuses to advance. As I’ve said before, drought on a mature grove is a good excuse to take things easy, but when you are a few seasons short of achieving a mature grove it’s a disappointment. I want acres of hundred foot poles!
From the rainfall record starting 1882, it’s clear that one can never rely on the critical high rainfall in October and November which moso needs here, despite the fact that this is a wet part of Australia. It might come, it might not. 1950 was legendary for rainfall in Eastern Oz, and the spring rain was sensational in that year; yet the late winter-spring-early summer of 1951 was legendary only for drought and widespread fires in northern parts. All that regrowth from 1950 gave plenty to burn!
While 1914 was a bad drought year for much of Oz, and hot everywhere, here we were saturated, especially in the crunch month of October. It was followed by the hottest year and second-driest year in our record, the hellish 1915. I’ll bet there was plenty to burn.
Like all who came before me on this continent, I’m punting in the great lottery called Australian climate…and therefore should not complain. But we do complain anyway, right?
UPDATE, OCTOBER 21 2015: Well, well. Got a bit of rain over the last fortnight, not much, and quite a few shoots have turned into poles, some large and internal along with some healthy pioneers on the fringe. The odd five mms of rain with the odd thunderstorm should see them to full height, though drought is still on the cards. Maybe the moso really did know more than me by shooting so ambitiously mid-grove. Note how I’m shaping the grove to come right up to the south edge of the house. Looks like I will soon be able to step off my deck and into bamboo (though the sector SW to NW will have to stay somewhat bare as a firebreak).
*
UPDATE, OCTOBER 5 2015: I’d decided not to update till there was something exciting to add to the blog. Poor spring seasons since the boom years, especially those of 2010-2011, have meant that the grove stays healthy enough but makes little progress. While conditions overall are still better than those of twenty years ago, how rain falls around here for moso is far more important than how much rain falls. Look at overall precipitation figures for the midcoast of NSW since the late 1800s and you’ll see that we are still the same well-watered part of the world, and we still tend to have our driest months in the winter/spring. A dry winter is no problem, but dry springs once the heat comes are a problem. As I’ve said before, if you have enough moso, drought is just an opportunity to take a break and do other things with the grove. If you are eagerly waiting, as I am, to bring a grove to final maturity and get a critical mass of moso (ten acres will make me happy), you need good springs.
So what happened so far this spring? Well, unlike last year when winter (August) rains encouraged some new pioneer culms on the fringes, reasonable September rains this year have convinced my moso to send up biggies in the middle of the grove, a sight I have not seen since 2011. Now the heat has arrived, late but very pronounced, and some of the shoots are showing their potential. I’ll just leave visitors with the photos, since I am not nearly as excited as the moso, which is feeling much more optimistic about this season than I. All the climate indicators are poor and I am not convinced. However, one day the magical conditions will recur, we’ll have a double or triple La Nina, maybe, as in the 1950s, 1970s or as we got just a half decade back, and even more and bigger shoots than these will actually soar to their maximum height. All I can do about these optimistic babies is hope that they know more than I do about what sort of weather is on the way in the next few weeks. If the rains don’t come I’ll be sulking too much to update. Just so you know.
*
UPDATE, NOVEMBER 6 2014: Another disappointing season, though interesting in some ways. Very good August rain in an otherwise dry year caused quite a few pioneer shoots to appear outside the grove, but there has been almost nothing inside. I’ve waited till now to be sure there will be no second shooting; but it seems unlikely. Moso can always surprise, so unexpected rain in great quantities might cause a miracle if it falls soon. My feeling is that it is over for the year, I will have a somewhat expanded grove, but no new monsters.
Lesson: you can’t expect a good run of seasons like 2008-11 to continue. This is Australia, and it doesn’t work that way. As ideal as this region seems to be for growing moso to its full potential, there will be late winter/springs when the rains are insufficient and even disastrously so. Our worst winter here was in 1895 and our worst spring in 1897, but there have been plenty of bad seasons in the past according to our old rainfall records. When you have plenty of moso a drought is just a chance to catch up on other jobs, since the culms handle drought easily once grown. When you are anxious to get new shoots to expand your grove into a true forest, drought is hair-tearing frustration. As it is for me now.
If anything dramatic happens in the next week or two, I’ll blog. Otherwise, I’m sulking again.
UPDATE, DECEMBER 2 2013: Some thoughts on what just happened these last couple of weeks. I have had very late shootings, but not such successful ones. By mid-November, while a few poles had emerged and developed in the moist dips, there had been almost no shoots on the edge of the grove and none in the middle. I had given up, especially because the last couple of days before the rains were especially hot and parching, turning grass brown and shrivelling the l |
rather against a computer for cheating with a human. Garry Kasparov accused IBM’s Deep Blue of making moves with “deep intelligence and creativity” that could only come from a human, presumably Ken’s friend Grandmaster Joel Benjamin. Kasparov demanded to see the logs of Deep Blue’s calculations of a particular move that was later revealed to be far from best, even though it caused Kasparov to resign a game where he still had considerable drawing chances. When IBM refused, the conspiracy theory took off, and might have done so even without Kasparov’s fanning—it still percolates to this day even though the logs were later posted.
Today it is easy for anyone to test the moves with inexpensive—even free—chess programs that are apparently stronger than Deep Blue was, even running on cheap hardware. In several of Ken’s tests the aforementioned disputed move, 45.Ra6 in Game 2, looks good until fairly high depth when it suffers a big swing down in value. Such a swing may be an unlikely event, but the tests give a natural explanation that Deep Blue probably didn’t sense the swing in time. Here is a graphic of one of Ken’s tests, showing the Rybka 4.1 program at depth 18 after the swing down.
Incidentally Ken is not convinced by the analytical conclusion stated here that Kasparov didn’t have a draw when he famously resigned. He believes the 51.Ra1 move given there can be met by 51…Kf8, and after 52.Qc7, the slinky 52…Kg8. Black may have to lose several pawns in exchange for White’s advanced d-pawn, but then Black gets counterplay by pushing the e-pawn. (The move 45…h5 wasn’t played—Ken inserted it to overcome an off-by-one bug in the Arena chess GUI’s automatic-analysis routine.)
Barney Google. With the goo-goo-googly eyes…tracking all activity on your PC or at least what’s relevant to commerce, and ingesting data. Could this be undetectable by everyone? Making an undetectable Trojan might just be the flip side of the wicked problem of designing a completely secure OS.
Open Problems
Do you believe in any of our ten conspiracy theories? Do you have your own? What are they?
[revised TSP film’s Wikipedia critical-reception link—now has others besides us]
AdvertisementsA wild lioness was photographed nursing a leopard cub in Tanzania on Tuesday, the first documented instance of such cross-species behavior.
“This is a truly unique case,” wrote Dr. Luke Hunter, Australian biologist and President and Chief Conservation Officer for Panthera, a global wild cat conservation organization, in an email.
The lioness, known as Nosikitok, is 5 years old, and the leopard cub is about 3 weeks old, said Susie Sheppard, Media and Digital Marketing Director of Panthera. The two were found in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area of Tanzania, a protected area known for its lion population according to its website.
“I know of no other example of inter-species adoption or nursing like this among big cats in the wild,” wrote Hunter.
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The lioness recently gave birth to her own cubs, which means that she is “physiologically primed” to take care of baby cats, said Hunter. He added that her own cubs look very similar to the baby leopard and are of similar age.
“Even so, there has never been another case like it,” said Hunter. “Why it has occurred now is mystifying.”
However, Hunter was doubtful that the leopard cub would survive for much longer.
“Lions are very well equipped to distinguish their cubs from others,” Hunter wrote. “If the rest of the pride finds the cub, it is likely it would be killed,” he wrote.
Contact us at [email protected] set to unveil Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL smartphone to take on iPhone X
Google set to unveil Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL smartphone to take on iPhone X
Google is set to announce the Pixel 2 and XL
Google is believed to be about to unveil its next smartphone to rival Apple's iPhone X.
The technology giant has announced it will host a live event at the beginning of October, where new versions of the firm's Pixel and Pixel XL will be unveiled.
A teaser video on the company's Twitter feed shows a series of questions about phone performance being typed into a Google search bar
It includes queries about poor battery life, before a message appears reading: "Answers are coming. Oct 4."
Answers are coming. October 4. pic.twitter.com/3CQrBcwi47 — Made by Google (@madebygoogle) September 14, 2017
It will be exactly 12 months since the original Pixel was announced. At the time, it was marketed as Google's first own-built phone, which had virtual helper Google Assistant at its centre.
Reports are now naming Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL as the likely new devices to be unveiled.
The event follows Apple's latest live event earlier this week, when it introduced three new iPhone handsets, including the £999 iPhone X, which marked the 10th anniversary of the phone's original launch.
Details of new Apple iPhone X 'leaked'
Critics warmly received the original Google Pixel in 2016 - and according to some reports, notable upgrades to this year's device will include the addition of optical image stabilisation (OIS) to the rear camera for the first time to reduce the number of blurred photos being snapped.
It completes a busy period for smartphone announcements with Samsung, LG and Sony having all introduced new devices in September.by ELEANOR SHAW
YES, I’m a millennial. But I don’t spend all my money on avocado toast, I don’t blow it on cold brew coffee, and I’m still using my old iPhone 6S.
Yet, however, I find myself unable to get a foot on the property ladder in the most populous, and expensive, city in the UK.
All I want are the same things my parents wanted – a good job, a loving partner and a two-bedroom live/work space with balcony in a nice area of the world’s third-richest city.
It’s easy for the Gen Xers and Baby Boomers. To them, with low property prices in areas considered ‘undesirable’ at the time and interest rates between five and 15 per cent, getting a mortgage was easy.
But for us, those opportunities have gone. To live anywhere in London, even somewhere unsexy, is prohibitively expensive. All the nice houses are already owned by older people with better jobs, a situation surely unique in the history of the world.
And it’s not just London. In all the other cool cities around the UK – Edinburgh, Bristol, Manchester – stylish city-centre properties suitable for fashionable twentysomethings are priced far, far beyond our reach.
Meanwhile I see friends without my ambition or talent in locations like Stoke-on-Trent, Swansea and Durham already a few years into their mortgage, even though they only visit London to watch West End musicals and have never heard of pop-up outdoor cinema.
The government must act now to build affordable properties for millennials, and support us during our tough first decade in the capital as we work our way up in our careers until we have cleared our debts and are pulling in seven figures.
Then, and only then, can we sell our London homes to developers and move to massive houses in the country.UPDATE: Crawford County Highway Commissioner Dennis Pelock says the Highway 82 bridge that washed out Tuesday on the Wisconsin side re-opened around 11 a.m. Friday.
This is the hole left in Highway 82 between Lansing and Wisconsin. The Crawford County Sheriff's Office says high water eroded the roadway, and a car fell into the hole, killing the driver.
The Crawford County Sheriff says the road was filled in with rock and covered with cement on Thursday. Pelock also says other problem areas were checked.
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UPDATE: Sheriff Dale McCullick tells TV9 workers have filled in the washout with rock and started laying cement on Wednesday. The road is still scheduled to be open this weekend.
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Iowa and Wisconsin authorities have closed access to a Mississippi River bridge because of a roadway washout on the Wisconsin side that led to a fatal crash.
Crawford County, Wisconsin Sheriff Dale McCullick says another driver witnessed the washout and the accident around 4:20 a.m. Tuesday on Iowa Highway 82, which runs to the Black Hawk Bridge over to Lansing, Iowa. Water completely covered the vehicle.
Crews removed the body of 59-year-old James Walleser of Lansing around 8:30 a.m. The Crawford County Sheriff's Office says Walleser was driving to work when it happened.
McCullich told La Crosse, Wisconsin, station WXOW the washout hole was around 10 feet deep. He hopes the highway can be reopened by the weekend.
The Mississippi River has experienced high river levels in recent days. The Sheriff's Office says the highway appeared to have been undercut due to the high water, which caused the road to erode and fall into the river.
Records show the bridge is considered functionally obsolete.
Motorists who want to cross can go north to La Crescent, Minnesota, opposite La Crosse, Wisconsin, or south to Marquette, Iowa, opposite Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin.
Crews with the Crawford County Highway Department are now fixing the roadway.
Many agencies helped in this incident: De Soto Fire / First Responders, Ferryville Fire / First Responders, Lansing Fire / First Responders, Lansing Police Department, Allamakee County Sheriff’s Department, Wisconsin Department of Nature Resources, US Fish & Wildlife, La Crosse County Dive Team, Milo’s Towing Service, Crawford County Highway Department, Iowa State Patrol, and Wisconsin Department of Transportation.
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ORIGINAL STORY:
Highway 82 is closed between Lansing, Iowa and Wisconsin due to a wash out.
The Crawford County, Wisconsin Sheriff's Office confirms a portion of the road has washed out, forcing the closure.
The 511WI website says Highway 82 is closed in both directions at Highway 35 in Wisconsin due to a serious accident.
Stay with KCRG-TV9 for more information as it becomes available.ALBANY — From Empire State to Exodus State.
More than one-third of young New Yorkers are packing their bags to escape crushing taxes, sky-high living costs and a deteriorating quality of life, according to an alarming new poll out yesterday.
The ominous NY1/YNN-Marist survey found that 36 percent of residents younger than 30 — and 26 percent of all New Yorkers — are planning their exit strategy, bolstering warnings by Gov. Cuomo and others that the state’s decades-long brain drain could accelerate without dramatic policy changes.
Sixty-two percent of those planning to leave blame economic woes such as taxes, living costs or a lack of job opportunities, the poll found. The remaining 38 percent cite personal reasons like retirement, overcrowding, school quality or proximity to family.
“Right now, many young people do not see their future in New York state,” said Marist pollster Lee Miringoff. “Unchecked, this threatens to drain the state of the next generation.”
Among older New Yorkers, some 26 percent between the ages of 30 and 44 and 29 percent between 45 and 59 plan to switch their state of residence. Just 16 percent of those older than 60 plan to leave.
The urge to flee resonates strongest in the suburbs, where 33 percent say they’re looking for greener pastures, compared to 24 percent in the Big Apple and 26 percent upstate.
The lower city flight figure will be music to the ears of Mayor Bloomberg, who has long boasted that the Big Apple is a population magnet, particularly for young people and immigrants.
Overall, 77 percent of adults perceive New York as too expensive for an average family. Some 55 percent describe the state as “not very affordable” and 22 percent think it’s “not affordable at all.”
New York’s population grew at a sluggish 2.1 percent over the last decade — ahead of only Michigan, Rhode Island and Ohio — as new immigrants barely offset a broad exodus, according to Census data.
A 2009 analysis of IRS data by the business-backed Manhattan Institute found that 1.5 million New Yorkers fled for other states between 2000 and 2008.
The exodus will reduce the Empire State’s congressional delegation by two seats to 27 next year, further eroding its national influence.
The shock poll came as Cuomo pushed a 2 percent cap on local property-tax hikes during a visit to hardscrabble Buffalo, which shed 11 percent of its population over the last decade.
The governor has successfully fought to eliminate a special income tax on the wealthy as part of the state budget.
“The simple truth is that New York has no economic future as the tax capital of the nation,” Cuomo told a crowd of more than 400.
[email protected]• Aspas attacks former team-mate’s punishment for biting • ‘Not to let him be presented by Barcelona or train is too much’
Iago Aspas says his former Liverpool team-mate Luis Suárez has been “treated like a murderer” by Fifa after the Uruguayan bit Italy’s Giorgio Chiellini at the World Cup.
Aspas, who has been loaned to Sevilla for the forthcoming season, told the Spanish radio station Cadena Cope that he can understand why Suárez was banned from playing because it is not his first offence. However, he believes the Barcelona forward’s ban from all football related activity is excessive.
“They are treating Luis like a murderer and not like a footballer,” he said. “There are murderers who pay less [for what they have done]. Not to let him be presented [by Barcelona], to train or to enter the stadium is too much.”
Aspas failed to score a Premier League goal in a disappointing season at Anfield following his £7.6m move from Celta Vigo, but said he enjoyed playing alongside players such as Suárez, Daniel Sturridge and Raheem Sterling.
“Liverpool had a great season and I learned a lot from my team-mates,” he said.News » More Kangaroo Convictions of MMJ Dispensary Owners
The Santa Barbara District Attorney Joyce Dudley has successfully pulled off another kangaroo court conviction of marijuana dispensary owners, this time getting convictions against the owners of The Healing Center. Juan Solis, Sintia Martinez and Jose Lopez are the latest victims of senseless attack by prosecutors and judges who rig the trial.
Welcome to another episode of Santa Barbara Superior Court, where the fix is always in.
Things started in 2010 when an “investigation” (meaning they read the fliers from the legal storefront) by Santa Barbara Police Department narcotics “detectives” resulted in the owners of the dispensary being arrested for marijuana sales activity. The owners re-opened the business a short time later and were arrested again. Twice would seem a little excessive, but it wasn’t the end. A few months later.. it happened yet again.
This time, the then-new district attorney managed to get the case in front of the (dis)Honorable Frank J. Ochoa, who ruled that it is illegal for anyone to sell marijuana and disallowed the defendants any defense based on the legality of medical marijuana. The court also rejected the plea that the dispensary was a legal California cooperative which was serving its members. The judge based these defense-destroying restrictions on his interpretation of the law, stating that medical marijuana is not allowed to be “for sale” in California.
The judge is solely responsible for setting precedent in California that makes medical marijuana dispensaries and cooperatives the subject of shutdown and criminal action by federal and local authorities.
After more than a decade of MMJ and dispensaries in California, one judge and his kangaroo court threw it all under the bus.
[source Santa Barbara DA]
Tags: cooperative, dispensary, kangaroo court, medical marijuana, MMJ, santa barbaraHave you ever experienced something that forever shifted your understanding of reality? Here's my tale:
Background
I can't say spirituality played a role in my life until 2012. I was raised Catholic and in my twenties became a skeptic with a dismissive attitude to anything spiritual or "new age." While working day jobs in the corporate world, I played in a rock band. The limited success we achieved came with the whole generic sex, drugs and rock 'n roll routine. During the day I was working a hell of a lot, earning more money than I ever expected to, visiting amazing places on business, and all the while stressed out of my mind. At night, I’d retreat into Miami’s seedy independent music scene to party until wee hours of the morning. I was caught up in it all. And without going into detail, it wasn’t pretty.
Reaching Out
I couldn’t take it anymore. I made way too many mistakes and noticed I was not only hurting myself I was hurting people around me. I started to research stress reduction. I began reading Jon Kabat-Zinn and began to take breaks at work to sit under a tree. While listening to one of Jon's talks, he mentioned Eckhart Tolle. I read Tolle's A New Earth and Power of Now. I got the feeling that these individuals were experiencing life differently than I was, but this felt unattainable to me. While I did not experience a "shift in consciousness," I did feel slightly more relaxed and I began to slow down my unhealthy routine a bit.
Loss
BAM. My company’s primary account was lost in a sudden, dramatic and unexpected fashion. I was out of a job. My girlfriend left me. My brother was moving into town and I decided to room with him. Within the span of 30 days: my career, relationship and housing situation suddenly shifted. I did what I could to manage through it, but frankly looking back it was like an earthquake shifted the ground below me.
The Magic Key
One day at my band’s rehearsal studio, my band mate asks me for a key to our rehearsal studio. Since he was the "new guy" I refused to give him a key. My band mate’s a pretty funny guy and he knew I was dabbling in spirituality. He began to tease me by saying in a mock new age tone, "guess what, I have always had the key." He jokingly opened his hand as if a key was in his palm. It was pretty funny at the time (you had to be there).
This magical rehearsal key joke went on for a while. One of us was always opening our palm and an imaginary magical key would appear out of thin air.
A Burst of Color
A week or two later, I went to the Regal movie theater on South Beach. Being a newly single man, I went on my own. On the way there I was day dreaming about how people care for flowers. I thought, “imagine someone would love flowers so much they would decide to grow them inside a car.” Then I thought, “wouldn’t it be funny if people had cars full of flowers, I’ve never seen that before.”
Once the movie finished, I walked through the theater's parking garage towards my car. It was late at night and there was no one around. Something stopped me in my tracks. The car next to me had bright flowers lining the dashboard. I felt a shock to my body. “What the hell?” I had just thought about this! I took a picture.We’ve all been in that situation where the ringtone we’ve chosen bellows loudly in a quiet environment, and the embarrassment caused is further amplified by our regrettable decision to select a ringtone we really ought to have changed. Sometimes, of course, we need a loud ringtone, so while we may sometimes draw unwanted attention, it’s worthwhile going for one of the louder settings in order to never miss a call. With Intelligent Ringer for Android, you get the best of both worlds, for the app uses your device’s mic to detect how noisy your surroundings are, adjusting the ringer volume accordingly.
It’s such a novel little idea, and considering how much "smarter" our mobile devices continue to become, it’s somewhat surprising that such an implement isn’t native to all the major ecosystems.
Intelligent Ringer has been designed by XDA-Developers member soulreaver1, and attempts to dispel that element of surprise when a loud incoming call interrupts yourself, and those around you. By assessing the noise levels of the environment the phone is in using the camera microphone, it adjusts the ringer volume down in those quiet situations (library, meeting and such), and higher when you’re hitting the disco.
Within the app’s settings panel, users can readily alter the sensitivity and accuracy of the microphone, as well as the "pocket factor" (using the proximity sensor) and minimum volume. Thus, a small amount of trial and error may be required in order to tweak the intelligence of Intelligent Ringer, but once it’s optimized, you should able to avoid any nasty surprises.
Intelligent Ringer should have no problems running on any device packing Android 2.3 Gingerbread or higher, and is an absolutely free download from the Play Store. If you wish to find out more, or would like some help using the app, please also feel free to check out the original thread over at XDA-Developers.
If you’re the kind of person that cannot stand being shocked by a loud call, but also don’t like going quieter for fear of missing an important correspondence, this app is for you. Grab it, and let us know how it runs for you by dropping a comment via the usual mediums below!
(Source: Intelligent Ringer for Android on Play Store)
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Related StoriesA meeting is planned to decide the fate of Coatesville Area School District Superintendent Richard Como and Director of Athletics and Activities Jim Donato who exchanged N-word-laden text messages. NBC10's Katy Zachry reports. (Published Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2013)
What Will Happen to School Admins Who Sent Racist Tweets
Racially charged text messages are behind the recent resignations of two Philadelphia-area school administrators, district officials say.
A 100-page transcript provided by sources reveal a series of N-word-laden text messages were exchanged between Coatesville Area School District Superintendent Richard Como and Director of Athletics and Activities Jim Donato. The messages were written and received on district-issued cell phones.
The messages, first reported by The Daily Local of West Chester on Sunday and obtained by NBC10 Philadelphia on Monday, were uncovered by a district IT employee before the start of the school year, according to officials. That employee brought it to the attention of the school board on August 18, prompting Como and Donato to later resign. Chester County prosecutors eventually launched a criminal investigation.
"All should just have whatever first names they want...then last name is N-----! Leroy N-----, Preacher N-----, Night train n-----, Clarence n-----, Latoya n-----, Thelma n----- and so on," read one message sent from Donato’s phone on the night of June 4.
Community Reeling From Racial Texts
A 100 page transcript of N-word laden text messages exchanged between two Chester County school administrators details how they carried on racially-charged conversations about students and faculty using district-owned cell phones. NBC10's LuAnn Cahn has the story. (Published Monday, Sept. 23, 2013)
"Great idea! Joe n----- bill n----- snake n----- got a nice ring to it," Como replied.
“hahahahahahahahahahahaha could have whole homerooms of N-----,” came another message from Como’s phone.
“hahahahahahahahaha! Will N----- report to office, pardon the interruption but will N----- report to nurses office. N----- to lunch now!” Donato said.
The Coatesville Area School District confirmed late Monday the two men left their posts after the school board began the legal process to terminate them over the texts.
Chester County District Attorney Tom Hogan said once he learned about the racist messages, he asked the district to turn over copies of the conversations and the phones used. A request to which the district complied.
"The texts that we have reviewed are appalling," Chester County District Attorney Tom Hogan said Monday. "They look like something from the 1800s, not 2013."
Residents Angry Over Coatesville School Text Message Controversy
Students and parents are letting the Coatesville school district know they want answers amid reports officials sent racially-charged text messages about faculty and students using district-issued cell phones. (Published Monday, Sept. 23, 2013)
DA Hogan would not elaborate on any additional details about the case citing the on-going investigation.
NBC10 made multiple attempts to speak with Como and Donato by phone and in-person, but at the time of publication, have been unable to make contact.
Como, a longtime and well-liked administrator, shocked the school community when he abruptly resigned from his post in the beginning of the school year on August 29. Donato left his job the same day. Coatesville is a predominately black community and both Como and Donato are white.
More than a week later, on September 10, school board officials said the two left their posts amid a criminal investigation by the county prosecutor. Officials, however, would not comment further, citing the investigation.
School board member and Coatesville Area NAACP Chapter President Dr. Tonya Thames Taylor was the first official to learn about the text messages on August 18. Officials say she immediately notified other board members and that an investigation was launched.
Following the initial report, Dr. Taylor posted a message on her website explaining her involvement in the situation.
"Despite this newspaper reporting, I am still bound by a legal responsibility to protect the school district from any liability that could be caused by any statements that I make which could be misconstrued," she wrote. "I cannot comment about any matters that involve district personnel, which are confidential matters. Also, I cannot comment on any matters that are associated with an ongoing criminal investigation."
The resignations of both Como and Donato are pending approval from the school board, which is scheduled to vote at their next meeting on Tuesday evening.
“The racist and sexist language expressed by the two men was sickening and obviously unacceptable. The Board followed state and federal laws and moved as expeditiously as possible while simultaneously cooperating with the District Attorney,” Board President Neil Campbell said in a statement Monday.
District officials say they will now provide mandatory sensitivity training to all staff, faculty and administrators in light of the text messages.
Como and Donato have not been paid since their resignations, but will be allowed to collect their pensions unless they are convicted of a crime, officials said.
Furious over the messages, residents protested outside the district's headquarters on Monday. One man held a sign reading "Como worse than KKK!"
"They shouldn't even be in the school and they shouldn't be able to get a job no other place teaching anybody," said another resident Willie Woods.
Beyond the racism, the text messages also included discussions on money, normally reserved for on the record public meetings.
"Gonna give them til Aug 1st to raise coin still want district to give at least 40k on top," wrote Donato in one of the texts.
Some critics say the school board did not respond forcefully enough when they found out about the texts.
"I believe they could've acted quicker," said Stuart Deets, a school board candidate. "I believe they could've opened an investigation immediately."
The school district's lawyer disputes this however, claiming he was already reviewing the matter when Hogan took the case over.
Tuesday's school board meeting is set to begin at 7 p.m.
Contact Vince Lattanzio at 610.668.5532, [email protected] or follow @VinceLattanzio on Twitter.Hindustan Times via Getty Images NEW DELHI, INDIA - APRIL 24: Chief Justice of India TS Thakur speaks during the inauguration of the Joint Conference of Chief Ministers and Chief Justices of High Courts, at Vigyan Bhawan, on April 24, 2016 in New Delhi, India. During the conference, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that he understood the Chief Justice's concern and added that going forward, he hoped that the Government and the Judiciary could work together to find solutions to these issues. Thakur, got emotional while saying that criticism of judiciary for delay is unfair. (Photo by Sushil Kumar/Hindustan Times via Getty Images)
NEW DELHI -- Over the weekend, Chief Justice of India Tirath Singh Thakur implored Prime Minister Narendra Modi to double the number of judges serving in Indian courts.
Speaking at a conference of chief justices and chief ministers on Sunday, Thakur made an emotional appeal to the central government to provide some respite to the serving 21,000 judges, who are handling a preposterous number of cases, while tens of thousands of people languish in jail without having been proven guilty.
Thakur is not the first chief of the Indian judiciary to sound the alarm over just how the bad the situation is for judges and inmates in the country, but it was his choked voice and coming close to tears, which made us pause to listen.
Rubbing his eyes with his handkerchief, Thakur told Modi, "I beseech you to rise to the occasion and realize that it is not enough to criticize. You cannot shift the entire burden on the judiciary."
Here are some shocking figures which will make you want to cry over the state of the Indian judiciary, and our treatment of accused men and women, whether they are proved guilty or not.
1) Over three crore cases are pending in Indian courts. In 2009, then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said that India had the world's largest backlog of court cases.
In 2010, Andhra Pradesh High Court's Justice V.V. Rao said that it will take 320 years to clear the backlog.
2) As of December 2014, 64,919 are pending in the Supreme Court. At the end of 2013, there were 44.5 lakhs cases pending in High Courts and 2.6 crore cases pending in district courts.
Bloomberg Businessweek estimates if that all the judges attacked their backlog without breaks for eating and sleeping, and closed 100 cases every hour, it would take more than 35 years to catch up.
3) With 10,43,398 pending cases, Allahabad High Court, which serves the India's most populous state of Uttar Pradesh, has the worst record.
4) As of December, 2014, Delhi High Court has 64,652 cases pending before it.
In 2009, former Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court A.P. Shah, who retired in 2010, said that it would take the court approximately 466 years to clear the pending 2,300 criminal appeals cases alone.
5) The current rate of disposal suggests that it could take 10 years for district courts to clear the backlog. In the district courts of at least six states, more cases are being filed than disposed off every month, which means that the pending cases will never be cleared.
6) Justice Markandey Katju, a retired Supreme Court judge, has said that judges should not have more than 300 cases pending at any one time, but judges in India have 15,000 to 30,000 pending cases.
7) At the end of 2014, there were 2.82 lakh under trial prisoners languishing in jails. Almost 68 percent of all inmates in the country's 1,387 jails are under-trials, and many of them are too poor to raise bail.
In September 2014, the Supreme Court directed release of under-trial prisoners who had completed at least half their maximum prison term.
8) In 2009, Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative reported that the average time spent by an under-trial in jail from the time he is brought into prison and can leave – whether through plea bargaining or on bail – is 266 days or just under nine months in prison.
CHRI reported that the average was up by thirty-two days or just over a month from 224 days or seven months in 2005.
9) In 1987, 7,675 judges served in the Indian judiciary, which worked out to 10 judges for every million people. The Law Commission then had recommended an increase in the number of judges to 40,000 to provide 50 judges for a million people. At the time, the corresponding figures in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia were 107, 51, 75 and 42 respectively.
In 2016, India's judge-population ratio of 17 judges per million is among the lowest in the world. On an average, developing nations have 35-40 judges for a million citizens, while developed countries have 50.
10) As of April 2016, there are 4,600 vacancies in the subordinate judiciary, which is more than 23 percent of the strength, and 462 vacancies in the in the High Court, which is 44 percent of the strength.
11) As of 2013, only 5.8 percent of the total number of judges in India’s 24 courts are women.
12) While some cases have been pending for decades, BBC reported on one trial which has lasted for over a century. The Doshipura court case, which started in 1878, is a dispute between Shia Muslims and Sunnis over two acres of land in Varanasi.Here’s something you probably know: Doom II (1994) and Seinfeld (1989-1998) are both pieces of popular culture released in the 1990s. They both had huge audiences and now two decades later, they are still as well known as they were when Bill Clinton was in office. In fact, this year’s Doom was released to great reviews. And you can probably turn TBS on right now and catch an episode of Seinfeld.
But here’s something you probably don’t know: Doom and Seinfeld have now been coupled. Yes, thanks to the work of Doug Keener, it is now possible to explore Jerry’s famous apartment in Doom II (you can download his level here). It took over 100 hours of work to create this love letter to Seinfeld and the results are both impressive and a bit scary. (Fun fact: While Keener spent over 100 hours working on this level, the the total number of Seinfeld hours that exists is about 90).
I’ve been a huge fan of Seinfeld for most of my life, and the amount of detail put into the level shows that Keener either really loves Seinfeld or has hate-watched the show enough that every detail has been burned into his brain. Either way, the apartment is a near perfect recreation of the original. Which is made even more impressive by the fact he recreated it using Doom II.
This is not the first time that Seinfeld has made appearances in videogames. In fact, many people over the years have created mods that inject your favorite game with some classic Seinfeld. Like the mod that fully recreates the apartment and all of the characters in The Sims 4 (2014). Or the mod which adds paintings of George Costanza into Dark Souls (2011). Of course, if you want something more subtle, you could download the mod that adds a picture of Jerry Seinfeld to the side of a gun found in Team Fortress 2 (2007).
How much Seinfeld do you want to experience?
But Keener’s creation seems more complicated than any of these creations. It’s why I was curious as to how complex this.wad was (.wad is a file format used in Doom to generate the levels, textures, and sounds). So I opened Doom Builder and loaded the Seinfeld.wad up. What I found was mesmerizing. A strange and dense mess of lines and dots. Compare this to a map that shipped with Doom II, in this case E1M4, and you can see how surprisingly advanced this Seinfeld map is. The Seinfeld.wad won’t even run in classic Doom. You have to run the map in zdoom, a source port that allows levels to be bigger and more complex that the original Doom II could handle.
A gif that compares the Seinfeld.wad to a typical Doom II.wad
Of course, this is still Doom II, which means that you still have a shotgun. So if you feel like brutally killing the cast of Seinfeld off you can do that. They each have their own death animation and audio. But you can also just sit back and chill with the beloved characters of the show. And, as they do on the show, they’ll get up to some shenanigans as you watch. For example, Kramer walked on top of Jerry’s couch when I was playing. He just walked up onto the couch and started hanging out up there. What a zany character he is.
If you go looking for secrets you’ll find one. You can find Newman hanging out at Kramer’s apartment across the hall from Seinfeld’s place. Appropriately, Newman can be found in a monster closet. Which makes a lot of sense. Newman is a monster.
There isn’t much more to the Seinfeld.wad. There is no exit or door to unlock. You decide when to leave. You could, of course, decide to never leave. It’s up to you. How much Seinfeld do you want to experience? For me it was about seven minutes. And for those out there who have a desire to live in this Seinfeld meets Doom paradise, you can always load up the VR mod for Doom. Then pop on a VR headset and experience Seinfeld in virtual reality.
Download the Seinfeld.wad for Doom II right here.U.S. President Barack Obama speaks about counter-terrorism and the United States fight against Islamic State during an address to the nation from the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, December 6, 2015. (REUTERS/Saul Loeb/Pool)
Update, June 13: During a speech on Monday, Hillary Clinton reiterated her suggestion that people included on the government's no-fly list should not be allowed to buy firearms. This article originally ran in December, when the idea of barring gun sales to people on the no-fly list was first proposed.
I made a joke on Twitter on Sunday night, which, as is the case with all Twitter jokes, was a mistake.
It came after President Obama's Oval Office address, during which he advocated for excluding people on the government's no-fly list from buying weapons. The joke was this:
HOW TO BAN GUNS Step 1: People |
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“Beam Dental is a dental benefits company that offers employers a fundamentally unique approach to dental coverage by incorporating dental hygiene behavior into policy pricing while delivering world class support and service. All of Beam’s plans also include Beam Perks, a quarterly subscription service with an electric toothbrush, replacement heads, toothpaste, and floss. Beam makes it easy to find and access dental services with the tap of a finger from a broad, nationwide network of dentists.”
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“Wiretap is a cloud security platform that aims to adopt the latest advancements in cognitive computing, artificial intelligence and behavioral analytics to amplify enterprise value by monitoring the social graph (Office 365, Slack, Workplace by Facebook). We really believe that we can harness the power of our platform’s insights into human behavior and interactivity to create great value for the enterprise.”
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“nChannel provides an easy-to-use, cloud-based platform that enables retailers to cost effectively synchronize and exchange sales, customer, and product data from transactions that occur at the register, in the warehouse, or via a web-store. The system is sold direct to subscribers via the nChannel website, but is also available through nChannel’s network of value-added resellers. Software developers can also partner with nChannel to provide connectivity from their software applications to the nChannel platform, further providing value to retailers.”
Founded: 2017
“At SafeChain we believe that property transactions should be seamless and completed within a matter of seconds. The groundbreaking application of blockchain technology within the software behind SafeChain will prevent fraud in real estate transactions. SafeChain has the ability to disrupt the age-old methods of how property transactions have been completed traditionally. We provide services for title service offices, mortgage bankers and realtors.”
Founded: 2011
“Acceptd better connects applicants with opportunity and streamlines the recruiting and review process for visual and performing arts programs. We believe the right opportunity should be accessible to any applicant regardless of geography or socio-economic status.”
Founded: 2009
“Clarivoy is the auto industry’s most trusted source of truth for optimizing the performance of marketing campaigns. We use Multi-Touch Attribution to provide clarity that reveals which ads work, and which don’t – empowering marketers to invest in solutions, not speculation.”
Founded: 2013
“Rapchat is the best way for today’s rap enthusiasts to create, collaborate, and connect with tomorrow’s stars.
As a mobile app dedicated to helping millions of seasoned and aspiring rappers from around the globe make and share music, Rapchat boasts the largest and most engaged community in the mobile music creation game.
Rapchat partners with award-winning artists and top producers to deliver the hottest beats and the most user-friendly platform to make music and network. Combining the convenience of a mobile recording studio with the power of a social network, Rapchat is the premier place for artists and fans to fine-tune their craft, while helping the world discover new talent.”Utah’s culture is admittedly unique. Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints comprised 62 percent of Utah’s population in 2014. The same year the state’s largest county, Salt Lake, was 51 percent LDS.
The church looms large in every aspect of Utahns’ lives.
Which explains why it is no surprise that students at the church’s flagship university, Brigham Young University in Provo, turn first to their ecclesiastical leaders – their bishop – when they are victims of sexual assault. Instead of the police, students make an appointment with their bishop, walk in and “confess” their sin.
Except it’s not a sin to be sexually assaulted. And students should be turning to police to report such assaults. Not bishops.
A recent survey out of BYU reveals that students are still not comfortable reporting sexual assault. The school provides little training about what to do if a student is assaulted, what even constitutes assault and how a bystander can help. Sixty-four percent of students who were assaulted did not report the assault. Fifty-two percent of victims responded that their attacker was a date or spouse. Twenty-six percent reported to a bishop.
Historically, the school’s Honor Code discouraged students from reporting because they would then face possible discipline for corollary rule infractions, like drinking alcohol or having someone of the opposite gender in a bedroom. The school updated its policy this year to provide students amnesty when reporting harassment or assault.
Julie Valentine, a BYU nursing professor and sexual-assault researcher, was not surprised to learn that many students are reporting to bishops instead of police. She said, “I think that’s very unique [to BYU],” and emphasized the need for training among church leaders.
The survey committee recommended this very thing. But for sexual assault, training for bishops should be simple and straightforward: communicate to the victim that sexual assault is not a sin, there is no need to repent and then help the victim call the police.
Chairman of the survey committee, Ben Ogles, said, “If we get more people reporting, then we can help them.” The church’s spokesman similarly said, “We will look carefully at the results of the survey from BYU, and then give ecclesiastical leaders further help to minister to those they serve — both in preventing and responding to sexual assault.”
At least BYU recognizes that preventing sexual assault is its first obligation, and getting students to report is closely related.
Hopefully the LDS Church can develop practices and procedures to provide comfort and support to assault victims, instead of leave them to wonder where they should turn.Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was warmly received in Revelstoke, B.C., Saturday as he arrived to visit people affected by hundreds of wildfires burning across the province.
Trudeau attended a Canadian Red Cross fundraiser in the Columbia Shuswap region town, which is about 560 kilometres northeast of Vancouver.
"It's amazing to be here today when we know what is going on with fires and friends and neighbours," he said after making his way through the crowd, giving handshakes and high-fives.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was warmly received in Revelstoke where he spoke for 10 minutes at a Canadian Red Cross fundraiser. (CBC)
Trudeau took to the stage with his eight-year-old daughter, Ella-Grace, before speaking about the need for Canadians to donate to the Canadian Red Cross in aid of wildfire victims in B.C.
The organization says 50,000 people have registered with it to receive aid.
Evacuees who qualify will receive $600 from the Red Cross for each two-week period they're out of their homes, for up to a total of three payments. They will also receive a $300 cheque when they return home.
.<a href="https://twitter.com/CanadianPM">@CanadianPM</a> at a fundraiser event in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Revelstoke?src=hash">#Revelstoke</a>. The Gov't of Canada supports <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BCWildfire?src=hash">#BCWildfire</a> appeal. Text BCFIRES at 20222 to donate $10. <a href="https://t.co/KBDfFw5mPZ">pic.twitter.com/KBDfFw5mPZ</a> —@redcrosscanada
The prime minister reiterated a federal promise made a week ago to match funds given to the Canadian Red Cross by the B.C. government.
Officials with the Canadian Red Cross did not say on Saturday how much of the money they've been able to distribute so far.
"Recovery and rebuilding is a long and expensive process, and donating to the Canadian Red Cross today will help ensure that the support gets to the people who need it," said Trudeau.
Trudeau said he will visit wildfire-affected areas in the days ahead.
"To see the extent of the damage, but mostly to thank the extraordinary responders who work tirelessly, long, long days and weeks to save our homes, to protect our communities. And they all deserve a huge round of applause," he said.
Heavy smoke from the Elephant Hill wildfire was visible from a lookout near Clinton, B.C., about 40 kilometres northwest of Cache Creek. (Tina Lovgreen/CBC)
Multiple local politicians, First Nations leaders and officials from the Canadian Red Cross spoke at the event, and Métis actor and singer Tom Jackson performed a few songs.
Trudeau announced he would be travelling west during his first official meeting with B.C. Premier John Horgan in Ottawa last week.
The trip comes as B.C. is weeks into a historic fire season: flames haven't scorched this much territory in the province since 1961.
There are currently 148 fires burning in B.C., nine of which started on Friday. There are currently more than 3,700 evacuees across B.C. — down considerably from 20,300 on Tuesday. Eighteen evacuation orders are in place, along with 47 alerts.
A further order was put in place Saturday for the Village of Clinton, B.C.
Many parts of the province have been tinder dry for weeks, and officials said that southern B.C. was going to stay that way for the "foreseeable future."
"We're not seeing any rain in the forecast right now for the next seven to 10 days," Kevin Skrepnek with the B.C. Wildfire Service said Saturday.
Public interference
On Saturday, Skrepnek said the public needs to steer clear of areas where fire crews are working.
In the past few days, he said firefighters have had to stop work after off-road vehicles went into active fire areas. Skrepnek also said boats have been getting in the way of helicopters and water-skimming aircraft.
"It certainly is becoming an increasing concern," he said. "Obviously, this is not only posing a risk to the public but also potentially impacting our operations and affecting safety of our crews.
I think it's just ignorance as to how large these fires are and how expansive our ops have become. - Kevin Skrepnek, B.C. Wildfire Service.
"For the most part, it's people using trails and off-road areas and lakes... I think it's just ignorance as to how large these fires are and how expansive our ops have become," Skrepnek said.
"This is just a matter of the public needing to understand that these are very active areas and likely will be for the rest of the summer."
More than 810 fires have burned more than 4,260 square kilometres in the province since April 1. To date, more than $166 million has been spent on suppression efforts.Who would be the most inappropriate journalist you could think of to send to cover the famine in Somalia? Asked that question, it wouldn't be long before most people arrive at the correct answer: Liz Jones, a narcissistic fashion journalist, a lifelong anorexic, a person who just spent £13,500 on a facelift, and a confessional columnist who charts her obsessions every week in the Mail on Sunday's You magazine. If a further question was asked along the lines of "could there be anything worse than the simple fact of sending such an inappropriate journalist to cover a famine?", the answer would have to be yes. Yes, she could use the occasion to berate the British NHS and the caring professions for not being caring "at all". Apparently they failed to realise the fate of the starving Somalians rested on Jones being able to queue jump.
Jones has a column in the main section of the Mail on Sunday and this week – alongside other contribution on the hats at Zara Phillips's wedding and her usual You magazine diary currently detailing her romance with an anonymous rock star – used it to berate the NHS. Jones has not visited an NHS doctor in 20 years, apparently preferring a private GP in Sloane Street. But her private GP was unable to complete all the vaccinations she needed for Somalia until the following day so she turned to a local GP's surgery in Somerset asking them to do some of them. Jones was told they didn't have her records and anyway the clinic was booked up. The NHS's problem, Jones ranted on receiving this reply, is they don't actually care: "They follow the rules, they never put themselves out, they never look to the bigger picture."
It's obvious why this kind of political opinion would appeal to the Mail on Sunday. Much more worrying, though, is the fact she's been asked to travel to Somalia and cover a devastating famine.
Jones can occasionally rough it, or so she would like her readers to believe. A few years ago, she moved to the wilds of Somerset with her rescue horses, dogs and cats and has since filled endless columns with the details of her suffering. At one point Jones declared she was so broke she was unable to feed all her animals, a column that provoked a multitude of impoverished old cat lovers to send her their last pennies. One online commentator rightly asked whether the Mail on Sunday was sanctioning begging now. The narcissism and inconsistencies reached a peak recently when the "impoverished" Jones, already surgically altered, wrote in detail about the £13,500 facelift, which had finally given her "the face I deserve".
It's easy to have fun with Jones. The internet is full of sites devoted to exposing her distortions (the crumbling house in Somerset turned out to be a very pleasant place) and some suggesting her latest romance may well be fantasy. But there are serious issues raised by her being sent to Somalia. This is not a one-off. Jones has been on a number of previous trips to report back on the suffering of others, including one to Bangladesh, which resulted in an article illustrated with a grinning Jones posing like a model in front of her suffering subjects. That Jones should agree to such trips is not entirely surprising. I've noticed some journalists and travellers seem to seek out places of extreme suffering almost as a way of trying to quell discomfort about their own personal dissatisfactions and unhappiness. And as we know, Jones is very, very unhappy.
But even if she is motivated, writes well and is capable of grasping wider issues, isn't it grotesque to send someone who represents the worst excesses of the western fashion industry's obsession with dieting and appearance into situations where people are struggling to survive? To send someone whose name it is impossible to read without thinking about her Louboutin shoes, cashmere blankets and leg waxing? It's not as if the Mail doesn't have other highly capable women writers, like Barbara Jones, whose articles, following in Ann Leslie's tradition, are well researched and powerful.
Maybe the Mail on Sunday is labouring under the mistaken belief that Jones's huge following is based on liking her as a person, which would induce a willingness to read about difficult subjects. But they should do some qualitative research. Jones may have a large readership but many read her in a state of disbelief that anyone could be so self-deluded, so self-indulgent and so utterly unsatisfied at the same time. The "me, me, me" attitude that pops up in each article means no matter what subject she's covering, it will only ever be a backdrop.There has been much buzz in the capitalist media recently about Donald Trump’s “flip-flopping.” He has changed his positions 180 degrees on a whole variety of issues within a few weeks’ time.
Among the issues on which he has switched are:
He has bombed Syria after having opposed intervention.
He says China is not a currency manipulator after calling China “the world champion” of currency manipulators.
He has floated the idea of negotiations with north Korea after saying that he would never negotiate with that government.
He says that NATO “was once obsolete; it is no longer obsolete.”
He says he likes Janet Yellen, the head of the Federal Reserve Board, and her low interest rates, after claiming she and “other global special interests” had ruined life for middle America.
He says it turns out that “lots of small companies are really helped” by the Export-Import Bank, after having opposed it.
These are just a few of his reversals. They have all brought him more in line with the fundamental needs of U.S. imperialism.
Numerous explanations for Trump’s reversals have been put forward by the big-business media. For example, it is said that Trump adopts the position of the last person he has talked to. Or, Trump has no ideology and he can shift positions easily. Or, he listens to his daughter Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner. And so on.
All of these things may be true. But they mask the deeper reason for the so-called flip-flops.
Trump has been leaned on by the Pentagon and Wall Street to shift from demagogy to policy based on the reality of the core needs of U.S. imperialism.
Trump is surrounded by four generals, three former bankers from Goldman Sachs and other financiers, not to mention Rex Tillerson, former CEO of ExxonMobil, the largest private oil company in the capitalist world. This is a veritable coalition of Wall Street, the Pentagon and big business. And, for the moment, they have reined in Trump and subordinated him to their needs. Whether he will stay in harness remains to be seen.
Trump removed ultra-rightist Steve Bannon from the Principals Committee of the National Security Council, thus bowing to the pressure of the Wall Street-Pentagon coalition, led in this instance by Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster, his national security adviser. In doing so, he denied that Bannon had been his strategist. “I’m my own strategist,” declared Trump.
The problem with that statement is that Trump does not have a strategic cell in his brain. He can’t think politically beyond what he said yesterday.
Trump’s previous positions have been the result of blustering election demagogy. He has uttered positions that no serious imperialist politician could possibly follow through on. The applause lines that gratified his ego and won over gullible voters during the election campaign have now clashed with the hard realities of the problems of U.S. imperialism at home and abroad. However, Trump is so dense and so vain that he clung to these positions for dear life. Finally, he had to be put straight by the capitalist establishment.
Tweeting baloney
Take Trump’s belligerent, war-like posture toward the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. Trump tweeted recently about the DPRK and its drive to obtain an intercontinental ballistic missile that can be armed with an atomic warhead.
“That’s not going to happen,” tweeted Trump. In another tweet Trump said the DPRK is “looking for trouble” and he warned that “if China decides to help, that would be great. If not, we will solve the problem without them.” (New York Times, April 17)
These were clear threats to use force against the DPRK. To underscore the threat, the Pentagon sent an aircraft carrier squadron, accompanied by Aegis missile ships, off the coast of the Korean peninsula. Washington made vague but menacing threats to “take action” if the DPRK carried out a nuclear test.
Trump — and Obama before him — has adamantly refused any negotiations with the DPRK unless it shows signs that it will give up its nuclear weapons program.
Brass rethinking negotiations
But listen to National Security Adviser McMaster speaking on a recent Sunday talk show: “It’s really the consensus with the president, our key allies in the regions … that this problem is coming to a head,” said the general. “And so it’s time for us to undertake all actions we can, short of a military option, to try to resolve this peacefully.” (ABC News This Week, April 16)
Take the position put forward by Vice President Mike Pence while visiting the demilitarized zone in south Korea on April 17. According to the New York Times, Pence blustered that north Korea should not test “the strength of the armed forces of the United States in this region.” Yet he also noted that Washington was seeking security “through peaceable means, through negotiations.”
Whether or not the peaceful language of McMaster and Pence was meant as a gesture to China without expressing real White House policy remains to be seen.
But the socialist government of the DPRK did precisely what Pence warned against. The government of Kim Jong Un defied all the blustering war-mongering of the Trump White House and the Pentagon, proudly staging a massive military parade on the 105th birthday of the founder of the DPRK, Kim Il Sung, complete with an array of intercontinental ballistic missiles.
Pyongyang stands up to Trump and Pentagon
The DPRK stood up to military threats and the presence of a U.S. naval armada in its waters. The leadership has taken into consideration the lessons of Iraq and Libya. The U.S. imperialists used the pretext of looking for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq to plan a massive attack, which ended in the murder of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. The DPRK is also well aware of the lesson of Libya, whose leader Moammar al-Gadhafi gave up his nuclear program; Libya was later invaded and he was brutally murdered by pro-U.S. forces.
The New York Times noted: “North Korea could hardly drop these [nuclear] programs without understandably fearing an attack. Disarmament, in this view, would invite annihilation.” (New York Times, April 17)
This also speaks to the fraudulent slogan of a “denuclearized Korean peninsula,” which Washington and its allies are always promoting. The only nuclear weapons actually on the Korean peninsula belong to the DPRK. The U.S. does not need nuclear weapons in south Korea. The Pentagon has surrounded the DPRK with a “ring of fire,” including nuclear-armed submarines, nuclear-armed planes on aircraft carriers and nuclear-capable bombers at bases from Japan to Guam to Hawaii, as well as island bases throughout the region. A “denuclearized peninsula” means a disarmed DPRK.
So Trump’s flip-flop on the DPRK, as espoused by McMaster and Pence, is rooted in hard military reality. Trump tweeted that the U.S. would “deal with” the DPRK. But the military explained to him that there is no good option for U.S. imperialism in north Korea so long as Pyongyang remains steadfast in the face of nuclear blackmail.
Trump and China
Trump has publicly declared that the Chinese government is going to “help on north Korea,” so he pulled back from naming China as a currency manipulator. Such a declaration was part of his anti-China campaign. He also promised to slap tariffs on Chinese goods sold in this country. This was when he was preaching to his followers about how China was “stealing jobs” and “cheating on trade.”
The truth is that he has been forced to reject his own and Bannon’s anti-China line by financiers like Gary Cohn, head of Trump’s National Economic Council and president and CEO of Goldman Sachs for 10 years. Cohn and his Goldman Sachs cohorts, Deputy National Security Adviser Dina Powell and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, have also explained to him that Janet Yellen, head of the Federal Reserve Board, is a favorite of Wall Street. She has funnelled billions of dollars to the banks, allegedly to “save the economy.”
Said Reuters on April 16: “Apparently paying more heed to Cohn and other moderates on his team, Trump last week said he was open to reappointing Janet Yellen as Federal Reserve chairman when her term is up and he also held back from naming China a currency manipulator.
“Both stances marked a reversal from his campaign when Trump criticized Yellen and vowed to label China a currency manipulator on ‘day one’ of his administration, a move that could lead to punitive duties on Chinese goods.
“Chinese authorities, faced with an insult from a foreign leader as the ruling Communist Party prepares for elections of top positions later this year, eventually would have slapped steep retaliatory tariffs on U.S. exporters that send more than $100 billion a year of goods to the Asian country. U.S. manufacturers’ profits and stock prices would take a big hit.”
The designation of Cohn from Goldman Sachs as a “moderate” paints him with a kindly brush. Finance capital in general, and Goldman Sachs in particular, is just as aggressive and ruthless in pursuit of profit as the Pentagon is in pursuit of conquest. They are two adventurist arms of the same ruling class.
Cohn, meaning Goldman Sachs, told Trump it would not be a good idea to start a trade war or a currency war with the second-largest economy on earth. The Chinese economy is growing at an annual rate of 6.9 percent, while U.S. capitalism can barely eke out 2 percent growth.
China and Korea
As for China helping the U.S. on “taming” the DPRK, it is worthwhile noting that for the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, it is impossible to ignore the contrast between south and north Korea.
The north is not threatening China militarily one bit. But the south Korean puppets of U.S. imperialism are enthusiastically and hastily rushing to deploy the Pentagon’s THAAD anti-missile system. THAAD has powerful radar that can reach into China and spy on Chinese missile installations. The Chinese government has vigorously warned against this deployment and has said it would upset the “strategic balance” in the region. Seoul and Washington have ignored China’s concerns.
In Beijing the military and the political high command must be truly worrying about the possibility of having a pro-imperialist regime on their border. In the long run, China cannot afford to undermine the DPRK. It will be compelled to resist U.S. aggression against the government of Kim Jong Un.
The crisis in Korea, like the economic and geopolitical crises for U.S. imperialism around the globe, cannot be tweeted away nor can they be overcome by military means. U.S. imperialism is a colossus with feet of clay. Trump is finding that out the hard way.
Goldstein is author of Low-Wage Capitalism: Colossus with Feet of Clay and Capitalism at a Dead End, available from all major booksellers.Google has topped a list of the world's most powerful brands, with new research estimating its value to be $86bn (£43bn).
WPP-owned research company Millward Brown puts Google at number one in its annual top 100 global brand power list for the second year in a row with a 30% year-on-year increase in its value.
Google beat General Electric to the top spot, with the NBC Universal owner's brand value estimated at $71.4bn.
The next most valuable brands are Microsoft at $70.89bn, Coca-Cola at $58.2bn and China Mobile at $57.2bn, according to Millward Brown.
"Google's rank has been driven by fantastic financial performance and equity value," said Peter Walshe, the global account director at Millward Brown.
The top five remained unchanged year-on-year, with each company recording an increase in brand valuation by between 15% and 39% compared with 2007.
However, Millward Brown's annual BrandZ research, which takes into account the financial performance of a company combined with a measure of brand equity determined by a 100,000-strong global consumer survey, produced a number of changes in the ranking of the brands that make up the remainder of the top 10.
IBM's brand value increased by 65% year-on-year to $55.3bn, moving the technology company up three places in the BrandZ list to sixth spot.
Apple was the biggest mover in the top 10, and a new entry, moving up nine places to rank seventh, with a massive 123% increase in brand value to $55.2bn.
"Apple's 123% rise has proved to be from a mix of a slue of innovative products such as the iTouch, iPhone, Leopard and computers for which consumers have given the brand a lot of credit," said Walshe.
Fast food giant McDonald's brand value grew by 49% - in eighth at $49.49bn, while Nokia was up 39% and in ninth at $43.9bn.
Cigarette giant Marlboro was the only marque to drop in the top 10, down four spots to 10th, with a 5% drop in brand value to $37.3bn.
"You have to remember that these are global valuations," said Walshe, explaining why in an anti-smoking era the tobacco company still did so well in the ratings.
"The business is expanding in markets including Asia and South America. It is only in the west that we see decline. Its brand contribution [to the brand valuation] is also extremely high."
Mobile operator Vodafone was the top-ranked British brand, up 12 places on the back of a 75% increase in value to $36.9bn (£18.5bn).
Millward Brown tracks 50,000 brands globally, which are whittled down for its annual BrandZ top 100 list.
· To contact the MediaGuardian newsdesk email [email protected] or phone 020 7239 9857. For all other inquiries please call the main Guardian switchboard on 020 7278 2332.
· If you are writing a comment for publication, please mark clearly "for publication".Jharia and the neighbouring village of Bokapahari, in the state of Jharkhand, lie within one of India’s largest coal reserves. Coke coal is important for India’s economy as more than 70% of the country’s power supply is derived from coal. But for the 90,000 people living around Jharia, there is no benefit. Coal fires rage below the surface and noxious gases spew from fissures in and around houses. The incessant mining and the underground fire that has been burning for almost a century has contaminated everything – the soil, the water and the air. Sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons emitted by the burning coal have caused illnesses that range from stroke to chronic pulmonary disease. Nearly everybody in Jharia is ill. Occasionally the ground collapses, swallowing buildings and people into the chasm.
Coal can ignite spontaneously at rather low temperatures when exposed to certain conditions of temperature and oxygen. This may occur naturally or the combustion process may be triggered by other causes. In Jharai, a lot of mining is done illegally in open cast mines. Here coal is mined in right next to the houses, on the streets, on railway lines, and in the station itself. Ever since coal mines were nationalized in 1971, the villagers have been eking out a living pilfering coal they sell in the local market.
Conventionally after open cast mining, areas are refilled with sand and water so that the land can be cultivated again. This has never happened in Jharia, which lead to the coal seams coming into contact with oxygen and catching fire. Once a coal seam catches fire, and efforts to stop it an early stage fail, it may continue to burn for tens to hundreds of years, depending primarily on the availability of coal and oxygen (see: Centralia and Darvaza’s The Door to Hell). Jharia’s fires were first detected in 1916, and were caused primarily because of improperly decommissioned abandoned mines. Since then, a huge subterranean fire and more than 70 above ground fires have consumed about 41 million tons of coking coal, worth billions of dollars, not to mention the huge amount of greenhouse gases released to the air.
Photo: Kevin Frayer
It is estimated that close to 1.5 billion tons of coal are inaccessible due to the fires burning. Jharia will continue to burn until effective fire prevention and extinguishment procedures are developed and employed or the coal burns itself out. But the government is nonchalant. Residents accuse the state coal company BCCL of letting the fires burn, hoping residents will leave so it can exploit the USD 12 billion worth of high-grade coking coal that sits below their land.
In 1996, the government undertook a massive relocation program to move all the residents of Jharia and surrounding fire-affected areas to Belgharia, a new settlement 8 km away. But Belgaria has no school, no medical care, no shops and no jobs. All they were promised were a measly Rs 10,000 (USD 167, in 2014 rates) in compensation and 250 days of work. No wonder, many decided to stay in Jharia despite the blazes, the smoke and the pollution.
Photo: Kevin Frayer
Photo credit
Photo: Kevin Frayer
Photo: Kevin Frayer
Photo: Kevin Frayer
Photo: Kevin Frayer
Photo: Kevin Frayer
Photo: Kevin Frayer
Photo: Kevin Frayer
Photo credit
Photo: Sanjit Das
Photo: Sanjit Das
Photo: Kevin Frayer
Photo: Kevin Frayer
Photo: Kevin Frayer
Sources: edugreen.teri.res.in / The Global Journal / Earth Magazine / LA Times / WSJVICTIMS AND CRIMINALS VICTIMS AND CRIMINALS A look at Baltimore homicides reveals that a large percentage of victims have criminal arrest records -- and have for years. Year Murders Victims with
arrest records 1997 303 74% 2007-1 205 91% 1 -- through Aug. 28 Source: Baltimore Police Department By Julie Snider, USA TODAY Digg
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Facebook WASHINGTON A spike in murders in many cities is claiming a startling number of victims with criminal records, police say, suggesting that drug and gang wars are behind the escalating violence. Police increasingly explore criminal pasts of homicide victims as well as suspects as they search for sources of the violence, which has risen the past two years after a decade of decline, according to the FBI's annual measures of U.S. crime. Understanding victims' pasts is critical to driving crime back down, police and crime analysts say. "If you are trying to look at prevention, you need to look at the lives of the people involved," says Mallory O'Brien, director of the Homicide Review Commission in Milwaukee. In Baltimore, about 91% of murder victims this year had criminal records, up from 74% a decade ago, police reported. In many cases, says Frederick Bealefeld III, Baltimore's interim police commissioner, victims' rap sheets provide critical links to potential suspects in botched drug deals or violent territorial disputes. MORE FROM BALTIMORE: Cities study victims' criminal past Philadelphia police Capt. Ben Naish says the Baltimore numbers are "shocking." Philadelphia also has seen the number of victims with criminal pasts inch up — to 75% this year from 71% in 2005. In Milwaukee, local leaders created the homicide commission after a spike in violence led to a 39% increase in murders in 2005. The group compiled statistics on victims' criminal histories for the first time and found that 77% of homicide victims in the past two years had an average of nearly 12 arrests. While it was common in the past for murder victims to have criminal records, the current levels are surprising even to analysts who study homicides. "Anecdotally, the detectives on the street knew" victims with prior police contact were being killed, "but we wanted people to start to look at this" in the community, O'Brien says. In Newark, where three young friends with no apparent links to crime were executed Aug. 4, roughly 85% of victims killed in the first six months of this year had criminal records, on par with the percentage in 2005 but up from 81% last year, police statistics show. David Kennedy, a professor at New York's John Jay College of Criminal Justice, says the rise in criminals killing criminals has escaped policymakers' attention. "The notion that these (murders) are random bolts of lightning, which is the commonly held image, is not the reality," says Kennedy, who has examined the backgrounds of murder suspects and victims in multiple U.S. cities. "It happens, but it doesn't happen often." The slaying of truly innocent victims is so unusual in Baltimore that the chief prosecutor says the city has become dangerously numb to the carnage. "If we don't put human faces on the victims, we will become desensitized," State Attorney Patricia Jessamy says. Share this story: Digg del.icio.us Newsvine Reddit Facebook 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.Boris Johnson has repeatedly refused to condemn the use of offshore trusts in an awkward interview as scrutiny mounts on senior Tories.
The outgoing Mayor of London was initially silent when asked whether investing in offshore trusts and funds was “morally wrong” but later said it “depends what you’re doing”.
“I’m here to back Zac Goldsmith,” he repeated, referring to the Tory candidate running to replace him.
We’ll tell you what’s true. You can form your own view. From 15p €0.18 $0.18 $0.27 a day, more exclusives, analysis and extras.
When questioned on whether offshore investment was a legitimate way of making money, he replied: “Ask all these blooming left-wing media organisations exactly the same thing.”
He was questioned by Channel 4 News while on his way to the Conservative spring forum in London on Saturday.
The interview, conducted as he walked down the pavement at speed, ended when Mr Johnson escaped entered a Tube station.
Cathy Newman, the presenter who questioned the MP, claimed he “bolted” when |
a private detective who works with them promised benefits to Vicente in exchange for recanting.
Protess said he believes the request for subpoenas is designed to divert attention from Vicente and the story he tells about former Chicago police Officer Reynaldo Guevara.
"He would do whatever was necessary to take people he believed were criminals off the street," Protess said. "It's clear that there was a pattern and practice by Area 5 police officers to recruit snitches to falsely testify against innocent men, and Ray Guevara was at the heart of it."
Serrano and two other men — Jose Montanez and Jorge Pacheco — were convicted in separate bench trials before Circuit Judge Michael Bolan of killing Rodrigo Vargas in 1993 as he left his Humboldt Park apartment for work.
Montanez is also seeking a new trial, largely based on the same evidence gathered by the Medill students, while Pacheco was acquitted after Bolan reversed his decision in that case.
In a trial with no eyewitnesses or confession from Serrano, the state relied heavily on the testimony of Vicente, who was himself facing lengthy prison sentences if convicted in a string of armed robberies.
Vicente testified that he met with Serrano and the others after the slaying and they admitted they shot the man during a robbery.
In return, he received special treatment from prosecutors, and was sentenced to just 9 years in prison.
But in May 2004, following a series of interviews with students from the Medill Innocence Project, Vicente signed an affidavit stating he agreed to falsely testify that Serrano and the others confessed to him only after Guevara fed him the story while hitting and poking him in the head.
"My false testimony was given as a result of threats, intimidation and physical abuse by Det. Reynaldo Guevara," Vicente said in the affidavit, which was filed as an exhibit in Serrano's petition for a new trial.
Vicente's affidavit is accompanied by dozens of alleged incidents in which Guevara intimidated or coerced suspects and witnesses in order to build his cases.
Serrano's petition alleges that between 1983 and 1998, Guevara beat suspects into confessions, falsely translated statements of Spanish-speaking suspects during interviews with prosecutors, beat and threatened witnesses with criminal charges if they did not say what he wanted them to say and improperly fed information to victims and witnesses in order to get them to identify suspects he was investigating.
"When you have dozens of other people describing the kind of criminal conduct Guevara was engaged in, it lends support and credibility to the witness in our case," said Serrano's attorney, Jeffrey Urdangen, of the law school's Center on Wrongful Convictions.
He said testimony about Guevara could "open the floodgates of exposing wrongful convictions and ultimately lead to civil litigation for monetary damages. This is a nightmare situation for the state's attorney's office."
Last year a federal jury awarded $21 million to Juan Johnson — the largest judgment ever against the city of Chicago — after finding Guevara intimidated and threatened witnesses in order to get them to testify against Johnson, who spent more than 11 years in prison until he was acquitted in a 2004 retrial.
Guevara, now retired, has never been charged with any crime in the Serrano case or dozens of other incidents of alleged abuse outlined in Serrano's petition. He could not be reached for comment, but his attorney, James Sotos, said many of the allegations in the Serrano case were also contained in Johnson's lawsuit.
Sotos contends that gang leaders who Guevara pursued intimidated and threatened witnesses to get them to recant and blame the officer.
"They tell them to say that Reynaldo Guevara, who was a gang crimes specialist, coerced them into making the original statements," said Sotos, who claims he has sworn statements from people who admitted they lied about Guevara's misdeeds.
A spokeswoman for the state's attorney's office said the judge in Serrano's case has already barred Urdangen from introducing testimony or sworn statements from the 34 of Guevara's accusers, and that Urdangen later declined to call the remaining 10 as witnesses.
"Mr. Urdangen has already stated on the record in court that he will not bring these witnesses to the court for the judge to assess their credibility and provide the state the opportunity for cross examination," said Sally Daly. "These facts underscore the flaws in the ridiculous allegations now being made by Urdangen and Protess."
Urdangen said his decision not to call the witnesses does not mean he now doubts their credibility.
"The law gives the judge discretion to accept statements under oath in place of live testimony in petitions for a new trial, and the judge has chosen to allow that here," he said. "I have no concerns about the veracity of these witnesses."
[email protected] in last-ditch attempt to sign £9m-rated Sevilla striker Negredo
Everton are ready to switch their sights to Sevilla striker Alvaro Negredo after their move to land Leroy Fer collapsed.
The Goodison Park club pulled out of talks with FC Twente on Wednesday afternoon after failing to find middle ground over concerns that emerged following Fer’s medical on Tuesday.
Hitman: Sevilla's forward Alvaro Negredo is a target for Everton
The Dutch midfielder had undergone an operation to rectify a problem with his meniscus in the autumn.
But Everton are still determined to bring in a new face before the deadline and they will now attempt an ambitious move for the Spain forward.
Ruben Castro, a 31-year-old, from Real Betis would be a cut price alternative for Everton if it proves difficult to complete a deal for Negredo.
Sevilla have big financial problems, which could give Everton the opportunity to complete a move for the player, who had previously been linked with Tottenham.
No go: Leroy Fer's move to Everton collapsed after undergoing a medical
The Spain striker would cost Everton more than £9million if they were able to close a deal before 11pm.Beer: White Rabbit
Brewery: Russel Brewing Company
Location: Surrey, BC
Style: Hoppy Hefeweizen
Alcohol: 6%
There are a few things I associate white rabbits with: Cheesy magic tricks, a classic 60’s song by Jefferson Airplane and last but not least, toilet paper. Not too sure why I think toilet paper, but when I look over and an empty roll, I always think “a fuzzy white rabbit would do the trick quite nicely.” All that nonsense aside, we can now add one more thing to this awesome list; Russell Brewing Company’s White Rabbit! Talk about a magic trick. Who would have expected hops in a Hef? I didn’t. In fact I didn’t pay much attention to the label when I bought it, but when I drank it for the first time, I was like “Whaaaaaaaaaa?” I quickly dove in for another sip and before you could say Jefferson Airplane, the bottle was gone.
Russell’s White Rabbit is exactly why I love craft beer. You will NEVER! EVER! find something like this from one of the big guys. I have never tasted a beer quite like this one. At the starting gates you find the usual citrusy, wheaty, almost tropical with a touch of banana goodness that you find in most decent Hefeweizens. But half way around the track, you’ll find yourself thinking “Oh, hello hops, I didn’t expect to find you here.” At the finish line, you get a bit of a spicy hit of cloves which definitely lands this baby in the winner’s circle. I am so freaking happy that they invited hops to this party, they always make things more exciting. The great thing about this beer is how the flavours all work together to create zen like beer state. What I don’t like about most Hef’s is the finish. It tend to turn me off with a big blast of Banana (a little too phallic for my liking). The hops’ bitterness take care of that problem and just even everything out. By the time you finish this beer, you are left as satisfied as a sailor in a brothel.
If you’re interested in this one Be sure to check out these wheaty wonders:
Lighthouse: Rhubie Rhubarb Ale
Phillips: Shottleweizen
Cheers
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Like this: Like Loading...IF YOU’RE the type that always heads straight for the deep end, then these amazing snaps showing the world’s deepest swimming pool is right up your street.
The Y-40, also known as The Deep Joy, is the incredible swimming pool near Venice in Italy, that has a variety of depths — the deepest is a maximum of 40m.
It is even heated at temperatures between of 32 to 34C so you can dive in just your normal swimming costume rather than having to wear a wetsuit.
The Sun reports the seemingly bottomless pool, which features four underwater caves, broke the Guinness World Record for the deepest pool ever for diving.
media_camera Two swimmers descend into the deepest part of the pool. Picture: Rino Sgorbani/Caters News
Situated inside Hotel Millepini Terme in Montegrotto Terme, it was designed for leisure dives, dive training and of course photo shoots.
It even has ledges and underwater glass viewing panels for those who don’t want to get wet.
media_camera A night dive in the record-breaking pool. Picture: Marco Mancini/Y-40/Caters News
Adventurous underwater photographer Rino Sgorbani, from Italy, decided to tackle the tricky dive and plunge down to the depths of the pool.
Describing the experience, the 65-year-old said: “In the shallower part it felt like a normal pool.
“The deepest part is like an immersion into the sea depth, but with water as hot as the Caribbean. It was a nice experience and it was exciting.”
media_camera The pool features four underwater caves. Picture: Rino Sgorbani/Y-40/Caters News
The pool, which first opened in 2014, was designed by architect Emanuele Boaretto with the support of Boaretto Group Hotel & Resort, and has a range of underwater activities.
Emanuele said: “Y-40 is the only pool so deep with thermal water: a particularity that cannot to be moved anywhere.
The Deep Joy mermaid 0:45 Italian freediving champion, Ilaria Molinar swims as a mermaid in the Y-40 The Deep Joy The Deep Joy mermaid
media_camera An observation tunnel that people can walk through to view the pool underwater. Picture: Rino Sgorbani/Caters News
“Our ambition is to open a new job perspective in medium and long period, to guarantee prosperity also to our land and our society.”
The Guinness World Records for the deepest swimming pool was previously held by the Nemo 33 pool in Brussels, Belgium, with a maximum depth of 34.4m.
media_camera A diagram of the Y-40 pool. Picture: Y-40/Caters News
This article originally appeared in The Sun and was reproduced with permission.
Originally published as Surprises lurk in world’s deepest poolSome Baltimore County officials expressed irritation Monday that the Housing Authority of Baltimore City didn't tell them when it purchased suburban homes as city public housing.
"It's being done in a subterranean manner," said County Councilman David Marks, a Republican who represents Towson. "There should have been some level of notification."
Others were supportive of the initiative — and a companion effort to provide rent subsidies — saying both work well with regional efforts to expand affordable housing options.
Over the past eight years, the city housing authority spent $12 million to purchase nearly 30 houses in Baltimore County and 16 in Anne Arundel, Harford and Howard counties to serve as public housing for Baltimore residents, a Baltimore Sun investigation found. The city agency also has been providing $51 million in rent subsidies to nearly 3,100 families who have moved from city public housing to private apartments or houses in prosperous suburban neighborhoods, primarily in Howard and Baltimore counties.
The discreet rollout of the court-ordered programs highlights how difficult it has been to dismantle Baltimore's segregated, impoverished neighborhoods through regional housing cooperation. Both efforts were ordered by the landmark lawsuit, Thompson v. U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, that found the federal agency had failed to take a regional approach to desegregating Baltimore's public housing.
Suburban developments that propose setting aside units for low-income tenants often attract intense opposition, leading to their defeat and discouraging future projects. Fair housing advocates have long been pushing for state and local governments in Maryland to do more to abide by federal civil rights housing laws. Freddie Gray's death and the ensuing rioting has focused new attention on the issue.
Advocates say county agencies need to pass laws to prohibit landlords from rejecting tenants because they have rent subsidies. Counties also should enact inclusionary housing rules requiring developers to set aside units for low-income tenants, housing groups say. Baltimore County and Maryland's housing department are both negotiating resolutions to housing discrimination complaints filed against them with HUD.
Their efforts were bolstered this year by a Supreme Court ruling and a new HUD rule that puts new pressure on local government to locate subsidized housing outside of such areas.
Two state lawmakers from Baltimore County said Monday they expect to explore the volatile issue of affordable housing during the upcoming General Assembly session in Annapolis.
"I think it's one of those issues that people are either for or against," said Del. Stephen W. Lafferty, a Baltimore County Democrat.
Lafferty has sponsored legislation in the past that has been routinely defeated that would enact a statewide prohibition on landlords from turning away tenants with rent subsidies, known commonly as Section 8 vouchers.
"When one sees there are property owners who are willing to accept vouchers in certain parts of the county and not others, it denies the further opportunities people want," Lafferty said.
He said he is considering whether to reintroduce the legislation, known as the HOME act.
Baltimore County has been accused of supporting affordable housing for seniors in prosperous communities but not projects for low-income families. One of the main reasons for that, Lafferty said, is because developers know that family housing projects will generate resistance that often scuttles their projects.
"That's indicative of people acting out of fear rather than out of reality," he said.
The city's programs appear to be working well, he said. "It's unfortunate that [such programs] have to be done more quietly," he said.
Sen. Jim Brochin, a Towson Democrat, said he plans to question County Executive Kevin Kamenetz about the lack of public notice by the city and about the screening that selects families for the suburban relocations.
"It's pretty clear they bypassed the legislature," Brochin said. "I've never heard anything from [former County Executive James T. Smith] or Kamenetz. I just want to know more about it."
Brochin also said he will work to defeat any source-of-income proposal that may be introduced in the 2016 session. "I don't think it's constitutional," he said. "You shouldn't have to force someone to do business with" tenants with subsidies.
Marks agreed and said the County Council would never support such a law. Only Howard County, Annapolis and Baltimore have laws that restrict or prohibit landlords from turning away tenants because of subsidies.
"I don't see us ever doing that," Marks said.
He added that the programs could have been more effective if the city had worked with council members who could suggest places to purchase homes that are close to public transit, jobs and other services.
"When you locate poor families into the suburbs, are you just spreading poverty around the region?" Marks said.
He said constituents had called him after reading The Sun article to complain that people who could not otherwise afford to live in Towson are being given an opportunity others do not get.
"I have plenty of constituents who are living at the margins," Marks said. "They're struggling to pay $1,000 rent for an apartment and they don't qualify for these types of benefits. They're pretty upset by it."
Catonsville resident Veronica Walters was furious when she read about the programs. The 73-year-old retired dental assistant said white and black middle-class families are frustrated that low-income people can live in homes they did not work hard to attain.
"We have worked for years in order to have a house in the county, and the government is pushing people out here," she said. "They don't deserve to have what my family worked hard for. It's a shame we didn't know about this ahead of time. I would have been right there protesting."The members of the Canadian Armed Forces who disrupted a protest organized by Indigenous activists in Halifax on Canada Day will be removed from training and duties as the military investigates and reviews the circumstances, says the country's top general.
"We are the nation's protectors, and any member of the Canadian Armed Forces who is not prepared to be the defender we need them to be will face severe consequences, including release from the forces," Gen. Jonathan Vance, chief of defence staff, said in a statement Tuesday night.
On Saturday, a gathering of Indigenous people and activists held a protest at the Edward Cornwallis statue in downtown Halifax. The protest was disrupted by five off-duty military members wearing black polo shirts who referred to themselves as Proud Boys.
Cornwallis, a governor of Nova Scotia, was a military officer credited by the British for founding Halifax in 1749. Later that year, he issued a bounty on the scalps of Mi'kmaq people. There's been considerable debate over the use of Cornwallis's name on public parks, buildings and street signs.
'I expect better'
"What happened in Halifax over the weekend is deplorable, and Canadians should rest assured my senior leadership is seized of the matter," said Vance.
"The members involved will be removed from training and duties while we conduct an investigation and review the circumstances. Their future in the military is certainly in doubt."
Their future in the military is certainly in doubt. - Gen. Jonathan Vance
Vance apologized to Canada's Indigenous people for the "behaviour of a few."
"I expect better," he said.
Defence minister denounces actions
Canada's defence minister condemned the actions of the Armed Forces members who disrupted the protest and said there will be consequences for military personnel who "express intolerance while in — or out — of uniform."
"I want to give you my personal assurance that this kind of behaviour will not be tolerated within the ranks of the Canadian Armed Forces and the Department of National Defence," Harjit Sajjan wrote in a Facebook post Tuesday evening.
Sajjan said an investigation by the Canadian Forces National Investigation Service is underway into the actions of the men who call themselves Proud Boys.
Confrontation at protest
As one of the activists, Chief Grizzly Mamma, was shaving her head in protest, the gathering was interrupted by the five off-duty military members wearing black polo shirts with yellow trim, one of whom carried a Red Ensign flag.
Chief Grizzly Mamma shaved her head as a symbol of mourning during the Edward Cornwallis protest on Canada Day in Halifax. (Anjuli Patil/CBC)
The two groups exchanged words. The man who was carrying the flag said, "You're disrespecting General Cornwallis."
A Facebook message that appears to be from Dave Eldridge, one of the men who approached the protesters, told CBC News he is part of group called the Proud Boys, a "multi-racial fraternal organization."
The Facebook page of the Proud Boys Canadian Chapters says they are "a fraternal organization of Western Chauvinists who will no longer apologize for creating the modern world," and do not discriminate on the basis of race or sexuality.
10-minute exchange
Eldridge said in his Facebook message that the group had thought the event was an anti-Canada protest and left after learning that wasn't the case.
The entire exchange between the two groups lasted about 10 minutes. Watch CBC News footage of the incident below.
The Canadian navy has confirmed all 5 men involved in the "Proud Boys" incident at an Indigenous ceremony in Halifax's Cornwallis Park are servicemen. 2:10
Organizers of the protest said they held the July 1 event there because they felt the statue is a symbol of the systematic persecution of Indigenous people, past and present.
Minister apologizes for disrespect
Sajjan apologized to the Halifax Mi'kmaq community and Chief Grizzly Mamma in his Facebook post.
"I know my words cannot undo the disrespect that was shown to you and your community. I know our government has much more work to do with respect to reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples."
Earlier Tuesday, the commanding officer of the Royal Canadian Navy on the East Coast apologized for the actions of the members of the Canadian Forces who were involved in the confrontation.
Rear Admiral John Newton said that members represent their institution even when they're off duty and out of uniform in their personal lives.
"I'll stand here in front of you and apologize to the Aboriginal community, to the whole public community that feels offended by the actions of fellow Canadians who wear the uniform," he told a group of reporters.
'Erodes' trust in military
Newton said he followed social media response to the incident and sat down with the group to explain that their actions didn't represent the military.
"It erodes government, public and the trust of our fellow members in our combat units. I made that point quite clear to them," he said.
Rear Admiral John Newton said the Canadian Forces members involved in the Canada Day confrontation should 'become educated in a hurry' about what the Forces stand for. (CBC)
"The perception I took is exactly what the people at the Cornwallis monument took. It didn't allow them to have the space to have their own views and to express them. It tried to counter them.
"It's just the wrong place for our soldiers, sailors and our men and women to be, and they certainly shouldn't be congregating even outside of that representing those kinds of views."
Investigations underway
Newton said a military police investigation — as well as an administrative one — is underway. He would not say what the consequences would be for the Armed Forces members identified as Proud Boys.
"Trust me: this is a matter of supreme importance to get right and we're going to have to keep getting it right as we bring young people into the Canadian Armed Forces," he said.
Newton said the five people involved included members of the navy and army.
"It doesn't matter if you're off-hours or in civilian clothes, the fact that you're identified and your behaviours are perceived in contravention of our stated policies of the Canadian Armed Forces, you have just transgressed your personal life into your public life," he said.
"They should become educated in a hurry about what the Canadian Armed Forces really stands for."
The commanding officer of the Royal Canadian Navy on the East Coast is apologizing for the actions of several members of the Canadian Forces who were involved in a confrontation during an Indigenous protest in Halifax on Canada Day. 3:30
Indigenous group responds
Rebecca Moore, a Mi'kmaq activist who was at the Cornwallis protest on Canada Day, said she was happy to hear the rear admiral apologize on behalf of the offending Forces members.
"I do believe he is on the right track and I do appreciate his words," said Moore.
Newton said the Indigenous community would be consulted about the Proud Boys incident. He said he has good communications with local Indigenous leaders and would speak to advisers in the community to get guidance.
But Moore said Newton should speak to her group, since it was the one that came in direct conflict with the Proud Boys.
"I'm wondering if and when that's going to happen," said Moore. "I don't think it would make sense to go to other groups; it would make sense to come directly to us."Table of Contents Table of Contents
Eleusis: A thorough Thrashing Uncle Fester's "Secrets of Methamphetamine Manufacture"
Uncle Fester: Fester Flames Eleusis
Eleusis: Fester go home... response to UF's pathetic "defense"
Uncle Fester: Fester's response to Eleusis (go home) Eleusis: A thorough Thrashing of Uncle Fester's "Secrets of Methamphetamine Manufacture" It's no wonder the Feds don't give two shits about this book, as it's literally Festering with errors. Your compadre in improvised chemistry, Eleusis, has recently had the charming pleasure to read this humorous and entertaining tome. Normally I would strenously avoid any book with such a provocative title like this as it spells quick cash for the author to me, but since someone donated it to me for a free review, what the hell, right?
The introduction begins with what I would consider a warning, and what will later be proof that the American university system is in dire need of reform. U.F. says "It [this book] contains virtually everything I know about the subject [meth manufacture]".
Clearly, he doesn't know much.
Now mind you, Eleusis is just a silly old English major with no interest in methamphetamine whatsoever, but even my sorry ass can see the errors here. I'll save you the heartache and cash by illustrating a few of the most glaring ones, and perhaps even supply a correction or two. Chapter 1 "A well working aspirator produces a vacuum of 10 to 20 torr..."
Yeah, maybe in Alaska, where the tap water temperature is just above *freezing*, maybe.
A normal water aspirator can manage *10 to 20 torr above the vapor pressure of the water temperature*. The vapor pressure is a function of the amount of dissolved ionic solids and, more importantly, the *temperature* of the water. Tap water is usually close to 23C, which makes the vapor pressure around 22 torr. The best aspirator can get down to this + 10 torr, so the maximum attainable vacuum is 32 torr.
Doesn't sound like much of a difference? Well, it's the difference between MDP-2-P boiling at 150C and 190C.
As well, it should be obvious that any "chemical supply" listed in a book of this nature, just like any place posted in a.d.c, can no longer be considered a source for the "underground chemist".
Attempting to purchase anything from the companies listed in chapter one, assuming *any* of them are still in business, will get you a *lot* of attention. Chapter 2 The Leukart reaction is so hopeless it's not even funny. Kids, it makes a big mess, is ridiculously temperamental, and the precursors are *not* easily available, nor easily *made*.
Of more importance to me, it doesn't work for MDMA. Let's reiterate for all of you on the nod out there: it is not an effective process for making MDMA, and it's no picnic for Meth. The reason for this will be explained later.
Even better is that n-Methyl Formamide is produced by reacting *methylamine with formic acid*. Why bother when you can get better yields, in faster time and with less hassle from a standard reductive alkylation? Chapter 3 Most of the preps for Phenylacetone (Phenyl-2-Propanone) are correct, but U.F. is full of it for saying cooking oil is great for heating baths. Yeah, it's great if you like a lot of *smoke*.
Get a heating mantle if you want to go higher than 100C.
A claisen adapter packed with broken glass does not a good fraction column make. Why bother with that shit? If you need to fractionally distill something, at least get a tube longer than 15cm and *then* pack it with broken glass.
Also, sucking the moist air out of a flask which has been sitting in a 400F oven for 20 minutes is a good way to burn your trachea.
Kids, don't try this at home. Chapter 4 Preparation of N-Methyl Formamide? Skip it... "The methylamine can be obtained as a gas in a cylinder."? Yeah, right... Whew, that *is* funny.
Even better is the process by which he does this... If you want to make fairly dry methylamine gas, place some methylamine HCl in a flask, setup for simple distillation with a vacuum receiver adapter and real cold water running through the condenser and titrate in concentrated NaOH soln. Gentle heat from a heating mantle and stirring may be necessary, but other than that, voilla, loads of methylamine gas coming at you. It's the simple principle of "the strong base liberates the weaker base from it's salt".
As well, his purification of n-methylformamide is likely to give very poor results. The Leuckart is already a temperamental beast, and if you don't use the very purest n-methylformamide you can get (as well as everything else) you will be the proud owner, time and time again, of a nasty useless tar that is damn near impossible to get out of a flask. Chapter 5 I'm skipping most of it, because I just don't care, but who says you need "laboratory grade hydrochloric acid" to make dry HCl gas?
Just use the crap you find at a hardware store and don't sweat it.
However, what I *would* sweat is not having a anti-siphon trap in line with the gas outlet and the solution being bubbled with HCl! When the production of gas slackens on it's own accord, without a siphon you'll suck your (likely ether or benzene) solution right into the HCl gas generator. Kids, it will break your heart to come this far and see it all get ruined by something this stupid. Chapter 6 I have no comment on the supposedly effective tactics at procuring chemicals and evading federal scrutiny. If you want to get into "industrial scale production" you obviously don't have the same interest as I, and I don't really care whether you get busted or not.
Sorry, but considering how well U.F. has done so far, I'd take his "advice" with a grain of salt. Chapter 7 This is actually a pretty clever way of making P-2-P, but let's face it - a sodium alkoxide reduction is *not* within the grasp of the average chemical tinkerer. This is potentially dangerous stuff, you have been warned. Also, a ball of cotton is not an acceptable method of excluding water vapor from getting into the reaction unless you live in a desert region. Use an appropriate drying tube packed with Calcium Chloride or Sodium Hydroxide. Chapter 8 The tube furnace? You mean you want me to build a catalytic reaction tube packed with thorium oxide adsorbed onto pumic and run *what* through it?
Yes, it works, but no, the yields suck and the fumes - even god almighty will turn his nose up on heaven high if you fire this baby up. Chapter 9 Making phenyl-2-propanol is a snap, but not if you do it U.F.'s way. An underground chemist has no business attempting organometallic syntheses like the Grignard or the Corey-House.
React allylbenzene with cold, somewhat diluted sulfuric acid, then hydrolyse by heating with 10x moles of water. See ZWITTERION's method for making MDP-2-Pol for details.
The nitrostyrene method is standard and correct. Ammonium acetate is a better catalyst than n-butylamine 9 times out of 10, though. Chapter 10 This is a pet favorite of mine, too bad the reagents are so freaking expensive and it is subject to some fits of bad behavior as well as being a source of all sorts of noxious and dangerous fumes. The alkyl nitrites are nasty to inhale and the reaction inevitably produces enough NO2 to kill you if you aren't careful with the ventillation and have a good gas mask. NO2 is an "insidious poison" which is a term applied to something that will kill you without you knowing it. Chapter 11 Catalytic hydrogenations are well beyond the reach of even an advanced home experimenter. You don't have to believe me, but if you want to waste your time figuring it out, be my guest.
BTW - Raney-Nickel is extremely *pyrophoric* and should never be allowed to dry out. If it does, it will catch on fire, all by it's little self, and burn a hole halfway to China.
A champagne bottle as a hydrogenation bomb? No thanks, I'd rather drive down the Pacific Coast Highway blindfolded.
Also, no one knows why there is an induction period before a reaction occurs in his method of hydrogenation??? Bullshit. Metal catalysts work by adsorbing singlet Hydrogen molecules onto their surface. This takes a while (Platinum can adsorb up to 300 times it's weight in Hydrogen) and is the reason metal catalysts are so damn effective at reducing things: H2 is relatively inert, but H is extremely reactive. Chapter 12 The preparation of the aluminum amalgam is incorrect. It is not necessary nor desireable to wash the aluminum with dilute NaOH solution prior to amalgamating it.
I'll make no other comments, as little comparison can be made at this point between MDMA and meth, but even a moron can see that the reaction conditions for making meth are much more vigorous than making MDMA.
The comments about the Schiff base formed by a ketone and an amine salt in basic solution are correct, though, and a surprisingly good tidbit is found in the recommendation to add washed white sand to the reaction mixture so that filtering is easier.
One last thing... boiling chips will *not* prevent bumping in a vacuum distillation. Stirring is essential! This is so basic it's pathetic. Chapter 13 The process for making methylamine HCl is standard and covered in my FAQ on the chemical. U.F. makes it more difficult than it has to be, though. Chapter 14 Ahhhh! My favorite chapter! Here we have the Ritter reaction, which may be suitable for the amphetamines, but is likely to fall *way* short in making MDMA.
Unfortunately, the Ritter is at it's best when used with HCN gas. Using a nitrile is a poor substitute most of the time (and it could only get worse with the strong electronic effect exerted by the MD bridge in safrole) but the alternative is largely unacceptable for the underground chemist. Even still, carelessness in performing the Ritter reaction can lead to the death of you and those within the vicinity as a result of HCN gas escape (even with the nitrile!).
My advice? This is one secret better left as one.
The chapter gets even better, though, as Fester illustrates his greatest folly and the one most damaging to his credibility in my eyes.
He runs off on a tangent about making MDMA, which seems interesting enough, but what works for allylbenzene does not necessarily work for safrole (though the converse is true). Safrole cannot be brominated by 48% HBr. Period. In order to have a fighting chance at bromination, sulfuric acid *must* be added, or 66% HBr, as stated in Chemical Abstracts 14350, 1961, must be used. This isn't just a problem of having enough moles of Br available, as Fester foolishly assumes, but is also about having enough *concentration* as well as a suitably solving matrix. If you can't get safrole to dissolve enough so that contact with Bromine ions is made, how can it brominate? It can't!
A phase transfer catalyst which can transport Br ions would be an acceptable modification, perhaps, but as it stands, this will not and does not work.
No, heating it won't change it, either.
Let's assume that you do get 66% HBr made and are successful at brominating safrole at the number 2 carbon on the aliphatic chain. Great, does this mean that the "bomb" will still work? Yep, but what a shitty way to replace a halogen with an amine function.
See future posts by moi on alternative methods of doing this. It is beyond the scope of this book review at this time.
FWIW, though, the total yield of the bromination/bomb process is *comparable* to the total yield of Dr. Shulgin's methods, even with all of the improvements ZWITTERION and I have posted.
Something to think about, anyhow. Chapter 15 Oh jesus! U.F. is completely wrong about the stereochemistry of both (meth)amphetamine and (pseudo)ephedrine.
The d isomer is the desired one in (meth)amphetamine and is dictated by the amine bound carbon. The hydroxyl groups' chirality, which is what dictates whether you have ephedrine or pseudoephedrine, is *completely unimportant* to the final product! Why? Because it gets reduced to nothing, and if there aren't four different groups bound to a carbon, there's no chiral center. This of course means that pseudoephedrine and ephedrine will both produce the dextro isomer of methamphetamine since in both, the amine bound carbon is of the same chiral configuration.
Shame! And to think he had "6 years of education at prestigious universities"!
The process on extracting pills is ludicrous as well. He has obviously never done it, otherwise he would well know the frustrations of Methylcellulose. What is this? A binding agent that dissolves in *cold* water, but forms and insoluble sticky gum in hot. In any case, it clogs the fuck out of filter paper, and the only way to filter it under any circumstances is to use vacuum filtration.
The addition of a small amount of methanol helps keep the filter paper clear as well, reducing filtering time dramatically.
And if guaifenesin needs to be removed, extract with chloroform.
But these have all been well hashed out in a.d.c and I have no need nor interest in the ways of pill extractions.
The halogenation/reduction method seems fairly accurate to me, but, as should be apparent by now, it should be double checked.
As a side note, Zinc dust will more effectively remove the halogen atom in question if first washed with dilute HCl. A small amount of Zinc Chloride can be added to help boost yields as well.
Making Sodium Acetate from cheap vinegar? Please! Go get some glacial acetic acid, and add sodium hydroxide *solution*, diluted with enough water so that 3 moles of water are available for every mole of formed acetate (a little extra wouldn't hurt). Then with careful addition of the base you'll quickly get your sodium acetate in the |
’s not even the anthropomorphic deer itself, inane a touch as that certainly is. No, it’s the stupid, lazily-rendered flag on the deer’s back that does it, a flag that shouldn’t even be there. If the figure were a human samurai of the Minamoto clan that would be bad enough, but making it a deer is all wrong, it’s even -
“A whitetail deer,” Junji informs his supervisor, his indignation propelling him even further away from what he knows is the range of appropriate tones. Cindy, the Creative Director, and Junji’s two fellow designers are all scowling at him but he won’t be stopped; the crescents under his arms suddenly wax to full moons as he throws up his hands. “What’s the matter with shika, huh? What’s so hard about using Japanese deer, if you’re going to slap the poor thing in Ō-Yoroi? Well?”
There is a pause. The supervisor doesn’t look any happier than Junji’s coworkers, but rather than addressing any of the very salient points Junji has made the man mops his pate with a silk Floating World™ handkerchief and asks, “What’s Ō-Yoroi?”
Junji, speechless, turns away from the fools and villains to stare out the mediation room’s window at the rocky shore far below. It’s someplace along the western coast of Honshu, the reproduction of the road once walked by Bashō and his apprentice shimmering salt-white amidst the sesame seed-black rocks.
Here in the Floating World™, the road is also a moving sidewalk.
Junji came here for that road - for the Narrow Road to the Interior, for the Golden Pavilion, for everything else lost to time and neglect and earthquakes and corporate auctioning. And when he signed on, he knew there would be compromises and, probably, anachronisms - but he had never suspected that it would be this bad.
“Ō-Yoroi is, uh, the armor?” says the younger of the designers uncertainly. “We thought the antlers might get mistaken for the helmet’s, uh, horns, so -”
“The kuwagata, you mean?” Junji sneers.
“I…” She sniffs, clearly on the verge of a meltdown.
“For all the samurais you shove into everything, I’d hope you’d at least know what they wore,” Junji says haughtily.
That does it, and she buries her face in the Creative Director’s chest. The older woman glares at Junji as the other designer stands up, wagging a finger at him but addressing the supervisor.
“This is absolutely typical, sir. We put a whitetail in the armor because Kaori and I agreed that the buck’s antlers might be mistaken for kuwagata,”- this directed toward Junji in over-enunciated syllables - “and Japanese deer, sorry, shika, are mainly identifiable by their spotted flanks. The whitetail isn’t native to Japan, admittedly, but,” - and here he shoots Junji a nasty smile - “considering it’s dressed up like a samurai, we assumed it wouldn’t be too distracting.”
“Nobody’s complained,” the supervisor assures them.
“I’m complaining,” Junji points out.
“The okyaku -” the supervisor begins, but Junji cuts him off.
“The guests are not the point,” Junji says.
“The okyaku are the point, Mr. Miura,” says the supervisor. “They are always the point. Now, I think we can agree that this disagreement about what deer to use could be avoided in the future by -”
“The deer’s not the point!” Junji shouts, and jumps at the sound. He feels like a kitten he once saw frightened at hearing its own hiss for the first time. Looking at the supervisor’s thumb tapping something into his phone, he panics.
“The deer was never the point,” Junji offers to the room by way of conciliation, but finds no sympathy, no reception, no recourse, except to: “Quit. I quit.”
There’s a gratifying silence, and then the supervisor says, “You can’t be serious, Mr. Miura. I’ve just messaged HR; a mediator will handle this situation as -”
“I. Quit,” says Junji, feeling nearly feverish with pleasure. “Isn’t that what you want?”
“No!” protests the supervisor.
“Yes,” says the Creative Director, speaking for the first time since they all arrived. “Inevitable creative differences notwithstanding, Mr. Miura has proven himself to be profoundly difficult to work with, both pedantic and petulant. This isn’t the first time he’s reduced one of my designers to tears, and for what? Self-righteous moralizing over a deer?”
“The deer wasn’t…” Junji trails off, somewhat deflated. “It was the mon.”
“The what?” asks the supervisor.
“The crest on the deer’s flag,” the seated designer sniffs, having emerged from the director’s bosom following the older woman’s engagement with the Junji Situation.
“Oh,” says the Creative Director. “Well, that makes much more sense.”
The supervisor, the director, and the two designers all begin to laugh, and Junji realizes that all he has to do is laugh, too, and everything will be all right. These people don’t have to be the enemy. The one he made cry, Kaori, is actually Japanese, so who knows, they might have things in common, they might become friends, if he just …
No. They’re not only laughing at him, they’re laughing at the idea that Japanese history and culture might be more interesting than a bunch of stupid giant robots; that it might be worth taking seriously. And this is the Historical Accuracy Division of New Nihon.
“I quit,” Junji says, pushing past the chortling supervisor.
“Please,” the man says, regaining his composure, but only just, “take a few personal days and -”
“Never!” Junji barks over his shoulder. “I quit! Forever!”
By the time he reaches the ground floor, Junji has begun to appreciate the magnitude of his rushed decision. He stares at the approaching tram, but decides to walk along the Narrow Road before going home to the apartment on which he just signed a two year lease.
A fence cordons off the office quadrant of New Nihon from the Floating World™ proper, but Junji sees an automated gate behind the picnic tables and makes for it. This is way out in the bureaucratic boonies, so they must have installed it for employee use.
Junji imagines Kaori coming out here for lunch, sitting on a mossy boulder overlooking the roiling Pacific that seems to border the levitating mega-resort but is actually thousands of feet below, magnified and holograph-enhanced to perfect proportions. Perhaps she laments that her position forces her to pervert something that is so perfect in its natural state. He imagines her running up behind him, inspired by his courage to walk out. They will swap occupational horror stories while getting a drink somewhere Meiji. She will apologize first, of course, and that will enable him to swallow his pride and call the supervisor -
He’s scanned his card three times, why isn’t it opening? Peering at the gate-screen, he sees CLEARANCE REVOKED scroll across. Raising his fist at the skyscraper that shines silver and gold above him, Junji knows he will never apologize. Never.
2.
Junji lights a Peace cigarette and inhales deeply, kicking idly as he dangles his tabi-socked feet off the porch of the house he was assigned after being transferred from the soldier’s barracks at Mecha Patrol Alpha Squad Let’s Go! 2098-Z. It is early morning; the maples were touched with frost in the night. It will melt in the heat of the day, so he enjoys how the crimson leaves are edged with white while he can.
Junji exhales, a delicious sensation.
Now, post-transfer, the cigarette is contraband. His LARPersonality is a Nice Guy Student, and thus, officially, he doesn’t smoke.
His shitty attitude is illicit as well, though he didn’t get that by sneaking out to visit Super Kawaii City.
Junji knows that it is not in the spirit of things to enjoy polluting the crisp autumn air with cheap tobacco smoke, nor to contemplate how, in Lady Murasaki Shikibu’s time, kawaii meant to be possessed of pitiable qualities. He knows, too, that his promotion from Extra to Main at the RealAnime Resort involves a serious pay raise. He cannot fuck this up for himself. "There are worse gigs here on the Floating World™, a fact he has learned the hard way."
Junji gazes out across his pristine back yard; tries to get into character.
It doesn’t work. He cannot shake his melancholy. Junji tells himself, again, how fortunate he is to be set up in an actual house and not living in some run-down rat hole of an apartment like when he was still a student - a real student - back home. He has a backyard here, with a stand of cedar trees in addition to the maples, and a koi pond with artificial boulders clustered at its edge.
The dry grasses rustle in the breeze. Junji sniffs: Makoto is cooking breakfast. Tamagoyaki and miso soup and broiled fish and who knows what else. Junji suspects he has gained weight since his transfer. Makoto takes her housekeeping duties seriously, of course, as did Yui, the “homemaker” who preceded her, which means big meals at breakfast and supper, plus a bento lunch every day. The smell of the food is suddenly nauseating.
When Junji was still with Mecha Patrol Alpha Squad Let’s Go! 2098-Z, the whole concept of the RealAnime Resort made much more sense to him. Paying a bunch of money to pilot a giant robot, defending Tokyo, the galaxy, whatever - that was, Junji had to admit, a pretty cool way to spend your vacation. Eating MREs for a week… less fun, but verisimilitude has its price.
Oh, how Junji misses the barracks! While living there he found them depressing, true - all that discipline. But here in this fake-ass Tokyo suburb, okyaku pay the same amount of money, but to cook and vacuum and scrub out the ofuro and go to high school. Madness. This last month of acting the part of “Junji-kun,” hapless college freshman (and unlikely roommate of the Tanaka sisters), has finally convinced him how good he had it with the Squad. There, he had been mostly left alone. His LARPersonality had been “the silent, thoughtful type,” and a Commander to boot, so except for the occasional obligatory “get drunk with the troops and reveal something traumatizing from his childhood that plays into the plot” assignment, he got to read and generally enjoy the quiet any time he wasn’t piloting his giant robot with the laser guns. And his character was a smoker.
Junji regards his expanding middle with distaste and wishes he had been assigned a Ranma-Type Live Anime Real Personality instead of Keiichi-Type. Ranma-Types got plenty of exercise scheduled into their daily routines, whereas academics like him receive “comically” endless amounts of mandatory homework, checked by his supervisor. They said it was to give him that tense, overworked look. For the purposes of verisimilitude.
Junji hears the hiss of the shōji behind him and quickly flicks his cigarette into the koi pond. He prepares himself. He knows what’s coming.
“Junji-kun?” It is Makoto - or rather, a red-haired Canadian girl who answers to the name Becky Salisbury when she’s at home in Winnipeg. She has heavy thighs, but Junji has decided her nice breasts make up for that.
He’s also decided he hates her. The sound of her calling his name almost hurts. Perhaps it is that, without looking, he knows what she will be wearing (plain housedress, frilly apron), how she will be standing (feet together, good posture, hands clasped fig-leaf style), and her facial expression (smiling, innocent, wide-eyed).
He turns, if only to confirm his suspicions.
They are confirmed.
“Breakfast is nearly ready,” she says, canting her head to the side. “I think Hitomi is done in the bathroom if you want to wash up. I made you a nice big meal, to help you concentrate!”
Junji suppresses a groan as he rises to his feet.
“Thanks,” he says, and after a long, affected yawn, “it’ll power me through Mr. Shibuya’s class.”
“I know how hard it is for you in engineering school,” says Makoto, looking concerned. “You’re up so late every night!”
“Well, well,” says Junji mildly.
Junji drags his feet as he heads to the bathroom. He knows what awaits him, and dreads it more than any other part of his day. Taking a deep breath, he reminds himself of what he is working toward. Every paycheck brings him that much closer to escaping, to returning to Hokkaido. The insanely expensive shuttle ticket that delivered him to the hovering resort complex had been comped by his former employers at the Historical Accuracy Division of New Nihon. But no employer, here or down below, has materialized to fund his pricey fare home from the Floating World™.
Junji stands in front of the bathroom door for a full minute before he can make his hand touch the handle, much less turn it. Then, in a flash of determination, he barges inside -
- and his ears are assaulted, predictably, by a high-pitched, highly-indignant feminine squeal. He covers his eyes, but not before catching sight of Hitomi (actually her name, she is Japanese, has long legs, small tits, and the largest, darkest bush he’s ever seen), naked and soapy, wide-eyed and holding a washcloth half over her crotch.
“Junji-kun!” she squeals, as he stammers apologies. “I told you to knock!”
“Is Junji-kun spying on Hitomi again?” he hears Eiko (Venezuelan, attractive even with that nose, real name Yoselin) shout, “annoyed” about being distracted from “studying for her high school entrance exams.”
“Get out!” cries Hitomi, covering her breasts with her arm - not that she has much to hide - and then, again predictably, Junji feels something collide with the back of his head. It hurts more than usual. Junji sees stars, feels rage.
“You are such a hentai!” shouts someone, right in his goddamn ear, and Junji goes from angry to apoplectic. He whirls around, pins Eiko against the wall. She drops the frying pan she clubbed him with. He stares into her wide eyes, breathing heavily.
“Junji-kun,” Eiko says softly, breathily; color rises to her cheeks as if on cue. Junji immediately releases her, disgusted.
He takes a step back, forces himself to look abashed. He knows he can save the situation, knows instinctively that these girls have no idea his anger is real. To them, it is all part of the game. Hitomi was - officially speaking - his unrequited love interest; now Eiko and Hitomi will fight over him, competing to win his affections.
But neither will give him so much as a handjob. He knows this.
“I - I - ” he stutters deliberately, “I am not a pervert!”
And then he takes off running down the hallway. They all giggle in his wake.
But what they don’t know is that Junji has no intention of stopping. Down the hallway he runs, out the door, and up the street to the building where his supervisor is watching the highlights of last week’s performances in her office.
“Miura Junji?” She pauses the footage, freezing some guy in mid-scream. A clumsy girl had just spilled hot tea on his lap. Hilarious.
“I quit,” he gasps. He really needs more exercise, he’s puffing and sweating. “Forever. I hate it here.”
“You’ll finish out the week, though?”
“Effective immediately,” he cries.
His supervisor radiates displeasure. “Fine,” she says. “Take off those clothes.”
For a brief moment Junji wonders if he has stumbled from one improbable anime scenario into another, but then he realizes she’s serious.
“What?” he asks. “Why?”
“Those clothes belong to Junji-kun, hapless college freshman.” She holds in the smile Junji knows is there. “Not Miura Junji, former staff at the RealAnime Resort.”
Junji knows where his own clothes are, folded neatly in his closet in the Tanaka house, but before he can open his mouth to ask if he can go get them, his supervisor tsks at him.
“Will you hurry please? We’ll mail you your clothes and personal items.”
“But -”
“The okyaku have paid for a realistic week in an anime world. Disgruntled former employees are not a part of that world. Surely you understand?” She finally lets the smile out. “For the purposes of verisimilitude, of course.”
3.
The snow drifting down outside the window of the Ultimate Sex Palace looks like ash, the flakes too large, too flat, too perfect. The streets of NeoKabukichō are thick with the stuff, pale drifts turning red, then pink, then red again. Junji leans forward until his forehead meets the window, but instead of cooling his brow the Plexiglas is warm to the touch from all the neon piping.
“Is it something? What is it?” An American asks excitedly, and then the whole group is mobbing the window around him, a sweaty pack of horndogs reeking of musk both synthetic and genuine. If there’s a less pleasant mod than cologne glands, Junji is glad he hasn’t encountered it.
As he is jostled, he tells himself the okyaku whose hand runs across the seat of his trousers is simply trying to squeeze past.
The American who started the charge is disappointed. “There’s nothing there!”
“Are you all right?” a man asks Junji, and for a moment Junji is reminded of his late grandfather. Upon closer inspection, however, this okyaku is clearly an ager - his wrinkles end around his eyes; his wispy gray beard lacks a single split end. He’s probably in his twenties and gets off on wearing a prunesuit, but at least he’s been listening to the tour instead of woo-hooing at every flash of genital mod. Junji realizes that he trailed off mid-sentence while everyone gawked at the thirty-second preview for the Tentacle-a-Go-Go show before the aquarium sides fogged over again. Only this kinkster seems to have noticed.
The American is licking Junji’s forehead print off the window, and, distracted by this, Junji says, “I’m fine.”
This gets their attention. Shit, thinks Junji, always always English. Always. He didn’t even wake up his subtitle projector from idle-mode.
“Was that Old Japanese?” A semi-hot blond EUer asks. Her form-fitting actiondress is spattered with profane katakana.
“Daijoubu? Does that mean, like, object fetish?” Someone asks. “Like, getting off on inanimate stuff?”
“No, that’s -” the blond woman pronounces a word Junji’s never heard. “I used to think I was objectum-sexual, but it turned out I just really liked my vibrator.”
This gets a few knowing laughs from the group, and Junji enters the blonde’s slang into his database - he’s heard object fetish called a lot of things, but never that particular phrase - and scratches his wrist. The epidermal dye from the temporary Yakuza tattoo itches. He makes a point never to remove his jacket on the tours, let alone his shirt, but verisimilitude, verisimilitude, verisimilitude.
Then someone asks, “Why’s it called NeoKabukichō?”
Junji can’t believe it. He fiddles with his input dial to make sure he heard correctly, but the playback confirms it. He’s given this tour ten times a day for a month, and this is the first time someone’s asked about the etymology of this district. He could kiss the pimply question-asker, mouth-fronds and all.
“Neo for new,” says Junji, cranking up his volume to silence the group. “Kabukichō for a district in Shinjuku, in Tokyo.”
“NeoTokyo, or NeoNeoTokyo?” the squidlipper asks.
“Real Tokyo,” says Junji. “The original Kabukichō was a den of prostitution, gambling, and every sort of crime imaginable. More depravity than you can imagine.”
“Try me!” calls the window-licker, but he’s shushed by several members of the group. Junji can’t believe this is happening. He grins a wide, natural smile for the first time since taking this gig.
“Kabukichō was named for a planned Kabuki theatre that -”
“Like, Kabukichan?” The frondscum interrupts, and Junji feels his goodwill for the man begin to fade.
“No. Kabukichan is a clumsy play on the words ‘Kabukichō’ and ‘chan’, as in cute, child-like. It’s another Floater original: ‘hey, let’s have a gross loli-themed district for the pedos.’ Kabukichō, though, the real Kabukichō, was -”
“What’s gross about Kabukichan?” Squidlips demands, and Junji sees several of the perverts frown.
“I misspoke,” Junji says quickly. “Gross as in large - a large paradise for those whose tastes -”
“Some Erotic Interpreter!” The window-licker hoots.
“Sure has a stick up his ass.”
“Or needs one.”
“Tour’s over,” says Junji, blushing in spite of himself. He taps an order into his requestor and a robostess approaches, a stream of amber liquid jetting from its nostril into a hover-glass. The pressurized spray doesn’t spill a drop. “Enjoy your time in Kabukichō, and remember, if you want it, you can have it… for a price.”
The slogan tastes bitter on Junji’s tongue, but as the group disperses he washes it away with the proffered drink. The robostess awaits further instructions, but he waves it off - these marionette-style ones creep him out. He mutters an ironic kanpai before knocking back the whisky.
“You’re really Japanese?” says the pseudo-geriatric. “You’re not just an EI in a suit, you’re a genuinely uptight Japanese guy?”
“I’m not uptight,” says Junji, startled to notice the ager, the blond, the window-licker, and squidlips haven’t cleared off. “I’m just not into… what? I said tour’s over. The next Geishasplosion starts in ten minutes. Have fun.”
He’s accustomed to one or two okyaku sticking around, getting him to translate some specialized bit of kink they were too embarrassed to ask about in front of the group, but this… this seems different. Way different.
“If you want it, you can have it,” says the window-licker. “Right? So I want it. Bad.”
“Me first,” says the ager. “I’ll pay handsomely.”
“And I’ll pay more to go last,” says pimple-tentacles.
“Or we could all go together,” says the blonde, certain characters on her actiondress beginning to pulse red in time with her breathing. “I’ve already reserved a gymnasium.”
This isn’t the first time an okyaku has made a pass at him, but it’s the first time someone’s tried to buy him. He is beyond furious. “You… you! How dare you…”
“What?” asks octo-puss.
“I’m not for sale!” Junji tells them. Tells himself.
“That’s what’s so hot.” The ager licks his thin lips. “But I get firsties. And none of that weird group-play, I want a one-on-one.”
“Weird?” The blond huffs, her dress’ coloration turning purple. “Listen here, wrinklefucker -”
In spite of himself, Junji wonders just how much he could make if he took them all up on their offers -would it be enough to pay off his loans, lease-breaking fees, and shuttle fare back down to Earth? He could be home tomorrow…
Catching himself actually weighing the options, Junji grits his teeth - that he would consider it shows just what this place has done to him.
“Nobody’s buying me! I quit!” He flips on his transponder to make sure his supervisor gets the message as clearly as these freaks. “You hear me? I’m done! Forever!”
Junji waits for confirmation, delighting in the horror on the guests’ faces. His supervisor is panting heavily on the line, and Junji wonders if he’s given the old creep a heart attack. Then the man lets out a protracted, lusty groan, and Junji tears his earpiece out, stomps on his requestor, and hurls his hover-glass at a robostess. It slows as soon as it leaves his hand, bobbing lazily through the air. Beyond the huddled tourists, he sees the snow falling outside. The sight fills him with a profound melancholy.
“Sir,” the ager says quietly, his wrinkled face the picture of regret. Junji could cry with relief: someone has, at last, understood, albeit a pervy okyaku and not a supervisor or mediator, a colleague or an underling.
“Sir,” the ager says, “I will pay you one million newyen to gargle my secretions.”
“Never,” says Junji, but it comes out as a whisper.
4.
Junji wonders if it would be possible for him to feel any happier as he laserblasts a copse of artificial Somei Yoshino. The white petals of the cherry blossoms puff upwards as if the trees were dandelions in a gale, and through his flight-suit’s filters he smells singed plastic and synthetic fragrance. He speeds onward, cackling as his aerial assault disperses a group of terrified hanami partiers. Junji almost pees himself in glee as one of the throng trips in his haste to escape.
“One more dead body under the cherry trees!” Junji shouts.
When Junji was contacted by a small group of rebels, La Résistance here in the Floating World™, it happened just as he’d always imagined it - the message Join Us engraved on a handful of pachinko balls at the parlor in Super Kawaii City where he’d picked up a graveyard shift. As soon as he attended his first underground meeting, he knew he’d found his calling, his destiny, torching the sham beauties and humbug wonders of the Floating World™, ruining things for everyone else.
Which, come to think of it, was just what his girlfriend always accused him of doing back in Hokkaido… the situation, Junji can admit now, that may have prompted his snapping up the job with the Historical Accuracy Division of New Nihon without fully considering the ramifications. Smiling coldly, Junji mentally superimposes his ex’s bored, snotty expression on all the okyaku’s panicked faces as he swoops down, buzzing the fleeing tourists.
His radio crackles, and Junji hears some spook from Floating World™ security coming over the com. Junji cares nothing for this. They will never catch him. He is too good, too sneaky. It is not for nothing he is known as Itachi, the Weasel, the Darting Menace of Super Kawaii City (and surrounding attractions).
“Give yourself up! We’ve got you this time!” says the fool.
Junji clicks on his communicator.
“I will never surrender, never!” he cackles, accelerating. His pursuers fall away as he speeds past the Flamingo Mall. Allegedly a reproduction of Himeji Castle, it is ungainly at three times the size of the original, and bright pink. He hates that mall, but it is not his target - not today.
Instead, he rockets closer to Tokyo - or rather, the corporate complex at the edge of the Floating World™ modeled after early 21st century Tokyo. It is meant to be seen at a distance from Super Kawaii City, not explored by okyaku. The skyscrapers house supervisors and directors and assistants and CEOs, and beyond these is the hovering reproduction of Mt. Fuji. Inside the artificial mountain are the offices of the International Board of Trustees.
This is Junji’s target.
Junji has grown bored with the petty catharsis yielded by inconveniencing Transportation or Waste Management. He has become a destruction junkie, and is pursuing his biggest fix yet.
“Stand down, stand down, I say!” The com crackles again, and Junji is pleased to detect panic in the speaker’s voice. This assault is unprecedented - no one has ever been good enough to avoid Security this long.
“You will never catch Itachi!” Junji cries before shutting down communications. He really needs to concentrate for this.
Junji slows, then makes a test run past the eastern face of the mountain. The roar of his jet boots is loud enough to get everyone crowding at the windows. Perfect. Junji presses the button that will release oil into his exhaust manifold, and begins to dip and swoop as the burning fuel hisses in his ears.
He repeatedly shuts off and restarts the oil flow, tails of thick white smoke whipping behind him. As he finishes, he uses his helmet’s camera to document his handiwork: in sky letters thirty feet tall he has spelled out FARTS in three languages. More than, actually, as the Japanese kanji conveniently doubles as hanzi and maybe Korean and Vietnamese, too, Junji isn't sure. The Spanish and the English make it truly universal.
Then Security arrives, but fuck those guys.
Instead of fleeing the scene, Junji takes the time to line up a final picture. The goons are framed in his display so that the air letters hang above them, like a thought bubble in an old-school manga.
Unfortunately, he isn’t the only one to take a shot. A Jorōgumo-net catches Junji in the legs, pinning his feet together and making flight nigh-impossible; forget about evasive maneuvers. His joy dies. They have him, and it will take all of his skill to just stay aloft…
Unless he risks it all with a complicated aerial somersault; strong as the webbing is, he might just be able to melt if off with the back-up burners on his thighs, assuming he can tuck his legs far enough up. If it doesn’t work, though, he’ll send himself into freefall.
Junji looks down at the churning holographic sea; thinks about how it would feel to crash into the mirror and sensor arrays beneath that false oceanic surface. Padded as these flight-suits are, it would be suicidal to chance a crash at this height.
Security is right on top of him. Junji just needs to hover here a little longer, he just needs to let them take him in… he just needs to give up, and it will be okay.
“Never!” Junji howls, and launches himself into a somersault. Try as he might, he can’t bend his knees at all, and the back-up burners cough impotently, clogged with netting. Shit.
It’s almost wonderful, the sensation of falling from such a height, world and Floating World™ alike a single unbroken blur of blue, and Junji forces himself to keep his eyes open until the very end.
When he awakes, he is in the sick ward of the on-site hospital at the RealAnime Resort, in the private wing for Mains and Extras injured during their shifts. Here, the nurses and doctors are real, not like on floors four through six, which exist for those okyaku wishing to indulge their hospital drama fantasies.
And speaking of fantasies, Junji has one of his own as he lies in bed, awaiting the inevitable visit by a supervisor. It’s not the craziest stunt he’s indulged in, especially since taking this job as Itachi, one of the many sworn enemies of Mecha Patrol Alpha Squad Let’s Go! 2098-Z; it’s downright realistic compared to his standby daydream of taking part in an anti-Floating World™ rebellion. No, this goes beyond fantasy into real possibility. At last, after all the lies he’s told himself about “a separate peace” with this place, he could finally have a way out:
Worker’s compensation.
Every part of him hurts, and if his blacking out was the result of a concussion, well, he as good as has a ticket off this dump. And before he leaves he’ll tell his fat-faced supervisor what he thinks of him, really let him have it. Junji smiles.
“Junji!” says that fat face as it pokes through the curtain surrounding Junji’s bed. “Great news!”
Junji weakly lifts a hand and lets it drop back on the mattress. He’s going to play up his injuries. You can’t be too safe.
“Just talked to your doctor,” the supervisor says. “There’s not a scratch on you! You can come back to work tomorrow, Itachi won’t miss a shift! Best of all, given that show you put on for the okayaku, I got the all-clear to comp half the repair costs for your suit - you won’t owe more than a year’s wages on it.”
Junji let’s out a long, low moan.
“But how are you feeling?” The supervisor wouldn’t last one shift as an Extra, if that’s his idea of a convincing display of concern.
“Never…” Junji starts, his voice catching on an unexpected sob of self-pity. How can he possibly quit, when he has even more debt than ever before? At this rate he'll be adrift in the Floating World™ forever, trapped in an unbreakable cycle of suffering."
“Never?” the supervisor raises an eyebrow.
Junji closes his eyes, slumps back on his pillow. Maybe if he acts especially pathetic the hospital will let him stay a few more hours. The cot is so much softer than the one in his apartment.
“Never better,” Junji says. “Never better.”
---
Jesse Bullington is the author of the critically acclaimed novels The Sad Tale of the Brothers Grossbart, The Enterprise of Death, and The Folly of the World. His short fiction, articles, and reviews have appeared in numerous magazines, anthologies, and websites, and he is the editor of the forthcoming anthology Letters to Lovecraft. He can be found physically in Colorado, and more ephemerally at www.jessebullington.com.
Molly Tanzer is the Sydney J. Bounds and Wonderland Book Award-nominated author of A Pretty Mouth, Rumbullion, and Other Liminal Libations, the forthcoming Vermilion, and a second novel that will come out in 2015. Her short fiction has appeared or is forthcoming in, among many other places, The Book of Cthulhu (I and II), Strange Aeons and The Book of the Dead. She lives in Boulder, CO with her husband and a very bad cat. When not writing, she enjoys mixing cocktails, experimenting with Korean cooking, and (as of recently) training for triathlons. She tweets @molly_the_tanz, and blogs — infrequently — at http://mollytanzer.com.
This is the first appearance of this story.EXCLUSIVE: 2oth Century Fox has acquired what we have heard is “a significant minority stake” in Boom! Studios, where the company has had a first-look feature film deal and a similar deal with Fox television studio.
Boom! has some high-profile comic book IPs and had been shopping itself since February, when we heard it hired investment bankers Houlihan Lokey to help it. It also comes as they shopped around town to other potential parties this year including Annapurna.
Boom! was said to be looking for the investment for growth money — to help develop more comic book series and to hire more creators. We hear that the price tag is in the low-eight-figure range.
Boom! had set up a number of projects at Fox through its deal including the graphic novel Tag with director John Leonetti attached to direct and Ben Collins and Luke Piotrowski (Universal/Blumhouse’s forthcoming Stephanie) scripting. If you remember, Leonetti directed the horror film Annabelle which was released by Warner Bros and became the highest-grossing horror film and one of the most profitable films of 2014. Annabelle grossed $255.2 million worldwide on a budget of around $5M.
Other projects with Boom! include James Wan’s graphic novel Malignant Man as well as the graphic novels Irredeemable, The Empty Man and Deep State.
Boom! has under its umbrella The Woods, Klaus, Big Trouble In Little China, Lumberjanes and Giant Days among its IPs. Its All-Ages imprint KaBoom! has publishing rights to Charles Schulz’s Peanuts, Jim Davis’ Garfield and Cartoon Networks’ Adventure Time while its Archaia imprint publishes Mouse Guard, Cow Boy and multiple Jim Henson IPs everything from Labyrinth to The Dark Crystal and The Storytellers series (Witches; Giants; Dragon).
As opposed to Dark Horse or Image Comics where the creators own the IP, Boom! and the creators both own the property and work with the creators to establish and sell feature and TV rights. It’s called a cooperative shared ownership of the content they publish. Boom! publishes 25 comic books and 13-15 graphic novels per month.Municipal leaders, advocates, and engineers in cities from Toronto to Tulsa, take note: The absurd debate about whether or not investing in bicycle-friendly streets is good for cyclists (and everyone else) is over. Done. Kaput. No longer deserving of a moment of your attention.
This debate has divided and distracted bicycle advocates for decades. I won’t give it any more air time here, and at any rate there is nothing new to say, but if you’re interested in exploring the one cycling topic more tediously and verbosely discussed than helmets, maybe start here.
For finally making the common sense of bike infrastructure in |
2018
Concept first published 1st Jan 2013
Also available in French / en Français (v2.1)
Note: This page is currently undergoing reconstruction, not all concepts are represented as concisely as they could be!
Ultimate is a team-based field sport, and as such Movement, Positioning, and Technique/Skillset are the major elements for strategic consideration. Hex Offence’s movement is comparable to Spain’s tiki-taka quick passing style of soccer play. Hex’s positioning is spread like a network – maximising connections between players, and as such maximising options. Technique / skill sets which are suited to Hex include staying balanced and ready to throw or run anywhere at all times, communicating and reacting to your team mates, having spatial and field awareness, and being in control of your acceleration / deceleration at all times.
Hex can be explained through three simple principles:
1. Keep the disc moving (higher value than gaining yards)
2. Maintain the shape (a hexagon)
3. Create space for your team mates, use space as you see it developing
Abiding by these principles creates a fast-moving, flow-based offence which doesn’t give the defence a chance to set, maximises the offensive options available, constantly changes the angles of attack, and is a lot of fun to play.
1. Keep the disc moving – take the open pass
The flow chart in the video below is a guideline for the decisions you should be making on the field when playing Hex.
Direct link to the Hex Movement Decision Tree image
Ways this style of play differs from conventional offence:
Take the open pass regardless of field position, yardage, or stall count – if the open pass is behind you, take it. Don’t wait to see if there’s another open pass which can gain you yards, simply take the open pass you are aware of at that point in time. If you have an open pass on stall 1, don’t hold onto the disc to see if anything else will present itself later in the stall – simply take the open pass as soon as you see it.
Face infield – by facing towards the centre of the space, you are also facing towards the centre of the shape, so you are able to see open passes develop anywhere on the field at any time.
Aim to initiate & maintain flow – two quick passes can be enough to initiate flow, and once flowing, sustain it for as long as possible by continuing to take the open passes. Do not sacrifice flow in order to look for yardage gaining passes.
Faking
Some of the decision pathways above are yellow – this means an option isn’t definitely open, but it isn’t definitely marked out either. This could be due to a loose defender, due to not being confident with the type of throw or the distance involved, or any other reason the thrower isn’t totally happy with the option. In this circumstance, fake.
Faking should always be realistic and purposeful. There are three main purposes for faking, in order of importance:
a) To move downfield defenders around – if you have seen a potential option, then the good defenders on the field will also have seen it, so a realistic fake will get them committing to cover this option, and open up other options for the offence elsewhere on the field.
b) To communicate with your team – when you fake to a potential throwing option, you communicate to that player that you have recognised the option they are providing, but that you are not going to throw it for whatever reason. This serves as a prompt for them to provide an option elsewhere on the field. The rest of your team are also party to this communication, and should respond appropriately. An effect of a good purposeful fake is that the team are brought onto the same page, into sync, and are then able to establish a rhythm to their offence and control the tempo.
c) To move your mark – useful to make a particular throw easier, and often considered the primary reason for faking, sometimes fakes for this purpose are not aimed at viable options and thus can cause miscommunication and disconnection between the thrower and their team mates. When there are enough offensive options available, faking solely for this purpose is no longer productive.
2. Maintain the shape
In the Hex Movement Decision Tree, if you don’t have the disc in your hands then you must ask yourself “Am I in good hex shape?” – to know the answer, you must first know the shape!
Here is a video where I analyse an Australian team (Outbreak) playing Hex, with particular focus on how they should be maintaining shape during the possession.
The shape (a hexagon) stays the same regardless of the location of the disc – rotating as it nears the sideline in order to keep all players inside the playing field & away from the sideline, as illustrated here. The shape cannot and need not always be perfect during a point, but all players should make efforts and work as a team to maintain the shape when they can, especially if they are not involved in the immediate play.
Some guidelines to help with maintaining shape during a point:
Stay connected – when in good shape, each player is connected to (within 8-12 yards of) three team mates. The distance between any two players in the shape is guided by the team’s average throwing ability, or wind conditions – it should be a comfortable pass if the player moves towards the thrower as quickly as possible, or if they move away from the thrower as quickly as possible (a long pass). The three players connected to the thrower occupy the centre of the comfortable distances the thrower can pass, and keep the same distance away from each other. Make triangles – the shape consists of six equilateral triangles, so if players focus locally on maintaining these triangles, the hexagon shape forms naturally. Keep equidistant – locally, ensure the triangles are equilateral. These equal distances make it much easier to ensure everyone is connected, and to establish rhythm and tempo control as an offence, as well as setting a standard for pass-length that players can become familiar and comfortable with. Avoid the narrow channel – when moving up past a player with the disc, take the path on the wider side of the field – avoid the space between the thrower and the sideline.
Don’t surround the disc – against person-to-person marking, surrounding the disc (i.e. having the thrower in the centre of the shape, or having a ‘reset’ on the opposite side of the disc to ‘cutters’) will often lead to turnovers and should be avoided. Against zonal defence, surrounding the disc can be beneficial.
Theoretical shape movement – without defenders, the most efficient way to advance the disc down the field whilst maintaining shape would be to pass the disc down the sideline whilst the hex rotates like a wheel rolling down the line – as illustrated in this animation.
In practice, defenders prevent the most efficient offensive movement, and so although globally the structure effectively rotates as it moves down the sideline, not all local situations will reflect this rotation directly, and players will interchange between positions regularly.
When the disc is passed forwards through the middle, players behind and lateral with the disc must push up to avoid surrounding the disc (whilst avoiding the narrow channel), as illustrated in this animation and this animation.
“Hexagon” technically refers to the shape used in this offence, which could be considered as separate to the disc movement, technique, and style of play this article lays out. For simplicity, I am combining the shape, the movement, the technique and the style in this article and under the name Hexagon Offence, as no other offences currently exist which use the Hex shape (though the positions in Frank Huguenard’s Motion Offence are similar). If plenty more Hex-based offences spring up over time then the combined ideas of shape & movement & technique/style may be renamed to something more personal, such as Shardlow Offence, Felix O, etc.
3. Create space for your team mates, use space as you see it developing
The final part on the Hex Movement Decision Tree reads “Can you create useful space for a teammate?” – knowing the answer to this requires having good spatial and field awareness, and understanding how your teammates can use space which you create. Keep you head up and always be aware of where the defenders and the offensive players are positioned, and, if appropriate, move accordingly. You can create space for your teammates even when you are closely covered, and it is acceptable to distort the shape in order to generate an option.
As space opens on the field, make use of it by moving into it. This also helps your team maintain shape. Take what your defender gives you, or make them give you something you want.
Here’s a clip of UK team SMOG playing Hex at Windmill 2018, where they are applying most of the principles explained above fairly well:
Scoring
Scoring in all Ultimate usually happens in one of two ways: (1) from a deep throw, or (2) from flow towards the end zone. When the disc is around the area of the brick mark, the deep throw is a significant threat, so defenders must not allow the offence players to streak free towards the zone. This allows the offence more chances to be free coming back towards the disc, for shorter passes which can be used to initiate flow. Hardly any turnovers happen when the disc is thrown from near the brick mark.
As the disc gets closer to the end zone, the deep throw is no longer a threat, so the defence can apply more pressure to shorter passes. When flow stops outside the end zone, the odds of the offence scoring decreases significantly.
When in this situation, it is still relatively easy for the offence to initiate flow – if they are moving away from the end zone. The offence should coordinate flowing away from the zone – towards the brick mark – whilst vacating all players from the end zone (staying connected), as this will quickly open up the deep throw again as an immediate scoring option, and put them in a good position to direct their flow back towards the end zone.
The ideal distance to which you should flow away from the end zone depends on the players on your team – far enough so that all defenders are out of the end zone, but not so far that your players cannot reach the end zone with a long throw.
Resources
Training Hex Offence with your team – contains some diagrams & descriptions of drills, and tips on how to introduce the offence to your team.
Mex Offence v2.1 – an older version of this doc – more verbose.
Full game footage of Hexagon Offence being played is available at pushpass.co.uk – see any of Brighton City’s games from UKU Nationals 2012/13/14, XEUCF 2013, EUCF 2014, or any Sussex Mohawks 1 or Brighton Panthers games from Uni Regionals 2014. For clips of Hexagon Offence see the Hexagon Ultimate YouTube channel – here are some samples from the channel of Hex in action, taken in 2013.
NB: The play in these videos is by no means a perfect display of Hex, and in the football ones I did get a bit overzealous on drawing triangles over the pitch…What we got here is a failure to communicate. You know, some men you just can’t reach.
Late in November I wrote an article here at FrontPage entitled, “Poster Boy for ‘Islamophobia’ Tries to Join ISIS.” It was about Saadiq Long, a Muslim from the U.S. who had become a darling of MSNBC, Leftist propagandist Glenn Greenwald and the Hamas-linked Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) for being on the No-Fly List and unable to return to the U.S. He was on the No-Fly List for no reason at all, you see, and so was an illustration of how the U.S. authorities had fallen prey to “Islamophobia.”
But then, as investigative journalist Patrick Poole reported, Long was arrested in Turkey as part of an Islamic State cell. It was on the basis of his piece that I wrote my article. Greenwald, who has for years been an eager ally of the Muslim victimhood industry, and has unapologetically worked with Hamas-linked CAIR, subsequently published a lengthy piece claiming that Poole’s was a “fabrication,” that there had been no terror raid, and that Long was just in Turkey looking for work. According to Greenwald, it was just another attempt by “Islamophobes” to defame a Muslim because he was a Muslim (and black, of course).
Unfortunately for Greenwald, however, David Steinberg of PJ Media blistered him with the facts, showing that Poole’s story was entirely accurate. At that point, one might have expected Greenwald to drop the matter: I would never expect a Leftist journalist to retract or admit his error, but he might at least have gone quiet and tried to minimize the damage. Instead, he has come back yet again, claiming anew that Poole and PJ Media, both of which he smears (with a tiresome lack of originality, honest thought or imagination) as “anti-Muslim,” were making false claims. And so Steinberg has come back again as well, with a piece that definitively drives a stake into the heart of Greenwald’s false claims.
Don’t be surprised, however, if this undead thing, Greenwald’s false charges, once again stalks through the land, for Greenwald is clearly deeply invested in them, and that illustrates why this whole episode has much larger implications than just the question of whether or not Saadiq Long was arrested as part of an Islamic State cell. The Leftist media, of which Greenwald is a foremost exponent, is unshakably committed to the narrative that the jihad threat has been wildly exaggerated by “right-wing bigots,” and that white Christian men pose a far greater security threat, and that “Islamophobia” is a much bigger and more urgent problem than jihad terror. Saadiq Long was a poster child for those claims, and when it came to light that he had been arrested as part of an Islamic State cell, it didn’t just show up Greenwald and Hamas-linked CAIR for championing him as an innocent victim of “right-wing hate”: it challenged the entire false narrative they have been reinforcing in hundreds and hundreds of articles all over the mainstream media for years.
Here’s a prediction: Glenn Greenwald will keep on insisting that Saadiq Long was an innocent victim twice over, first of “Islamophobic” law enforcement officials who put him on the No-Fly List and then of “Islamophobic” journalists who claimed he had been arrested in a raid on an Islamic State cell, until the day he dies. He will do so with all the adamantine, never-break-character flintiness of the Leftists who ignored the mountains of evidence and insisted for decades that Alger Hiss had never been a Communist spy, but had been framed by Whittaker Chambers and Richard Nixon. He will do so because the alternative is this: he would have to admit not only that he was wrong about Saadiq Long, but that he has been wrong about “right-wing media Islamophobia” and the nature and magnitude of the jihad threat — and thus that a great deal more of his reporting has been wrong than just what he has said about Long, Poole, and PJ Media.
Glenn Greenwald could conceivably come in from the cold and become a journalist who was actually committed to accuracy and responsible reporting, but I’m betting he won’t.Occupy Wall Street (OWS) brought the increased inequality in the U.S. to the headlines, where it deserves to be. Almost a quarter of total U.S. national income now accrues to the richest 1 percent of the population, a figure that was barely above 10 percent 40 years ago. Other countries, most notably the U.K., have also witnessed growing inequality, but none competes with the U.S. in the surge in inequality. Is it unfair and unjust for so few to become so much richer than the rest?
Figure: Data from Anthony Atkinson, Thomas Piketty and Emmanuel Saez.
But the real reason to worry about this picture is not the unfairness of it all. Any discussion of inequality should distinguish economic inequality from inequality of opportunity and from political inequality. You may not like economic inequality but others may be indifferent to it. There are huge disagreements about how much redistribution there should be, and we know by now that very high tax rates can choke off economic incentives. The problem is that economic inequality often comes bundled with inequality of opportunity and political inequality.
Prosperity depends on innovation, and we waste our innovative potential if we do not provide a level playing field for all: we don't know where the next Microsoft, Google, or Facebook will come from, and if the person who will make this happen goes to a failing school and cannot get into a good university, the chances that it will become a reality are much diminished. There is a lot to worry about here. Our schools are failing and American youth is less likely to graduate from high school or college today than in the 60s. We are no longer the country of opportunity and upward mobility that we once were -- largely because that upward mobility crucially depended on the expansion of mass schooling.
The real danger to our prosperity lies in political inequality. The U.S. generated so much innovation and economic growth for the last 200 years because, by and large, it rewarded innovation and investment. This did not happen in a vacuum; it was supported by a particular set of political arrangements -- inclusive political institutions -- which prevented an elite or another narrow group from monopolizing political power and using it for their own benefit and at the expense of society. When politics gets thus hijacked, inequality of opportunity follows, for the hijackers will use their power to gain special treatment for their businesses and tilt the playing field in their favor and against their competitors. The best, and in fact the only, bulwark against this is political equality to ensure that those whose rights and interests will be trampled on have a say and can prevent it.
So here is the concern: economic inequality will lead to greater political inequality, and those who are further empowered politically will use this to gain a greater economic advantage by stacking the cards in their favor and increasing economic inequality yet further -- a quintessential vicious circle. And we may be in the midst of it. The U.S. tide has lately not lifted all boats; over the last 40 years, while the richest Americans have seen a sharp increase in their incomes, the income of the median household has hardly budged. Predictably, this has gone hand-in-hand with political inequality. Yale University political scientist Robert Dahl painted a picture of U.S. politics in the 1960s through the lenses of politics in New Haven as a system in which not only the wealthy but even the little man had voice. But that system is in decline. Money matters much more in politics today than it did in the 1960s, and we are currently witnessing its import rising. The wealthy have greater access to politicians and to media, and can communicate their point of view and interests -- often masquerading as "national interest" -- much more effectively than the rest of us. How else can we explain that what is on the political agenda for the last several decades has been cutting taxes on the wealthy while almost no attention is paid to problems afflicting the poor, such as our dysfunctional penal system condemning a huge number of Americans to languish in prisons for minor crimes? How else can we explain, as political scientist Larry Bartels has documented, that U.S. Senators' votes represent the views of their rich constituents but not those of their poor ones?
There is a lot to despair about. But despair would be the wrong reaction. First, we have been here before and we have rebounded. Things were much worse during the Gilded Age, and the wealthy elite more unscrupulous. Yet the robber barons did not prevail. The U.S. political system was also able to tackle the problem of Southern segregation and black disenfranchisement, which if anything looked even more insurmountable. Second, despair would strengthen the tides towards inequality. Americans are proud of their Constitution. But no constitution can enshrine political equality. It needs to be fought for and defended. Whatever we may think of the views, rhetoric, and tactics of OWS, not only does it deserve our respect for putting the question of inequality on the agenda, but also for actually standing up for political equality.
Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson are the authors of Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty, available March 20.It's official: Yahoo's days as an independent company are over.
Verizon has agreed to pay $4.83 billion for Yahoo (YHOO), the companies said before markets opened Monday.
The sale completes Yahoo's evolution from influential search pioneer and web portal juggernaut to, in the end, a once-dominant brand that lost its way.
Parties as diverse as Warren Buffett and The Daily Mail were interested in buying Yahoo. But after a sale process that dragged on for months, Verizon (VZ), long viewed as the frontrunner, is walking away with Yahoo's more than one billion monthly active users.
Current Yahoo shareholders will keep the company's lucrative investments in Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba and Yahoo Japan. They will be spun into a separate, yet-to-be-named, publicly traded company. The deal also excludes some patents and Yahoo's cash.
The Verizon deal must be approved by regulators and is expected to be finalized in the first quarter of 2017.
The sale puts an end to Yahoo's 21-year history as an independent company. Yahoo will now be integrated with Verizon-owned AOL under Marni Walden, an executive vice president at the telecom company.
It also ends a turnaround effort by Marissa Mayer, who joined Yahoo four years ago and promised to revitalize the company. Verizon and Yahoo have not commented on who will lead Yahoo once the deal is complete.
It's unclear what Mayer will do after the deal closes. A spokesman for Yahoo said it's "too early to say" whether she will stay on as CEO, accept a new role at Verizon, or step aside. Meanwhile, Mayer says she will stay on to see Yahoo through its transition.
"For me personally, I'm planning to stay," Mayer wrote Monday in a memo to employees posted on Tumblr. "I love Yahoo, and I believe in all of you. It's important to me to see Yahoo into its next chapter."
AOL CEO Tim Armstrong told CNN's Poppy Harlow that he and Mayer are focusing first on getting "the strategy right, and then the structure and the roles right."
"I've known Marissa for almost 20 years," Armstrong said. "The press has tried to make it a little more of drama camp, but we come from similar backgrounds."
Related: Is it a mistake for Verizon to buy Yahoo?
On a conference call with analysts after the announcement, Mayer repeated that line before adding, "A lot of the integration discussions are still ahead of us."
Mayer also tried to frame the deal in a positive light on the call. She touted Verizon's potential to "accelerate our revenue stream in digital advertising" and repeatedly said she was "excited" for the future.
"The single biggest thing this whole deal is about is scale," Armstrong told Harlow. "We will essentially end up being one of the largest portfolios of consumer brands in the world for digital."
Mayer, like Armstrong, previously worked at Google (GOOG) before taking over the top spot at Yahoo in 2012. She invested heavily in improving Yahoo's mobile products, expanding its audience through the acquisition of Tumblr and doubling down on premium media content. She brought in TV journalist Katie Couric as Yahoo's "global anchor."
But Mayer struggled to slow Yahoo's overall ad sales decline.
After reporting earnings last week, Mayer made what may have been her final case to investors and the public that she worked to "create a better Yahoo."
But the sale price suggests that Yahoo's glory days ended long ago. In 2008, for example, Microsoft (MSFT) was willing to pay more than $45 billion for Yahoo, an offer that was rebuffed by cofounder Jerry Yang.
Yahoo was synonymous with the Internet itself in the late '90s. But for Verizon, the deal is about more than just nostalgia. The telecom company has invested in digital content and advertising in recent years, buying AOL and the Huffington Post.
Investors were less than thrilled. Shares of Yahoo were down nearly 4% Monday afternoon.
--CNN's Poppy Harlow contributed to this report.Regular SWLing Post readers know that I’m a sucker for classic solid-state portables and vintage tube radios.
What many of you may not know, however, is that I’m not a fan of auction-style bidding for radios. Those who are familiar with it will recognize the story: it begins on an optimistic note, when I find something I’m enthusiastic about. Then the bidding war begins, and invariably, the price quickly ratchets upwards to far beyond my comfort zone. It’s only then I find I’ve wasted my time on the entire process, and my hopes are dashed. So it’s not a purchasing method I relish.
Therefore, despite all of the radio gear I’ve purchased over the years, I’ve only bid for a radio in an online auction perhaps three or four times.
But a couple of weeks ago, my buddy David Korchin (K2WNW)––who has a knack for finding deals on radios, and often alerts me to them––mentioned that he was bidding on a Sony ICF-SW55.
David wasn’t bidding on the popular online auction eBay––rather, he’d found this deal on ShopGoodwill.com.
A note about ShopGoodwill.com
In case you haven’t heard, ShopGoodwill.com is Goodwill Industries International’s online auction site. Goodwill employees select exceptional donations, items they feel are worth more than typical Goodwill retail prices, and post them there for online auction.
I believe it was SWLing Post contributor, Mario Filippi, who first introduced me to ShopGoodwill.
The cool thing about ShopGoodwill is that it’s not as popular as, for example, eBay. Thus a bidder has a better chance of finding a good deal, with the added benefit that less enthusiasts will be hiking up the price with rapid bidding.
There are issues with ShopGoodwill.com, though, some of which are very off-putting:
Items are often poorly described, thus: searching through the collection can be rather difficult you often can’t trust these condition descriptions, as they’re written by someone who is clearly not an expert Photos are sometimes of low quality, low resolution, and rarely offer enough detail for an informed decision
Buyer beware: nearly all items are sold “as-is,” and are untested
No returns on most items
No real seller feedback: if you’re frustrated with a Goodwill shop, you have no real recourse other than complaint
So, in summary: unless otherwise specified in the listing, you must assume that any item offered for auction on this site doesn’t function and may be in poor cosmetic condition as well. After all, these are donated items.
With that said, even though the risk is higher than on eBay–where sellers are rewarded with positive feedback and endeavor to fully describe merchandise––some good deals are occasionally to be found on ShopGoodwill!
Now back to my story…
The Sony ICF-SW55 listing that David found on ShopGoodwill.com kept a steady bid of $28 until the day before the auction’s end, when it increased to $48 US.
It’s likely that this listing would have seen more active bidding if the description were better––it didn’t even provide the model number, and was listed as “Sony Worldband Portable Receiver.” Moreover, the feature photo for the listing was of the radio’s case, not the radio itself (see below), yet another reason the listing got so little attention. But David, being the deal hound he is, found it!
I encouraged David to really go for it, saying that this could be an excellent opportunity to snag one of these classic portables for a good price. And if it didn’t work, there would be a good chance Vlado could fix it for a fair price.
The morning the auction concluded, David messaged me that he’d decided to pull out of the bidding. He found something else he wanted to snag, so he encouraged me to take the baton and bid on the ICF-SW55, myself.
I read the vague description…then took a deep breath, and decided to go for it!
Again, I’m not adept at bidding, but at least I have a method that has worked for me in the past. My simple rules:
Only bid once. Wait until the last few seconds, then offer my highest comfortable bid.
Final bidding, blow-by-blow
Here’s how the final moments of the auction played out:
I waited until one minute before auction end. I decided I would go as high as $120––a little rich for my modest budget, considering this could amount to a parts radio, but it was late in the day and I admit I wasn’t thinking clearly.
Then, at thirty seconds before auction’s end, the ShopGoodwill.com site simply stopped responding––!
No, it wasn’t my dubious Internet connection this time––their site was having problems loading.
I finally got the auction screen to pop back up ten seconds before auction’s end. I quickly attempted to place my bid: the web page churned…and churned…and churned.
Finally, up popped the review screen at literally the last breath of a second. I clicked “confirm/submit” (thank you, LastPass, for filling in my password immediately) and just managed to record the bid!
I’m certain that my bid was received within the last second. I had the countdown clock running on my Android phone so I’d know when the auction’s end was coming up. Unlike eBay, there is no dynamic counter on ShopGoodwill: you must refresh the page to see the time remaining. The Android countdown was set to end three seconds before the actual end of auction. When I confirmed the bid, it read “-3 seconds.”
The Goodwill site was having so many problems, that it took it two full minutes before I could get the auction screen to refresh after it accepted my bid––it was still stuck on the screen that confirmed my bid was recorded and that I was––for the moment, anyhow––the highest bidder.
When the page finally loaded, I saw that I had, by the skin of my teeth, snagged the SW55, and for a mere $53.
That is one of the lowest prices I’ve ever seen one of these units go for in an online auction, even when listed as a “parts-only” radio. Needless to say, I was exhilarated! My heart pounded.
I’m certain that the problem with the Goodwill site helped me win the auction. There were multiple bidders, and I think mine just happened to trigger a bid, leaving the competition no way to outbid me in the last 1/10 of a second. This wasn’t bidding skill. And it surely wasn’t a fat wallet. Frankly, I was just lucky.
I was thrilled to have won the radio at such a relatively low price, but the relief afterward reminded me why I don’t like auctions like this. I definitely prefer a more straightforward, less exciting (and less anxiety-producing), approach to making purchases.
Good news comes in small packages
Goodwill can be relatively slow to ship. It took about two weeks, but on Monday, I received the package from Goodwill in California. The rig, save a little dust, looked fine. But…how would it function?
I put in some freshly-charged Enloop AA batteries and turned it on.
Much to my surprise, the rig turned on…I rapidly tested all the functions. Again, I couldn’t believe my luck: it functions perfectly!
The only feature in need attention is the DX/Normal/Local switch, which makes the rig sound a bit scratchy when I change positions––an easy fix, however, with the aid of a little DeOxit.
This auction had a happy ending: I got a radio I’ve always wanted for a price I could swing, I didn’t need my friend Vlado to come to my rescue (though I’ve no doubt he would have), and best of all, I find I absolutely love the ICF-SW55.
Stay tuned…A review of the classic SW55 is in the works, and will be here on the SWLing Post in the coming weeks!
RelatedMario Diaz-Balart (R-FL)
Jo Emerson (R-MO)
Chris Gibson (R-NY)
Michael Grimm (R-NY)
Tim Johnson (R-IL)
Walter Jones (R-NC)
Peter King (R-NY)
Steven LaTourette (R-OH)
Frank LoBiondo (R-NJ)
Todd Platts (R-PA)
Dave Reichert (R-WA)
David Rivera (R-FL)
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL)
Jon Runyan (R-NJ)
Chris Smith (R-NJ)
Don Young (R-AK)
One of the main reasons Republicans are facing a strong backlash over their attempts to bust public-sector unions is that many members of public sector unions are-- or at least were-- Republicans. As these normally Republican union members hear the candidates for whom they voted attack them viciously and try to take away their collective bargaining rights, they are turning away from Republicans in large numbers.
This is especially the case among firefighters, police officers and the building trades... Roughly 12% of Republican votes in 2010 came from self-identified union households. That is a pretty significant percentage of your base to piss off. A 10% increase in Democratic support among union households would represent a 3.4% shift in the national poplar vote, half of the 6.8% Republican margin in the 2010 national House vote.
I am shocked and appalled by Speaker Boehner's continued efforts to eliminate collective bargaining for workers including today's Federal Aviation Administration reautherization. The bill that passed includes a union-busting provision that I do not support, nor does the Senate, or President Obama. Instead of passing meaningful legislation, the Speaker and his party line followers passed a dead-end bill pandering to the far-right wing of their party. This bill forces unions to conduct unfair and undemocratic elections.
Luckily, some GOP members of Congress stood up to Speaker Boehner and joined Democrats to oppose this irresponsible policy. Rep. Runyan and Rep. LoBiondo were among the NJ Republicans who stood up to Mr. Boehner. Rep. Lance was noticeable absent from this group. Instead of voting to protect the rights of New Jerseyans, Congressman Lance voted to disadvantage transportation workers and undermine their elections. I am very disaapointed in Mr. Lance, he has changed since going to Washington, and this pandering is just another example of how far off track he has gotten.
Yesterday a key Boehner ally, Steven LaTourette (R-OH), the guy who was asked to escort the Speaker to the House Floor to be sworn in, and was asked to take the gavel and preside after the ceremony, bolted from the suicidal GOP jihad against working families and-- despite threats from GOP leadership-- offered an amendment that would have stripped away Boehner's obsession with taking away the right of public sector employees to bargain collectively. Keep in mind that the White House issued a statement saying the bill "would undermine a fundamental principle of fairness in union representation elections-- that outcomes should be determined by a majority of the valid ballots cast. By treating non-votes as 'no' votes, the provision would prohibit workers in the airline and railroad industries from voting whether to join a union on the same basis-- majority rule-- as most other industries... If the President is presented with a bill that would not safeguard the ability of railroad and airline workers to decide whether or not they would be represented by a union based upon a majority of the ballots cast in an election or that would degrade safe and efficient air traffic, his senior advisers would recommend that he veto the bill.” That's pretty strong-- and LaTourette's amendment would have taken out the offensive section.Would have... but it was defeated 206-220, every single Democrat (even the most reactionary Blue Dogs like Dan Boren and Mike McIntyre holding firm for a change) voting with LaTourette. What was more interesting is that even with intense anti-worker pressure from Cantor, Boehner and McCarthy, 16 Republicans defected and voted with Pelosi:Also interesting was that quite a few Republicans who normally try to pass themselves off as "mainstream" and would have been expected to vote against something this extreme, buckled to Cantor's threats, including Charlie Bass (R-NH), Judy "Stop Talking About Jobs" Biggert (R-IL), Mary Bono Mack (R-CA), Charlie Dent (R-PA), Robert Dold (R-IL), Jimmy Duncan (D-TN), Michael Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE), Jim Gerlach (R-PA), Richard Hanna (R-NY), Dean Heller (R-NV), Leonard Lance (R-NJ), Tom Petri (R-WI), and Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA).Rodney Frelinghuysen IV (R-NJ), John Campbell (R-CA) and C.W. Bill Young (R-FL) were too frightened to go on the record and avoided the vote-- probably by hiding out in the men's room while it was being taken. Apparently they're more aware of the new Gallup poll findings that show far more Americans back unions than the GOP ideologues like Walker, Snyder, Kasich and Scott who are trying to wreck them. Or maybe they were reading Daily Kos on their iPads:With Frelinghuysen hiding out and with Chris Smith, Frank LoBiondo and Jon Runyan joining the Democrats in opposing Boehner's union busting strategy, we called 2010 New Jersey Democratic candidate Ed Potosnak to ask why Leonard Lance was siding with the extremists rather than the more mainstream conservatives. Here's what he told me:Before the final vote was taken on the GOP April Fools bill Friday-- ironically, they call it the "Government Shutdown Prevention Act"-- the Democrats offered a Motion to recommit which stipulates that if Republicans force a government shutdown, Members of Congress and the President should not get paid. Americans’ elected officials should not receive their taxpayer-funded paycheck if they can’t do their jobs and keep public services up and running." Republicans didn't like this one bit. One Texas Democrat, Charlie Gonzales, voted with 236 Republicans against the motion.
Labels: Ed Potosnak, Leonard Lance, Republican governors, shutting down the government, union-bustingThe mineral or gemstone chrysoberyl is an aluminate of beryllium with the formula BeAl 2 O 4.[4][5] The name chrysoberyl is derived from the Greek words χρυσός chrysos and βήρυλλος beryllos, meaning "a gold-white spar". Despite the similarity of their names, chrysoberyl and beryl are two completely different gemstones, although they both contain beryllium. Chrysober |
, the defiance of the Umbrella Movement in Hong Kong. And wished these people shared such passion.
No-one expected a Le Pen win. This was never going to be a Brexit moment. Or an American-style ambush of the Establishment. Marine is no Trump
And Le Pen is gaining hard - she won 10.7million votes. How much longer can the press call a party with 11 million votes 'extreme?'
Le Pen poses for a selfie with a supporter as she leaves her campaign headquarters in Paris
I sat in a bar and watched Macron walk the long walk to the stage at the Louvre. I remembered the film Dead Man Walking. This will be a lonely walk for him one day in the other direction.
He chose the EU national anthem - Ode to Joy - for his walk. More messaging, more subservience to the globalists. It told me everything I needed to know. The crowd waved their EU flags in appreciation. Right on cue.
And I thought back to my England on June 23. To the lady who told me she danced around her kitchen with her elderly husband, to my friend stood on the roundabout - waving her Leave banner like a maniac, to the hot pubs and pavements up and down the UK where grown men were suddenly made proud to be British and an elderly caller to my show said he cried to get back the country he fought to defend.
People with battered Union flags flung over shoulders, memories of blue passports, proud of their pound, pictures in their wallet of their grandad in his service uniform. Deep connections to a time before.
Fear of 'the other' has led Metropolitan France to make a hollow decision. It has no roots in something deeper. No authentic foundation. It is oil on water, pretty to look at all the same.
The division between Paris and the rest of France is as searing as London and the rest of the UK. And the West coast liberals versus real America.
The rest of France voted very differently to Paris. They live with the daily reality of the decisions made by wealthy politicians.
Macron chose the EU national anthem - Ode to Joy - for his walk. More messaging, more subservience to the globalists
The division between Paris and the rest of France is as searing as London and the rest of the UK
I absolutely accept Macron won this election. He took 20.6million votes. But it is an illusion to imagine 20.6 million voted for Macron. Many voted against Le Pen
A full ten percent of France are unemployed under labour laws created by Macron to deliver growth. The migrant camps are overwhelming, and many are not so quick to forget the slaughter at the Bataclan or the horror of the terrorist truck on Bastille day, or the recent shooting of the policeman on the Champs Elyse.
I absolutely accept Macron won this election. He took 20.6million votes.
But it is an illusion to imagine 20.6 million voted for Macron. Many voted against Le Pen. Others pledged support with noses held.
There is only Macron and the movement he invented. The legislative elections are in one month and at present he doesn't have a single representative.
And Le Pen is gaining hard - she won 10.7million votes. (How much longer can the press call a party with 11 million votes 'extreme?')
In truth, she actually came third. 12 million voters abstained and another 4.2 million did not mark their ballot or spoiled their paper - refusing to vote for either candidate.
Macron's biggest rivals are a right-wing woman with a solid core of 11 million ardent supporters and over 16 million people who believe in democracy but would rather not vote at all than give Macron a mandate to lead.
He says he is about unity? He has his work cut out.
I reflected on the mass protests in Venezuela (pictured) and wished these people shared such passion
The perfect puppet on stage, has Merkel as his master
The perfect puppet on stage, has Merkel as his master. And the brand of EM - Emmanuel Macron / En Marche is an illusion, just like the crowd conjured up to dance for the watching world.
On stage he told the crowd, waving flags they didn't think to bring, all the things he wasn't and all the things he wouldn't be.
I was reminded of the Pussy March speeches in Washington which had the same empty rhetoric; ''We are women. And you are we. And we are you".
Macron shouted at the crowd: "We are what we are. We are the future. We will not give in. Tonight I am doing what I must do".
When he got to "France is France", I had had my fill.
I asked the barman if he was happy, if the right guy had won.
He made the special French face expressing utter disdain of all things, and said "it is better this way".
Better.
I gave him the Macron t-shirt from my bag and wished him the very best of luck.
He is going to need itThe founder and CEO of Canopy Growth has apologized to customers over a medical marijuana recall that forced Health Canada to introduce spot checks for banned pesticides at licensed production facilities.
The apology is aimed at customers who bought medical marijuana from the Toronto-based company Mettrum. Canopy Growth took over Mettrum on Feb. 1.
In an email sent Thursday to Mettrum customers, Bruce Linton said new quality assurance practices are now in place.
'I'm sorry you had to go through this'
"I'm sorry you had to go through this. And I will do my best to ensure it doesn't happen again," he wrote in the email seen by CBC News.
The voluntary recall over pot tainted with pesticides at Mettrum — the second-largest licensed medical marijuana producer in Canada — affected 21,000 customers across the country.
A month ago, Mettrum recalled all of its products produced between Jan. 1, 2016, and March 21, 2016, after small amounts of myclobutanil were discovered.
Myclobutanil is a fungicide approved for use on food crops, but it's banned for marijuana and tobacco. When heated, myclobutanil converts to hydrogen cyanide.
'Trace amounts'
Linton's email said the myclobutanil amounts were "trace amounts" and prompted a type three recall.
Health Canada defines that as a situation in which using a product is not likely to cause any adverse health consequences.
According to Health Canada, hydrogen cyanide exposure can cause headaches, dizziness, nausea and vomiting. Larger concentrations may cause gasping, irregular heartbeats, seizures, fainting and even death.
In November 2016, Mettrum also pulled some cannabis products when pyrethrin, another unapproved pest-control product, was detected.
In December, Mettrum expanded its recall and withdrew a small number of additional marijuana products. A Mettrum news release stated the recall was the result of further testing, but didn't specify what was found. Health Canada said it was myclobutanil.
A Halifax law firm is exploring a class-action lawsuit against Mettrum and OrganiGram, the other company caught up in the recalls affecting one in five medical marijuana patients.
Several medical marijuana patients of OrganiGram have contacted CBC News saying they've become ill after smoking medical marijuana tainted with pesticides. The health claims, range from heart palpitations and decreased lung capacity to nausea and vomiting. Their health conditions have not been positively linked to pesticide exposure.
Concerns raised in 2014
Linton's email said new quality-assurance practices are now in place at Mettrum and that "product reliability and open communication are the hallmarks of our business."
In an accompanying blog post to customers, Canopy said that as far back as October 2014, a worker at Mettrum raised concerns with management that myclobutanil was being applied to the marijuana plants. "We are told [an investigation] yielded no proof of wrongdoing," the company writes in the post.
Trust may be challenged
The blog also said staff have been dismissed, but that the changes were a "normal part of the process to begin renewal" as Canopy took over.
The company acknowledged that "trust in Mettrum products may have been challenged."
The company blog also said that going forward it would be testing for 68 pesticides, including myclobutanil, before releasing any product.Richard Rooney is a former journalism and communications professor at the university of Swaziland. He lives in Cyprus and writes the blog Swazi Media Commentary.
I have been following this story on my blog since Nudiso Mamba’s "resignation" in August. At first I wondered if he had really quit or had been fired. Although the official version was that he resigned, everyone (except people living in Swaziland, who do not have access to international media) knew that Mamba and the King’s twelfth wife had been caught having an affair while the King was abroad.
The City Press newspaper first broke the sex scandal story in Swaziland. Very quickly, reports emerged in the African media that the paper had been banned from the kingdom – but only ‘unofficially’. Swaziland security forces were apparently instructed to buy all copies of the City Press that were on sale in the country.
Man arrested for photocopying City Press
On August 11, the Times of Swaziland, the only independent daily newspaper in the kingdom, reported that a man called Sibusiso Mhlanga (allegedly a member of the People’s United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO), which has been branded a “terrorist entity” by the Prime Minister) was arrested in Manzini as he tried to get a photocopy of an issue of City Press.
On August 11, the Times of Swaziland, the only independent daily newspaper in the kingdom, reported that a man called Sibusiso Mhlanga [allegedly a member of the People’s United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO), which has been branded a "terrorist entity" by authorities] was arrested in Manzini as he tried to make a photocopy of an issue of City Press.
Media in Swaziland have been banned from reporting the scandal, but South African newspapers and Internet sites all over the world have published news and comment on their alleged adultery. City Press was the first media outlet to obtain the photos of the minister hiding in the hotel mattress.
One senator, Ndileka Dlamini, rather sinisterly called on the Swazi Government to ‘deal’ with any local reporter found to be leaking ‘sensitive news’. Other senators have also said social networks like Facebook needed to be "controlled" because they were being "abused". The government is reportedly looking at laws to control cyberspace. I flatter myself that I am one of the culprits complained of. So in the spirit of freedom of the media, I invite any Swaziland senator to defend their position on the Swazi Media Commentary Facebook site. Senators just "click here".
No matter how hard it tries, the Swaziland state has not been able to keep a lid on the Royal Family sex scandal and what it says about King Mswati and the way he oppresses the Swazi people."UK: Corbyn protects Tony Blair from a demand that he account for his Iraq war lies
By Robert Stevens and Chris Marsden
1 December 2016
In an act of rank political cowardice, Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn absented himself from Wednesday’s debate on a parliamentary motion calling for an investigation into former Prime Minister Tony Blair for “misleading” parliament over the Iraq war.
Since his election as Labour leader on a platform opposing austerity and war, Corbyn has capitulated to the warmongers in the Parliamentary Labour Party at every juncture. This reached its nadir yesterday.
A motion put forward by Scottish National Party (SNP) MP Alex Salmond stated that the Chilcot Inquiry into the Iraq war, published four months ago, “provided substantial evidence of misleading information presented by the then prime minister and others on the development of the then government’s policy towards the invasion of Iraq as shown most clearly in the contrast between private correspondence to the United States government and public statements to parliament and people.”
It called for a parliamentary sub-committee—the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee—to “conduct a further specific examination of this contrast in public and private policy and of the presentation of intelligence, and then to report to the House on what further action it considers necessary and appropriate to help prevent any repetition of this disastrous series of events.”
Of a 650-seat parliament, just 45 MPs—mostly from the SNP—signed Salmond’s motion. Just two Labour MPs, Kate Hoey and Kelvin Hopkins, signed it.
The SNP brought the motion not out of any principled concerns. Rather, Salmond speaks for those sections of the political elite who fear Blair’s ambition to lead a pro-EU campaign will discredit their own attempts to portray this as a “progressive alliance.” Salmond said in a statement prior to the debate, “At a time when Blair is planning his political comeback, it is high time that this Parliament and its committees at long last brought this dark stain on UK foreign policy to a close.”
However, despite Salmond’s intentions the motion was accurate in its charge that Blair had lied systematically in order to pave the way for war with Iraq. This again placed Corbyn in a position of either taking a stand on principles he claims to defend, or striking yet another rotten compromise with the Blairite wing of his party.
Corbyn had famously declared in July regarding Chilcot, “We now know that the House was misled in the run-up to the war and the House must now decide how to deal with it 13 years later, just as all those who took the decisions laid bare in the Chilcot Report must face up to the consequences of their actions, whatever they may be.”
True to form, Corbyn was instrumental in making sure that there would be no consequences, for Blair or anyone else. Prior to the debate the Blairite PLP majority reportedly demanded a three-line whip, forcing Labour MPs to attend the debate and to vote against the motion. The Guardian reported that even those Labour MPs who had voted against the Iraq war in 2003 were vociferous in their defence of Blair now. Sources said that chief whip Nick Brown had apparently “asked for an indicative vote on where MPs stood” at a meeting of the PLP, “and MP John Cryer, the left-wing chair of the parliamentary Labour party, which opposed the Iraq war, condemned the [SNP] motion to loud applause.”
A Labour spokesperson told The Independent that, instead, there would be only a one-line whip, meaning that attendance and voting against was not mandatory. According to a source cited by the same newspaper, the Shadow Cabinet had nevertheless decided “to oppose” the SNP motion. Corbyn’s spokesmen said he would miss the vote because he was “committed elsewhere.”
It is yet to be revealed what this vital commitment consisted of. But the prior appointment did not prevent him attending the weekly Prime Minister’s Question Time immediately prior.
Corbyn’s exit was a fitting prologue to the disgusting events that followed.
Only around 50 MPs attended the debate, with this number constantly dwindling during the three-hour session. At one point, fewer than 10 Tory MPs remained on the government benches, with barely any more on the Labour side. For three hours various Labour MPs and Tories took turns to praise an unindicted war criminal and to denounce any notion that Blair, or anyone else in ruling circles who backed the war, had anything whatsoever to answer for.
The main speech defending Blair was given by Fabian Hamilton, Labour’s shadow defence and foreign minister. Hamilton is a signatory of the pro-war Euston Manifesto group and a member of the neo-conservative Henry Jackson Society. He was given his present ministerial post as part of Corbyn’s efforts to “reach out” to his opponents. Hamilton beat the drums for war in opposing the motion stating, “With instability growing throughout the Middle East, Eastern Europe and beyond, we may face even bigger challenges tomorrow, and that is why I cannot support the motion.” He never, "for one second” thought that Blair “acted in bad faith."
Phil Wilson, who succeeded Blair in his Sedgefield seat, said he was “proud” to be called a Blairite despite it “being a term of abuse” and that the entire House should “be proud of Tony Blair.”
Labour MP Ben Bradshaw said, “I am delighted that my own party is having none of this nonsense,” and concluded, “History will prove our former Prime Minister right” over Iraq.
At one point, Labour’s Ian Austin shouted at Salmond, “Sit down! We’ve heard enough from you. Sit down!”
The motion, when finally voted on, was opposed by 439 MPs, with 70 in favour. Just five Labour MPs supported the motion with 158 voting against.
Wednesday’s events must serve as the starkest warning.
Corbyn is not merely defending Blair, the individual, or even acting solely in order to maintain his rotten alliance with the Labour Party right. This requirement flows from the necessity to preserve Labour itself as a party of war.
Corbyn may on occasion call for opposition to this or that element of the government’s austerity agenda, but on the fundamental issue of war he acts at all times in defence of the strategic requirements of British imperialism. In 2003, Blair acted as the political representative of the British ruling class, which regardless of party allegiance continues to view its military alliance with Washington as the only means through which it can secure its share of global markets and strategic resources. That is why the lauding of Blair was endorsed by leading Tory Michael Gove, who offered his support to those Labourites who warned that the continued focus on Iraq was preventing British imperialism from stepping up its ongoing military interventions.
Gove insisted that "at no stage was there a deliberate attempt to mislead this House" by Blair. Any claims that he had agreed in advance with US President George W. Bush to go to war, were false.
British inaction in Syria had followed the Iraq war and allowed Assad, Russia and "anti-Semitic Iran" to "unleash hell on innocent people of Aleppo." It was a "dereliction of duty" to be looking backwards rather than accepting "the responsibility on all of us do something to help the people of Aleppo who are suffering now."
The author also recommends:
The Chilcot verdict on Iraq: A war crime by British and US imperialism
[7 July 2016]
UK parliamentary debate buries Iraq War inquiry
[16 July 2016]
Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.Hitler's Early Years
World War I
Hitler Starts to Lead
Rise of the Nazi Party
Hitler As German Fuhrer
World War II
Allied Victory & Hitler's Death
Early Years
Born in Braunau am Inn, Austria, on April 20, 1889, Hitler was the son of a fifty-two-year-old Austrian customs official, Alois Schickelgruber Hitler, and his third wife, a young peasant girl, Klara Poelzl, both from the backwoods of lower Austria. The young Hitler was a resentful, discontented child. Moody, lazy, of unstable temperament, he was deeply hostile towards his strict, authoritarian father and strongly attached to his indulgent, hard-working mother, whose death from cancer in December 1908 was a shattering blow to the adolescent Hitler.
Hitler as a baby After spending four years in the Realschule in Linz, he left school at the age of sixteen with dreams of becoming a painter. In October 1907, the provincial, middle-class boy left home for Vienna, where he was to remain until 1913 leading a bohemian, vagabond existence. Embittered at his rejection by the Viennese Academy of Fine Arts, he was to spend "five years of misery and woe" in Vienna as he later recalled, adopting a view of life which changed very little in the ensuing years, shaped as it was by a pathological hatred of Jews and Marxists, liberalism and the cosmopolitan Habsburg monarchy. Existing from hand to mouth on occasional odd jobs and the hawking of sketches in low taverns, the young Hitler compensated for the frustrations of a lonely bachelor's life in miserable male hostels by political harangues in cheap cafes to anyone who would listen and indulging in grandiose dreams of a Greater Germany. In Vienna he acquired his first education in politics by studying the demagogic techniques of the popular Christian-social Mayor, Karl Lueger, and picked up the stereotyped, obsessive anti-Semitism with its brutal, violent sexual connotations and concern with the "purity of blood" that remained with him to the end of his career. From crackpot racial theorists like the defrocked monk, Lanz von Liebenfels, and the Austrian Pan-German leader, Georg von Schoenerer, the young Hitler learned to discern in the "Eternal Jew" the symbol and cause of all chaos, corruption and destruction in culture, politics and the economy. The press, prostitution, syphilis, capitalism, Marxism, democracy and pacifism--all were so many means which "the Jew" exploited in his conspiracy to undermine the German nation and the purity of the creative Aryan race.
World War I
Hitler during World War 1 (c.1915)
In May 1913 Hitler left Vienna for Munich and, when war broke out in August 1914, he joined the Sixteenth Bavarian Infantry Regiment, serving as a despatch runner. Hitler proved an able, courageous soldier, receiving the Iron Cross (First Class) for bravery, but did not rise above the rank of Lance Corporal. Twice wounded, he was badly gassed four weeks before the end of the war and spent three months recuperating in a hospital in Pomerania. Temporarily blinded and driven to impotent rage by the abortive November 1918 revolution in Germany as well as the military defeat, Hitler, once restored, was convinced that fate had chosen him to rescue a humiliated nation from the shackles of the Versailles Treaty, from Bolsheviks and Jews. Assigned by the Reichswehr in the summer of 1919 to "educational" duties which consisted largely of spying on political parties in the overheated atmosphere of post-revolutionary Munich, Hitler was sent to investigate a small nationalistic group of idealists, the German Workers' Party. On 16 September 1919 he entered the Party (which had approximately forty members), soon changed its name to the National Socialist German Workers' Party (NSDAP) and had imposed himself as its Chairman by July 1921.
Hitler Becomes a Leader
Hitler discovered a powerful talent for oratory as well as giving the new Party its symbol — the swastika — and its greeting "Heil!." His hoarse, grating voice, for all the bombastic, humourless, histrionic content of his speeches, dominated audiences by dint of his tone of impassioned conviction and gift for self-dramatization. By November 1921 Hitler was recognized as Fuhrer of a movement which had 3,000 members, and boosted his personal power by organizing strong- arm squads to keep order at his meetings and break up those of his opponents. Out of these squads grew the storm troopers (SA) organized by Captain Ernst Röhm and Hitler's black-shirted personal bodyguard, the Schutzstaffel (SS). Hitler focused his propaganda against the Versailles Treaty, the "November criminals," the Marxists and the visible, internal enemy No. 1, the "Jew," who was responsible for all Germany's domestic problems. In the twenty-five-point programme of the NSDAP announced on 24 February 1920, the exclusion of the Jews from the Volk community, the myth of Aryan race supremacy and extreme nationalism were combined with "socialistic" ideas of profit-sharing and nationalization inspired by ideologues like Gottfried Feder. Hitler's first written utterance on political questions dating from this period emphasized that what he called "the anti-Semitism of reason" must lead "to the systematic combating and elimination of Jewish privileges. Its ultimate goal must implacably be the total removal of the Jews."
Cover of Hitler's treatise - Mein Kampf
By November 1923 Hitler was convinced that the Weimar Republic was on the verge of collapse and, together with General Ludendorff and local nationalist groups, sought to overthrow the Bavarian government in Munich. Bursting into a beer-hall in Munich and firing his pistol into the ceiling, he shouted out that he was heading a new provisional government which would carry through a revolution against "Red Berlin." Hitler and Ludendorff then marched through Munich at the head of 3,000 men, only to be met by police fire which left sixteen dead and brought the attempted putsch to an ignominious end. Hitler was arrested and tried on 26 February 1924, succeeding in turning the tables on his accusers with a confident, propagandist speech which ended with the prophecy: "Pronounce us guilty a thousand times over: the goddess of the eternal court of history will smile and tear to pieces the State Prosecutor's submission and the court's verdict for she acquits us." Sentenced to five years' imprisonment in Landsberg fortress, Hitler was released after only nine months during which he dictated Mein Kampf (My Struggle) to his loyal follower, Rudolf Hess. Subsequently the "bible" of the Nazi Party, this crude, half-baked hotchpotch of primitive Social Darwinism, racial myth, anti-Semitism and lebensraum fantasy had sold over five million copies by 1939 and been translated into eleven languages. The failure of the Beer-Hall putsch and his period of imprisonment transformed Hitler from an incompetent adventurer into a shrewd political tactician, who henceforth decided that he would never again confront the gun barrels of army and police until they were under his command. He concluded that the road to power lay not through force alone but through legal subversion of the Weimar Constitution, the building of a mass movement and the combination of parliamentary strength with extra-parliamentary street terror and intimidation. Helped by Goering and Goebbels he began to reassemble his followers and rebuild the movement which had disintegrated in his absence.
Rise of the Nazi Party
In January 1925 the ban on the Nazi Party was removed and Hitler regained permission to speak in public. Outmaneuvering the "socialist" North German wing of the Party under Gregor Strasser, Hitler re-established himself in 1926 as the ultimate arbiter to whom all factions appealed in an ideologically and socially heterogeneous movement. Avoiding rigid, programmatic definitions of National Socialism which would have undermined the charismatic nature of his legitimacy and his claim to absolute leadership, Hitler succeeded in extending his appeal beyond Bavaria and attracting both Right and Left to his movement. Though the Nazi Party won only twelve seats in the 1928 elections, the onset of the Great Depression with its devastating effects on the middle classes helped Hitler to win over all those strata in German society who felt their economic existence was threatened. In addition to peasants, artisans, craftsmen, traders, small businessmen, ex-officers, students and declasse intellectuals, the Nazis in 1929 began to win over the big industrialists, nationalist conservatives and army circles. With the backing of the press tycoon, Alfred Hugenberg, Hitler received a tremendous nationwide exposure just as the effects of the world economic crisis hit Germany, producing mass unemployment, social dissolution, fear and indignation. With demagogic virtuosity, Hitler played on national resentments, feelings of revolt and the desire for strong leadership using all the most modern techniques of mass persuasion to present himself as Germany's redeemer and messianic saviour.
Hitler and President von Hindenburg (1933)
In the 1930 elections the Nazi vote jumped dramatically from 810,000 to 6,409,000 (18.3 percent of the total vote) and they received 107 seats in the Reichstag. Prompted by Hjalmar Schacht and Fritz Thyssen, the great industrial magnates began to contribute liberally to the coffers of the NSDAP, reassured by Hitler's performance before the Industrial Club in Dusseldorf on 27 January 1932 that they had nothing to fear from the radicals in the Party. The following month Hitler officially acquired German citizenship and decided to run for the Presidency, receiving 13,418,011 votes in the run-off elections of 10 April 1931 as against 19,359,650 votes for the victorious von Hindenburg, but four times the vote for the communist candidate, Ernst Thaelmann. In the Reichstag elections of July 1932 the Nazis emerged as the largest political party in Germany, obtaining nearly fourteen million votes (37.3 per cent) and 230 seats. Although the NSDAP fell back in November 1932 to eleven million votes (196 seats), Hitler was helped to power by a camarilla of conservative politicians led by Franz von Papen, who persuaded the reluctant von Hindenburg to nominate "the Bohemian corporal" as Reich Chancellor on 30 January 1933. Once in the saddle, Hitler moved with great speed to outmanoeuvre his rivals, virtually ousting the conservatives from any real participation in government by July 1933, abolishing the free trade unions, eliminating the communists, Social Democrats and Jews from any role in political life and sweeping opponents into concentration camps. The Reichstag fire of 27 February 1933 had provided him with the perfect pretext to begin consolidating the foundations of a totalitarian one-party State, and special "enabling laws" were ramrodded through the Reichstag to legalize the regime's intimidatory tactics. With support from the nationalists, Hitler gained a majority at the last "democratic" elections held in Germany on 5 March 1933 and with cynical skill he used the whole gamut of persuasion, propaganda, terror and intimidation to secure his hold on power. The seductive notions of "National Awakening" and a "Legal Revolution" helped paralyse potential opposition and disguise the reality of autocratic power behind a facade of traditional institutions.
Hitler As Fuhrer
Hitler after an SS rally in Berlin
The destruction of the radical SA leadership under Ernst Rohm in the Blood Purge of June 1934 confirmed Hitler as undisputed dictator of the Third Reich and by the beginning of August, when he united the positions of Fuhrer and Chancellor on the death of von Hindenburg, he had all the powers of State in his hands. Avoiding any institutionalization of authority and status which could challenge his own undisputed position as supreme arbiter, Hitler allowed subordinates like Himmler, Goering and Goebbels to mark out their own domains of arbitrary power while multiplying and duplicating offices to a bewildering degree. During the next four years Hitler enjoyed a dazzling string of domestic and international successes, outwitting rival political leaders abroad just as he had defeated his opposition at home. In 1935 he abandoned the Versailles Treaty and began to build up the army by conscripting five times its permitted number. He persuaded Great Britain to allow an increase in the naval building programme and in March 1936 he occupied the demilitarized Rhineland without meeting opposition. He began building up the Luftwaffe and supplied military aid to Francoist forces in Spain, which brought about the Spanish fascist victory in 1939. The German rearmament programme led to full employment and an unrestrained expansion of production, which reinforced by his foreign policy successes--the Rome-Berlin pact of 1936, the Anschluss with Austria and the "liberation" of the Sudeten Germans in 1938 — brought Hitler to the zenith of his popularity. In February 1938 he dismissed sixteen senior generals and took personal command of the armed forces, thus ensuring that he would be able to implement his aggressive designs. Hitler's saber-rattling tactics bludgeoned the British and French into the humiliating Munich agreement of 1938 and the eventual dismantlement of the Czechoslovakian State in March 1939. The concentration camps, the Nuremberg racial laws against the Jews, the persecution of the churches and political dissidents were forgotten by many Germans in the euphoria of Hitler's territorial expansion and bloodless victories. The next designated target for Hitler's ambitions was Poland (her independence guaranteed by Britain and France) and, to avoid a two-front war, the Nazi dictator signed a pact of friendship and non-aggression with Soviet Russia.
World War II
On September 1, 1939, German armed forces invaded Poland and henceforth Hitler's main energies were devoted to the conduct of a war he had unleashed to dominate Europe and secure Germany's "living space." The first phase of World War II was dominated by German Blitzkrieg tactics: sudden shock attacks against airfields, communications, military installations, using fast mobile armor and infantry to follow up on the first wave of bomber and fighter aircraft. Poland was overrun in less than one month, Denmark and Norway in two months, Holland, Belgium, Luxemburg and France in six weeks. After the fall of France in June 1940 only Great Britain stood firm.
Hitler showing the Nazi salute
The Battle of Britain, in which the Royal Air Force prevented the Luftwaffe from securing aerial control over the English Channel, was Hitler's first setback, causing the planned invasion of the British Isles to be postponed. Hitler turned to the Balkans and North Africa where his Italian allies had suffered defeats, his armies rapidly overrunning Greece, Yugoslavia, the island of Crete and driving the British from Cyrenaica. The crucial decision of his career, the invasion of Soviet Russia on June 22, 1941, was rationalized by the idea that its destruction would prevent Great Britain from continuing the war with any prospect of success. He was convinced that once he kicked the door in, as he told Jodl (q.v.), "the whole rotten edifice [of communist rule] will come tumbling down" and the campaign would be over in six weeks. The war against Russia was to be an anti-Bolshivek crusade, a war of annihilation in which the fate of European Jewry would finally be sealed. At the end of January 1939 Hitler had prophesied that "if the international financial Jewry within and outside Europe should succeed once more in dragging the nations into a war, the result will be, not the Bolshevization of the world and thereby the victory of Jewry, but the annihilation of the Jewish race in Europe." As the war widened — the United States by the end of 1941 had entered the struggle against the Axis powers — Hitler identified the totality of Germany's enemies with "international Jewry," who supposedly stood behind the British-American-Soviet alliance. The policy of forced emigration had manifestly failed to remove the Jews from Germany's expanded lebensraum, increasing their numbers under German rule as the Wehrmacht moved East. The widening of the conflict into a world war by the end of 1941, the refusal of the British to accept Germany's right to continental European hegemony (which Hitler attributed to "Jewish" influence) and to agree to his "peace" terms, the racial-ideological nature of the assault on Soviet Russia, finally drove Hitler to implement the "Final Solution of the Jewish Question" which had been under consideration since 1939. The measures already taken in those regions of Poland annexed to the Reich against Jews (and Poles) indicated the genocidal implications of Nazi-style "Germanization" policies. The invasion of Soviet Russia was to set the seal on Hitler's notion of territorial conquest in the East, which was inextricably linked with annihilating the 'biological roots of Bolshevism' and hence with the liquidation of all Jews under German rule. At first the German armies carried all before them, overrunning vast territories, overwhelming the Red Army, encircling Leningrad and reaching within striking distance of Moscow. Within a few months of the invasion Hitler's armies had extended the Third Reich from the Atlantic to the Caucasus, from the Baltic to the Black Sea. But the Soviet Union did not collapse as expected and Hitler, instead of concentrating his attack on Moscow, ordered a pincer movement around Kiev to seize the Ukraine, increasingly procrastinating and changing his mind about objectives. Underestimating the depth of military reserves on which the Russians could call, the caliber of their generals and the resilient, fighting spirit of the Russian people (whom he dismissed as inferior peasants), Hitler prematurely proclaimed in October 1941 that the Soviet Union had been "struck down and would never rise again." In reality he had overlooked the pitiless Russian winter to which his own troops were now condemned and which forced the Wehrmacht to abandon the highly mobile warfare which had previously brought such spectacular successes. The disaster before Moscow in December 1941 led him to dismiss his Commander-in-Chief von Brauchitsch, and many other key commanders who sought permission for tactical withdrawals, including Guderian, Bock, Hoepner, von Rundstedt and Leeb, found themselves cashiered. Hitler now assumed personal control of all military operations, refusing to listen to advice, disregarding unpalatable facts and rejecting everything that did not fit into his preconceived picture of reality. His neglect of the Mediterranean theatre and the Middle East, the failure of the Italians, the entry of the United States into the war, and above all the stubborn determination of the Russians, pushed Hitler on to the defensive. From the winter of 1941 the writing was on the wall but Hitler refused to countenance military defeat, believing that implacable will and the rigid refusal to abandon positions could make up for inferior resources and the lack of a sound overall strategy. Convinced that his own General Staff was weak and indecisive, if not openly treacherous, Hitler became more prone to outbursts of blind, hysterical fury towards his generals, when he did not retreat into bouts of misanthropic brooding. His health, too, deteriorated under the impact of the drugs prescribed by his quack physician, Dr. Theodor Morell. Hitler's personal decline, symbolized by his increasingly rare public appearances and his self-enforced isolation in the "Wolf's Lair," his headquarters buried deep in the East Prussian forests, coincided with the visible signs of the coming German defeat which became apparent in mid-1942.
Allied Victory and Hitler's Death
Rommel's defeat at El Alamein and the subsequent loss of North Africa to the Anglo-American forces were overshadowed by the disaster at Stalingrad where General von Paulus's Sixth Army was cut off and surrendered to the Russians in January 1943. In July 1943 the Allies captured Sicily and Mussolini's regime collapsed in Italy. In September the Italians signed an armistice and the Allies landed at Salerno, reaching Naples on 1 October and taking Rome on June 4, 1944. The Allied invasion of Normandy followed on June 6, 1944 and soon a million Allied troops were driving the German armies eastwards, while from the |
to NPCs that don’t have any AI that makes them move around the world. For example, this guy that hangs out in the forest, he shuffles his feet around and scratches his beard, these are two human movement to make him feel real and alive. The flies also help as well, not only do they add movement to the scene, but they also add to his character.
Ok enough about NPCs, let’s talk about the environment itself being alive.
Living Environment
Creating a living and unique environment can be where a lot of the work comes in. Just think about what you would expect to see if you walked outside: flowers, trees, birds, insects, grass, etc. All of these things move. Translating this into a game like Reverie provides a challenge. Having each of these things move definitely helps, but only small animations is essential. Having the grass move as the player walks around is a possibility but that could make the game look a little messy (remember, Reverie is being made for the Vita, quite a small screen).
Here is what a still environment looks like:
As you can see, there is nothing going on here! We have the trees and the grass and the flowers, but everything is static and lifeless. This does not make the world feel alive.
Now look at this:
There are leaves blowing in the wind, there are butterflies fluttering around, the river is flowing up and down the bank. Even with the player’s character standing still the world feels more involved things are happening without the player having to do anything. All of this creates a more life-like scene as the game world acts much like the real world.
Can there be too much?
Although creating a living world is important to get the player immersed in the game, we also have to make sure the screen isn’t too busy. Using the last GIF as an example, if we had our trees rustle around and move, the screen would definitely look more alive, but too much movement can be distracting; especially if there are enemies patrolling the area too! If you pay close attention to each thing that is animating that GIF, you’ll notice that the butterflies are only moving in a very small area, the flowers are only moving up and down, the river’s flow is only subtle, and the leaves blowing over the screen are fading in and out. All of these subtle animations add together to make one big picture; having our tree’s move around a lot will be distracting, and having the river splash up the sides of the bank could get overwhelming too. All of this is something we think about when creating the animations and putting the scene together.
Now to wrap things up
We hope you enjoyed learning more about the behind the scenes of Reverie. If you have any feedback about the length, technical depth or anything else about the blog post, contact us on https://twitter.com/rainbite or https://www.facebook.com/rainbite. We love getting your messages, and we try to reply as much as we can, so hit us up! VivaLaVita!Canadians have never had it so good.
Canada ranks as the second best country globally, according to the inaugural list of the world’s best countries released Wednesday at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
SEE ALSO: Canada ranked 2nd best country in the world in 2017
The number two ranking is out of a list of 60 countries, and Canada only trails behind Germany at number one.
Canada also came in at number one for quality of life and number two for citizenship.
The quality of life sub-ranking is based on several factors: affordability, job market, economic stability, family-friendliness, income equality, political stability, safety, and quality of public services such as the healthcare and school systems.
Scandinavian countries largely topped the quality of life ranking, with Sweden coming in at number two, Denmark at number three, and The Netherlands at number five. Australia is number four.
The citizenship sub-ranking measures a number of factors such as gender equality, human rights, religious freedom, and trustworthiness. Canada ranked number two overall in this category, just being edged out by Sweden at number one. Denmark was third, The Netherlands was fourth, and Australia was fifth.
The list is a joint venture between the WEF, U.S. News, and the University of Pennsylvania.
So proud that Canada ranks #1 for quality of life and #2 for citizenship #Bestcountries #Davos2016 — CanadianPM (@CanadianPM) January 20, 2016
Here are the 25 best countries to live in the world today:
Germany Canada United Kingdom United States of America Sweden Australia Japan France Netherlands Denmark New Zealand Austria Italy Luxembourg Singapore Spain China Ireland South Korea Brazil Thailand India Portugal Russia Israel
SEE ALSO: Canada ranked 2nd best country in the world in 2017
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Lauren Sundstrom Lauren is a former staff writer at Daily Hive. She's a graduate of BCIT's Broadcast and Online Journalism program. @LaurenS_Buzz Lauren is a former staff writer at Daily Hive. She's a graduate of BCIT's Broadcast and Online Journalism program.
Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.The first episode of newgirl group production program '' aired on July 13.�
A total of 41 idol�aspiring students who are not currently signed under an entertainment agency have been accepted into the institute for training. The top 9 students will be given the chance to debut in a new girl group after they graduate from 'Idol School'.�
During each episode, viewers can vote for the most outstanding student. The results will be broadcasted live during the show.�
On this week's episode, the students engaged in vocal, dance, and squat tests. Out of the 41 students, former JYP Entertainment�trainee Natty�ranked #1 and was given the chance to be the first class President.�
The results�of the first live voting are as follows:
10th: Chu Won Hee
9th: Baek Ji Hun
8th: Cho Yuri
7th: Song Ha Young
6th: Kim Eun Gyul
5th: Park Ji Won
4th: Seo Hae Rin
3rd: Lee Chae Young
The two students�nominated for the first place are Natty and Lee Hae In. Natty ranked 1st on the tests. Meanwhile, Lee Hae In has gained popularity through her participation in 'Produce 101' season�1.�
The #1 spot for the first week went to.... Lee Hae In!Image copyright Getty Images
The closure of Latin America's biggest rubbish dump in 2012 was widely applauded. But little more than two years on, many of the rubbish-pickers who worked there are sorry it's gone, and poorer without it.
More than 2,000 self-styled "treasure hunters" used to trawl the mountains of rubbish at Gramacho, a dump overlooked by Rio de Janeiro's iconic Christ the Redeemer statue.
Sifting through tonnes of waste, the rubbish-pickers - or catadores - searched for recyclable materials they could sell, and sometimes they literally struck gold.
One day Cleonice Bento glimpsed something particularly shiny among the rotten food and plastic bottles.
"I found a Portuguese gold necklace, sold it and built a two-storey house," she recalls. She even had enough money left over to take a holiday from rubbish-picking for another month.
The dump was a mother, she provided everything
Geraldo Oliveira, a 63-year-old known as Brizola, uncovered a treasure trove of a different kind.
Nestled inside a tube among the rubbish he found $12,000 (£8,000). And then $9,000 (£6,000) more.
"I was scared," he remembers. "So I got a $100 note, buried the rest, and went to a money changer to check it was a true note - and it was!
"The dump was a mother, she provided everything."
Image copyright Getty Images
Cleonice and Geraldo were just two of the thousands of catadores who lost their jobs overnight in 2012, when Gramacho dump was closed down in the weeks before a UN environmental summit in Rio.
Listen to Your Rubbish, Our Hope on the BBC World Service here. The world is getting wealthier - but with rising inequality, the BBC is investigating the winners and losers of this richer world in 2015. A Richer World 2015 More Richer World programmes
The move was welcomed by environmentalists, politicians and even the majority of the catadores who, despite the fears about the future, agreed the work was dangerous and inhumane.
Today the gate to the old landfill is locked. The methane gas produced from 35 years of waste now supplies green energy to a nearby oil refinery.
The pickers were not abandoned completely. They received compensation and the promise of a new recycling facility next to the old site.
The Polo de Reciclagem de Gramacho is the first of its kind in Brazil, employing former rubbish-pickers who now work in better conditions with regular hours and pay.
"We now have a canteen, a bathroom and a kitchen. We have more comfort and safety," says 62-year-old Cleonice.
If a new dump opened everyone would be out of here and up to [it] in a flash Rosinete dos Santos
But the former catadores earn only a fraction of what many earned on the dump. Cleonice says she now makes 500 reais (£125, $190) a month, a third of what she used to make.
"Despite the working conditions, the dump was a gold mine," says Dione Manetti, a consultant who has worked with rubbish-pickers across Brazil for 20 years.
Sometimes Gramacho rubbish pickers could make 4,000 reais (£1,000, $1,500) a month, he says.
"At the moment we are happy," says Rosinete dos Santos, an ex-catadora who is now financial co-ordinator of the new recycling facility. "But if a new dump opened at the end of the road everyone would be out of here and up to the dump in a flash."
No-one pretends the dump was paradise - it's common for the rubbish-pickers to have mixed, sometimes contradictory feelings.
Image copyright Getty Images Image caption The trucks unloading tonnes of rubbish everyday were a dangerous hazard to the catadores
Serious accidents, illnesses and even deaths were common. And outside the dump the catadores faced stigma and discrimination within Brazilian society.
"It wasn't difficult to deal with the rubbish. It was difficult not to become rubbish," says Gloria Cristina dos Santos, who is now the recycling facility's coordinator.
"I never told anyone at school I came from the dump. I couldn't make friends because I was so ashamed and for a long time I could not look at myself at the mirror."
Gloria began working there when she was 11. "Back then all the hospital waste was mixed in with the domestic rubbish, so there was a lot of blood, foetuses, dead bodies, animals," she recalls. "It was very dangerous."
Once she stepped on a needle and couldn't work for six months. Then at 15 she was buried under a mountain of rubbish, only surviving after her friends dug her out.
"I got [The Prince by] Machiavelli out of the slime, took it home, dried it behind the fridge and ironed it Tiao dos Santos
A year later Gloria became pregnant. After struggling with post-natal depression, she tried to commit suicide.
But the same dump that was causing her such sorrow and despair brought her salvation - in the form of Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoyevsky.
Over the years Gloria had carefully curated a small library of books salvaged from the dump. And she credits a passage in Dostoyevsky's The Brothers Karamazov for teaching her how to love her daughter.
"I didn't have any treatment - it was the books that helped me. They saved me," she says. "That was my way of living other lives, of travelling. I was a compulsive reader, I would read four or five books a week, and in the midst of that hard life I was high on books!"
Gloria's brother Tiao dos Santos, who had worked on the dump since he was eight years old, also found inspiration in literary waste - from Renaissance Italy in his case.
"I got [The Prince by] Machiavelli out of the slime, took it home, dried it behind the fridge and ironed it," he recalls.
"And I learned all the skills of The Prince - I didn't read Machiavelli as a Renaissance writer, I read him as a modern one. The game of interests, politics and malevolence was one I knew how to play."
Image copyright Tiao dos Santos Image caption Tiao, in the centre, worked on the Gramacho dump from the age of eight
Tiao eventually became a leader of the catadores, founding the first rubbish pickers' association in Brazil 10 years ago and later starring in the Oscar-nominated documentary film Waste Land.
Machiavelli did the rounds. Tiao shared his copy of The Prince with his two closest friends, hoping they too would be inspired and help him fight for better working conditions for the catadores.
"We were a reading group," says Jose Carlos Lopes, known as Zumbi, a rubbish-picker for almost 30 years from the age of nine. "Machiavelli inspired me by his leadership and comradeship across the centuries. He taught me how to be a leader, how to lead from the front."
Image caption Tiao's Machiavelli-inspired friends Zumbi and Gordinho helped him fight for the rights of catadores
And it was the catadores' activism that secured the government's guarantee to provide a new recycling facility for ex-catadores to work in.
The plant that stands there is the fulfilment of a dream - but only in part.
For a start there's not enough material to be recycled.
Whereas before the rubbish-pickers could sift through the dump and filter out sellable goods, the new recycling plant relies on companies willing to donate cardboard, paper, aluminium, glass or plastic.
Meanwhile 10,000 tonnes of mixed domestic rubbish are sent to a new dump every day. But there the rubbish is sealed with soil and covered in grass - no catadores are allowed in.
Image copyright Getty Images
The lack of waste to recycle has caused expansion plans to be put on hold.
Original blueprints for 12 warehouses employing 500 rubbish pickers are still a long way from being realised.
Currently there are just two warehouses and only 50 people are employed.
That's 50 out of the 2,000 who once worked on the dump. The rest have had to find other ways of supporting themselves.
"It's frustrating but it doesn't minimise the size of our achievement," Gloria says. "We managed to make the government see us and be accountable."
I really miss it. It was not only because of the money but because of friendship
She too experiences nostalgia for the old days, though.
"We suffered a lot but we were a family," says Gloria. "We felt we belonged to the dump and we helped each other.
"No-one will tell you that he misses working there but everyone says they miss the companionship we had, because ultimately we felt it was us, catadores, against the rest of the world."
Recreating that same atmosphere as before is part of her vision for the new recycling plant.
"We want to recover that essence. I really believe we will do it. It is my aim in life, my dream," she says.
Image copyright AP Image caption Brizola (left), comforted by Tiao, was among many who found the dump's closure a traumatic experience
Brizola was the last catador to leave the dump.
"I stayed up to the very end. I had to see the ending. And I really miss it. It was not only because of the money but because of friendship."
In a small drawer next to his television, he safely keeps a small plastic bag with something precious inside.
"There it is in my hand. Earth from the dump. It carries love… and when I die it will be buried with me."
Listen to Your Rubbish, Our Hope on Wednesday 21 January at 16:32 GMT and 20:32 GMT on the BBC World Service here
This article is part of the BBC's A Richer World, a season exploring the world's wealth, poverty and inequality
Subscribe to the BBC News Magazine's email newsletter to get articles sent to your inbox.As this post is quite long, you can get it in PDF here.
Some time ago, at the company where I am currently working, I suggested that we could create some posters about Lean and Agile so that people would keep it in the back of their heads on their day to day work. I also made myself available to explain, to the IT department, what Lean and Agile are all about, but because of lack of time, that explanation ended up never happening.
Lately, I’ve found that there are some people around me that have the desire and need to know a bit more about Lean and Agile, about what they stand for, how their practices should impact our day to day work, and what’s there to gain from it. So I decided to write this post in an attempt to cover that.
I’ve talked about Lean and Agile before, in a post titled What is Lean and Agile about Software Architecture but it had a very restricted spectrum. In this post, however, I want to take it a bit further.
Why
Businesses need to go fast. Businesses always need to go fast! They need to go fast to be ahead of the market, ahead of the competition, ahead of consumers and customers needs. The business survival and the jobs it guarantees can depend on how fast a company adapts to the market.
The company as a whole needs to be focused on being ahead of the market, or at least ahead of the competition. This, however, doesn’t mean that everyone in the company should be individually focused on going fast. Developers certainly shouldn’t!
Product development, for example, should focus on accurately understand, and even anticipate, consumers and customers needs. This will definitely contribute to keeping the company in the vanguard of the market.
Can you imagine trying to understand and anticipate the market needs, in a hurry?! How could we accurately do that without properly analysing and understanding the market? wouldn’t we have a high risk of putting time and effort into creating something the market doesn’t need? Wouldn’t that be a waste that would hold the company back, and maybe even destroy it?
Can you imagine the risk of creating UX deliverables in a hurry, without properly thinking of the user’s journey through the application?
Developers should not be focused on going fast either, they should be focused on doing things right, just like everybody else in the company!
When I think about this subject, it reminds me a lot of Robert C. Martin opinion about professionalism, and what it entails to be a developer. He talks about it extensively in one of his books, titled The Clean Coder: A Code of Conduct for Professional Programmers, and one of the lectures he has been doing for years, titled Expecting Professionalism. As he explains in his lecture, software is everywhere and a lot of it controls equipment that means the difference between life and death.
One of the examples given by Robert C. Martin is about one of the NASA shuttles that exploded after launching, killing all its passengers. As it seems, the engineers knew that there was a high chance of the shuttle having serious problems. So “why did the launch go through then?!” may you ask. Well, it seems the managers and politicians involved wanted it done fast, they didn’t want to spend more time on the problem to make sure nothing bad would happen, so they ignored the engineers. And people died because of it.
Of course, not all of us build software that can have a direct impact on the life or death of others, but my point is:
Managers know what they need to be built and under what conditions;
Engineers know how to build it and when it is ready.
In other words, non-technical managers should refrain themselves from interfering in the development process, including pressuring the developers into “going faster”.
Managers role is not to tell engineers how to do their job, their role is to work with the developers by handing them clear and accurate requirements and help the developers by leaving them free to focus on what they do best: develop software. This means:
Handling stakeholders expectations;
Providing the tools the developers need, like cloud repositories, production, acceptance and testing servers, continuous integration servers, etc.;
Protect the developers from external interferences like interruptions from other colleagues or meetings irrelevant for their work (this is actually one of the main goals of the Scrum Master role).
If the company really needs the developers to “go faster”, the developers should work extra hours and the company should pay for those hours accordingly. If the company does not see the need for the developers to work extra hours and get paid for those hours, then I guess the need to “go faster” is not really there.
If I am pressured to “go faster”, I will end up cutting corners, doing code that is quick and dirty, working extra hours without getting paid, which will make me unhappy and less productive. This may deliver functionality sooner but it will prone to error, it will not be scalable and it will require more time to be changed later down the line when changes are needed so in the medium/long run it will definitely make us slower. For some reason, this seems to be difficult for managers to understand. In the other hand, maybe they don’t really need to understand it, they should just get out of our way and let us do the job we were hired to do.
This all comes down to doing things right. Doing things right helps us deliver features consistently, in a constant and somewhat predictable velocity because there isn’t much technical debt that can give us nasty surprises and slow us down. Going fast is a result of doing things right.
However, what is “doing things right”? This is where Lean and Agile come into play.
Lean
Lean is a production management methodology developed by Toyota during the first half of the 20th century. Later on, it was adapted to the American corporate context and named “Lean”.
There are plenty of books explaining it, but the ones I see referenced more often are The Toyota Way (Liker 2004), Lean Thinking (Womack & Jones 2003) and Lean Enterprise (Humble, Molesky, O’Reilly 2015).
The end goal of Lean is to reduce waste, inconsistency and irregular production/development.
Lean has 5 principles and warns us about 7 wastes that we should strive to eliminate. These Ideas were initially thought by Toyota so, at first glance, we might think that it only applies to a factory manufacturing context. However, after some reflexion, we can see that those ideas are pretty generic and can be adapted to probably any production context.
Here’s my own humble take on those principles and wastes applied to software development.
Lean Principles
1. Specify value
Define value from the customer’s perspective and express value in terms of a specific product or service.
This is our main goal, it represents the actual value for the customer. Everything we produce must have some kind of contribution to this goal, although it can be an indirect contribution.
This can be defined at different levels of granularity. At a corporate level, we can see it as the core goal of the company, defined in a short and simple sentence. For example, the core goal of my current company, Werkspot, is to “Be the easiest and most reliable way to arrange home services“. At a smaller granularity level, it can be the main goal of a specific project, for example, something like “Make it easier for users to request a service“.
2. Map the value stream
Map all the steps… value added and non-value added… that bring a product or service to the customer.
We need to establish how we are going to bring a product together, so we need to define all stages of production from end-to-end, from the first step of defining what is actually needed by the users to the last step: the delivery.
In a software development project this could be something like:
Talk to the targeted users so we can define what they need; Plan what features we will build, in what order, and in what iterations (versions); Build the planned features: Create the designs; Build the functionality; Review what has been built; Move on the next feature (back to 3.a); Get feedback from the users about the new features; Move on to the next iteration, taking into account the received feedback (back to 3).
If we already have a value stream in place, this exercise can help us identify redundant steps so we can eliminate them, optimising the production process.
This, however, is only about defining the steps, not implementing them.
3. Establish flow
The continuous flow of products, services and information from end to end through the process.
Establishing the flow is about actually implementing the value stream. How are we going to operationalize the value stream? Who do we need in the team? Will we produce in isolated silos or will we have cross-functional teams? Will the team members work at the same location or far away from each other?
In software development, I imagine a production flow where we have a cross-functional team with (for example) a product owner, a designer, a front-end developer and a back-end developer. The value-creating steps occur in tight sequence, if not at the same time, with close collaboration between the team members, which are located as close to each other as possible. This will increase collaboration, and reduce feedback loops between the different aspects of the product development. The moments we spend waiting for a response from a colleague will be reduced to the minimum possible.
4. Implement pull
Nothing is done by the upstream process until the downstream customer signals the need, actual demand pulls product/service through the value stream.
By having short production cycles, we can deliver value to the customers in shorter periods of time. This means we don’t have to predict what the user will need, we don’t need to prepare in advance, we don’t need to produce ahead of time. We can produce only when the customer signals the need for something.
This means we should only produce features that are actually “requested” by the users. Features that we build but were not “requested” by the users have a high risk of ending up not being used by the end users and therefore being a waste of time and resources that could otherwise have been used to build, or improve, a feature actually needed by the end-users.
It’s good to keep in mind though, that the “request” for a feature, or improvement, can be done directly, for example by interviewing end-users, or indirectly, by analysing the end-users behaviour when using the application: do they use workarounds? how many steps does it take for them to accomplish a business process? do they have a post-it in their desktops reminding them about something they need to work with the application?
The partial product components will be delivered just-in-time, meaning, only when they are needed and only what is needed at that moment. In other words, it’s about doing what is needed now (which depends on the planning scope, maybe this sprint target or this quarter target) to keep you in the game for the long run, it’s about carefully planning and slicing the design to deliver exactly what is needed in order to support feature development in the long run.
5. Work to perfection
The complete elimination of waste so all activities create value for the customer by breakthrough and continuous improvement projects.
Perfection does not exist. It is relative to a context, and nowadays the context changes quite fast: new business cases surface, people leave the team and other people come in.
This does not mean, however, that we should not have perfection as a goal. We must continuously work towards optimising the development process. We must make the relentless pursuit for an optimised production flow, be part of the company culture, part of everyone’s attitude. All employees must be empowered and involved in implementing lean.
Lean Wastes
1. Transport
The waiting time while moving things around.
In software development, our things are the code and the data so this is, for example, about deploying code: how much time does it take to download and install all dependencies? How much time does it take to run tests before deploying? how much time does it actually take to place all code in the production server, ready to run?
We must strive to reduce the time wasted waiting for these tasks to be completed.
2. Inventory
Keeping products around, hoping they will be needed in the future.
When developing software, inventory is the code we produce that “will be used in the future” and/or keeping/maintaining code that might be reused in the future. The reality is, however, that we can not predict the future: requirements change constantly. So why should we allocate time and resources to produce code that might never be used or maintaining code that might never be reused?
So, basically:
Develop just-in-time: Only build code when it is actually needed ; Only upgrade servers when it’s actually needed;
If code stops being used: remove it immediately, don’t leave it laying around in the hopes that it will be needed again in the future.
3. Motion
Repetitive movement.
All the manual repetitive tasks that we can automate, should be automated. It will eliminate time wasted repeating them and will remove the risk of human error. For example, instead of manually issuing a shell command to copy production data to an acceptance DB, just create a Cron job to do it every night.
4. Waiting
Wait for reactions from colleagues.
We must eliminate waiting states when collaborating with colleagues. Always prefer the fastest, richest, and most direct communication method. Don’t wait for days, hours nor even minutes for someone to reply to an email, if possible just make a phone call or go have a face to face conversation.
5. Over-processing
Trying to produce the perfect product.
Trying to create the perfect code (or perfect design or feature) is an inglorious goal because perfection does not exist: it is subjective to who is chasing it and depends on ever-changing requirements. So it happens that we didn’t reach perfection yet and the concept of perfection has already changed because the requirements changed in the mean time.
6. Over-production
Produce more than needed.
Don’t create code nor features that are not needed now. Only create code that is actually needed and only create features that have a reasonable expectation of being used by the end-users.
7. Defects
Creating products with defects.
This waste is about building features that do not work as the user expects them to work, either because of bugs in the implementation or because of bugs in the requirements (the requirements were not squeezed out properly from the users).
All bugs need to be fixed immediately so they stop impacting the users as soon as possible. However, bugs in requirements also need to be examined carefully so that the requirements gathering process can be fixed and we can avoid similar bugs in the future.
We need to invest time in doing things right. Invest time in getting feature requests actualy needed by the market, in getting correct requirements for the feature requests, in building features right. Not doing so, has a high risk of becoming a waste.
Rework because of changes in business cases is great, it means we are adapting to the market, but rework because of defects is a serious waste!
Agile
Agile has its foundations on the Agile Manifesto, which was formally written in 2001 by a group of renowned Software Developers, as a response to the frustrations of software development during the 1990s.
In an agile methodology, solutions evolve through collaboration between self-organizing, cross-functional teams using the appropriate practices for their context. The goal is to create better software, faster, using end-user engagement, short feedback loops, and eliminating waste.
The Agile manifesto is comprised of four foundational values and 12 supporting principles. There are several agile methodologies, or frameworks, like Scrum or Kanban, and they apply the agile values and principles in different ways according to, for example, the type of tasks or team experience.
I’m not going to talk about the principles because I find them straightforward and it would make this (already long) post unbearably long. But I will give my own explanation of the values.
1. Individuals & Interactions over Processes & Tools
Processes and tools are important because they give us practical and standardised ways of doing things. They make things easier and faster.
However, they do not understand the need for changes, they are not creative elements that can give us solutions to problems: people are! People are the elements that can respond to change.
So, use the tools and processes to produce, but prefer face-to-face communication with people (clients, colleagues, any stakeholder) to clarify, understand and improve: to respond to change.
2. Working Software over Comprehensive Documentation
In the old days (pré 2000s), we would need formal documentation for before, during and after project development. Theoretically, we would have the project extremely well documented. But how much of that documentation was actually needed? How much was actually ever used? How many resources were allocated to produce documentation that was barely used, if ever used at all?!
The Agile Manifesto tells us that we should only create the formal documentation that is actually needed. So:
Don’t document extensively everything that we think we need to build: after some time, what we need to build might change and the time and energy we’ve put in that documentation will have been a waste. So, do a high-level overview of what we need to build, and then, just-in-time, do small and accurate stories with clear requirements and acceptance criteria.
When coding, use good naming conventions and choose names that reflect what a code unit is and does (ubiquitous language), as to reduce the need for technical documentation explaining code;
Structure your code in such a way that there is only one logical place for a code unit to exist and it is encapsulated in the architectural and domain modules they belong to. This will, again, reduce the need for technical documentation that relates the code with the architecture and the domain;
Design the application UI in such a way that it guides the users through the processes, and helps them not to make mistakes (build dummy proof software). For example, expose the business processes to the users in a language that they can clearly understand and help them pick which one they need. Another example is when deleting a resource, show a confirmation box where it’s explained the consequences of deleting that resource. This will help reduce the need to write detailed and/or extensive user documentation.
3. Customer Collaboration over Contract Negotiation
Contracts are important. After all, they are what gives us some guarantee that we will be paid. However, we shouldn’t blindly and carelessly build what is specified in the contract.
Nowadays, businesses contexts, challenges and evolution develop much faster than the speed at which we can develop a complete software application. This means that if we limit ourselves to build what is written down in a contract before a project is even started, by the time we deliver the application there is a big chance that the application will already be outdated and not compliant to the customer’s current needs.
If we want our project to be successful, the moment of contract negotiation and the moment of delivery are not the only moments the customer should be involved:
The contracts must be open to accommodate for business requirements changes, as well as the due gratifications;
The customer (as other stakeholders) must be involved throughout the development process: At the beginning of a sprint, explaining the functionality that he needs to be built; At the end of a sprint, validating the functionality that has been built;
This approach will guarantee that:
What we build, will match the customer business needs; The development team will know as soon as business needs change.
4. Responding to Change over Following a Plan
When developing a project, having a plan is essential. However, having the right type of plan is as important. Agile tells us that it doesn’t make much sense to create a very detailed plan for the whole project: after all, the initial requirements are likely to change during the project development. Instead, we should define a loosely detailed plan at a macro level, and only have a detailed plan for a short period of time: the current sprint.
This approach will allow us to quickly adapt production to emerging or changing requirements. We are mostly planning as we go, so we are not tied to a rigid long term plan.
Furthermore, emerging and changing requirements are great! That is what enables us to deliver a product that fits the customer’s current needs, as opposed to what the customer needed when the project started!
In the case of emerging requirements, this simply means that, for example, there is a new business case and the software needs to be able to handle it for the customer.
In the case of changing requirements, there are two possible reasons:
A business case changed, for example, it has different restrictions, and the software needs to be able to handle the new restrictions; A business case technical requirements were not properly distilled, in other words, there is a bug in the requirements.
Either way, we need to adapt to those changes, we need to rethink and change the code accordingly. The difference is, however, that when there is a bug in the requirements, we must understand what led to this bug and do our best to prevent it from happening again, just like if it was a bug in the code.
Conclusion
The IT market is very competitive. For a company to be successful, it needs to adapt and produce faster than the competition. This, however, doesn’t mean that everyone should be running around doing things in a rush. Doing things in a rush will lead to mistakes that can prove fatal.
We need to be smart and do things right. Doing things right will, hopefully, lead us to constant productive flow with few mishaps and in the end will make us go faster than the competition.
Lean and Agile can help us to do things right.
As James Coplien says, Lean is about thinking and Agile is about doing.
Lean focuses in preparing and optimising our work, it’s about thinking how we need our workflow to be, how we should set it up, what work we actually need to do now and eliminate everything that is waste.
Agile focuses in getting things done:
Build software that doesn’t need documentation;
Communicate directly, face to face, to solve problems and misunderstandings quickly and effectively;
Involve the customer throughout the development process, so we always work on what is needed, and identify changing requirements as soon as possible
Accept and adapt to changing requirements, so we deliver software that is actually useful.
Do it right, do it Lean & Agile, speed and quality will come as a result.
Sources
2001 – agilemanifesto.org – Manifesto for Agile Software Development
2010 – Coplien & Bjørnvig – Lean Architecture: for Agile Software Development
2016 – Mark Crawford, ASME.org – 5 Lean Principles Every Engineer Should Know
2017* – smartsheet.com – Comprehensive Guide to the Agile Manifesto
* Seen in
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what I found. I figured it was worth sharing:
Summary
Timeline recordings in Chrome Dev Tools don't show the overhead involved with CSS animation of transforms, so people often misinterpret the [lack of] data. Recordings look "clean" with CSS and "dirty" with JS which leads to faulty conclusions about performance.
involved with CSS animation of transforms, so people often misinterpret the [lack of] data. Recordings "clean" with CSS and "dirty" with JS which leads to faulty conclusions about performance. CSS animations of transforms used twice as much CPU compared to JS according to Chrome's task manager.
as much CPU compared to JS according to Chrome's task manager. CSS animations caused the main thread to bog down more than using JavaScript animations. User interaction is typically handled on the main thread, making things feel sluggish to the user. It is especially costly if you animate transforms along with almost any other property at the same time.
to bog down more than using JavaScript animations. User interaction is typically handled on the main thread, making things feel sluggish to the user. It is especially costly if you animate transforms along with almost any other property at the same time. Webkit browsers have synchronization problems.
. JavaScript was faster than CSS animations on every device that I ran this test on – the only exception was animating transforms in Webkit browsers (and then there's that heavy cost on the main thread and sync problems).
than CSS animations on every device that I ran this test on – the only exception was animating transforms in Webkit browsers (and then there's that heavy cost on the main thread and sync problems). In order to independently control the timing/easing of transform components (rotation, scale, skew, position) in CSS, you must create a DOM node for each which negatively impacts performance. With JavaScript, no such workarounds are necessary. (see note below)
I love Dev Tools - I'm not knocking it at all. These things are just tough to measure.
- I'm not knocking it at all. These things are just tough to measure. Do your own tests! Don't put too much faith in Dev Tools or my tests. Use your eyes because ultimately perception is what matters to end users. Smooth movement and responsive UI are both important.
Links
UPDATE: After recording the video, I did some more tests that showed that one of the biggest contributors to the slowdowns in the pure CSS version was the fact that multiple elements had to be nested in order to accomplish the independent transform component controls. In other words, staggering the start/end times (or easing) of rotation, scale, and position is practically impossible in pure CSS unless you nest things like that, but there's a relatively significant performance tradeoff. When nesting could be avoided, pure CSS animation of only transforms did appear smoother on webkit browsers under heavy pressure and it was basically indistinguishable from optimized JS animations under all other levels of pressure.Photoshop Elements gives us at least 47 and a half ways to do any one task, and creating Black and Whites is no exception.
For my black and whites, I use a Gradient Map adjustment layer to make the conversion. It’s incredibly versatile.
With it I can:
Adjust the contrast of black to white
Create a tinted black and white (also known as duotone)
Make a vintage look
Go moody and artsy
Or even let color shine through the B&W for a selective color effect
Are you ready? This is how I do it.
Create a Black and White
Start with an image whose exposure, white balance and contrast are good.
Type the letter D to set your colors to Default Black and White.
Add a Gradient Map Adjustment layer to it. And note that Gradient is not the same as Gradient Map – make sure you choose the correct type of layer!
If your image doesn’t look like a good B&W at this point, you probably forgot to type the letter D before adding the adjustment layer. If it looks infrared (white and black rather than black and white), click on the reverse button in the Adjustments panel.
If it has completely different colors in it, double click on the gradient bar. The Gradient Editor will open, and you can simply select the Black, White gradient, which is the third one from the left on the top row of gradients in the image below. The name of each gradient will appear as you hover your cursor over it.
So that’s your basic B&W. Easy, right? Let’s enhance it a bit.
Enhance Contrast
First off, the all-important contrast. This can make or break a B&W. You need to control how much of your image converts to white, how much to black, and how the shades of gray distribute between the two.
So, open that Gradient Editor again by clicking on the Gradient Bar. See the circled color stop in the image below? Click once on it. Clicking on it will activate a tiny diamond under the gradient, right in the middle. It’s called the Color Midpoint. You have to look close to see it!
This is one of the most sensitive areas of Elements as far as clicking precisely goes. If you accidentally create a new color stop, either delete the stop (highlight it and press the delete/backspace key) or delete the entire layer and start over.
Once you have that diamond activated, you can click and drag it. Make sure your cursor changes from a finger to an arrow before dragging. Otherwise, you’ll create a new color stop (see above). Drag the diamond to the left to make the image brighter (more white). Drag it to the right to make the image darker.
If you need even more contrast, add a levels adjustment layer.
For the Midpoint %, look at the location field under the midpoint while it’s active for editing.
Add Tint to Your Black and White
You can use that same Gradient Editor to add tint to your B&Ws. You might have seen a chocolate B&W, or images that have a navy tint. To do this, open the Gradient Editor and double click on either of the bottom color stops. The key to getting a good look is to make the dark color stop very close to black, and the light color stop very close to white.
See the little circle next to the arrow in the screen shot above? You can click and drag it to the color that you want – just make sure it stays close to either black or white. Click on the color family to the right to select different colors. You can also type in the numbers directly if you know their codes.
Experiment with the looks here – it’s completely up to you. The tint I chose above warms the image very subtly. Good starting points for other looks are:
Chocolate B&W with cream highlights: #0f0600 for the darks and #fbf8f0 for the lights
Navy B&W with the lightest of pink highlights: #00010b for the darks and #fcfafb for the lights
Create a Vintage Look
This is super easy. Just reduce the opacity of your Gradient Map Layer until you are happy with the look.
Go Arsty and Moody
Change the Blend Mode of your Gradient Map layer to either Soft Light or Overlay. Adjust the opacity as needed. You can adjust the color of the color stops too in the Gradient Editor.
Selective Color
Selective Color gets a bad rap these days. It’s considered by many in the industry to be a trend that has outlived its useful life. I know for a fact though that some people still like it. And these Gradient Map B&Ws make it super easy.
Create your B&W following the instructions above. Adjust it until you’re happy, and then use a black brush to paint on the layer mask to hide the B&W effect from the areas where you want the color to show through. This tutorial shows you how in depth.
Weekend Homework
Yes, your homework for the weekend is to experiment with the Gradient Map in Elements. Post your beautiful Black and Whites on the Texas Chicks Facebook page to show off what you did!Media baron Rupert Murdoch may have had his testimony before the British Parliament interrupted by a shaving cream pie, but he opened his remarks Tuesday eating another kind of pie, saying, “This is the most humble day of my life.”
Indeed, for about a week now, the head of the scandal-besieged News Corp. has tried to send a more contrite message. But while his response seems to have shifted in Britain, the memo appears to be having a bumpy ride across the Atlantic to his flagship US holdings.
The Wall Street Journal, owned by Mr. Murdoch since 2007, ran a lead editorial on Monday that media analysts have characterized as a mixture of defiance, deflection, and denial. The editorial reads in part: “It is up to British authorities to enforce their laws.”
Later on it says, “We also trust that readers can see through the commercial and ideological motives of our competitor-critics. The Schadenfreude is so thick you can't cut it with a chainsaw.”
Meanwhile, Fox News, another News Corp. media outlet, has served up more than 90 segments on the Murdoch scandal, which centers on phone hacking at the now-defunct News of the World, a British tabloid also among the News Corp. holdings. Yet some media critics, including James Fallows of The Atlantic magazine, have found fault with Fox News’s coverage.
In an online article Saturday, Mr. Fallows pointed to a July 15 segment on “Fox & Friends” that lumped two computer hackings, targeting the Pentagon and Citibank, together with the phone hacking done by News of the World. Bob Dilenschneider, a guest on the show and public relations expert, said, “Citigroup and Bank of America – are they getting the same kind of attention for hacking that happened less than a year ago that News Corp. is getting today?”
Fallows writes: “I submit that this could not happen at any other news organization. Rather, it could not happen at a news organization. It happened at the agitprop operation known as Fox News.”
The New York Post, another key News Corp. holding in the United States, has offered a half dozen or so short stories on the phone-hacking scandal in the past two weeks. As of Monday morning, The New York Times, which is not affiliated with News Corp., had published about 100 pieces on the scandal. The Wall Street Journal had published 35.
“This is about the future of the fourth estate,” says Richard Levick, president of Levick Strategic Communications in Washington – whether the public has lost faith in the media and whether journalism will take the lead in demanding the highest standards possible. “We have The Wall Street Journal interviewing its own corporate boss [Murdoch], saying that he has handled the crisis well, with no rebuttals,” he says.
“It’s embarrassing,” says Jeff Cohen, a journalism professor at Ithaca College in New York, referring to The Wall Street Journal’s editorial. Mr. Cohen, who was a paid commentator on Fox News for five years, says that just when that newspaper ought to take the lead in full transparency and self-reflection, “all they are doing is full damage control.”
The Wall Street Journal did not return requests for a response. Fox News also declined to comment, in particular on The Atlantic article by Fallows.
Circling the wagons is certainly understandable, says Jeff Rice, who is joining the writing, rhetoric, and digital-media faculty at the University of Kentucky in Lexington. “Markets do matter,” he says in an e-mail. “To pretend otherwise is not to be honest about journalism as a business.”
However, damage control without transparency will ultimately hurt all News Corp. products, says Leonard Steinhorn, director of the Public Communication Division at American University in Washington.
The Wall Street Journal is correct in saying that politicians should tread carefully in asking for investigations that possibly could abridge press freedoms, says Mr. Steinhorn, noting a further comment in the editorial. “But if the business side of a newspaper engages in influence peddling and buying off politicians and other forms of corruption,” he says via e-mail, alluding to what has been alleged in Britain, then it is “equally dangerous” if The Wall Street Journal were “to hide those practices behind a veil of press freedom simply to exonerate its corporate owner.”
However, late on Tuesday, Murdoch sent a letter to News Corp. employees that promises a future of accountability. His team has formed “an independent Management & Standards Committee, to determine new standards that will be clearly communicated,” the letter reads.
“[W]e will emerge a stronger company,” he adds. “It will take time for us to rebuild trust and confidence, but we are determined to live up to the expectations of our stockholders, customers, colleagues and partners. We are determined to put things right.”Summary – Code comments that point out the obvious make the important comments harder to spot. Developers are better off when there are only a few comments for the code that deserves an explanation.
You open up an electrical box and see a few hundred wires. Lots of different colours that don’t mean a heck of a lot. But someone has put a neat little label on every wire. Awesome!
Or so it seemed until you actually start looking at the labels. Almost all of them are blank!
So you spend an hour digging through every label. In the end, you find a total of 12 actually written with an important message. Hopefully you didn’t miss any in all the chaos.
This is how I feel when I dig into code with useless comments everywhere. It’s hard to identify useful comments in the sea of useless ones. Needles in a stack of needles.
Here’s a great example that shows up everywhere in a very popular open source project:
/** * __construct function. * * @access public * @return void */ public function __construct() {... }
And another one…
/** * Constructor */ public function __construct() {... }
And here’s another gem…
// Convert float to string $value = float_to_string( $value );
These comments are similar to the blank labels in the electrical box. They point out the obvious, add noise, and diminish the overall usefulness of commenting. After reading a few of these comments, I wouldn’t blame any developer for ignoring the rest.
I’m sure the electrician that took the time to put blank labels on each wire thought he was doing a great service to those who would come after him. After all, the label is already there, they just have to write the note now. Or maybe he had intended to fill in all the labels, but never got around to it. Regardless of his good intentions, the result is a much worse situation than if he had only labelled the 12 wires.
In the coding world, developers are told they should always comment their code, but rarely are they told how to do so. And so comments are often written because developers feel an obligation to do so, not because a comment is needed. They feel they are doing their job well if they add lots of comments, regardless of their quality.
I can’t accept this. I would much rather see a few comments explaining why some code is needed than a comment on every few lines that say nothing. Comments shouldn’t be written purely to show we’re “good little programmers.” We should use comments sparingly and mainly to “document the why”.
// We need to account for product price changes, // so we get the price of the product when each order occurred $order_prices = $this->get_order_prices();
When deciding if I should write a comment or not, I ask myself a simple question: if I come back to this bit of code, will it be obvious why it’s been written this particular way? If my future self will be very thankful for an explanation, then it’s a no brainer, I write the comment. Otherwise, I let the code speak for itself.
Further ReadingFighting breaks out between anti- and pro- NATO supporters, and police. The windows of the House of the Althing have been smashed. 30 March 1949.
The Icelandic NATO riot of 30 March 1949 was prompted by the decision of Alþingi, the Icelandic parliament, to join the newly formed NATO, thereby involving Iceland directly in the Cold War, opposing the Soviet Union and re-militarizing the country.
The protesters first convened behind a school in the centre of Reykjavík and then marched on Austurvöllur, a small park in front of the parliament building, where a throng of people had already arrived positioning themselves between the parliament and the rioters, intending to defend it.
At first the demonstrators were calm, but when a leading member of the Socialist Party announced over a loudspeaker that the leader of his party was held hostage inside the Parliament building, things became violent.
Rocks were tossed at the building, some breaking the windows and one narrowly missing the head of the Parliamentary president, until the Reykjavík police force, aided by volunteers from the Independence Party intervened, beating rioters down and eventually launching tear gas grenades at the rioters.
No official estimate exists of the number of participants, but photographic evidence clearly shows that thousands of people were present.
Aftermath [ edit ]
Policemen in gas masks guard Austurvöllur after dispersing the crowd with tear gas
The details of this event have largely been obscured by opposing opinions and lack of neutrality in discussion. Despite violent opposition, Iceland's membership in NATO was confirmed.
After the event, protests by anti-NATO activists were commonplace. The left parties in 1950s and 1960s parliamentary elections promised to put an end to the bilateral U.S.-Icelandic Defence Agreement, but dropped these promises after becoming part of the ruling coalitions.[1] The slogan "Iceland out of NATO and the Army out!" ("Ísland úr NATO og herinn burt!") became a part of Icelandic culture. In 1974, the government proposed closing down the Keflavik base, but a petition campaign gathered a quarter of the population's signatures. The government fell out of power, and it was replaced by a decidedly pro-NATO government.[2] On September 30, 2006, the US Navy unilaterally withdrew the last of its military force from Keflavík airport.[1]
In 2016 the United States began preparations to re-occupy the base.[3] In 2017, the United States announced its intention to construct a modern air base on the peninsula.[4]
Gallery [ edit ]
People gather in front of the House of the Althing.
Police are prepared for trouble in front of the House of the Althing.
Overview over Austurvöllur, in front of the House of the Althing
Overview over Austurvöllur and the House of the Althing.
Overview over Austurvöllur, Reykjavik Cathedral and the House of the Althing.
People gather for a meeting at the old school, by Tjörnin in downtown Reykjavik
In the throng in front of the House of the Althing during anti-NATO protests.
Fighting breaks out between anti- and pro-NATO supporters, and police. The windows of the House of the Althing have been smashed.
People flee from tear gas unleashed by police.
Policemen in gas masks guard Austurvöllur after dispersing the crowd with tear gas.
References [ edit ]rabble.ca sat down recently with Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, the former spokesperson for student group CLASSE, and one of the most recognizable leaders of Quebec's social movements, for a feature interview.
rabble.ca: You were recently found guilty of contempt of court, for expressing the opinion that picket lines were legitimate in a TV interview. That's a ruling I know you plan to appeal, so can you tell me why you think the ruling was unjust?
Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois: Well there are a few things. A problem with the first ruling is that the judge interpreted my words as direct advice to break the injunctions. The point my lawyer and I made is that it was a political opinion I expressed, that those injunctions were not a good way to solve the conflict. I said it was a deception, that those injunctions were used to override the democratic decision to go on strike. That's one of the main things we are going to focus on during the appeal. I cannot say that I didn’t say what I said. Or that it was not what I meant. I said what I said and I meant what I said. It was a political opinion, not a direct order to tell anyone to do anything. So that's the main point. It's very important that we do this, because if the ruling stands, it creates a precedent for other social movements. It will be one of the first times a spokesperson for a social movement could be found guilty for expressing a political opinion. That's a precedent we don't want to see created.
What do you think of the PQ government floating the idea of legislating a right to strike for students?
GND: It's clearly a double-edged sword. The first thing that is important to remember is that the Liberal government created this debate. For decades in Quebec the right for students to have a political strike has always existed. Everyone, including the Liberals, accepted it politically and socially. Mr. Charest himself recognized this right. I think it's a debate that has been created to delegitimize the student movement by the Liberals. The student movement has shown in the last few years that it is able to take democratic positions on many issues, and is able to make democratic decisions to go on strike.
I don't see why we have to change the law that's already quite clear. It gives a monopoly over representation of students to the student associations. It says they are recognized. We are not workers, but students. Our strike is a political strike. I don't see why we should limit this fundamental right to strike.
There's been quite an outpouring of support for your appeal through the website appelatous.org, you're now over $100,000 in donations towards your legal defence fund. So what's next?
GND: We are expecting the sentence any day now. We will then go and appeal. It's going to be a long battle, a two-year battle to go in front of the appeal court. That's why we've asked for the people's donations and solidarity.
We were totally surprised by the amount of solidarity we've seen. We now have enough money to pay back CLASSE for the expenses of the case thus far. We also have enough to go forward with the appeal process. There will also be enough money to support other students who are in front of the courts. For me it's very important to show that solidarity towards the other students. It's a very beautiful surprise for us. I think even if the mobilization isn’t currently as concrete in the streets, the people are still very vigilant about what’s going on. We have gained this huge amount of money in only two weeks, which I think is indicative of the fact the movement is not dead at all.
What do you think of the PQ government's budget and performance so far?
GND: I think it's a deception for the left. We were expecting a lot more. Especially in a context where the Liberals have no leader, and everyone knows there is not going to be an election. I think the PQ had a chance to go forward with progressive measures that they had announced during the electoral campaign, measures that were a first step in the right direction. I think it’s a big deception by the PQ, that they claim they aren’t able to turn things around. The education summit that they have announced is the same type of thing. I think that indexation is the only thing that could come out of that.
I am also preoccupied by the fact that there seems to exist an intention within the Parti Quebecois to continue the privatization of universities that the Liberals started. That’s very disturbing for us. It means we have to be vigilant towards this party. We have to be at this summit, put our positions up front, and be ready to be in the streets if this government does not respect our position.
What do you think the outcome of the PQ education summit will be? Do you think there will be a freeze or indexation? What are your concerns with the commodification and privatization of education? Do you find it hard to communicate this specific problem to students because it’s more abstract than a tuition hike?
GND: The tuition hike was so massive and abrupt that it was a shock for the students. The mobilization was a lot easier because of that. If the PQ do go for indexation it will be difficult for the student movement to mobilize on that issue and on the issue of commodification of education.
The good news is that we began to talk about these things in the last months of the strike. It's once again proof that the PQ basically share the same ideological foundation as the Liberal party. I hope it wakes up a lot of Quebecers, and left leaning people who are still supporting the PQ. Those who say the PQ are a little bit better than the Liberals. No, this party is part of the same neo-liberal ideology. We have to break this eternal sharing of power between these two parties.
If bad things come out of the summit, how hard will it be to get students to mobilize again?
GND: It will be difficult. Students are now dealing with the consequences of their strike. It’s already difficult for them. One thing that’s also going to be difficult is that we are seeing the common front of student organizations dissolve over the issue of commodification of education.
So we aren't going to see that alliance. We are going to see once again a student movement that is going to be divided. I think it's for good reason, but it will be hard to mobilize. It will be a huge challenge for the progressive student movement.
There's lots of speculation about you becoming the co-spokesperson for Quebec Solidaire, are you interested?
GND: For the moment I have chosen to focus on my studies. I still have a B.A. to finish. I have been very involved in the movement over the last five years. So I feel the need to go back to the books, back to theory. I’m beginning a new degree in Philosophy. I want to focus on that for the moment. I'm still young, I have so many things to do and so many things to learn. It’s not a definitive retreat, only a pause.
I of course will be back in Quebec politics. I'm also writing a book, because I think it's important to leave something behind and express my own opinions and analysis of the movement. I think it’s important to write about it. It’s a part of history, if we let the mainstream media talk about it, I don't think they’ll be able to convey the spirit of what the Quebec spring was.
Given the blood on the socialist banner and name in the 20th century, what does a 21st century anti-capitalist movement have to do to be different?
GND: I think there have been two major problems with the socialist experience: a lack of democracy, and a lack of focus on the environment.
A lot of the alternatives to capitalism that were tried during the 20th century were very authoritarian, and sometimes even more destructive to the environment than neo-liberal economies. I think those are the two main challenges. We have to find a way to do this transition progressively and democratically, and with a focus on the environment.
There seems to be an incredible openness right now in progressive movements in Quebec to working with people in the rest of the country. Why do you think that is?
GND: It's sad to say, but I think it’s because of Stephen Harper. By pushing an aggressive neo-liberal agenda on public services and environmental issues, there is a realization of the importance of what is happening in Ottawa. If all the energy we’ve seen in the last months can be redirected towards the Conservatives, it would lend a big hand to the social movements in the rest of Canada.
This new openness is also one of the consequences of the fact that the political debate in Quebec has become a lot more oriented towards left and right issues than the independence issue over the last number of years. But for this to work we need an understanding by the Canadian left of the national issue in Quebec. Come a referendum, other social movements in Canada will have to respect our right to self-determination. That does not mean they have to be in favor of sovereignty, only respect the fact that Quebecers have the right to make their own decisions on their future. If we agree on that I think we have a beautiful opportunity in front of us to build a truly national movement. Historically this was a problem. I hope it’s behind us.
Do you feel there's a new sense of urgency to go after capitalism?
GND: I think the ecological crisis is putting huge pressure on our generation. I feel this sense of urgency, and I think many young people do as well. For the first time in history, we have a future for our children that is worse than what we are currently living, in terms of social justice and environmental issues. So I think this sense of urgency is widespread. Now, the challenge is to share this urgency and educate the population. We have to be honest with ourselves. We need systemic change, but have to remember these changes won’t happen in a day. They will happen progressively. We have to begin to democratize and change the structure of our economy. I think that the majority of the population understands that there is something wrong with how things are being done. That there is not enough equality or social rights. Our objective is to take the initiative and say we are the ones who want to change things. This whole idea of “change” is now the slogan of the right wing. The PQ are a good example of that. We need to take back that slogan.
Do you think that building a stronger progressive media capacity is an important part of that popular education?
GND: Yes. It means having strategies for the mainstream media. Having spokespeople to talk to the mainstream media and population. It means concretely mobilizing in our campuses, our workplaces and our communities. It also means creating new platforms and new media infrastructures to begin to deliver an alternative message. We can’t only be in the mainstream or alternative media, we need a complementary strategy.
What were your major influences growing up?
GND: I was raised in a family of activists. My first political mentors were my parents. My father was in the labor movement for years. He was in charge of the environmental issues in one of the major labor unions of Quebec. I was also influenced a lot by activists in Quebec such as Michel Chartrand, Pierre Vadeboncoeur and Pierre Bourgault who were very charismatic activists working with workers and the people to gain rights. They were activists, but also writers and poets.
One of the things that inspired me most in those activists is that they were trying to reach a compromise between the social and national emancipation of Quebec. For me that’s a very big inspiration. I think we have to go back to that influence. Where national emancipation is not only based on a cultural and linguistic level, but also a social level. To present the national independence of Quebec like a political project. That’s what really inspires me in these activists. They were unbelievable speakers and writers, for me they are very big inspirations.
Thanks to Robin Sas for transcription of this interview.“I got mine [Facebook account] around sixth grade. And I was really obsessed with it for a while. Then towards eighth grade, I kind of just -- once you get into Twitter, if you make a Twitter and an Instagram, then you'll just kind of forget about Facebook, is what I did.”
- Female, age 14, from the Pew Research Center's 2013 Teens, Social Media and Privacy report
Click to enlarge
For the first time since the launch of Piper Jaffray's semi-annual report on the habits of American teens, Facebook lost its spot as the most important social network among teenagers.
Facebook's popularity among teen users has been on a steady slide, with many complaining that its size, privacy risks and tendency to incite drama has made it a "social burden." Just 23 percent of teens now deem Facebook the most important site, down from 42 percent from a year ago, according to Piper Jaffray's survey. Facebook is tied with Instagram -- a social network a third its age, with a tenth as many users -- as the second most important social media service among teens. Twitter came out as number one.
The survey, which polled 8,650 teens, looks bad for Facebook, but it's not all good news for Twitter: Its popularity among teens has actually dropped 4 percent since the spring. And while Facebook might be less likeable to teens, there's evidence they're still using it more than any other social network. A quarter of teen social media users are on Twitter, 94 percent have Facebook profiles and 11 percent have Instagram accounts, according to Pew's 2013 report. Also, remember, Facebook owns Instagram.
The real winners of the Piper Jaffray survey are a bit harder to tease out. Certainly Instagram can celebrate -- the percentage of teens who consider it the top social site has nearly doubled in a year. The big growth of the "other" category suggests services like Vine and Snapchat, not specifically mentioned by the survey, are also taking off. Facebook, once the dominant social networking service, is facing competition from more niche sites, which seem to have real cachet among younger users. Facebook's attempt to replicate its way to lasting dominance doesn't look to be paying off.
Mark Zuckerberg has repeatedly insisted Facebook doesn't have a teen problem. He assured investors in July that Facebook had signed up virtually the entire population of American teens, whom he noted were using the site as actively then as they had in the preceding year-and-a-half. Using and joining Facebook is one thing. Liking it, however, is another.Robert Lighthizer, then-nominee to serve as United States trade representative, meets with Sen. Charles E. Grassley, January 18, 2017. On August 16, Lighthizer met with his counterparts from Canada and Mexico to open talks on renegotiating NAFTA. (Photo: Wikipedia)
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The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) went into effect at midnight on January 1, 1994. That night, thousands of Indigenous Mayans rose up in arms in the southeastern Mexican state of Chiapas, seizing at least five towns and declaring NAFTA a “death certificate” for people like themselves. This was just the beginning of Mexico’s troubles in a year that brought countless protests, hotly disputed elections and the assassinations of two of the then-ruling party’s leaders. 1994 ended with a sudden devaluation of the peso, the start of an economic collapse from which the country didn’t recover fully for years.
NAFTA is back in the news this month: On August 16, US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer met with his counterparts from Canada and Mexico, the other two NAFTA nations, to open talks on renegotiating the pact.
While it’s true that NAFTA was just one of the many problems Mexico had in the 1990s, we have to wonder, given the renewed focus on the trade accord, why US mainstream media have carried so little discussion of the events that accompanied NAFTA’s rollout in Mexico. The reason may be a consensus among opinion makers about NAFTA and similar trade pacts.
It is an article of faith across party lines that these accords are beneficial to our trading partners in the Global South. On the right, we have President Trump, who told CBS during the campaign that “Mexico … is taking our jobs. I love the Mexican people. They’re great people. But the leadership is too smart for our country…. We’re being defrauded by all these countries.” On the other side, we have commentators who insist that NAFTA’s been good for the US economy but still go along with Trump’s claim that Mexicans benefit from it. Some even assert that these trade pacts are the only hope for the developing world.
NAFTA’s lifting of protective tariffs left Mexico’s family farms unable to compete against imports from US-subsidized agribusiness firms.
The numbers tell a different story. In 2009, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace issued a report on Mexico after 15 years of NAFTA. The researchers found some positive results — including trade growth and an 80 percent productivity increase in the manufacturing sector — but little improvement in areas such as economic growth, inequality and the disparity between Mexican and US wages. Interestingly, the worst news was about jobs. The export assembly plants known in Mexico as maquiladoras gained some 660,000 jobs, most of them probably manufacturing jobs outsourced from the United States and lost to workers here. But at the same time, NAFTA’s lifting of protective tariffs left Mexico’s family farms unable to compete against imports from US-subsidized agribusiness firms. The result was the disappearance of 2.3 million jobs in Mexico’s agricultural sector — a net loss of some 1.6 million jobs for Mexicans.
This helps explain a sharp increase in Mexican migration to the United States “from about 350,000 per year before NAFTA to nearly 500,000 per year by the early 2000s,” according to the report. Many of these immigrants are the unauthorized residents Trump is now deporting.
It’s true that NAFTA produced some winners. Mexican telecommunications mogul Carlos Slim moved into the top 10 on Forbes’ list of the world’s billionaires, Walmart became Mexico’s largest private employer, and US corporations like Archer Daniels Midland, Bartlett Grain and Cargill profited handsomely from our country’s agricultural exports to Mexico, worth $17.7 billion in 2016. NAFTA critics suggest that trade accords negotiated behind closed doors by business-oriented experts are bound to produce results like these and that future negotiations should be handled by the people left behind in previous pacts.
In fact, there have been several efforts to bring together civil society groups from Canada, Mexico and the United States to formulate demands for a more equitable accord. The DC-based nonprofit Global Trade Watch has been promoting the idea for years, and a meeting in Mexico City in May this year has set the project in motion. The agenda would include proposals to create or strengthen protections for labor organizing, for small-scale farming, for the environment, and for the rights of women and people of color — along with a more rational approach to migration than what we have now.
These grassroots efforts are important, although they aren’t likely to sway the policy makers in the short term. US negotiator Lighthizer talked tough on August 16, telling the press that “NAFTA has fundamentally failed many, many Americans and needs major improvement,” but a letter he sent Congress in May suggests that the Trump administration will actually go ahead with what is pretty much a modernized version of the old NAFTA, its flaws intact.
Still, at the very least, we can use the new attention on trade to start dispelling the fantasy that NAFTA was a giveaway to Mexico. This was never a conflict between the people of the NAFTA nations; the conflict was between the super-rich |
February the electric car company could get “close to the edge” as it burns cash ahead of its crucial Model 3 launch.
Slideshow (2 Images)
China’s Tencent Holdings Ltd (0700.HK) bought a 5 percent stake in Tesla last week for $1.78 billion, providing the company with a deep-pocketed ally as it prepares to launch its mass-market Model 3.
The midsize, high-volume Model 3 sedan is due to go on sale later this year in the United States.
Shares of Tesla closed up slightly at $278.30 on Friday on the Nasdaq and have soared more than 30 percent so far this year.A Belgian boy aged just 13 is believed to one of the youngest of the Islamic State’s foreign fighters waging jihad in Syria, an expert on radicalisation has said.
Younes Abaaoud, is reported to have travelled to Syria with his 27-year-old brother, Abdelhamid, earlier this year.
Shiraz Maher, senior fellow at King’s College London’s International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation and Political Violence, said the boy from Brussels was only 13 when he left to join the Islamist fighters in January.
Younes’s father, a shopkeeper called Omar and originally from Morocco, has said the boy was taken to Syria after Abdelhamid had been brainwashed in Belgium into joining the struggle. Reports from Belgium have said it is not clear if the boy is actually fighting, or living away from the front lines. A new picture of the boy shared on social media earlier this week shows him dressed in robes and posing with an assault rifle.
The picture was posted on Twitter by the boy’s father, Khaled Sharrouf, who spent time in jail for plotting attacks in Australia and last year fled to Syria with his family to join Islamist fighters.
The Belgian government has estimated up to 200 of its citizens have left the country to fight in Syria, meaning it contributes more jihadists per head to the conflict than any other European country.
The ranks of Islamic State fighters are believed to include at least 2,000 European recruits. The militants have been joined by so many foreigners who do not speak Arabic that some units have to employ translators to ensure orders are understood.
A documentary by Vice found one Islamic State unit in Syria that had to have interpreters who could speak Russian, English, French and Dutch.A few hours after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu went before the cameras to blast the interim nuclear deal reached with Iran, he received a phone call from U.S. President Barack Obama.
According the White House, Obama told Netanyahu that he wants Israel and the U.S. to begin consultations with regard to a permanent agreement with Iran.
"The two leaders reaffirmed their shared goal of preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon," the statement read. "The president noted that the P5+1 will use the months ahead to pursue a lasting, peaceful, and comprehensive solution that would resolve the international community’s concerns regarding Iran’s nuclear program.
"… the president told the prime minister that he wants the United States and Israel to begin consultations immediately regarding our efforts to negotiate a comprehensive solution," the statement continued. "The president underscored that the United States will remain firm in our commitment to Israel, which has good reason to be skeptical about Iran’s intentions."
Earlier, Netanyahu had delivered a short statement in Hebrew and English. He criticized the United States and the other powers taking part in the talks with Iran.
“Israel has a lot of friends and allies but when they are mistaken it is my duty and obligation to say so,” he said.
At Sunday’s weekly cabinet meeting Netanyahu asked the ministers to toe the line with regard to opposition to the agreement with Iran. After the meeting, the prime minister held marathon sessions with his advisers and senior ministers to assess the agreement and its implications. Senior American, British and French officials are expected to arrive in Israel this week to discuss the agreement with their Israeli counterparts. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is expected to come to Israel at the end of the week or the beginning of next week.
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The conversation between Netanyahu and Obama came after a day in which almost all the ministers harshly attacked the accord with Iran and the six world powers. Senior figures in Netanyahu’s bureau called an early morning press briefing to stress that this was a “bad agreement.”
Later, at the beginning of the cabinet meeting, the background briefings became an assault by Netanyahu on the pact in front of the cameras. “What was achieved last night in Geneva is not a historic agreement; it is a historic mistake,” he said. “Today the world has become a much more dangerous place,” Netanyahu maintained, saying Iran had received permission to continue enriching uranium, and that the sanctions had been diminished in exchange for Iran “taking only cosmetic steps.”
Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon also harshly criticized the Western powers over the agreement, calling it an “agreement of surrender” to the “Iranian smile offensive.” Ya’alon said that short-term considerations and lack of determination by the West allowed the Iranian regime to gain legitimacy to continue pursuing a military nuclear program, while its international isolation had been lifted and its economy was being strengthening.
The only senior Israeli officials who spoke in a different tone were President Shimon Peres, Justice Minister Tzipi Livni and Meretz chairwoman Zahava Gal-On. In veiled criticism of Netanyahu, Peres said the agreement was temporary and the deal could be “judged by results, not words.” Livni said the coming weeks should be devoted to “strengthening the strategic alliance with the United States.”The Senate voted Wednesday to approve an energy bill that contains provisions encouraging land conservation, renewable energy and improved efficiency. It also includes bad ideas that would harm the environment, particularly a provision that would encourage the burning of trees to generate electricity.
Lawmakers in the Senate struck a deal last week to advance the Energy Policy Modernization Act of 2015, which was introduced by Lisa Murkowski, Republican of Alaska, and Maria Cantwell, Democrat of Washington. The bill is a modest attempt at bipartisanship in a Congress that has seen very little of it. Both sides of the aisle put aside their most ambitious energy proposals in an effort to achieve small gains. That is not necessarily a bad thing, given how deeply divided the two parties are on energy and environmental policy.
The bill would permanently reauthorize the Land and Water Conservation Fund, an immensely valuable open-space program that uses oil and gas royalties to pay for projects that preserve undeveloped landscapes and historic and cultural sites. The program, which has protected millions of acres in its 51-year history, has never been fully funded and was even allowed to expire briefly in 2015. At least now its survival is assured.
The bill also includes measures to improve the electricity grid so it is capable of accommodating more renewable energy sources, like solar and wind. It seeks to improve the cybersecurity of the grid, an important measure given recent attempts by hackers to disrupt vital computer systems; sets new efficiency standards for federal buildings; and in other ways would reduce residential and commercial energy use.Christchurch. It and its citizens are now in the fifth month of aftershocks that jolt us from sleep (like at 2 this morning) or create a whole new kind of awkward workplace dilemma which I like to call "Sook or Professional?" wherein a business meeting is interrupted by seismic activity and everyone gets to see who gets rattled the most. I still think my suggestion to continue the meeting under the boardroom table had merit but sadly no one would second my motion. Sigh.
Anyway, as you can imagine, worried citizens have a tendency, as I mentioned yesterday, to take to the internet in search of answers but sometimes the answers or expressions of support they get, though well-meaning, are lacking in detail or need elaboration. Take this concerned comment from tweeter @thomaslucien yesterday "RIP Christchurch you were a dumb flat sh**hole filled with racists and now you've been repeatedly killed by earthquakes #eqnz". I was so touched by this message of support from Thomas that it's really got my creative juices going and so I've created the visual 'homage' that you see below.
As you'll see, Tom, I've captured the respectful tone of your comment by using Comic Sans as the font (it's a little know fact that this is the default font used by all the best funeral directors on orders of service because of its elegiac, sombre look). I've also tried to represent this with the black mourning border. This is out of respect for all the dead chimneys, which I'm sure is what your RIP refers to since pretty much no one has actually been killed. But all those bricks from once healthy chimneys just lying in piles...it breaks my heart, it really does, and it's nice to know that someone else cares too. Can't we let these chimneys rest in peace (or at least let them live again as BBQs)?
I admit, I kind of fudged the "flat sh**hole part" and have used a toilet to represent this. Do you have any idea how hard it is to find a picture of a flat hole? No, neither did I until I tried. REALLY frustrating. But anyway, hope you don't mind me using a bit of artistic licence. I know a poet like yourself won't mind.
I'm pretty happy, though, with my use of Hitler as a "visual metaphor" for "racists". Whoa. I just thought of something amazing. Do we know if Hitler might have been from Christchurch originally? I think that's totally possible. I tell you what, I'm going to do some research (Googling) on that and put together an article on what I dig up. Expect to see this in a future issue of Investigate magazine.
For a while I wasn't sure who to have represent the collective dumbness of Christchurch's citizens but then I had a brilliant thought (rare for me, because I'm from Christchurch) - Katie Price. She's pretty thick. True, she's not actually from here (or is she? That's another Investigate feature in the making, you mark my words) but I think she captures and is a suitable symbol of the stupidity that you were talking about. I'd vote for her if she ran for mayor.
And of course, if you or your chimney is going to be repeatedly killed (I thought you could only be killed once? Or wait, that's me being a Christchurch-thickie again, isn't it? Durrrr), who better to do it than Arnold Schwarzenegger? Well, two Arnold Schwarzeneggers, obviously. So thanks, Thomas. I think with your words and my "art" between us we've made the people of Christchurch feel HEAPS better. RIP chimneys.
But in all seriousness, it may seem to the rest of the country that we're all a bunch of whingers and that we should "get over it" or "toughen up" but this continued wobbling thing really is upsetting. Look, I reserve the right to get complainy about ANYTHING that interrupts my sleep. But the important thing is to have a sense of humour about it. When life gives you lemons or deliberately provocative and potentially hurtful tweets...take the motherloving piss out of them. This is the way forward.*
*This is me honing my political rhetoric. I will be running for mayor in the next local body elections as long as I can get Katie Price as my deputy. Or maybe Lisa Lewis if she's not to busy with her new boyfriend.
» Follow me on Facebook and Twitter.Massively Overpowered’s end-of-the-year 2017 awards continue today with our award for Most Anticipated MMORPG, which was awarded to Star Citizen last year for the third year in a row, though it was an incredibly close vote. (And yes, we recognize the irony of Star Citizen mopping up both negative and positive awards.) This year’s discussion on most anticipated was close too, but there’s more a sense of frustration since a lot of the games we’re picking from here year after year are the same – because they still aren’t out.
Don’t forget to cast your own vote in the just-for-fun reader poll at the very end!
The Massively OP staff pick for Most Anticipated MMORPG of 2018 and Beyond is…
CROWFALL
Andrew Ross (@dengarsw): Crowfall. Persistent “lobby” with instanced campaigns, non-standard crafting system, and pulling back on the race/class locking? Yes please! Runner up- Maguss! Surprise surprise, it’s an AR game. Readers keep saying good things despite the game being half a year late with its open beta. I know more AR fans probably want to see Harry Potter: Wizards Unite come out first, but Maguss seems more, well, MMO-like. POGO barely makes the “MMO” cut around here, and probably more thanks to Raph Koster’s comments than its game design, or at least in my opinion. Having an online mode paired with meatspace play helps!
Brendan Drain (@nyphur): Has to still be Star Citizen.
Brianna Royce (@nbrianna): Ug, I have so many. Camelot Unchained, of course, because RvR and crafting and no grinding and a great studio. Crowfall, which I backed, is totally back on my radar thanks to its huge overhauls this year that, well, make the game more an MMORPG than a glorified MOBA. Ascent: Infinite Realm and New World are the bigguns waiting in the wings, and I bet they start making these lists more consistently in 2018 and 2019. WoW Classic even has my attention; I’m not sure I’ll like it, but I can’t think why I wouldn’t at least give it a go for the nostalgia factor. Plus there’s Dual Universe and Project Gorgon and Sea of Thieves and all the superhero indies (Ship of Heroes will probably hit first?). I’d be pretty content if any of these took home the title.
Eliot Lefebvre (@Eliot_Lefebvre): Ascent: Infinite Realm. This game came out of nowhere, huh? But boy, steampunky airships with giant robots and such are my jam. So, yeah, I’m looking forward to this one, even knowing that I may wind up being disappointed by it when it finally finishes baking. Runners-up: Peria Chronicles and Crowfall.
Justin Olivetti (@Sypster): Ashes of Creation. There are concerns, chief among them has been the spotty dev updates over the years. But I am impressed with the vision of this title and what’s been presented so far. It’s a wide tent with a lot of room for different playstyles beneath it, so I hope that there will be room for me when it eventually does come out.
Larry Everett (@Shaddoe): I’m still looking to Crowfall. And most recently, the Star Wars Galaxies-like crafting really gives me high hopes for the game. I will not be able to actually jump into it until next year, but I am most looking forward to jumping into that over any other game that will release in the future.
MJ Guthrie (@MJ_Guthrie): I have two games that are tied for most anticipated: Rend and Dual Universe. Dual Universe looks like it could be what we hoped Landmark would be – a creative voxel sandbox experience that is all tied together in one world. And then it goes way beyond that! I mean, you can craft a ship out of voxels, put an engine in it, and blast off into space and fly to another planet. As for Rend, I am actually excited for a PvP game – that’s saying something. It looks beautiful, and it has exploration, building, pets… all without the FFA PvP that just brings out the worst in folks. Yes, I am very much looking forward to both of these games.
Tina Lauro Pollock (@purpletinabeans): I am thoroughly torn between Crowfall and WoW Classic and cannot pick a clear winner and runner up. I’ll be playing both! I am super duper excited for the crafting in Crowfall and I have my rose-tinted glasses on for Classic already.
Crowfall won our award for Most Anticipated MMORPG of 2018 and Beyond. What’s your pick? Do note that for this poll, you can choose up to three winners!
Reader poll: Which MMORPG is your most anticipated for 2018 and beyond? Crowfall (13%, 364 Votes)
Star Citizen (7%, 197 Votes)
WoW Classic (10%, 295 Votes)
Ashes of Creation (6%, 177 Votes)
Camelot Unchained (10%, 288 Votes)
Ascent Infinite Realm (2%, 53 Votes)
Dual Universe (7%, 207 Votes)
Rend (0%, 10 Votes)
Peria Chronicles (1%, 20 Votes)
Project Gorgon (2%, 70 Votes)
Maguss (0%, 2 Votes)
Sea of Thieves (1%, 43 Votes)
New World (1%, 23 Votes)
City of Titans (1%, 36 Votes)
Valiance Online (1%, 15 Votes)
Ship of Heroes (1%, 24 Votes)
Bless (2%, 52 Votes)
Shroud of the Avatar (13%, 387 Votes)
Worlds Adrift (0%, 5 Votes)
Pantheon (5%, 144 Votes)
Legends of Aria (1%, 29 Votes)
Lost ARK (1%, 40 Votes)
Project TL aka The Lineage aka Lineage Eternal (0%, 10 Votes)
Chronicles of Elyria (3%, 94 Votes)
Wild West Online (1%, 20 Votes)
Monster Hunter World (1%, 42 Votes)
Moonlight Blade (0%, 10 Votes)
Red Dead Redemption 2 (1%, 24 Votes)
Conan Exiles (0%, 10 Votes)
Ultima Online F2P (1%, 24 Votes)
Skull and Bones (0%, 1 Votes)
Dauntless (0%, 11 Votes)
Anthem (1%, 28 Votes)
Soulworker Online (0%, 5 Votes)
The Crew 2 (0%, 10 Votes)
Cryptic's unnamed MTG MMORPG (1%, 19 Votes)
Darkfall New Dawn (1%, 30 Votes)
Ever, Jane (0%, 9 Votes)
Nothing (2%, 50 Votes)
Something else (tell us in the comments) (1%, 19 Votes) Total Voters: 2,237
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MOP’S 2017 AWARDS (SO FAR)
Poll options include all games nominated plus other games we thought would be worthy.In order to have a good chance of meeting the limits set by the Paris Agreement, it will be necessary to both reduce greenhouse gas emissions while preserving carbon sinks, with net emissions peaking in the next ten years, according to a new study.
Carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere can be reduce in two ways—by cutting our emissions, or by removing it from the atmosphere, for example through plants, the ocean, and soil.
The historic Paris Agreement set a target of limiting future global average temperature increase to well below 2°C and pursue efforts to even further limit the average increase to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. Yet the timing and details of these efforts were left to individual countries.
In a new study, published in the journal Nature Communications, researchers from the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) used a global model of the carbon system that accounts for carbon release and uptake through both natural and anthropogenic activities.
“The study shows that the combined energy and land-use system should deliver zero net anthropogenic emissions well before 2040 in order to assure the attainability of a 1.5°C target by 2100,” says IIASA Ecosystems Services and Management Program Director Michael Obersteiner, a study coauthor.
According to the study, fossil fuel consumption would likely need to be reduced to less than 25% of the global energy supply by 2100, compared to 95% today. At the same time, land use change, such as deforestation, must be decreased. This would lead to a 42% decrease in cumulative emissions by the end of the century compared to a business as usual scenario.
“This study gives a broad accounting of the carbon dioxide in our atmosphere, where it comes from and where it goes. We take into account not just emissions from fossil fuels, but also agriculture, land use, food production, bioenergy, and carbon uptake by natural ecosystems,” explains World Bank consultant Brian Walsh, who led the study while working as an IIASA researcher.
Atmospheric carbon concentration [ppm] in the various scenarios, shown with CDIAC data and RCP projections © Walsh et al, 2017
The compares four different scenarios for future energy development, with a range of mixtures of renewable and fossil energy. In a “high-renewable” scenario where wind, solar, and bioenergy increase by around 5% a year, net emissions could peak by 2022, the study shows. Yet without substantial negative emissions technologies, that pathway would still lead to a global average temperature rise of 2.5°C, missing the Paris Agreement target.
Walsh notes that the high-renewable energy scenario is ambitious, but not impossible—global production of renewable energy grew 2.6% between 2013 and 2014, according to the IEA. In contrast, the study finds that continued reliance on fossil fuels (with growth rates of renewables between 2% and 3% per year), would cause carbon emissions to peak only at the end of the century, causing an estimated 3.5°C global temperature rise by 2100.
The authors note that not only the mix of energy matters, but also the overall amount of energy consumed. The study also included ranges for high energy consumption and low energy consumption.
The study adds to a large body of IIASA research on climate mitigation policy and the chances of achieving targets.
“Earlier work on mitigation strategies by IIASA has shown the importance of demand-side measures, including efficiency, conservation, and behavioral change. Success in these areas may explain the difference between reaching 1.5C instead of 2C,” says IIASA Energy Program Director Keywan Riahi, who also contributed to the new work.
Reference
Walsh B ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1689-2309, Ciais P, Janssens IA, Penuelas J, Riahi K ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7193-3498, Rydzak F, van Vuuren DP, & Obersteiner M ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6981-2769 Pathways for balancing CO2 emissions and sinks. Nature Communications 8: e14856. DOI:10.1038/ncomms14856.
A new model The study is one of the first published results from the newly developed FeliX model, a system dynamics model of social, economic, and environmental earth systems and their interdependencies. The model is freely available for download and use at http://www.felixmodel.com/.
“Compared to other climate and integrated assessment models, the FeliX model is less detailed, but it provides a unique systemic view of the whole carbon cycle, which is vital to our understanding of future climate change and energy,” says IIASA Ecosystem Services and Management Program Director Michael Obersteiner.
This study received support from the European Research Council Synergy grant ERC-2013-SyG-610028The book was written with the assistance of his wife, to whom Mr. Friedman never wavered in giving full credit as a collaborator. Ms. Friedman’s early economics research on consumer spending data found its way into her husband’s early book “A Theory of the Consumption Function.”
They wrote other books together, including “Free to Choose” (1980), an explication of free-market theory for a general audience, which was published in conjunction with a 10-part series on the Public Broadcasting Service; “The Tyranny of the Status Quo,” an argument for amending the Constitution to constrain the scope of government (1982); and “Two Lucky People” (1998), a dual memoir, which discusses their remarkable partnership.
“Econ-nerds through and through,” David Brooks called the couple, reviewing the book in The New York Times Book Review and citing Mr. Friedman’s wistful remark, “I can recall many a pleasant summer evening discussing consumption data and theory in front of a blazing fire.”
Photo
They were known for being both romantically and intellectually suited to each other, often appearing in public holding hands, and though often debating — Ms. Friedman was known as the less compromising of the two — rarely, if ever bickering. In an interview with The Wall Street Journal in 2006, only a few months before her husband died, Ms. Friedman said the 2003 invasion of Iraq created the first major argument of their life together. She was in favor; he was not.
“We have disagreed on little things, obviously — such as, I don’t want to go out to dinner, he wants to go out — but big issues, this is the first one,” she said.
Ms. Friedman’s contribution to the couple’s work was “not so much in technical economic writing, but on the policy side,” said Gary Becker, a Nobel laureate and professor of economics at the University of Chicago, who was a student of Mr. Friedman’s and a longtime friend of the couple. “It was an extremely close intellectual fellowship, and she was not someone who got credit for things she didn’t do. They discussed ideas constantly. Her feelings about the importance of private markets, opposition to big government, were even stronger than his. Her lasting influence will be as a collaborator, but she was a major contributor to the collaboration, and that’s a significant legacy.”
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She was born in a village in what is now Ukraine, probably in the month of December, either in 1911, as she recalled in “Two Lucky People,” or 1910, as her family said in the statement released this week.
When she was 2, just before the onset of World War I, her family joined many other Jews in leaving Russia for the United States. They settled in Portland, Ore., where her father was a peddler and later owned a small general store. She spent two years at Reed College in Portland before transferring to the University of Chicago, where she earned a bachelor’s degree, later completing all the required work for a Ph.D. except a dissertation.
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Ms. Friedman is survived by a daughter, Janet; a son, David; four grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.
“I was smart enough to know that he was smarter,” Ms. Friedman said about her husband in a 1999 interview with The American Enterprise.
Asked if she ever felt overshadowed, she responded: “No, I’ve always felt that I’m responsible for at least half of what he’s gotten.”
She added: “Every time he had to go somewhere to change his job, I gave up my job. I didn’t feel that I was giving up anything. It seemed to me that that was the way it should be. He was the main income-bringer. It was his profession that was important. So I never felt neglected; I feel that I have much of the responsibility for his success.”A surplus of young men in the USA are overlooking the positive points regarding getting hitched. They say that it entails a lack of autonomy and getting tied up with another person for life.
What they tend to overlook in their haste is the fact that marriage also leads to the husbands earning heftier salaries and having wonderful and stable personal relations with their wives. Also physically and psychologically, married men tend to do better than single males.
If we are to believe the reality of the situation, such groups as the “Men Going Their Own Way” movement tend to glorify the benefits of being unattached to anyone. Yet marriage is very necessary for being.
There is some magic there as even such a rich and independent person like Bill Gates has said after tying the knot with his now-wife Melinda Gates.
There is more to the truth about marriage than meets the eye. Also a society can only survive if its married couples have strong bonds and raise well-adjusted children who grow up to become decent law-abiding citizens.
According to a 2014 survey, the number of men in America who are single is at a record high. They comprise 20% of the total population. They form the majority of the young male demographic group.
However, a new research brief published by the Institute for Family Studies, points out that there are actually several benefits to getting married. There are the higher wages which lead to a more affluent lifestyle.
Married men earn approximately $16,000 more than their single counterparts. While some may praise single sex, actually married people enjoy the act more with their wives.
Marital stability and a constant pleasure bond that also elicits love, warmth and understanding is to be prized instead of a series of one night stands that are all the same in the end.
Finally, married men tend to live longer than those who are in a single state. They are happier on the whole and have more peace of mind. The good news is that marriage is not only good for men but also for women.
The family as a basic unit of society is the norm. It is also the one place on earth where you find people who are genuinely concerned about you.Since Stieg Larsson’s The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played With Fire, and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest became a publishing phenomenon in 2009, a few other books have borrowed their titles.
2010:
The Girl Who Could Fly, by Victoria Forester
The Girl Who Ate Kalamazoo, by Darrin Doyle
The Girl Who Fell From the Sky, by Heidi W. Durrow
The Girl With Glass Feet, by Ali Shaw
The Girl With No Hands, by Angela Slatter
The Girl Who Chased the Moon, by Sarah Addison Allen
The Girl Who Played With Men, by Paulina Mielech
The Girl Who Hated Books, by Manjusha Pawagi and Leanne Franson
The Girl Who Believed in Fairies, by Linda Corby
The Girl With Pink Glasses, by Sonja Smolec
The Girl Who Read to Birds, by Michael Titus and Julie L. Miller
2011:
The Girl With Red Hair, edited by Thomas E. Kennedy and Walter Cummins
The Girl Who Became a Beatle, by Greg Taylor
The Girl Who Couldn’t Come, by Joey Comeau
The Girl Who Would Speak for the Dead, by Paul Elwork
The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making, by Catherynne M. Valente
The Girl Who Disappeared Twice, by Andrea Kane
The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, by Yasutaka Tsutsui
The Girl With the Sturgeon Tattoo: A Parody, by Lars Arffssen
The Girl With the Donkey Tattoo, by Lyndon Killer
The Girl With Three Legs: A Memoir, by Soraya Miré
The Girl Who Learns to Fly, by Carline Pierre
The Girl Who Never Made Mistakes, by Mark Pett and Gary Rubinstein
The Girl With Seven First Names, by Jaymes Logan
The Girl With Brown Fur, by Stacey Levine
The Girl With the Swing, by G. Guilford Barton
The Girl With a Lotus in Her Hair, by Hea Gin Lee Burton
2012:
The Girl Who Lived on the Moon, by Frank Delaney
The Girl Who Couldn’t Smile, by Shane Dunphy
The Girl Who Could Silence the Wind, by Meg Medina
The Girl Who Dreamed of Ships, by Beverly Scofield
The Girl Who Wears Gumamela Flower, by Heidy Ramos
The Girl Who Loves Horses, by Diana Vincent
The Girl Who Fished With a Worm, by Harry Groome
The Girl Who Fell From the Sky, by Simon Mawer
The Girl With the Dove Tattoo, by Brian D. McLaren
The Girl With Hair Like the Sun, by Claire Mix and Aaron Miller
The Girl With the Killer Heels, by Freddy Hansen
The Girl With Borrowed Wings, by Rinsai Rossetti
The Girl Who Would Be King, by Kelly Thompson
The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led the Revels There, by Catherynne M. Valente
The Girl Who Swam to Atlantis, by Elle Thornton
The Girl Who Fell to Earth, by Sophia Al-Maria
The Girl Who Gave Her Wish Away, by Sharon Babineau
The Girl With the Golden Hair, by Greg Scarlett
The Girl Who Was Blue, by Sally O. Lee
2013:
The Girl With Chipmunk Hands, by Binks and Ruby Begonia
The Girl Who Cried Wolf, by Robert Ferrigno
The Girl With the Yellow Dress, by Giancarlo Gabbrielli
The Girl With a Brave Heart, by Rita Jahanforuz and Vali Mintzi
The Girl With No Name: The Incredible Story of a Child Raised by Monkeys, by Marina Chapman with Vanessa James and Lynne Barrett-Lee
The Girl Who Blamed the World, by Cindy Mackey and Shirley Chiang
The Girl Who Married an Eagle, by Tamar Myers
The Girl With the Iron Touch, by Kady Cross
The Girl With the Golden Parasol, by Uday Prakash and Jason Grunebaum
The Girl Who Cried “Wolf!,” by Nancy Jensen with Nathan Swink
The Girl Who Can’t Say No: Bound to the Billionaire, by Ashley Spector
The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die, by April Henry
The Girl Who Stole My Holocaust: A Memoir, by Noam Chayut
The Girl Who Loved Camellias: The Life and Legend of Marie Duplessis, by Julie Kavanagh
The Girl Who Got Out of Bed, by Betsy Childs
The Girl Who Wrote Erotica, by Angela Jordan
The Girl With the Funny Buttons, by Roberto Di Falco and Silvia Hoefnagels
The Girl With the Caterpillar Eyebrows, by Lisa Ditchkoff
The Girl Who Bit Back, by E. Earle
The Girl With the Sandwich Tattoo, by Dragon Stiegsson
The Girl Who Wouldn’t Brush Her Hair, by Kate Bernheimer and Jake Parker
The Girl Who Heard Colors, by Marie Harris and Vanessa Brantley Newton
The Girl With the Cinnamon Twist, by Stephen Dennis
The Girl Who Grew a Galaxy, by Cherie Dimaline
The Girl Who Sang to the Buffalo: A Child, an Elder, and the Light From an Ancient Sky, by Kent Nerburn
The Girl Who Soared Over Fairyland and Cut the Moon in Two, by Catherynne M. Valente
The Girl With the Werewolf Tattoo, by Alexia Wells
The Girl With the Electric Sunglasses, by G. Dawe
The Girl Who Danced in a Blood Soaked Dress, by Craig Campbell
The Girl With Nine Lives, by E. Earle
The Girl Who Was Loved, by Annabelle Peep
The Girl With the Thistle Tattoo, by Patricia Green
The Girl Who Thought Too Much, by Rosa Edwards
The Girl With the Pink Bandanna, by Roberto Di Falco and Silvia Hoefnagels
The Girl Who Never Came Back, by Amy Cross
The Girl With the Curves, by Iris Deorre
2014:
The Girl With the Scar, by William Stadler
The Girl Who Could See, by Kari Morris
The Girl With a Clock for a Heart, by Peter Swanson
The Girl Who Came Home: A Novel of the Titanic, by Hazel Gaynor
The Girl Who Saved the King of Sweden, by Jonas Jonasson
The Girl With the Windup Heart, by Kady Cross
The Girl Who Never Was, by Skylar Dorset
The Girl With All the Gifts, by M. R. Carey
The Girl Who Was Saturday Night, by Heather O’Neill
*This article originally appeared in the February 3, 2014 issue of New York Magazine.The choice the government would like you to take away from this Fall Economic Statement is as follows: between the Liberals, who plan to put billions more into help for needy children and the working poor, and the Conservatives, who remain obsessed with balancing the budget even as deficits come in under forecast and the debt-to-GDP ratio declines.
Put like that, the Liberals can’t lose. The boost in the Canada Child Benefit and the Working Income Tax Benefit are among the very best expenditures a government could make, from any number of perspectives — because they are aimed at the poorest among us, because they help to promote workforce participation and because in the former case the money simply covers the cost of indexing for inflation, which is no more than to maintain the real value of the benefit at the level Parliament voted for in the first place.
As for the deficit, while it is true the numbers are higher than the $10 billion (tops!) the Liberals promised in the last election — even if they are less than projected in the last budget — they are, by most of the usual yardsticks, trivial. It is difficult to get worked up about deficits averaging less than $17 billion on an economy averaging roughly $2.3 trillion, even if it means the Liberals have also broken their promise to balance the budget after four years. It’s bad behaviour, certainly, but it will not ruin us.
It is the notion that there must inevitably be a choice between the two — that we can either put more money into alleviating poverty or balance the budget — that is the sleight of hand in the Liberal scenario. The fiscal statement may commit to spending another $2 billion or so annually on the CCB and WITB, but there is plenty of other spending in the federal government’s $305-billion annual budget that could be cut, or at |
also grabbed the headlines during round one, with both teams making great strides from last season. What does the second round hold?
Pools | WSWS Brazil 7s
Pool A Pool B Pool C New Zealand Australia Canada France Fiji England United States Brazil Russia Spain China South Africa
Broadcast | WSWS Brazil 7s
All matches will be broadcast on the Women’s Sevens World Series; note there will be some geolocking….
Hashtag | WSWS Brazil 7s
We’ll be using #Brazil7s.
Results | WSWS Brazil 7s
We will be updating our Twitter and Facebook and each event page (below) with full results and updates.
Schedule (LOCAL TIME) | WSWS Brazil 7s
Date Local Time Home Score Away Score Event 2/7/2015 11:00:00 Fiji 33 China 7 Pool 2/7/2015 11:22:00 Australia 40 Brazil 0 Pool 2/7/2015 11:44:00 France 28 Spain 7 Pool 2/7/2015 12:06:00 New Zealand 35 USA 12 Pool 2/7/2015 12:28:00 England 31 South Africa 5 Pool 2/7/2015 12:50:00 Canada 20 Russia 7 Pool 2/7/2015 13:44:00 Australia 38 China 7 Pool 2/7/2015 14:06:00 Fiji 14 Brazil 26 Pool 2/7/2015 14:28:00 New Zealand 36 Spain 7 Pool 2/7/2015 14:50:00 France 14 USA 12 Pool 2/7/2015 15:12:00 Canada 26 South Africa 5 Pool 2/7/2015 15:34:00 England 17 Russia 17 Pool 2/7/2015 16:28:00 Australia 38 Fiji 7 Pool 2/7/2015 16:50:00 Brazil 24 China 14 Pool 2/7/2015 17:12:00 New Zealand 54 France 0 Pool 2/7/2015 17:34:00 USA 26 Spain 7 Pool 2/7/2015 17:56:00 Canada 24 England 17 Pool 2/7/2015 18:18:00 Russia 40 South Africa 0 Pool 2/8/2015 11:00:00 New Zealand 28 USA 17 QF Cup 2/8/2015 11:22:00 Brazil 0 France 31 QF Cup 2/8/2015 11:44:00 Canada 22 Russia 10 QF Cup 2/8/2015 12:06:00 Australia 29 England 10 QF Cup 2/8/2015 12:28:00 Fiji 23 South Africa 22 SF Bowl 2/8/2015 12:50:00 China 19 Spain 7 SF Bowl 2/8/2015 14:06:00 USA 19 Brazil 0 SF Plate 2/8/2015 14:28:00 Russia 12 England 22 SF Plate 2/8/2015 14:50:00 New Zealand 12 France 5 Cup SF 2/8/2015 15:12:00 Canada 7 Australia 12 Cup SF 2/8/2015 15:34:00 South Africa 17 China 31 11th Place 2/8/2015 16:36:00 Fiji 17 Spain 12 Bowl Final 2/8/2015 17:06:00 Brazil 5 Russia 12 7th Place 2/8/2015 17:28:00 USA 5 England 14 Plate Final 2/8/2015 17:58:00 France 0 Canada 19 3rd Place 2/8/2015 18:20:00 New Zealand 17 Australia 10 Cup Final
First round: Dubai, United Arab Emirates – December 4-5, 2014
Second round: São Paulo, Brazil – February 7-8, 2015
Third round: Atlanta, Georgia, USA – March 14-15, 2015
Fourth round: Langford, British Columbia, Canada – April 18-19, 2015
Fifth round: London, UK – May 15-16 2015
Sixth round: Amsterdam, Netherlands – May 22-23 2015I WANT TO ATTEND THE FEST! Come and join us at the Taste of Lincoln Chicago for another year of great fun, food, activities, and entertainment. Read more about attending
I WANT TO ATTEND THE SPECIALTY TASTINGS! New in 2018 : Chocolate Tasting at Taste of Lincoln Avenue, Taste of Lincoln Wine Tasting and Whiskies On Lincoln!
Join WNA for 3 separate ticketed tasting events within the festival. Read more about the 3 tasting events
I WANT TO VOLUNTEER! It is our volunteers that make the event a success year after year, and we truly appreciate your time and effort! Read more about volunteering
I WANT TO BE INVOLVED! The Taste of Lincoln Avenue features many talented performers as well as excellent food, retail and craft vendors. Want to be a part of the festival? Read more about being a vendor or performer
WRIGHTWOOD NEIGHBORS ASSOCIATION The Taste of Lincoln Avenue is Wrightwood’s annual fundraiser. The Taste began in 1984, as a way to help fund the WNA organization, and to provide financial support for our local schools and organizations through grants. Read more about the history of TOLAYou know how people sometimes say that jazz is the only truly American art form? Animated GIFs are like the jazz of the internet: they could only exist, and be created and appreciated, online. That said, PopTart Cat is not exactly on par with Thelonious Monk. But photographer Jamie Beck and motion graphics artist Kevin Burg may have finally found a way to elevate the animated GIF to a level approaching fine art, with their “cinemagraphs” — elegant, subtly animated creations that are “something more than a photo but less than a video.” Here’s one of my favorites:
The pair was inspired to create these cinemagraphs while preparing to cover Fashion Week this past February: “We wanted to tell more of a story than a single still frame photograph but didn’t want the high maintenance aspect of a video,” they told Co.Design via email. Primarily, Beck shoots the photos and Burg applies the motion-graphics magic in what they describe as “a highly collaborative process” that can take several hours of manual editing in order to breathe the whisper of life into each image.
So why did Beck and Burg choose the GIF format, rather than something more flexible like Flash? After all, it doesn’t take more than a couple of these gorgeous pics to slow most browsers to a crawl. “The format has interesting capabilities as well as some severe limitations which are very influential in the visual style of our images,” say the pair. “GIF is very basic, highly linkable through outlets such as Tumblr, and integrated into the web. Flash certainly has more capabilities but since our images are at their heart a traditional photograph, a format like.gif makes the most sense.”
This one shows Beck herself
Fair enough — just make sure you enjoy Beck and Burg’s creations one at at time, at relatively small sizes (their Tumblr does a good job of keeping the spinning beachballs to a minimum).
[See more cinemagraphs at From Me To You and Coco Rocha]JERUSALEM – The Jewish Temples never existed and Israel has been working to “invent” a Jewish historical connection to Jerusalem, the chief Palestinian negotiator asserted.
Ahmed Qurei, the Palestinian Authority official leading all peace talks with the Jewish state, made the controversial statements in a small media briefing Wednesday attended by WND as well as by a Palestinian media outlet and an Arab affairs correspondent for a major Israeli newspaper.
But the Israeli publication decided not to print Qurei’s comments, while the Palestinian publication, the Al-Ayam daily newspaper, made news of the remarks.
Qurei said “Israeli occupation authorities are trying to find a so-called Jewish historical connection” between Jerusalem and the Temple Mount, “but all these attempts will fail. The [Temple Mount] is 100 percent Muslim.”
“The world must be mobilized against all these Israeli attempts to change the symbols and signs of Jerusalem,” he said. “There is nothing Jewish about the Al Aqsa Mosque. There was no so-called Jewish Temple. It’s imaginary. Jerusalem is 100 percent Muslim.”
Continued Qurei: “The Arab world is called to interfere to stop the Israeli plans in Jerusalem, to stop the Israeli attempts to create a Jewish character to Jerusalem and the Al Aqsa mosque. Also to the Old City, which is the first step in the war to defend Jerusalem and Al Aqsa.
“They are competing against time in order to create facts on ground in the surrounding the imaginary Temple,” Qurei added.
The chief Palestinian negotiator was reacting to the reopening last month of a long-closed synagogue just 100 meters from the Temple Mount. The holy structure, located in what is now known as the Muslim Quarter, was abandoned in 1938 in the wake of extreme Arab violence targeting Jews. At the time, thousands of Jews lived in the Quarter. The synagogue is closer than any other Jewish house of prayer to the Temple Mount.
Qurei, who is considered moderate by U.S. and Israeli policy, has been leading talks with Israel initiated at last November’s U.S.-sponsored Annapolis Summit, which seeks to create a Palestinian state, at least on paper, before President Bush leaves office. Israel is widely expected to offer the Palestinians near complete control of the West Bank and significant control of undisclosed parts of eastern Jerusalem.
Holiest site
The Temple Mount is the holiest site in Judaism. The First Jewish Temple was built there by King Solomon in the 10th century B.C. It was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 B.C. The Second Temple was rebuilt in 515 B.C. after Jerusalem was freed from Babylonian captivity. That temple was destroyed by the Roman Empire in A.D. 70. Each temple stood for a period of over four centuries.
The Jewish Temple was the center of religious Jewish worship. It housed the Holy of Holies, which contained the Ark of the Covenant and was said to be the area upon which God’s shechina or “presence” dwelt. All Jewish holidays centered on worship at the Temple. The Jewish Temple served as the primary location for the offering of sacrifices and was the main gathering place for the Jewish people.
According to the Talmud, the world was created from the foundation stone of the Temple Mount. The site is believed to be the biblical Mount Moriah, the location where Abraham fulfilled God’s test to see if he would be willing to sacrifice his son Isaac.
Jewish tradition holds Mashiach, or the Jewish Messiah, will return and rebuild the third and final Temple on the Mount in Jerusalem.
The Kotel, or Western Wall, is the one part of the Temple Mount that survived the destruction of the Second Temple by the Romans and stands today in Jerusalem.
Throughout all notorious Jewish exiles, thorough documentation shows the Jews never gave up their hope of returning to Jerusalem and re-establishing their Temple. To this day, Jews worldwide pray facing the Western Wall, while Muslims turn their backs away from the Temple Mount and pray toward Mecca.
The Al Aqsa Mosque was constructed around A.D. 709 to serve as a shrine near another shrine, the Dome of the Rock, which was built by an Islamic caliph.
About 100 years ago, the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem became associated with the place Muslims came to believe Muhammad ascended to heaven. Jerusalem, however, is not mentioned in the Quran.
Islamic tradition states Muhammad took a journey in a single night from “a sacred mosque” – believed to be in Mecca in southern Saudi Arabia – to “the farthest mosque,” and from a rock there ascended to heaven to receive revelations from Allah that became part of the Quran.
Palestinians today claim exclusivity over the Temple Mount, and Palestinian leaders routinely deny Jewish historic connection to the site, but historically, Muslims did not claim the Al Aqsa Mosque as their third holiest site and admitted the Jewish Temples existed.
According to research by Israeli author Shmuel Berkovits, Islam previously disregarded Jerusalem. He points out in his book “How Dreadful Is this Place!” that Muhammad was said to loathe Jerusalem and what it stood for. Berkovits wrote that Muhammad made a point of eliminating pagan sites of worship and sanctifying only one place – the Kaaba in Mecca – to signify the unity of God.
As late as the 14th century, Islamic scholar Taqi al-Din Ibn Taymiyya, whose writings influenced the Wahhabi movement in Arabia, ruled that sacred Islamic sites are to be found only in the Arabian Peninsula and that “in Jerusalem, there is not a place one calls sacred, and the same holds true for the tombs of Hebron.”
It wasn’t until the late 19th century – incidentally when Jews started immigrating to Palestine – that some Muslim scholars began claiming Muhammad tied his horse to the Western Wall and associated Muhammad’s purported night journey with the Temple Mount. A guide to the Temple Mount by the Supreme Muslim Council in Jerusalem published in 1925 listed the Mount as the site of Solomon’s Temple. The Temple Institute acquired a copy of the official 1925 “Guide Book to Al-Haram Al-Sharif,” which states on page 4, “Its identity with the site of Solomon’s Temple is beyond dispute. This, too, is the spot, according to universal belief, on which ‘David built there an altar unto the Lord.'”
To interview Aaron Klein, contact M. Sliwa Public Relations by e-mail, or call 973-272-2861 or 212-202-4453.Riders prepping for Sunday's UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup Koksijde got a bit of a surprise when they showed up to recon the course on Wednesday, according to Sporza. Already known as a challenging circuit with a healthy dose of sand, Koksijde has apparently added a steep sandy climb not far past the start line. Related Articles Koksijde Cyclo-Cross World Cup cancelled due to storms
Riders react to Koksijde Cyclo-Cross World Cup cancellation
The challenging new stretch will require some running. The change is drawing comparisons to the famously sandy course of Superprestige Zonhoven.
"Checking out the new uphill running section in the sand: a bit of #SPZonhoven brought to #WBKoksijde!" Tweeted the Marlux-NapoleonGames team.
Klaas Vantornout, capable on-foot, seemed pleased. "Koksijde recon: new running section uphill from the start!" he said on Twitter. "Looking forward!"
Dieter Vanthourenhout was less enthusiastic. "I miss the old course," he Tweeted. "Once again changed. This tends to try to resemble Zonhoven more."
Mathieu van der Poel, winner of the most recent event on the World Cup calendar at Valkenburg last month, was one of the big names absent from the course recon Wednesday. The 21-year-old is currently training in Spain, but plans to make the start this weekend.Our Lady of Fátima (Portuguese: Nossa Senhora de Fátima, formally known as Our Lady of the Holy Rosary of Fátima, European Portuguese: [ˈnɔsɐ sɨˈɲoɾɐ dɨ ˈfatimɐ] Brazilian Portuguese: [ˈnɔsɐ siˈɲɔɾɐ dʒi ˈfatʃimɐ]), is a Catholic title of the Blessed Virgin Mary based on the famed Marian apparitions reported in 1917 by three shepherd children at the Cova da Iria, in Fátima, Portugal. The three children were Lúcia dos Santos and her cousins Francisco and Jacinta Marto.
Bishop José Alves Correia da Silva declared the events worthy of belief on 13 October 1930.[1] On 13 May 1946, Pope Pius XII granted a canonical coronation to the venerated image enshrined at the Chapel of the Apparitions of Fátima via his apostolic legate, Cardinal Benedetto Aloisi Masella. On 11 November 1954, the same Pontiff raised the Sanctuary of Fátima to the status of Minor Basilica by his Papal brief Lucer Superna.
The published memoirs of Lúcia dos Santos in the 1930s revealed two secrets that she claimed came from the Virgin while the third secret was to be revealed by the Catholic Church in 1960. The controversial events at Fátima gained fame due partly to elements of the secrets, prophecy and eschatological revelations allegedly related to the Second World War and possibly more global wars in the future, particularly the Virgin's alleged request for the Consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
History [ edit ]
Prelude [ edit ]
In the spring and summer of 1916, nine-year-old Lúcia dos Santos and her cousins Francisco and Jacinta Marto were herding sheep at the Cova da Iria near their home village of Aljustrel in the parish of Fátima, Portugal. They later said they were visited three times by an apparition of an angel. They said the angel, who identified himself as the "Angel of Peace" and "Guardian Angel of Portugal", taught them prayers, to make sacrifices, and to spend time in adoration of the Lord.[2]
Marian apparitions [ edit ]
Beginning in the spring of 1917, the children reported apparitions of an Angel, and starting in May 1917, apparitions of the Virgin Mary, whom the children described as "the Lady more brilliant than the Sun". The children reported a prophecy that prayer would lead to an end to the Great War, and that on 13 October that year the Lady would reveal her identity and perform a miracle "so that all may believe."[3] Newspapers reported the prophecies, and many pilgrims began visiting the area. The children's accounts were deeply controversial, drawing intense criticism from both local secular and religious authorities. A provincial administrator briefly took the children into custody, believing the prophecies were politically motivated in opposition to the officially secular First Portuguese Republic established in 1910.[4] The events of 13 October became known as the Miracle of the Sun.
On 13 May 1917, the children reported seeing a woman "brighter than the sun, shedding rays of light clearer and stronger than a crystal goblet filled with the most sparkling water and pierced by the burning rays of the sun."[5] The woman wore a white mantle edged with gold and held a rosary in her hand. She asked them to devote themselves to the Holy Trinity and to pray "the Rosary every day, to bring peace to the world and an end to the war".[5] While the children had never told anyone about seeing the angel, Jacinta told her family about seeing the brightly lit woman. Lúcia had earlier said that the three should keep this experience private. Jacinta's disbelieving mother told neighbors about it as a joke, and within a day the whole village knew of the children's vision.[6]
The children said the woman told them to return to the Cova da Iria on 13 June 1917. Lúcia's mother sought counsel from the parish priest, Father Ferreira, who suggested she allow them to go. He asked to have Lúcia brought to him afterward so that he could question her. The second appearance occurred on 13 June, the feast of Saint Anthony, patron of the local parish church. On this occasion the lady revealed that Francisco and Jacinta would be taken to Heaven soon, but Lúcia would live longer in order to spread her message and devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.[5][7]
During the June visit, the children said the lady told them to say the Holy Rosary daily in honor of Our Lady of the Rosary to obtain peace and the end of the Great War. (Three weeks earlier, on 21 April, the first contingent of Portuguese soldiers had embarked for the front lines of the war.) The lady also purportedly revealed to the children a vision of hell, and entrusted a secret to them, described as "good for some and bad for others".[7] Fr. Ferreira later stated that Lúcia recounted that the lady told her, "I want you to come back on the thirteenth and to learn to read in order to understand what I want of you....I don't want more."[8]
In the following months, thousands of people flocked to Fátima and nearby Aljustrel, drawn by reports of visions and miracles. On 13 August 1917, the provincial administrator Artur Santos[9] (no relation to Lúcia dos Santos) intervened, as he believed that these events were politically disruptive in the conservative country. He took the children into custody, jailing them before they could reach the Cova da Iria. Santos interrogated and threatened the children to get them to divulge the contents of the secrets. Lúcia's mother hoped the officials could persuade the children to end the affair and admit that they had lied.[7] Lúcia told Santos everything short of the secrets, and offered to ask the woman for permission to tell the official the secrets.[10]
That month, instead of the usual apparition in the Cova da Iria on 13 August, the children reported that they saw the Virgin Mary on 19 August, a Sunday, at nearby Valinhos. She asked them again to pray the rosary daily, spoke about the miracle coming in October, and asked them "to pray a lot, a lot for the sinners and sacrifice a lot, as many souls perish in hell because nobody is praying or making sacrifices for them."[6]
The three children claimed to have seen the Blessed Virgin Mary in a total of six apparitions between 13 May and 13 October 1917. 2017 marked the 100th anniversary of the apparitions.[11]
Miracle of the Sun [ edit ]
Ilustração Portuguesa, 29 October 1917, showing the people looking at the Sun during the Fátima apparitions attributed to the Virgin Mary Page from29 October 1917, showing the people looking at the Sun during the Fátima apparitions attributed to the Virgin Mary
After some newspapers reported that the Virgin Mary had promised a miracle for the last of her apparitions on 13 October, a huge crowd, possibly between 30,000 and 100,000,[12][13] including reporters and photographers, gathered at Cova da Iria. What happened then became known as the "Miracle of the Sun".
Various claims have been made as to what actually happened during the event. The three children who originally claimed to have seen Our Lady of Fátima reported seeing a panorama of visions during the event, including those of Jesus, Our Lady of Sorrows, Our Lady of Mount Carmel, and of Saint Joseph blessing the people.[14] Father John De Marchi, an Italian Catholic priest and researcher wrote several books on the subject, which included descriptions by witnesses who believed they had seen a miracle created by Mary, Mother of God.[10] According to accounts, after a period of rain, the dark clouds broke and the Sun appeared as an opaque, spinning disc in the sky. It was said to be significantly duller than normal, and to cast multicolored lights across the landscape, the people, and the surrounding clouds. The Sun was then reported to have careened towards the earth before zig-zagging back to its normal position.[7] Witnesses reported that their previously wet clothes became "suddenly and completely dry, as well as the wet and muddy ground that had been previously soaked because of the rain that had been falling".[15]
Not all witnesses reported seeing the Sun "dance". Some people only saw the radiant colors, and others, including some believers, saw nothing at all.[16][17][18][19] The only known picture of the Sun taken during the event does not show anything unusual.[20] No unusual phenomenon of the Sun was observed by scientists at the time.[6] A number of theologians, scientists, and skeptics have offered alternative explanations that include psychological suggestibility of the witnesses, temporary retinal distortion caused by staring at the intense light of the Sun, and optical effects caused by natural meteorological phenomena.[21]
Later years of the children [ edit ]
Francisco and Jacinta Marto died in the international flu pandemic that began in 1918 and swept the world. Francisco Marto died at home on 4 April 1919, at the age of ten. Jacinta died at the age of nine in hospital on 20 February 1920. They are buried at the Sanctuary of Fátima. They were beatified by Pope John Paul II on 13 May 2000 and canonized by Pope Francis on 13 May 2017.[22] Their mother Olímpia Marto said that her children predicted their deaths many times to her and to curious pilgrims in the brief period of time after the Marian apparitions.[23]
At the age of fourteen, Lúcia was sent to the school of the Sisters of St. Dorothy (Dorothean) in Vilar, a suburb of Porto, Portugal. In 1928 she became a postulant at the convent of the Sisters of St. Dorothy in Tui, Spain, near the border with Portugal. Lúcia continued to report private visions periodically throughout her life. She reported seeing the Virgin Mary again in 1925 in the convent. This time she said she was asked to convey the message of the First Saturdays Devotion. She said that a subsequent vision of Christ as a child reiterated this request. In 1929, Lúcia reported that Mary returned and repeated her request for the Consecration of Russia to her Immaculate Heart. She also reported an apparition in Rianxo, Galicia, in 1931, in which she said that Jesus visited her, taught her two prayers, and delivered a message to give to the church's hierarchy.
In 1936 and again in 1941, Sister Lúcia said that the Virgin Mary had predicted the deaths of her two friends during the second apparition on 13 June 1917. According to Lúcia's 1941 account, on 13 June, Lúcia asked the Virgin if the three children would go to heaven when they died. She said that she heard Mary reply, "Yes, I shall take Francisco and Jacinta soon, but you will remain a little longer, since Jesus wishes you to make me known and loved on Earth. He wishes also for you to establish devotion in the world to my Immaculate Heart."[24]
In 1947, Sister Lúcia left the Dorothean order. She joined the Discalced Carmelite Order in a monastery in Coimbra, Portugal. Lúcia died on 13 February 2005, at the age of 97.
Pilgrimage [ edit ]
Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary.
The widely reported miracle of the Sun contributed to Fátima quickly becoming a major centre of pilgrimage. Two million pilgrims visited the site in the decade following the events of 1917.[25] A small chapel – the Capelinha – was built by local people on the site of the apparitions. The construction was neither encouraged nor hindered by the Catholic Church authorities.
On 13 May 1920, pilgrims defied government troops to install a statue of the Virgin Mary in the chapel.[26] The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass was first officially celebrated there in January 1924. A hostel for the sick was begun in that year. In 1927 the first rector of the sanctuary was appointed, and a set of Stations of the Cross were erected on the mountain road. The foundation stone for the present basilica was laid the next year.[27]
In 1930 the Catholic Church officially recognised the apparition events as "worthy of belief" and granted a papal indulgence to pilgrims visiting Fátima. In 1935 the bodies of the child visionaries, Francisco and Jacinta, were reinterred in the basilica. Pope Pius XII granted a Canonical Coronation of the statue of Our Lady of Fátima on 13 May 1946. This event drew such large crowds that the entrance to the site had to be barred.[28]
In the 21st century, pilgrimage to the site takes place year round. Additional chapels, hospitals and other facilities have been constructed at the site. The principal pilgrimage festivals take place on the thirteenth day of each month, from May to October, on the anniversaries of the original apparitions. The largest crowds gather on 13 May and 13 October, when up to a million pilgrims have attended to pray and witness processions of the statue of Our Lady of Fátima, both during the day and by the light of tens of thousands of candles at night.[26]
Official position of the Catholic Church [ edit ]
The reported visions at Fátima gathered widespread attention, as numerous pilgrims began to visit the site. After a canonical inquiry, the Bishop of Leiria-Fátima officially declared the visions of Fátima as "worthy of belief" in October 1930, officially permitting the belief of Our Lady of Fátima.[29]
Political aspects [ edit ]
At the time of the apparitions, Portugal was undergoing tensions between the secularizing Republican government and more conservative elements in society. The First Republic had begun with the revolution of 1910 overthrowing the constitutional monarch. It was intensely anticlerical and provoked a strong conservative reaction, ultimately leading to the military coup of 1926. Later in Spain during the 1920s and 1930s, as the forces of the Republic gathered strength, armies of the faithful carried the Virgin Mary against groups they said were godless.[30]
During the Spanish Second Republic, apparitions of the Virgin Mary were seen on Spanish soil at Ezquioga. Ramona Olazabal said that Mary had marked the palms of her hands with a sword. Seers gained much credence in Integrist and Carlist circles. The visions at Ezquioga were widely covered in the press, as were sixteen other visitations of the Virgin reported in 1931 in Spain. Conservative elements in the Spanish Church actively encouraged the Fátima devotion as a way of countering the perceived threat of atheistic Communism. In Portugal and its former colony of Brazil, conservative groups were sometimes associated with the cult of Fátima. When Germany invaded Russia in 1941, some Catholics interpreted this in terms of the Fátima apparitions, and believed that the Virgin's prophecy was about to be fulfilled.
The original apparitions took place during the six months preceding the Bolshevik revolution in Russia, and supposedly the Lady talked to the children about the need to pray for Russia. Lucia admitted later that the children initially thought she was requesting prayers for a girl named Russia. In the first edition of Sister Lúcia's memoirs, published after the outbreak of WW II, she focused on the issue of Russia. The warning by the Lady that "if Russia was not consecrated, it would spread its errors throughout the world" was often seized upon as an anti-communist rallying cry.
The Blue Army of Our Lady of Fátima, for instance, has always been strongly anti-Communist and its members often associated the Fátima story in the context of the Cold War.[31] The Blue Army is made up of Catholics who believe that by dedicating themselves to daily prayer (specifically, of the Rosary), they can help to achieve world peace and put an end to the error of communism. Organizations such as the Blue Army have gained the approval of the Catholic Church.
Memoirs of Sister Lúcia [ edit ]
A statue of the Immaculate Heart of Mary holding a rosary in accordance to the alleged Marian apparition
The Fátima story developed in two parts: that which was reported in 1917, and information later mentioned in Sister Lúcia's memoirs which she wrote years later, after the Church ruled that the events in Fátima were "worthy of belief." Her memoir was not subject to the same scrutiny.[32] The early messages focused on the need to pray the rosary for peace and an end to World War I.
The supernatural events in Fátima were not widely known outside Portugal and Spain until Lúcia published her memoirs, starting in the late 1930s. Between 1935 and 1993, she wrote six memoirs. The first four, written between 1935 and 1941 during World War II, are now published under the title Fatima in Lucia's Own Words. The fifth and six memoirs, written in 1989 and 1993, are published as Fatima in Lucia's Own Words II.
In the mid-1930s the Bishop of Leiria encouraged Lúcia (at that time named Sister Maria Lúcia das Dores) to write her memoirs, so that she might reveal further details of the 1917 apparitions. In her first memoir, published in 1935, focused on the holiness of Jacinta Marto. The deceased girl was by then popularly considered a saint.[32] In her second memoir, published in 1937, Lucia wrote more about her own life, the apparition of 13 June 1917, and first reveals the earlier apparitions of the Angel of Peace.[32]
Three Secrets of Fátima [ edit ]
In her third memoir of 1941, Sister Lúcia described three secrets. She said these had been entrusted to the children during the apparition of 13 July 1917.
First secret [ edit ]
This was a vision of hell, which Lúcia said they experienced on 13 July 1917.[33]
Second secret [ edit ]
This was a recommendation for devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary as a way to save souls and bring peace to the world. It predicted an end to the Great War, but predicted a worse one if people did not cease offending God. This second war would be presaged by a night illuminated by an unknown light, as a "great sign" that the time of chastisement was near. To avert this, Mary would return to ask for the consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart, and the establishment of the First Saturdays Devotion. If her requests were heeded, Russia would be converted, and there would be peace; if not, Russia would spread her errors[34] throughout the world, causing wars and persecutions of the Church. It ended with a promise that in the end, "the Immaculate Heart would triumph. The Holy Father would consecrate Russia to Mary, and a period of peace would be granted to the world."[35]
On 25 January 1938 (during solar cycle 17), bright lights, an aurora borealis appeared over the northern hemisphere, including in places as far south as North Africa, Bermuda and California.[36] It was the widest occurrence of the aurora since 1709 and people in Paris and elsewhere believed a great fire was burning and notified fire departments.[37][38] Sister Lúcia indicated that it was the sign foretold and so apprised her superior and the bishop in letters the following day.[36] Just over a month later, Hitler seized Austria and eight months later invaded Czechoslovakia.[36][39]
Consecration of Russia [ edit ]
Statue of Pope Pius XII in Fátima, Portugal. "Just as a few years ago We consecrated the entire human race to the Immaculate Heart of the Virgin Mary, Mother of God, so today We consecrate and in a most special manner We entrust all the peoples of Russia to this Immaculate Heart..."
According to Sister Lúcia, the Virgin Mary promised that the Consecration of Russia would lead to Russia's conversion and an era of peace.[6] At the time the supposed request for the consecration of Russia was made, however, the Bolsheviks had not yet taken control of Russia.
Pope Pius XII, in his Apostolic Letter Sacro Vergente of 7 July 1952, consecrated Russia to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Pius XII wrote,
Just as a few years ago We consecrated the entire human race to the Immaculate Heart of the Virgin Mary, Mother of God, so today We consecrate and in a most special manner We entrust all the peoples of Russia to this Immaculate Heart...[40]
In 1952 the Pope said to the Russian people and the Stalinist regime that the Virgin Mary was always victorious. "The gates of hell will never prevail, where she offers her protection. She is the good mother, the mother of all, and it has never been heard, that those who seek her protection, will not receive it. With this certainty, the Pope dedicates all people of Russia to the immaculate heart of the Virgin. She will help! Error and atheism will be overcome with her assistance and divine grace."[41]
Popes Pius XII and John Paul II both had a special relationship with Our Lady of Fátima. Pope Benedict XV began Pacelli's church career, elevating him to archbishop in the Sistine Chapel on 13 May 1917, the date of the first reported apparition. Pius XII was laid to rest in the crypt of Saint Peter's Basilica on 13 October 1958, the Feast of Our Lady of Fátima.
Pope John Paul II again consecrated the entire world to the Virgin Mary in 1984, without explicitly mentioning Russia. Some believe that Sister Lúcia verified that this ceremony fulfilled the requests of the Virgin Mary.[42] However, in the Blue Army's Spanish magazine, Sol de Fátima, in the September 1985 issue, Sister Lúcia said that the ceremony did not fulfill the Virgin Mary's request, as there was no specific mention of Russia and "many bishops attached no importance to it." In 2001, Archbishop Tarcisio Bertone met with Sister Lúcia, who reportedly told him, "I have already said that the consecration desired by Our Lady was made in 1984, and has been accepted in Heaven."[43] Sister Lúcia died on 13 February 200 |
alog/DV speech. You might need to listen to it a few times, it’s hard to understand first time around. I can only get a few words in analog or DV. It’s right at the lower limit of intelligibility, which is common in HF radio.
Take a look at the spectrogram of the off air signal. You can see the parallel digital carriers, the diagonal stripes is the frequency selective fading. In the analog segments every now and again some low frequency energy pops up above the noise (speech is dominated by low frequency energy).
This sample had a significant amount of frequency selective fading, which occasionally drops the whole signal down into the noise. The DV mutes in the middle of the 2nd digital section as the signal drops out completely.
There was no speech compressor on SSB. I am using the “analog” feature of FreeDV, which allows me to use the same microphone and quickly swap between SSB and DV to ensure the HF channel is roughly the same. I used my laptops built in microphone, and haven’t tweaked the SSB or DV audio with filtering or level adjustment.
I did confirm the PEP power is about the same in both modes using my oscilloscope with a simple “loop” antenna formed by clipping the probe ground wire to the tip. It picked up a few volts of RF easily from the nearby antenna. The DV output audio level is a bit quiet for some reason, have to look into that.
I’m quite happy with these results. In a low SNR, barely usable SSB channel, the new coherent PSK modem is hanging on really well and we could get a message through on DV (e.g. phonetics, a signal report). When the modem locks it’s noise free, a big plus over SSB. All with open source software. Wow!
My experience is consistent with this FreeDV 700 report from Kurt KE7KUS over a 40m NVIS path.
Next step is to work on the DV speech quality to make it easy to use conversationally. I’d say the DV speech quality is currently readability 3 or 4/5. I’ll try a better microphone, filtering of the input speech, and see what can be done with the 700 bit/s Codec.
One option is a new mode where we use the 1300 bit/s codec (as used in FreeDV 1600) with the new, cohpsk modem. The 1300 bit/s codec sounds much better but would require about 3dB more SNR (half an s-point) with this modem. The problem is bandwidth. One reason the new modem works so well is that I use all of the SSB bandwidth. I actually send the 7 x 75 symbol/s carriers twice, to get 14 carriers total. These are then re-combined in the demodulator. This “diversity” approach makes a big difference in the performance on frequency selective fading channels. We don’t have room for that sort of diversity with a codec running much faster.
So time to put the thinking hat back on. I’d also like to try some nastier fading channels, like 20m around the world, or 40m NVIS. However I’m very pleased with this result. I feel the modem is “there”, however a little more work required on the Codec. We’re making progress!PLAIN-LANGUAGE SUMMARY Section: Choose Top of page Abstract PLAIN-LANGUAGE SUMMARY << METHODS RESULTS DISCUSSION REFERENCES CITING ARTICLES
As the population ages, the financial exploitation of older adults is a growing issue that is associated with major consequences, such as shortened survival, hospitalization, and poor physical and mental health. Although previous prevalence research on elder financial exploitation has mostly focused on financial abuse that occurs in families and other types of trust relationships, little is known about financial fraud and scams perpetrated by strangers. This study sought to estimate a valid prevalence of elder financial fraud and scams using a meta-analysis strategy that pooled data from several existing studies. To enhance the generalizability of prevalence estimation, the meta-analysis only included large-scale studies that drew on state- or national-level random samples of older adults. Results indicate that 5.4% (approximately 1 of every 18) of cognitively intact older adults living in the community are victims of financial fraud or scams each year in the United States. Thus, elder financial fraud and scams is a common problem, affecting millions of older adults annually, which requires further attention from researchers, clinicians, and policymakers. Prevalence information from this study can be used as a rationale for further research and prevention efforts.
The issue of elder mistreatment has gained increasing attention by clinicians, policymakers, and researchers as a major issue affecting a rapidly aging population. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently recognized and defined elder mistreatment as a serious public health problem requiring formal surveillance.1 The 2015 decennial White House Conference on Aging designated elder mistreatment as one of 4 top-priority issues affecting older adults.2 As a derivative of elder mistreatment, the financial exploitation of older adults is associated with increased risks of mortality and hospitalization, poor physical and mental health, and diminished quality of life.3–5 Age-associated vulnerability to financial exploitation is rooted in exposure to neurological, cognitive, functional, and psychosocial risks and is conceptualized as a potential clinical syndrome for screening.6
As a broad typology, the issue of elder financial exploitation can be divided into 2 major categories: elder financial abuse and elder financial fraud and scams (EFFS). Conceptually, these 2 major categories are distinguished by the presence or absence of the expectation of trust in the victim–perpetrator relationship (conceptual framework in Appendix A, available as a supplement to this article at http://www.ajph.org). Specifically, elder financial abuse occurs when an older adult’s resources are improperly or illegally used by a person in a relationship involving an expectation of trust, such as a family member, friend, home care aid, or someone else who is entrusted to protect the older adult’s interests or care.1 EFFS, on the other hand, is characterized by acts perpetrated by a stranger or someone else outside of a conventional or legally defined trust relationship. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently defined EFFS as “Deception carried out for the purpose of achieving personal gain while causing injury to another party. An intentional distortion of truth initiated to convince another to part with something of value or to surrender a legal right.”1(p35) To date, our knowledge about the prevalence of elder financial exploitation is mostly limited to the category of elder financial abuse. Little is known about the other major category, EFFS.
Although it is unclear whether older adults experience higher rates of fraud–scam victimization than other age groups, older adults represent a distinct demographic group differentiated by a unique set of age-associated fraud–scam vulnerabilities. The decision-making process necessary to actively avoid and resist fraud–scam activities requires complex, higher-order cognitive functions that decline disproportionately among older adults. For example, mild cognitive impairment is associated with poor financial decision-making,7 reduced financial literacy,8 and greater susceptibility to scams.9 Even among older adults without mild cognitive impairment or dementia, age-related changes in cognition are associated with poor decision-making and greater susceptibility to scams.10 Older adults are more likely to have financial resources than are their younger counterparts, and this, in combination with the higher prevalence of cognitive, functional, and health impairments, renders them uniquely susceptible to fraud and scams.6 Indeed, older adults are disproportionately targeted by fraud–scam attempts11 and encounter fraud–scam schemes that are specifically designed to exploit age-associated vulnerabilities.12
Given the unique set of age-associated fraud–scam vulnerabilities and tailored fraud–scam schemes affecting older adults, this subpopulation requires specialized research attention to inform targeted prevention strategies. Such specialization is now recognized by major government policymaking,13 law enforcement,14 and consumer protection15 entities.
Information on EFFS prevalence is needed as a foundation for research and to mobilize and inform efforts designed to prevent, respond to, and identify causes of EFFS. This information is currently fragmented across many disciplines and, in several cases, biased by information from unrepresentative convenience samples, complainant databases, or third-party reports.16 Prevalence estimates are wide-ranging, and the field does not have an accurate sense of the scope of the EFFS problem.17 Seeking to address this gap, we provide the first systematic review on the topic of EFFS and generate the most valid and reliable estimate of EFFS prevalence in the United States based on a meta-analysis of population-based studies.Fatemeh Kamkar, the Iranian woman who battled both cancer and bureaucratic red tape while earning her PhD in cellular and molecular medicine at the University of Ottawa, has died.
The doctorate she earned last summer, said friend and former colleague Sarah Hewitt, was “the biggest testimony of her infinite resilience and determination.
“To earn your PhD, you have so much to do, and it’s so hard, and you don’t think you’re going to get through it, but you do. But I couldn’t imagine doing the PhD on top of battling cancer, and on top of fighting to stay in Canada. There were so many battles for her to get her PhD, and she was still able to do it.”
Kamkar died on July 26, eight months after learning that the breast cancer she thought she had beaten three years earlier had metastasized to her brain. Her death also came one day before a research paper she had co-authored on stem cells had been accepted for publication.
She was 42.
She had time for everyone, says Hewitt. “She was very thoughtful, and you felt very special because of the attention she gave you. You’d think, ‘How can she give so much to so many people?’ But she was able to.”
“She was full of energy and really happy,” adds the youngest of Kamkar’s two sisters, Lily. “She really wanted to stay alive, to travel and see more of the world.
“She really wanted to have a daughter. My sister has a daughter and I have a son, and she really, really loved my niece a lot; she was like a daughter to her. When she was going through chemotherapy, she was worried that she might not be able, later on, to have kids.”
Lily adds that even after becoming bedridden in January, Kamkar had remained positive, optimistic that, as she had done in the past, she would weather this latest setback.
“Even when she could hardly move, she would talk about how it was important to her to get better and have a job and do something for society.
“She was happy and positive, and did a great job fighting this disease. Sometimes I think that I cannot do it the way that she did. She was always saying, ‘I will get better.’”
Kamkar’s health and residency issues first came to light in Postmedia in December 2011. She had arrived in Canada six years earlier, in 2005, from Iran, with hopes of following in her younger sister Maryam’s footsteps and becoming a medical researcher.
She had applied for a permanent resident visa at around the same time Maryam came to Canada in 2003, and had passed a criminal-background check in 2006 and her immigration department medical exam in 2007.
But her file had still not been processed by late 2009, when immigration officials, citing the two years that had passed since her last medical, asked her to undergo another. Only weeks earlier, Kamkar had been diagnosed with cancer in her left breast, a condition she freely admitted at her second examination.
“It was so early and so small,” says sister Maryam, “that they never would have known if she hadn’t brought it up.”
Ten months later, Kamkar was told that her condition might prevent her from being allowed to stay in Canada after her studies were complete. In April 2010, an immigration officer confirmed this in a letter: “You are a person whose health condition, breast cancer, might reasonably be expected to cause excessive demand on health services. As a result, you are inadmissible to Canada on health grounds.
“Thank you,” the letter continued, “for the interest you have shown in Canada.”
An ensuing attempt to appeal the decision through the Federal Court of Canada failed when she was denied a hearing, despite her willingness to sign an agreement that would have made her responsible for any health-care costs arising from her breast cancer.
Two weeks after her plight was made public, then-citizenship and immigration minister Jason Kenney intervened, offering her a temporary work permit. The permit would have enabled her to re-apply for a permanent visa in three years’ time, but there was a catch: To qualify, she would still have to have cancer in three years.
Convinced she would beat her disease, Kamkar declined the permit. “It is hard for me to wish myself sickness,” she said. In the meantime, she paid her medical costs, and her tuition, herself.
She began treatment in December, and in October 2012, her doctor told her it had succeeded. The tumour in her breast had disappeared, leaving her just her thesis to complete and her immigration woes to solve. Elated by the progress of her health, she wrote to Postmedia: “If things did not work for my immigration, the kind support from many people brought hope to my heart, and today I am healthy again.”
In 2013, Kamkar was forced to reconsider her rejection of a temporary work permit. She’d extended her international student visa so she could complete her studies, but was told she wouldn’t be able to further extend it. The only way she could stay in Canada was to accept the temporary permit, which would allow her to remain until the end of August 2016, when she could re-apply for a visa.
“She lived her life to the fullest,” says Maryam, “but this immigration issue held her back. It put so much stress on her. I wouldn’t wish what she went through on anyone else.”
Her cancer-free diagnosis was short-lived, and likely inaccurate. Lily believes the tests that determined the tumour had disappeared failed to look beyond its initial site. “It had probably already metastasized, and they didn’t get it in time,” she says. “They didn’t scan her entire body, unfortunately.”
About a year after her cancer-free prognosis, X-rays of a pathological bone fracture she’d suffered in her arm confirmed that her breast cancer cells had metastasized. Three years of chemotherapy followed, and last November, cancer was discovered in her brain.
“She was complaining about back pain,” recalls Maryam, “and was told that everybody complains about back pain. They’d scanned everywhere but her head, and that’s one of the first spots that breast cancer travels to. Lymph nodes, bone and brain. It didn’t take me long to figure out that it had gone to the brain when we saw the symptoms. It was a textbook case.”
Despite being told the condition was inoperable, Lily says her sister remained optimistic.
“She tried to stay very active, working on this paper that she wanted to see published. She tried to be positive, always saying she would get better and then she would go on trips, to see all over the world, and see her aunt and uncle back in Iran. She really missed them.”
“I’m sure she’s in a better place,” adds Maryam, “but I hate this to happen to any other person. She could have focused on her health, but this immigration thing was always a burden. Always, always. It was like a nightmare.”
Hewitt, meanwhile, has created a GoFundMe page to help offset the substantial medical and funeral expenses incurred by Kamkar. Donations can be made at https://www.gofundme.com/2gu96f9s. If more than the goal of $10,000 is reached, Hewitt says, the remainder will be used to fund a scholarship at the University of Ottawa for an international student.
[email protected] at the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) in Bangalore are preparing for a series of actions as the (MOM) will reach a crucial stage on September 24. According to a top official, it will be known on this day whether the mission was successful.
K Radhakrishnan, chairman, Isro, looked calm and confident. "If we get nervous or tense, we tend to make mistake. Besides, we are confident that this mission will succeed. If there is any contingency, then we have a Plan B."
The real challenge is to restart the engine, which is in idle state for around 300 days, says Radhakrishnan. After performing Trans-Martian Insertion Burn on November 30, 2013, the engine has been kept idle. This is the longest interval for an engine, which is usually employed on geostationary satellites. According to Radhakrishnan, in Chandrayaan-I, the engine was remained idle only for two weeks.
The chief said of the 51 missions to Mars globally so far, eight or nine had faced issues at the insertion stage.
"We also have a Plan-B, which is using the small eight 22 N thrusters for attitude control or orientation, which will not give you this original target. It will be salvaging of the mission," he said.
If the engine will not be able to achieve its target during this test, scientists will have enough time to plan and use the eight smaller thrusters to inject 'Mangalyaan' into the Mars orbit, which, however, might not be the intended 372 km x 80,000 km orbit.
Reaching the orbit has been one of the biggest technological challenges for advanced space powers, and India would become the first country to achieve this in the first attempt and also the first Asian country to attain technological capability if it succeeds on September 24.
Interestingly, the cost this mission is around $70 million (about Rs 426 crore), which is not even one-third of other missions and even less than the production cost of the movie, Gravity, which was around $100 million (about Rs 608 crore).
Events to follow
September 24: At 6.57 am, Final phase of operation will start. Reorientation of the spacecraft should commence and it has to stabilise.
At 7.15 am: Liquid engine firing would start and in the nominal operation that should be for about 24 seconds. Then once the desired velocity is achieved, the computer will give the command to cut the firing based on the accelerometer, which is onboard the spacecraft.
Signal will take 12.5 minutes to reach here. That means will know only after 12.5 minutes what is happening at the space.
At 8.15 am, Isro could confirm whether the operation is successful.
Later on the day: Colour camera will also be operated on the same date.Internet security researchers have found what they believe is the biggest list of email addresses and passwords used to deliver spam and malware to victims around the world.
A record 711 million emails and passwords — including many leaked in known breaches such as the one that hit LinkedIn in 2012 — have been found on a "spambot" server in the Netherlands.
"Just for a sense of scale, that's almost one address for every single man, woman and child in all of Europe," wrote internet security blogger Troy Hunt in a post today, flagging the incident.
However, he noted "the number of real humans in the data is going to be somewhat less" because many of the email addresses appear to be automatically generated and some of them aren't in the proper format for an email address.
The list was found on a spambot server nicknamed Onliner with an IP address in the Netherlands by Benkow, a self-described French "malware hunter" and blogger, Hunt reported.
"Benkow and I have been in touch with a trusted source there who's communicating with law enforcement in an attempt to get it shut down ASAP," he added.
Spreads banking malware
Benkow said in a blog post that the spambot has been used since 2016 to spread banking malware called Ursnif. It's designed to steal personal information and information about a user's computer and send it to the spambot's owner.
Benkow told ZDNet that Onliner has generated more than 100,000 malware infections around the world.
Hunt has uploaded the list to his website "Have I been pwned?", which allows users to check if their email addresses have been compromised by looking for them on lists released in known data breaches.
Hunt said his own email address appeared on the Onliner list twice, along with a number of email addresses confirmed to have come from a 2012 LinkedIn breach that resulted in 100 million passwords being stolen. The list also includes all 593 million email addresses and passwords that appeared in a massive list released in 2016 called "Exploit.In."
Hunt added, "This should give you an appreciation of how our data is redistributed over and over again once it's out there in the public domain."/* Uncomment next line for versions <= 3.3 */ /* ALTER TABLE domains ADD CONSTRAINT c_lowercase_name CHECK (((name)::TEXT = LOWER((name)::TEXT))); */ ALTER TABLE records ADD disabled BOOL DEFAULT 'f'; ALTER TABLE records ALTER COLUMN content TYPE VARCHAR(65535); ALTER TABLE records ADD ordername VARCHAR(255); ALTER TABLE records ADD auth BOOL DEFAULT 't'; ALTER TABLE records ALTER COLUMN type TYPE VARCHAR(10); ALTER TABLE supermasters ALTER COLUMN ip TYPE INET USING ip::INET; ALTER TABLE supermasters ALTER COLUMN account SET DEFAULT NOT NULL; ALTER TABLE supermasters ADD CONSTRAINT supermasters_pkey PRIMARY KEY (ip, nameserver); CREATE INDEX recordorder ON records (domain_id, ordername text_pattern_ops); CREATE TABLE domainmetadata ( id SERIAL PRIMARY KEY, domain_id INT REFERENCES domains(id) ON DELETE CASCADE, kind VARCHAR(32), content TEXT ); CREATE INDEX domainidmetaindex ON domainmetadata(domain_id); CREATE TABLE cryptokeys ( id SERIAL PRIMARY KEY, domain_id INT REFERENCES domains(id) ON DELETE CASCADE, flags INT NOT NULL, active BOOL, content TEXT ); CREATE INDEX domainidindex ON cryptokeys(domain_id); CREATE TABLE tsigkeys ( id SERIAL PRIMARY KEY, name VARCHAR(255), algorithm VARCHAR(50), secret VARCHAR(255), constraint c_lowercase_name CHECK (((name)::TEXT = LOWER((name)::TEXT))) ); CREATE UNIQUE INDEX namealgoindex ON tsigkeys(name, algorithm); CREATE TABLE comments ( id SERIAL PRIMARY KEY, domain_id INT NOT NULL, name VARCHAR(255) NOT NULL, type VARCHAR(10) NOT NULL, modified_at INT NOT NULL, account VARCHAR(40) DEFAULT NULL, comment VARCHAR(65535) NOT NULL, CONSTRAINT domain_exists FOREIGN KEY(domain_id) REFERENCES domains(id) ON DELETE CASCADE, CONSTRAINT c_lowercase_name CHECK (((name)::TEXT = LOWER((name)::TEXT))) ); CREATE INDEX comments_domain_id_idx ON comments (domain_id); CREATE INDEX comments_name_type_idx ON comments (name, type); CREATE INDEX comments_order_idx ON comments (domain_id, modified_at); For gpgsql backend with dnssec schema: /* Uncomment next 2 lines for versions <= 3.3 */ /* ALTER TABLE domains ADD CONSTRAINT c_lowercase_name CHECK (((name)::TEXT = LOWER((name)::TEXT))); */ /* ALTER TABLE tsigkeys ADD CONSTRAINT c_lowercase_name CHECK (((name)::TEXT = LOWER((name)::TEXT))); */ ALTER TABLE records ADD disabled BOOL DEFAULT 'f'; ALTER TABLE records ALTER COLUMN content TYPE VARCHAR(65535); ALTER TABLE records ALTER COLUMN auth SET DEFAULT 't'; ALTER TABLE records ALTER COLUMN type TYPE VARCHAR(10); ALTER TABLE supermasters ALTER COLUMN ip TYPE INET USING ip::INET; ALTER TABLE supermasters ALTER COLUMN account SET DEFAULT NOT NULL; ALTER TABLE supermasters ADD CONSTRAINT supermasters_pkey PRIMARY KEY (ip, nameserver); ALTER TABLE domainmetadata ALTER COLUMN kind TYPE VARCHAR(32); ALTER TABLE tsigkeys ALTER COLUMN algorithm TYPE VARCHAR(50); CREATE INDEX recordorder ON records (domain_id, ordername text_pattern_ops); DROP INDEX IF EXISTS orderindex; CREATE TABLE comments ( id SERIAL PRIMARY KEY, domain_id INT NOT NULL, name VARCHAR(255) NOT NULL, type VARCHAR(10) NOT NULL, modified_at INT NOT NULL, account VARCHAR(40) DEFAULT NULL, comment VARCHAR(65535) NOT NULL, CONSTRAINT domain_exists FOREIGN KEY(domain_id) REFERENCES domains(id) ON DELETE CASCADE, CONSTRAINT c_lowercase_name CHECK (((name)::TEXT = LOWER((name)::TEXT))) ); CREATE INDEX comments_domain_id_idx ON comments (domain_id); CREATE INDEX comments_name_type_idx ON comments (name, type); CREATE INDEX comments_order_idx ON comments (domain_id, modified_at); For gsqlite3 backend with nodnssec schema: ALTER TABLE records ADD disabled BOOL DEFAULT 0; ALTER TABLE records ADD ordername VARCHAR(255); ALTER TABLE records ADD auth BOOL DEFAULT 1; CREATE INDEX orderindex ON records(ordername); CREATE TABLE domainmetadata ( id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY, domain_id INT NOT NULL, kind VARCHAR(32) COLLATE NOCASE, content TEXT ); CREATE INDEX domainmetaidindex on domainmetadata(domain_id); CREATE TABLE cryptokeys ( id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY, domain_id INT NOT NULL, flags INT NOT NULL, active BOOL, content TEXT ); CREATE INDEX domainidindex ON cryptokeys(domain_id); CREATE TABLE tsigkeys ( id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY, name VARCHAR(255) COLLATE NOCASE, algorithm VARCHAR(50) COLLATE NOCASE, secret VARCHAR(255) ); CREATE UNIQUE INDEX namealgoindex ON tsigkeys(name, algorithm); CREATE TABLE comments ( id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY, domain_id INTEGER NOT NULL, name VARCHAR(255) NOT NULL, type VARCHAR(10) NOT NULL, modified_at INT NOT NULL, account VARCHAR(40) DEFAULT NULL, comment VARCHAR(65535) NOT NULL ); CREATE INDEX comments_domain_id_index ON comments (domain_id); CREATE INDEX comments_nametype_index ON comments (name, type); CREATE INDEX comments_order_idx ON comments (domain_id, modified_at); BEGIN TRANSACTION; CREATE TEMPORARY TABLE supermasters_backup ( ip VARCHAR(64) NOT NULL, nameserver VARCHAR(255) NOT NULL COLLATE NOCASE, account VARCHAR(40) DEFAULT NULL ); INSERT INTO supermasters_backup SELECT ip, nameserver, account FROM supermasters; UPDATE supermasters_backup SET account='' WHERE account IS NULL; DROP TABLE supermasters; CREATE TABLE supermasters ( ip VARCHAR(64) NOT NULL, nameserver VARCHAR(255) NOT NULL COLLATE NOCASE, account VARCHAR(40) NOT NULL ); CREATE UNIQUE INDEX ip_nameserver_pk ON supermasters(ip, nameserver); INSERT INTO supermasters SELECT ip, nameserver, account FROM supermasters_backup; DROP TABLE supermasters_backup; COMMIT; For gsqlite3 backend with dnssec schema: CREATE TABLE comments ( id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY, domain_id INTEGER NOT NULL, name VARCHAR(255) NOT NULL, type VARCHAR(10) NOT NULL, modified_at INT NOT NULL, account VARCHAR(40) DEFAULT NULL, comment VARCHAR(65535) NOT NULL ); CREATE INDEX comments_domain_id_index ON comments (domain_id); CREATE INDEX comments_nametype_index ON comments (name, type); CREATE INDEX comments_order_idx ON comments (domain_id, modified_at); BEGIN TRANSACTION; CREATE TEMPORARY TABLE records_backup( id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY, domain_id INTEGER DEFAULT NULL, name VARCHAR(255) DEFAULT NULL, type VARCHAR(10) DEFAULT NULL, content VARCHAR(65535) DEFAULT NULL, ttl INTEGER DEFAULT NULL, prio INTEGER DEFAULT NULL, change_date INTEGER DEFAULT NULL, ordername VARCHAR(255), auth BOOL DEFAULT 1 ); INSERT INTO records_backup SELECT id,domain_id,name,type,content,ttl,prio,change_date,ordername,auth FROM records; DROP TABLE records; CREATE TABLE records ( id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY, domain_id INTEGER DEFAULT NULL, name VARCHAR(255) DEFAULT NULL, type VARCHAR(10) DEFAULT NULL, content VARCHAR(65535) DEFAULT NULL, ttl INTEGER DEFAULT NULL, prio INTEGER DEFAULT NULL, change_date INTEGER DEFAULT NULL, disabled BOOLEAN DEFAULT 0, ordername VARCHAR(255), auth BOOL DEFAULT 1 ); CREATE INDEX rec_name_index ON records(name); CREATE INDEX nametype_index ON records(name,type); CREATE INDEX domain_id ON records(domain_id); CREATE INDEX orderindex ON records(ordername); INSERT INTO records SELECT id,domain_id,name,type,content,ttl,prio,change_date,0,ordername,auth FROM records_backup; DROP TABLE records_backup; COMMIT; BEGIN TRANSACTION; CREATE TEMPORARY TABLE supermasters_backup ( ip VARCHAR(64) NOT NULL, nameserver VARCHAR(255) NOT NULL COLLATE NOCASE, account VARCHAR(40) DEFAULT NULL ); INSERT INTO supermasters_backup SELECT ip,nameserver,account FROM supermasters; UPDATE supermasters_backup SET account='' WHERE account IS NULL; DROP TABLE supermasters; CREATE TABLE supermasters ( ip VARCHAR(64) NOT NULL, nameserver VARCHAR(255) NOT NULL COLLATE NOCASE, account VARCHAR(40) NOT NULL ); CREATE UNIQUE INDEX ip_nameserver_pk ON supermasters(ip, nameserver); INSERT INTO supermasters SELECT ip,nameserver,account FROM supermasters_backup; DROP TABLE supermasters_backup; COMMIT; BEGIN TRANSACTION; CREATE TABLE domainmetadata_backup ( id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY, domain_id INT NOT NULL, kind VARCHAR(32) COLLATE NOCASE, content TEXT ); INSERT INTO domainmetadata_backup SELECT id,domain_id,kind,content FROM domainmetadata; DROP TABLE domainmetadata; CREATE TABLE domainmetadata ( id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY, domain_id INT NOT NULL, kind VARCHAR(32) COLLATE NOCASE, content TEXT ); CREATE INDEX domainmetaidindex ON domainmetadata(domain_id); INSERT INTO domainmetadata SELECT id,domain_id,kind,content FROM domainmetadata_backup; DROP TABLE domainmetadata_backup; COMMIT; For goracle backend: ALTER TABLE records ADD disabled INT DEFAULT 0; ALTER TABLE records MODIFY auth INT DEFAULT 1; UPDATE records SET auth=1 WHERE auth IS NULL; ALTER TABLE domainmetadata MODIFY kind VARCHAR2(32);
The Fox and the Stork At one time the Fox and the Stork were on visiting terms and seemed very good friends. So the Fox invited the Stork to dinner, and for a joke put nothing before her but some soup in a very shallow dish. This the Fox could easily lap up, but the Stork could only wet the end of her long bill in it, and left the meal as hungry as when she began. "I am sorry," said the Fox, "the soup is not to your liking." "Pray do not apologise," said the Stork. "I hope you will return this visit, and come and dine with me soon." So a day was appointed when the Fox should visit the Stork; but when they were seated at table all that was for their dinner was contained in a very long-necked jar with a narrow mouth, in which the Fox could not insert his snout, so all he could manage to do was to lick the outside of the jar. "I will not apologise for the dinner," said the Stork: "One bad turn deserves another.""Granny Squared," the completed installation. | Photo: Arzu Arda Kosar.
Have you seen the Craft and Folk Art Museum recently? Its red brick walls and white chimneys always offer a contrast to the Miracle Mile's streamline modern architecture, but now the frontage is covered in fifteen thousand handmade "granny squares." Stitched together, they dress the building in the kind of vibrant but nuanced color blocks that one might expect had Paul Klee and Andy Warhol ever produced woolly offspring.
The result of a local call for crocheted squares that went international, "CAFAM Granny Squared" is the work of "knit graffiti collective" Yarn Bombing Los Angeles (YBLA) and square-makers from 25 countries internationally, as well as 49 of the United States. (Whatever happened to Wyoming?) The work will remain in situ at CAFAM until September.
When looking at the museum's façade, covered in neon yarn, Pop Art immediately comes to mind. This is partly because of YBLA's bold, jolly graphics; but the main similarity lies in its statement. Just as Pop Art used the imagery and aesthetics of popular culture to challenge the traditions of fine art, YBLA is using the materials and methodologies of popular craft to mount a similar assault.
It's a David and Goliath situation, as the relative scale and status of tiny CAFAM and its behemoth neighbor-across-the-street, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), suggest. And it's funny too, in that seaside postcard way that juxtaposes the skinny and the fat.
The humor is in the mismatch, which is well illustrated by the architecture of the respective museums. LACMA's nine substantial buildings are largely designed by architectural "greats," including William L. Pereira and Renzo Piano, with a new design forthcoming by Peter Zumthor. Although individually idiosyncratic, the buildings share an aesthetic of institutional cool. Spacious, shiny, hard-edged, and hard to navigate, they are intended to indicate that visitors are entering a space removed from common concerns.
In contrast, Gilbert Stanley Underwood, who is best known for his National Park lodges, designed CAFAM in 1930 as a mixed-use commercial space. Combining colonial and European style cues, the dormer-windowed building radiates an impression of familiar domesticity. So familiar, in fact, that comparison to a dollhouse is inevitable; and I suspect Mr. Underwood went of his way to indicate a space that is special only because it is so exceptionally "ordinary" -- exceptionally welcoming, dependable, and safe.
"Granny Squared," the installation process. | Photo: Martha Benedict.
Operating as caricatures for the 20th century's tussle between "old" and "new," CAFAM and LACMA signpost an abundance of related binaries, which history and culture tell us are mutually exclusive, with one having less value than the other in each pair: domestic and public, female and male, body and mind, fiction and truth, vernacular and formal, low and high, and of course -- even without taking the functions of the buildings into consideration -- craft and art.
"Granny Squared" strides into this hierarchical context like the character in Jenny Joseph's poem "Warning," who vows:
"When I am an old woman I shall wear purple
With a red hat which doesn't go and doesn't suit me."
Rather than attacking or ignoring the assumptions that underpin the architectures in question, "Granny Squared" embraces them all, with gusto.
Taking its cue from some of LACMA's modern masterpieces, "Granny Squared" is monumental. Made in wool by hand however, it lacks the machine precision of, say, Tony Smith's "Smoke," or the "untouched by human hand" weightiness of Michael Heizer's "Levitated Mass."
Influenced by formalism, particularly as it applied to abstract painting, YBLA has, for this piece, rejected the representation and iconography that flourish in other examples of its work. Emphasizing compositional elements, the collective has approached its yarn squares as pieces of color, which it has arranged in geometric patterns.
YBLA-er Carol Zou lays out granny squares. | Photo courtesy of YBLA.
Although the pieces were generated through a public request for single-hued, 5" squares in a narrow range of colors, as YBLA-er Frances Talbott-White explains: "the basic elemental unit has infinite variations." Revealing something of that variety, collective member Judy Richards points out an area of the work (inside CAFAM's left window, if you're looking from the street) that's dedicated to an arrangement of "yellow" squares. From baby bonnet primrose, through lemon green, to neon and gold, this patch takes an analytical approach to color perception that's remarkably suggestive of Josef Albers.
Yellow granny squares. | Photo: Susie Nicholson.
I could go on. But such a list would be redundant. The point is that "Granny Squared" engages fine art concerns using methods and materials that are largely antithetical to the fine art cannon, while exaggerating the Underwood building's existing "coziness." (Is anything more apparently "cozy" than a "granny," in either the wool or the flesh varieties?)
In so doing, the piece broadcasts the low status that craft enjoys in the art vs. craft binary, and signals a challenge to the high status bestowed upon its neighbor down the street.
It's not an aggressive challenge. YBLA -- or at least those members of the collective who care about such things -- intentionally wears a variety of high art "hats" in a fashion that is both conciliatory and provocative. Arzu Arda Kosar, YBLA's initiator, compares the situation to that of an immigrant faced with the question: "to assimilate or not?" The craft world, she explains, has its own language and aesthetic; should we use those "or play by the guy's rules"? "CAFAM Granny Squared" says: "you can take us seriously because we play with form and color on a vertical plane," but we do it with granny squares. "We use a combination of all the rules."
But where do the "rules" come from, and why is such a challenge necessary?
Once upon a time, in the medieval past, art and craft weren't divided in this way. As described by Umberto Eco, the word art "meant construction, whether it was of a ship or of a building, a painting or a hammer." Under the influence of Renaissance thinking however, the more utile of Eco's constructions fell out of the category "art" altogether, and the remainder became divided into fine art on the one hand, and the decorative arts and craft on the other.
The division became philosophically absolute in 1790, when Immanuel Kant's distinction between "high" aesthetic objects made by "genius," and lowly useful things made by technicians, provided the foundation of "art for art's sake": the idea that art is only truly "art" when it is not tethered to a didactic, moral, or utilitarian function.
Taking things further, Modernism abstracted art from everyday concerns, while High Modernism aspired to an entirely self-referential autonomy. Only by practicing in a purely formalist sphere, removed from the "contamination" of ordinary life, could the fine arts achieve the truth of their "purely visual" essence.
The formalism that held sway in America when LACMA began its architectural project in 1961, comprised a heady brew. With truth, freedom, beauty, and purity aligned on the "art" side of a cultural Berlin Wall, craft became positioned as a skill set for the construction of necessary objects, most usually for remuneration, or a trivial pastime for women, children, and the recuperating sick.
Making "CAFAM Granny Squared." | Photo courtesy of YBLA.
Like cars on a funicular railway, art -- specifically painting and drawing -- rose to the rarefied heights of its current cultural, social, and economic status, while craft became devalued. Despite appearances to the contrary however, there was nothing inevitable about this five hundred-year ascension. Alternative directions advocated the reintegration of art and life at many points along the way.
To name just three of |
staged an overthrow of the monarchy in 1952.
All four Egyptian presidents since then have come from the military, now led by Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, 75, who is defense minister and commander in chief.
Enan ranks below him but is one of the top military officers in Egypt and carries considerable clout.
A Middle East military expert in Washington, speaking on condition of anonymity, described Enan as someone who appeared to have the respect of the United States.
“He certainly seems competent,” the expert said.
Cartwright said the protests also came up in informal chats in the Pentagon hallways, between the members of Egypt’s delegation and U.S. officials.
“It would be hard to have ignored the fact that this was going on. And it wasn’t ignored,” Cartwright said.
There are about 625 U.S. military personnel in Egypt. The U.S. has provided F-16 jet fighters, tanks, armored personnel carriers, Apache helicopters, anti-aircraft missile batteries and other equipment to the Egyptian military.Republicans and traditional family activists upset by the ongoing push of party leaders to embrace the gay-rights crowd and support same-sex marriage are rising up and vowing an election year fight.
But it’s not only 2014 they’re looking at — they’re also eyeing 2016, The Hill reported. One race in particular that’s caught their attention: Sen. Rob Portman, who recently gave his support to the gay marriage issue last year.
The National Organization for Marriage, a traditional marriage group, has already started an attack campaign on openly gay Republican Party members seeking election — California’s Carl DeMaio and Massachusetts’ Richard Tisei, to name a few, The Hill reported. The group’s also looking to upset Oregon Senate nominee Monica Wehby’s race.
So far, the organization’s only raised a few thousand dollars to fight each race. But National Organization for Marriage President Brian Brown said the hope is to raise enough to put $100,000 into each campaign, The Hill reported.
“These three candidates, Carl DeMaio, Richard Tisei and Monica Wehby all stand against the party platform and enough is enough,” Mr. Brown said, The Hill said. “We’ve decided it’s better to stand up and defeat Republicans who betrayed the party rather than walk lockstep for the party. It’s far more damaging long term to have Republicans like Carl DeMaio in Congress trying to, in his own words, ‘redefine’ the Republican Party rather than accept a bad Democrat like [Rep.] Scott Peters.”
Other traditional marriage groups like the Family Research Council and Citizen Link are on board with the idea. The three groups just a few weeks ago sent an angry letter to Republican leadership to give a heads-up of their legislative mission if the party didn’t turn back its support of gay marriage.
Family Research Council hasn’t yet decided to lend financial support to the campaign effort.
“Do we help get a Republican elected who flew in the face of the section of the platform having to do with social issues? What do you do and how much do you protest after you make your case? NOM has taken the next step,” said FRC Action PAC President Connie Mackey, in The Hill. “We’re deciding whether or not to spend money on a protest. We’re not there yet.”
Copyright © 2019 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission.This video is about a new panic mode in iPads or iPhones. US patent application US 2015/0319294 A1 was recently published and discloses a new panic mode for iPhones or iPads.
Users can save the fingerprints of their fingers for example you would generally unlock your device with the index finger or your thumb you can then also according to the patent application save the fingerprint of, for example, your ring finger or your little finger. If you unlock the device with that particular finger, for example, the ring finger then the panic mode will be entered and then according to the patent application your location can be sent to a predetermined server or your friends.
Audio or video can be recorded and stored on the device automatically be transmitted to any local authorities, police or your friends, so that can help to define the attacker. For example, you can then just speak and describe the attacker, either call a name or describe the attacker by his physical means, physical appearances.
So that makes life easier for you to get out of the situation to be rescued and also for the authorities to help you.
When the panic mode is entered the phone will look like it has been just shipped from the factory so no private information will be accessible, that helps if the device is stolen by the attacker then the attacker cannot access your private information.
Alternatively, a so called private mode can be entered so if you define the ring finger for the panic mode you can save the fingerprint of the little finger for accessing the so called private mode.
The private mode is very similar to the panic mode except that it does not transmit anything so your location will not be transmitted, video or audio will not be transmitted, but your device will still look like it just shipped from the factory so no private information is accessible and you can still take pictures or videos.
So this is helpful according to the patent application when you are at a rock concert or a travel abroad and when you think that your device might be stolen then you can still take pictures and videos but if your device is stolen the thief will not be able to access any private information.
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Website – www.patentyogi.comSeveral newly discovered objects on the outskirts of the solar system suggest that something strange is afoot. While some scientists point to the odd behavior of the newfound residents as further proof for the existence of the hypothetical Planet Nine (a yet-unseen superEarth proposed to inhabit the outskirts) not everyone is convinced.
The new inhabitants include a small icy world with one of the longest known orbits and several smaller objects clustered together extremely far from the sun.
The newest of these objects is L91, an icy world that can travel as far from the sun as 1430 astronomical units (AU), or 1,430 times the Earth-sun distance, one of the longest known orbital periods. L91 never draws closer to the sun than 50 AUs, farther away than even Pluto.
And L91’s distant path is shifting.
“It’s orbit is changing in quite a remarkable way,” astrophysicist Michele Bannister told scientists last week at the American Astronomical Society’s Division for Planetary Sciences in Pasadena, California. Bannister, an astrophysicist at Queen’s University Belfast, identified minute changes in the object’s orbit that could come from the passing gravity of other stars or interactions with the hypothetical Planet Nine. Simulations by the team suggest that the tiny tugs are more likely to come from beyond the solar system, whether distant stars or galactic winds.
Konstantin Batygin, an astronomer at the California Institute of Technology, said, “I think it’s a story that’s not implausible, but I also think it’s not needed.” Batygin, who announced the existence of Planet Nine last January, thinks the unusual orbits of L91 and other newfound objects are more likely explained by the hypothetical planet.
Bannister and her team spotted L91 using the Outer Solar System Origins Survey, a 4-year survey hunting distant moving objects using the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope. L91’s mass and size remains unknown.
“It’s right at the limit of what we could actually detect in the sky,” Bannister said.
‘Something is happening’
L91 isn’t the only new object in the sky. Another team of astronomers reported a handful of smaller icy bodies traveling beyond Neptune. Similarities in the orbits of objects like these led to the proposal of Planet Nine.
“A lot is going on in the outer solar system,” said Scott Sheppard of the Carnegie Institution for Science in Washington, D.C. Sheppard is part of a team of astronomers conducting the largest, deepest survey of trans-Neptunian objects, whose orbits take them farther out than Neptune. The team found several new objects clustered in the outer edges of the solar system.
One of these objects, 2014 FE72, is the first known to come from the Oort Cloud, the icy shell around the solar system where comets are born. With an orbit that takes it out more than 3,000 AUs, it may also suffer from the influence of passing stars or the gravity of Planet Nine
Sheppard and his colleagues have been mapping the sky in detail since 2007. So far, they’ve only covered about 10 percent of what he calls “the most interesting part of the sky.”
But not all scientists are convinced that the increasing number of odd orbits points to Planet Nine.
“We did search some parts of the sky more thoroughly than others,” says astronomer Katherine Volk, a planetary scientist at the University of Arizona. Volk analyzed the growing studies offered up as evidence for the hypothetical planet, and remains skeptical that it is the only conclusion. “You find things where you’re looking,” she says.
She pointed out that the similarities in orbits, or clustering, of the objects could be related to their similar positions in the sky.
“If the clustering persists at the end of [Sheppard’s] survey, it will be more convincing,” she said.
At the same conference, Batygin reported that Planet 9 could be responsible for the backwards, or retrograde, orbit of some of the solar system’s centaurs. Orbiting among the outer planets, centaurs cross the orbits of their larger neighbors. And Elizabeth Bailey, a graduate student at Caltech working with Batygin, reported that Planet 9 could have tilted the orbit of the solar system’s planets with respect to the sun, solving another long-standing astronomical mystery.
Again, Volk isn’t convinced that the research proves the existence of Planet Nine, though she said Batygin and Bailey’s had drawn reasonable conclusions.Swollen vocalifts Apr 2nd, 2014 3,492 Never 3,492Never
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rawdownloadcloneembedreportprint text 14.50 KB >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>SWOLLEN HEART: [1+2}Born of lifts and diet care [+3]and milk and whey combining [+4]This natty force both slow and fair brings a swollen heart worth'mirin [all] Stick to the bulk, for a year Lift for gainz, and lift without gear See the beauty, front and rear, from humanity depart And lift for swollen heart Hyup! Ho! Watch your form! Squat below! Hyup! Ho! Watch your form! Squat below! [1]Beautiful! [2]Powerful! [3]Functional! [4]Controlled! [all] Gains are a beauty to behold Stronger than one! Stronger than ten! Stronger than DYEL men! Hyup! [1+2]Aaahh! [3+4]Born of lifts and diet care and milk and whey combining [1+2]This natty force both slow and fair brings a swollen heart worth'mirin [all] So stick to the bulk, for a year Lift for gains and lift without gear There's squatting and there's benching here from humanity depart And lift for swollen heart... http://vocaroo.com/i/s0Or1uOSRGAH >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>DO YOU WANNA GO GET SWOLE MAN: Do you wanna go get swole man? Do you wanna make some gains? I never spot you anymore, Come out the door, It's like you've gone 1pl8! We used to be gym buddies, And now we're not, I wish you would start a bulk! Do you wanna go get swole man? It doesn't have to be a bulk man. [Elsa] >tfw no gf Okay bye... [PT] These curls will help. Remember, Ab-wheel it, [Elsa] Don't feel it. [Both] Keep body fat low. Do you wanna go get swole man? Do skateboard squats against the walls? I think some lifting is overdue, I've not broken through, My lifting has all stalled! (hang in there, gains) It gets a little lonely, All these empty racks, Just watching that loud curl guy! UGH!YEAH!UGH!YEAH!UGH!YEAH!UGH!YEAH! [Elsa] I'm worried! I'm not getting any stronger! [PT] Compounds only makes it worse, deload! [Elsa] No! Don't spot me! Don't steal my gains, bro. [Anna] You guys are looking weak! [Elsa] How my arms look doe? [PT] You'll be'mired, Elsa. Elsa, Please I know you're in there People have been asking if you're thin. They say "Keep lifting," and I'm trying to, I'm spotting here for you, Please let's begin! We've only got eachother, Bro, you and me. When will you push through? Do you wanna go get swole man? http://vocaroo.com/i/s0x8Lk4EMMeS http://vocaroo.com/i/s0tSWgUZFT5i (full version, acapella) http://vocaroo.com/i/s0ipDZEhXEEk (kid voice, a bit off-key) http://vocaroo.com/i/s1bGqXYDqWzy (deep masculine voice) http://vocaroo.com/i/s0SetzC7gwYh (deep masculine voice finished oh god jesus) http://picosong.com/eNdB (same as above, HQ) http://vocaroo.com/i/s0rDCexPekbp (femanon, first part acapella) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wxWnbD9Okc (dickgirl Elsa) >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>FOR THE FIRST LIFT IN FOREVER: The gym is open, weights on the floor, I don't have to cut anymore, Who knew we had eight thousand Olympic plates? For years I've struggled with the stalls, Looking at the mirrors on the walls, Finally I'll be lifting heavy weights! Cause for the first lift in forever, There'll be spotters it won't be light, For the first lift in forever, I'll have to push with all my might! Don't know if I'm pushing or pulling, But somewhere it will show, Cause for the first time in forever, I'll finally grow! I can't wait to spot for everyone! What if I spot for...the one? Today imagine me swole and tall Bigger than others, nothing's small A creature of aesthetic grace I suddenly see her standing there A beautiful qt, oh God don't stare I wanna know how to get third base But then we squat and bench all evening Both lifting like a star Nothing like the sloots I've met so far For the first lift in forever I'll lifting up a ton For the first lift in forever I might be'mired by someone And I know it's totally crazy For a qt to steal a glance But for the first lift in forever At least I've got a chance 2] Don't do compounds, just use machines Be the curlbro the chicks want you to be Ab-wheel, no feel, keep body fat low Hypertrophy to make all your veins show 1] Don't care how much I weigh 2] Put my abs on display 1+2] Can't wait for this day 2] Tell the noobs that SS is for gays! 1] So great! 1] For the first lift in forever 2] Don't do compounds, just use machines 1] I'm pressing heavy weights above 2] Be the curlbro the chicks want you to be 1] A chance to break my stalls 2] Ab-wheel 1] A chance at getting buff 2] Ab-wheel, no feel, keep body fat low 1] Won't wait until tomorrow No skipping on leg day 'Cause for the first lift in forever For the first lift in forever Nothing's in my way! http://vocaroo.com/i/s03NJ1ewBLvj http://vocaroo.com/i/s0zR0YDxXFPV (Elsa) http://vocaroo.com/i/s0N144YKuY2k >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Lifting It Off the Floor All my life has been a series of feels in my face And then suddenly I spotted for you I WAS THINKIN THE SAME THING, CUZ LIKE I'VE BEEN LIFTIN MY WHOLE LIFE WITHOUT A GF AND MAYBE GOMAD REALLY WORKED, CAUSE I THINK THAT I GREW BUT WITH YOU BUT WITH YOU I MIRE YOUR GLUTES DID IT FOR THE SLOOTS AND IT'S NOTHING LIKE I'VE EVER FELT BEFORE LIFTIN IT OFF THE FLOOOOOOOOOR LIFTIN IT OFF THE FLOOOOOOR MUTANT MASS DAILY WE FINISH EACH OTHERS PROTEIN SHAKES that's what i was gunna whey I NEVER MET SOMEONE WHO EATS AS MUCH AS ME SQUAT! SQUAT AGAIN! our no homo bro connection with this mutual erection you and I natty like scooby say goodbye to the gains of the past we don't have to cycle anymore https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiYsxVnl2_Y http://vocaroo.com/i/s1PbIyi4Dt4T (male part, bit flat) >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Let it Grow The weight feels light in the squat rack tonight Not a Leg day To be seen A Kingdom of Isolations I look nothing like Aziz My Bros are assholes and annoying like Jeff Seids Can't make him go, Scooby knows I've tried Don't do compounds, just use machines Be the curlbro the chicks want you to be Don't do SS, it's just the trolls But they're not trolls! Let it grow, let it grow Can’t hold me back anymore Let it grow, let it grow Pick the weight up off the floor I don’t care If /fit/ calls me gay I just want some glutes I can't get a girlfriend anyway It’s funny how some squatting Makes everyone else seem small And the DYELs that once trolled me Can’t make me mad at all It’s time to see what I can do To test the PRs and break through No abs, no cuts, no gf for me I’m free Let it grow, let it grow I'm not talking about my thighs *wink Let it grow, let it grow I'm slightly turned on by guys (no homo) A Whole Gallon Of Milk each day Pile more weight on My knees exploding and my ass is in the ground I caught you mirin my huge glutes because they're big and round And one thought hits me like a frothy protein blast I'm never going back, that curlfag's in the past! Let it go, hetero My cock rises like the break of dawn Kiss me bro, no homo My cis privilege is gone! Here I squat /fit/ has turned me gay let the trolls rage on I don't lift to get girls anyway http://vocaroo.com/i/s0GWMqNdKljh http://vocaroo.com/i/s1pQEVT3vJQg (grill gets halfway) http://vocaroo.com/i/s1HBTfu2qw5A (Stark) http://vocaroo.com/i/s1wuYOQSGLoV (Stark v.II) http://vocaroo.com/i/s0m6prhye5WF (grill sounds like Elsa) >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>SQUATTING IS BETTER THAN CURLING: Squatting is better than curling. /fit/ don't you think that's true? Yeah, curling won't bulk you or grow you or build you and squats make you a big guy (for you) t-thanks /fit/ But curlbros are totes more aesthetic. /fit/, don't you think I'm right? you're once again true, but they're manlets, fuck you When will I learn? I'll kill myself tonight! Goodnight... don't let the helium bite http://vocaroo.com/i/s1zPWT96Diej >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>"In Summer" - Olaf the Summerfag Kristoff: Really? I’m guessing you don’t have much experience with mass. Olaf: Nope! But sometimes I like to close my eyes and imagine what it’ll be like when summer does come. Abs they’ll show, Sloots they’ll want to examine bones And I’ll be doing whatever swole does in summer A girl by my side, Her hands sliding up my trembling thighs Prob'ly getting totally laid in summer I’ll finally muster up the courage to make a post on /fit/ And find out their guarded, secret shortcuts on how to get ripped And I can’t wait to see What my buddies all think of me Just imagine how much swoler I’ll be in summer Dah-dah, da-doo, a-bah-bah-bah bah-bah-boo The sticky is long and far too intense, I’ll make a new thread, it just makes sense! Rrr-raht da-daht dah-dah-dah dah-dah-dah dah dah doo Winter’s a good time to stay in and train, But just do ten sit-ups and I’ll have made… visible progress! When lifts get tough, I’ll just find a new routine And make sure to eat the same old shit: I’ll surely get lean Oh, the sky will be blue, And you guys will be there too When I finally do what swollen things do in summer! Kristoff: I’m gonna tell him. Anna: Don’t you dare! Olaf: IIIIINNN SUUUUMMEEEEEEEEEEEERR!!! >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>IN SUMMER II My cut complete, grills jogging down the street All of them mirin' discreet In summer Whey shake in my hand, my glutes up against the burning sand Prob'ly getting gorgeously tan in Summer I'll finally see a summer breeze blow away the new years storm And see the squats and deadlifts done with proper form And I can't wait to see, what all the grills think of me Just imagine how much swoller I'll be In Summer... >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>FOR THE FIRST LIFT IN FOREVER REPRISE [Anna] Don't lift by yourself again, Your form is really poor, You shouldn't do those deadlifts anymore 'Cause for the first lift in forever, I can finally lend a hand For the first lift in forever, We can fix the way you stand We can head down to the gym together You don't have live in fear Cause for the first lift in forever, I will be right here [Elsa:] Anna Please go back home, your lifts await Go enjoy your swell and unrack your plates [Anna:] Yeah, but — [Elsa:] I know You mean well, but leave me be Yes, my form is shit, but just look at me I can lift my way and I can stay natty [Anna:] Actually you're not [Elsa:] What do you mean I'm not? [Anna:] I get the feeling you don't know [Elsa:] What do I not know? [Anna:] I just snuck some creatine in your macros [Elsa:] What? [Anna:] You know, your breakfast, lunch, snacks, dinner... everywhere [Elsa:] Everywhere? [Anna:] It's okay, you can just start lifting right [Elsa:] No, I can't, I — I don't know how! [Anna:] Sure you can! I know you can! Cause for the first lift in forever, [Elsa:] Oh I'm such a fool, I can't stay natty! [Anna:] You can get compound gains [Elsa:] No escape from the curling or machines! [Anna:] We can do SS together [Elsa:] How do compounds work!? [Anna:] No more 8 scoops every day [Elsa:] Anna, please, Rippletits is a jerk! [Anna:] Use hip drive [Elsa:] I'll just use gear! [Anna:] We’ll make your squat form right [Elsa:] I don't want a huge rear! [Anna:] We can lift this thing together [Elsa:] No! [Anna:] We can perma-bulk forever [Elsa:] AHHHHH... [Anna:] I hope you like big thighs [Elsa:] I CAN’T! http://vocaroo.com/i/s1mPZOflQo8C Elsa http://vocaroo.com/i/s1xYTGizhx0l Anna https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_qlp-82ZHY (finished duet) >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>FOR THE FIRST LIFT IN FOREVER REPRISE II Anna: You don’t have to explain, just let me help Please don't start curls again See the barbell on the floor You don't have to be a curlbro anymore Cause for the first lift in forever You can finally expand For the first lift in forever We can both bulk hand in hand We can do compounds together We don’t have to get on gear Cause for the first lift in forever We can bulk all year Elsa: Anon, Please do your squats, put on the plates Go enjoy your gainz and then up the weights Anna: Yeah but- Elsa: I know You mean well, but leave me be Yes, I'm a curlbro, but at least I'm natty I'll stick with whey and be just like Scooby Anna: Actually you're not Elsa: What do you mean I'm not Anna: I get the feeling you don't know Elsa: What do I not know! Anna: I put creatine in all of your macros Elsa: What? Anna: I put it in your breakfast, lunch, dinner...everywhere Elsa: Everywhere? Anna: It's okay, now we can do SS Elsa: I can't, I don't know how! Anna: Sure you can, we can do this man Cause for the first lift in forever Elsa: Oh, I'm such a tool I can't be natty Anna: Some gainz will be made Elsa: No escape, I’ll look like a fatty Anna: You'll gain some weight, maybe Elsa: I won't look like I'm swole! Anna: Everything 'll be lightweight baby Elsa: Anon please, SS is just a troll! Anna: Don't panic Elsa: There's so much food! Anna: We’ll make it all seem light Elsa: My cut is screwed Anna: Let’s go on this /fit/ endeavor Elsa: No Anna: We’ll perma-bulk forever Elsa: Aaaaah Anna: And everything will be alright Elsa: I can’t! >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>PERMACUTTER Is it the low-weight he can push Or the lack of joocy tush? Or the girl-ish, small-ish amount he eats? And though he has no belly He just looks like a skelly Please just give this guy some meat So he's a bit of a perma-cutter So he's a bit of a twig Like his constant fear, dear Of the lunkhead's queer leer Please do something to make him big So he's a bit of a perma-cutter but this we're certain of You can bulk this perma-cutter With a push and a shove Is it 'cause his traps are never flared? Or that he's socially impaired? Or does only cardio in the gym? Simply to conclude He just needs a lot of food 'Cause that's the only way for him to not be small and thin So he's a bit of a perma-cutter Be that as it may His small foundation is confirmation Of his desperation for tubs of whey So he's a bit of a perma-cutter But we know just what to do The way to bulk shit perma-cutter Is to bulk him along with you --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- General Jumble https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAxLND0LkAU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1EMtKLoalk&feature=youtu.be&hd=1 -Femanon Jumble http://vocaroo.com/i/s1ibpCYw9Yo8 Fancy Pants sings Fancy Song
RAW Paste Data
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>SWOLLEN HEART: [1+2}Born of lifts and diet care [+3]and milk and whey combining [+4]This natty force both slow and fair brings a swollen heart worth'mirin [all] Stick to the bulk, for a year Lift for gainz, and lift without gear See the beauty, front and rear, from humanity depart And lift for swollen heart Hyup! Ho! Watch your form! Squat below! Hyup! Ho! Watch your form! Squat below! [1]Beautiful! [2]Powerful! [3]Functional! [4]Controlled! [all] Gains are a beauty to behold Stronger than one! Stronger than ten! Stronger than DYEL men! Hyup! [1+2]Aaahh! [3+4]Born of lifts and diet care and milk and whey combining [1+2]This natty force both slow and fair brings a swollen heart worth'mirin [all] So stick to the bulk, for a year Lift for gains and lift without gear There's squatting and there's benching here from humanity depart And lift for swollen heart... http://vocaroo.com/i/s0Or1uOSRGAH >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>DO YOU WANNA GO GET SWOLE MAN: Do you wanna go get swole man? Do you wanna make some gains? I never spot you anymore, Come out the door, It's like you've gone 1pl8! We used to be gym buddies, And now we're not, I wish you would start a bulk! Do you wanna go get swole man? It doesn't have to be a bulk man. [Elsa] >tfw no gf Okay bye... [PT] These curls will help. Remember, Ab-wheel it, [Elsa] Don't feel it. [Both] Keep body fat low. Do you wanna go get swole man? Do skateboard squats against the walls? I think some lifting is overdue, I've not broken through, My lifting has all stalled! (hang in there, gains) It gets a little lonely, All these empty racks, Just watching that loud curl guy! UGH!YEAH!UGH!YEAH!UGH!YEAH!UGH!YEAH! [Elsa] I'm worried! I'm not getting any stronger! [PT] Compounds only makes it worse, deload! [Elsa] No! Don't spot me! Don't steal my gains, bro. [Anna] You guys are looking weak! [Elsa] How my arms look doe? [PT] You'll be'mired, Elsa. Elsa, Please I know you're in there People have been asking if you're thin. They say "Keep lifting," and I'm trying to, I'm spotting here for you, Please let's begin! We've only got eachother, Bro, you and me. When will you push through? Do you wanna go get swole man? http://vocaroo.com/i/s0x8Lk4EMMeS http://vocaroo.com/i/s0tSWgUZFT5i (full version, acapella) http://vocaroo.com/i/s0ipDZEhXEEk (kid voice, a bit off-key) http://vocaroo.com/i/s1bGqXYDqWzy (deep masculine voice) http://vocaroo.com/i/s0SetzC7gwYh (deep masculine voice finished oh god jesus) http://picosong.com/eNdB (same as above, HQ) http://vocaroo.com/i/s0rDCexPekbp (femanon, first part acapella) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wxWnbD9Okc (dickgirl Elsa) >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>FOR THE FIRST LIFT IN FOREVER: The gym is open, weights on the floor, I don't have to cut anymore, Who knew we had eight thousand Olympic plates? For years I've struggled with the stalls, Looking at the mirrors on the walls, Finally I'll be lifting heavy weights! Cause for the first lift in forever, There'll be spotters it won't be light, For the first lift in forever, I'll have to push with all my might! Don't know if I'm pushing or pulling, But somewhere it will show, Cause for the first time in forever, I'll finally grow! I can't wait to spot for everyone! What if I spot for...the one? Today imagine me swole and tall Bigger than others, nothing's small A creature of aesthetic grace I suddenly see her standing there A beautiful qt, oh God don't stare I wanna know how to get third base But then we squat and bench all evening Both lifting like a star Nothing like the sloots I've met so far For the first lift in forever I'll lifting up a ton For the first lift in forever I might be'mired by someone And I know it's totally crazy For a qt to steal a glance But for the first lift in forever At least I've got a chance 2] Don't do compounds, just use machines Be the curlbro the chicks want you to be Ab-wheel, no feel, keep body fat low Hypertrophy to make all your veins show 1] Don't care how much I weigh 2] Put my abs on display 1+2] Can't wait for this day 2] Tell the noobs that SS is for gays! 1] So great! 1] For the first lift in forever 2] Don't do compounds, just use machines 1] I'm pressing heavy weights above 2] Be the curlbro the chicks want you to be 1] A chance to break my stalls 2] Ab-wheel 1] A chance at getting buff 2] Ab-wheel, no feel, keep body fat low 1] Won't wait until tomorrow No skipping on leg day 'Cause for the first lift in forever For the first lift in forever Nothing's in my way! http://vocaroo.com/i/s03NJ1ewBLvj http://vocaroo.com/i/s0zR0YDxXFPV (Elsa) http://vocaroo.com/i/s0N144YKuY2k >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Lifting It Off the Floor All my life has been a series of feels in my face And then suddenly I spotted for you I WAS THINKIN THE SAME THING, CUZ LIKE I'VE BEEN LIFTIN MY WHOLE LIFE WITHOUT A GF AND MAYBE GOMAD REALLY WORKED, CAUSE I THINK THAT I GREW BUT WITH YOU BUT WITH YOU I MIRE YOUR GLUTES DID IT FOR THE SLOOTS AND IT'S NOTHING LIKE I'VE EVER FELT BEFORE LIFTIN IT OFF THE FLOOOOOOOOOR LIFTIN IT OFF THE FLOOOOOOR MUTANT MASS DAILY WE FINISH EACH OTHERS PROTEIN SHAKES that's what i was gunna whey I NEVER MET SOMEONE WHO EATS AS MUCH AS ME SQUAT! SQUAT AGAIN! our no homo bro connection with this mutual erection you and I natty like scooby say goodbye to the gains of the past we don't have to cycle anymore https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiYsxVnl2_Y http://vocaroo.com/i/s1PbIyi4Dt4T (male part, bit flat) >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Let it Grow The weight feels light in the squat rack tonight Not a Leg day To be seen A Kingdom of Isolations I look nothing like Aziz My Bros are assholes and annoying like Jeff Seids Can't make him go, Scooby knows I've tried Don't do compounds, just use machines Be the curlbro the chicks want you to be Don't do SS, it's just the trolls But they're not trolls! Let it grow, let it grow Can’t hold me back anymore Let it grow, let it grow Pick the weight up off the floor I don’t care If /fit/ calls me gay I just want some glutes I can't get a girlfriend anyway It’s funny how some squatting Makes everyone else seem small And the DYELs that once trolled me Can’t make me mad at all It’s time to see what I can do To test the PRs and break through No abs, no cuts, no gf for me I’m free Let it grow, let it grow I'm not talking about my thighs *wink Let it grow, let it grow I'm slightly turned on by guys (no homo) A Whole Gallon Of Milk each day Pile more weight on My knees exploding and my ass is in the ground I caught you mirin my huge glutes because they're big and round And one thought hits me like a frothy protein blast I'm never going back, that curlfag's in the past! Let it go, hetero My cock rises like the break of dawn Kiss me bro, no homo My cis privilege is gone! Here I squat /fit/ has turned me gay let the trolls rage on I don't lift to get girls anyway http://vocaroo.com/i/s0GWMqNdKljh http://vocaroo.com/i/s1pQEVT3vJQg (grill gets halfway) http://vocaroo.com/i/s1HBTfu2qw5A (Stark) http://vocaroo.com/i/s1wuYOQSGLoV (Stark v.II) http://vocaroo.com/i/s0m6prhye5WF (grill sounds like Elsa) >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>SQUATTING IS BETTER THAN CURLING: Squatting is better than curling. /fit/ don't you think that's true? Yeah, curling won't bulk you or grow you or build you and squats |
to measure the widths of the bars and spaces in the bar code. Dark bars in the bar code absorb light and white spaces reflect light so that the voltage waveform generated by the photodiode is a representation of the bar and space pattern in the bar code. This waveform is decoded by the scanner in a manner similar to the way Morse code dots and dashes are decoded.
Laser scanners [ edit ]
Laser scanners work the same way as pen type readers except that they use a laser beam as the light source and typically employ either a reciprocating mirror or a rotating prism to scan the laser beam back and forth across the bar code. As with the pen type reader, a photo-diode is used to measure the intensity of the light reflected back from the bar code. In both pen readers and laser scanners, the light emitted by the reader is rapidly varied in brightness with a data pattern and the photo-diode receive circuitry is designed to detect only signals with the same modulated pattern.
CCD readers (also known as LED scanners) [ edit ]
CCD readers use an array of hundreds of tiny light sensors lined up in a row in the head of the reader. Each sensor measures the intensity of the light immediately in front of it. Each individual light sensor in the CCD reader is extremely small and because there are hundreds of sensors lined up in a row, a voltage pattern identical to the pattern in a bar code is generated in the reader by sequentially measuring the voltages across each sensor in the row. The important difference between a CCD reader and a pen or laser scanner is that the CCD reader is measuring emitted ambient light from the bar code whereas pen or laser scanners are measuring reflected light of a specific frequency originating from the scanner itself.
Camera-based readers [ edit ]
Two-dimensional imaging scanners are a newer type of bar code reader. They use a camera and image processing techniques to decode the bar code.
Video camera readers use small video cameras with the same CCD technology as in a CCD bar code reader except that instead of having a single row of sensors, a video camera has hundreds of rows of sensors arranged in a two dimensional array so that they can generate an image.
Large field-of-view readers use high resolution industrial cameras to capture multiple bar codes simultaneously. All the bar codes appearing in the photo are decoded instantly (ImageID patents and code creation tools) or by use of plugins (e.g. the Barcodepedia used a flash application and some web cam for querying a database), have been realized options for resolving the given tasks.
Omnidirectional barcode scanners [ edit ]
Omnidirectional scanning uses "series of straight or curved scanning lines of varying directions in the form of a starburst, a Lissajous curve, or other multiangle arrangement are projected at the symbol and one or more of them will be able to cross all of the symbol's bars and spaces, no matter what the orientation.[1] Almost all of them use a laser. Unlike the simpler single-line laser scanners, they produce a pattern of beams in varying orientations allowing them to read barcodes presented to it at different angles. Most of them use a single rotating polygonal mirror and an arrangement of several fixed mirrors to generate their complex scan patterns.
Omnidirectional scanners are most familiar through the horizontal scanners in supermarkets, where packages are slid over a glass or sapphire window. There are a range of different omnidirectional units available which can be used for differing scanning applications, ranging from retail type applications with the barcodes read only a few centimetres away from the scanner to industrial conveyor scanning where the unit can be a couple of metres away or more from the code. Omnidirectional scanners are also better at reading poorly printed, wrinkled, or even torn barcodes.
Cell phone cameras [ edit ]
While cell phone cameras without auto-focus are not ideal for reading some common barcode formats, there are 2D barcodes which are optimized for cell phones, as well as QR Codes (Quick Response) codes and Data Matrix codes which can be read quickly and accurately with or without auto-focus.
Cell phone cameras open up a number of applications for consumers.For example, -
Movies: DVD/VHS movie catalogs.
Music: CD catalogs – play MP3 when scanned.
Book catalogs and device.
Groceries, nutrition information, making shopping lists when the last of an item is used, etc.
Personal Property inventory (for insurance and other purposes)code scanned into personal finance software when entering. Later, scanned receipt images can then be automatically associated with the appropriate entries. Later, the barcodes can be used to rapidly weed out paper copies not required to be retained for tax or asset inventory purposes.
If retailers put barcodes on receipts that allowed downloading an electronic copy or encoded the entire receipt in a 2D barcode, consumers could easily import data into personal finance, property inventory, and grocery management software. Receipts scanned on a scanner could be automatically identified and associated with the appropriate entries in finance and property inventory software.
Consumer tracking from the retailer perspective (for example, loyalty card programs that track consumers purchases at the point of sale by having them scan a QR code).
A number of enterprise applications using cell phones are appearing:
Access control (for example, ticket validation at venues), inventory reporting (for example, tracking deliveries), asset tracking (for example, anti-counterfeiting).[2]
Smartphones [ edit ]
Smartphones can be used in Google's mobile Android operating system via both their own Google Goggles application. Nokia's Symbian operating system features a barcode scanner which can scan barcodes, while mbarcode is a barcode reader for the Maemo operating system. In the Apple iOS, a barcode reader is not automatically included, but there are more than fifty free or paid apps available with both scanning capabilities and hard-linking to URI. With BlackBerry devices, the App World application can natively scan barcodes. Windows Phone 8 is able to scan barcodes through the Bing search app.
Housing [ edit ]
A large multifunction barcode scanner being used to monitor the transportation of packages of radioactive pharmaceuticals
Barcode readers can be distinguished based on housing design as follows:
Handheld scanner with a handle and typically a trigger button for switching on the light source. Pen scanner (or wand scanner) a pen-shaped scanner that is swiped. Stationary scanner wall- or table-mounted scanners that the barcode is passed under or beside. These are commonly found at the checkout counters of supermarkets and other retailers. Fixed-position scanner an industrial barcode reader, used to identify products during manufacture or logistics. Often used on conveyor tracks to identify cartons or pallets which need to be routed to another process or shipping location. Another application joins holographic scanners with a checkweigher to read bar codes of any orientation or placement, and weighs the package. Systems like this are used in factory and farm automation for quality management and shipping. PDA scanner (or Auto-ID PDA) a PDA with a built-in barcode reader or attached barcode scanner. Automatic reader a back office equipment to read barcoded documents at high speed (50,000/hour). Cordless scanner (or Wireless scanner) a cordless barcode scanner is operated by a battery fit inside it and is not connected to the electricity mains and transfer data to the connected device like PC.
Methods of connection [ edit ]
Early serial interfaces [ edit ]
Early barcode scanners, of all formats, almost universally used the then-common RS-232 serial interface. This was an electrically simple means of connection and the software to access it is also relatively simple, although needing to be written for specific computers and their serial ports.
Proprietary interfaces [ edit ]
There are a few other less common interfaces. These were used in large EPOS systems with dedicated hardware, rather than attaching to existing commodity computers. In some of these interfaces, the scanning device returned a "raw" signal proportional to the intensities seen while scanning the barcode. This was then decoded by the host device. In some cases the scanning device would convert the symbology of the barcode to one that could be recognized by the host device, such as Code 39.
Keyboard wedge (e.g. PS/2) [ edit ]
With the popularity of the PC and its standard keyboard interface, it became ever easier to connect physical hardware to a PC and so there was commercial demand similarly to reduce the complexity of the associated software. "Keyboard wedge" hardware plugged between the PS/2 port and the keyboard, with characters from the barcode scanner appearing exactly as if they had been typed at the keyboard. This made the addition of simple barcode reading abilities to existing programs very easy, without any need to change them, although it did require some care by the user and could be restrictive in the content of the barcodes that could be handled.
USB [ edit ]
Later barcode readers began to use USB connectors rather than the keyboard port, as this became a more convenient hardware option. To retain the easy integration with existing programs, a device driver called a "software wedge" could be used, to emulate the keyboard-impersonating behavior of the old "keyboard wedge" hardware.
In many cases, a choice of USB interface types (HID, CDC) are provided. Some have PoweredUSB.
Wireless networking [ edit ]
Some modern handheld barcode readers can be operated in wireless networks according to IEEE 802.11g (WLAN) or IEEE 802.15.1 (Bluetooth). Some barcode readers also support radio frequencies viz. 433 MHz or 910 MHz. Readers without external power sources require their batteries be recharged occasionally, which may make them unsuitable for some uses.
Resolution [ edit ]
The scanner resolution is measured by the size of the dot of light emitted by the reader. If this dot of light is wider than any bar or space in the bar code, then it will overlap two elements (two spaces or two bars) and it may produce wrong output. On the other hand, if a too small dot of light is used, then it can misinterpret any spot on the bar code making the final output wrong.
The most commonly used dimension is 13 thou (0.013 in or 0.33 mm), although some scanners can read codes with dimensions as small as 3 thou (0.003 in or 0.075 mm). Most manufacturers advertise bar code resolution in mil, which is interchangeable with thou. Smaller bar codes must be printed at high resolution to be read accurately.
See also [ edit ]
CueCat, a cat-shaped handheld barcode reader
Barcode Battler, a portable game console which scans barcodes as part of the gameplay
Barcode for more details about the Barcode technology
Casenamics Barcode Router for more details about Barcode Reader and Routing Software.
References [ edit ]Putin told reporters on Saturday it was "utter nonsense" to suggest Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime would use chemical weapons while it was winning the war against the rebels.
He called on the US to release its evidence regarding last week's alleged chemical attacks on a Damascus suburb, which Washington claims killed over 1,400 people.
"Regarding the position of our American colleagues, friends, who affirm that government troops used weapons of mass destruction, in this case chemical weapons, and say that they have proof, well, let them show it to the United Nations inspectors and the Security Council," he said.
"I am convinced that it [the chemical attack] is nothing more than a provocation by those who want to drag other countries into the Syrian conflict, and who want to win the support of powerful members of the international arena, especially the United States," Putin added.
It was the Russian president's first public reaction to a US intelligence report released on Friday which said US authorities were convinced that Assad's forces were behind August 21 attacks.
"Our high confidence assessment is the strongest position that the US intelligence community can take short of confirmation," the report said.
It cited "a large body of independent sources" who reported that 1,429 people were killed, considerably more than first estimated. The report also specified that 426 of the dead were children.
UN findings expected
The Syrian government has firmly rejected allegations it was behind the chemical attacks, placing the blame on opposition forces.
A group of UN inspectors investigating the alleged use of chemical weapons left Syria on Saturday and arrived in The Hague, Netherlands.
The team was tasked with carrying out probes at three sites in Syria, including last week's alleged target.
UN spokesman Martin Nesirky told reporters in New York on Saturday that UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon would be briefed by the head of the inspection team, Ake Sellström, on Sunday. Nesirky did not give a timeline for when the inspectors would present their results. But he said that the team would conduct an impartial and credible investigation.
Any UN findings will not identify culpability. The investigators have a mandate only to check whether chemical weapons were used.
When asked by reporters if the secretary-general would seek to expand the inspectors' mandate, Nesirky said that the mandate had been established by the General Assembly and approved by the Security Council.
"The mandate is the mandate. The team and the secretary-general will abide by that mandate….," the UN spokesman said.
"The mandate is robust and provides for the United Nations to provide in an impartial and credible manner a picture of what happened," he continued.
US debates military action
In a press conference on Friday, US President Barack Obama said he was looking at a "wide range of options" for military intervention in Syria. He however stressed that none of them would involve putting "boots on the ground."
The US president said a long-term campaign was out of the question.
France was the only permanent member of the UN Security Council, besides the United States, to immediately state a readiness to intervene in Syria.
President Francois Hollande had told the Friday edition of the newspaper "Le Monde" that he and Obama "agreed that the international community cannot tolerate the use of chemical weapons, that it should hold the Syrian regime accountable for it and send a strong message."
Britain, another permanent member, has ruled out military action following a parliamentary vote, while Russia, perhaps Syria's closest ally during the civil war, has vowed to block any action against the Syrian regime in the UN Security Council.
Germany is also not expected to take part in military action. Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said Friday that Berlin was unlikely to send troops or planes to the embattled nation.
"No one has asked us to take part in such an action, nor are we considering it," Westerwelle said when asked about the possibility of military action in Syria.
ccp,slk/pfd (AFP, Reuters)Plot Edit
During a surprise drill of a nuclear attack, many United States Air Force Strategic Missile Wing controllers prove unwilling to turn the key required to launch a missile strike. Such refusals convince John McKittrick and other systems engineers at NORAD that missile launch control centers must be automated, without human intervention. Control is given to a NORAD supercomputer, WOPR (War Operation Plan Response), programmed to continuously run war simulations and learn over time. David Lightman, a bright but unmotivated Seattle high school student and hacker, uses his IMSAI 8080 computer to break into the school district's computer system and change his grades. He does the same for his friend and classmate Jennifer Mack. Later, while war dialing numbers in Sunnyvale, California to find a computer game company, he connects with a system that does not identify itself. Asking for games, he finds a list that starts with chess, checkers, backgammon, and poker, as well as titles like "Theaterwide Biotoxic and Chemical Warfare" and "Global Thermonuclear War", but cannot proceed further. Two hacker friends explain the concept of a backdoor password and suggest tracking down the Falken referenced in "Falken's Maze," the first game listed. David discovers that Stephen Falken was an early artificial intelligence researcher, and guesses correctly that his dead son's name, Joshua, is the password. David does not know that the Sunnyvale phone number connects to WOPR at the Cheyenne Mountain Complex. He starts a game of Global Thermonuclear War, playing as the Soviet Union. The computer starts a simulation that briefly convinces the military personnel at NORAD that actual Soviet nuclear missiles are inbound. While they defuse the situation, WOPR nonetheless continues the simulation to trigger the scenario and win the game, as it does not understand the difference between reality and simulation. It continuously feeds false data such as Soviet bomber incursions and submarine deployments to NORAD, pushing them into raising the DEFCON level and toward a retaliation that will start World War III. David learns the true nature of his actions from a news broadcast, and FBI agents arrest him and take him to NORAD. He realizes that WOPR is behind the NORAD alerts, but because he fails to convince McKittrick, he faces espionage charges. David escapes NORAD by joining a tourist group and, with Jennifer's help, travels to the Oregon island where Falken lives. David and Jennifer find that Falken has become despondent and believes that nuclear war is inevitable, that it is as futile as a game of tic-tac-toe between two experienced players. The teenagers convince Falken that he should return to NORAD to stop WOPR. The computer stages a massive Soviet first strike with hundreds of missiles, submarines, and bombers. Believing the attack to be genuine, NORAD prepares to retaliate. Falken, David, and Jennifer convince military officials to cancel the second strike and ride out the attack. WOPR tries to launch the missiles itself, however, using a brute-force attack to obtain the launch code. Without humans in the control centers as a safeguard, the computer will trigger a mass launch. All attempts to log in and order WOPR to cancel the countdown fail. Disconnecting the computer is discussed and dismissed, as a failsafe will launch all weapons if the computer is disabled. Falken and David direct the computer to play tic-tac-toe against itself. This results in a long string of draws, forcing the computer to learn the concept of futility and no-win scenarios. WOPR obtains the missile code, but before launching, it cycles through all the nuclear war scenarios it has devised, finding they, too, all result in stalemates. Having discovered the concept of mutual assured destruction ("WINNER: NONE"), the computer tells Falken that it has concluded that nuclear war is "a strange game" in which "the only winning move is not to play." WOPR relinquishes control of NORAD and the missiles and offers to play "a nice game of chess."
Cast Edit
Production Edit
Release Edit
WarGames did well at the North American box office, earning $79,567,667, the fifth-highest of 1983.[1][10] The film was screened out of competition at the 1983 Cannes Film Festival.[11]
Reception Edit
Video games Edit
Soundtrack Edit
Sequel Edit
In November 2006, pre-production began on a sequel, titled WarGames: The Dead Code. It was directed by Stuart Gillard, and starred Matt Lanter as a hacker named Will Farmer facing off with a government supercomputer called RIPLEY.[30] MGM released the sequel directly to DVD on July 29, 2008 along with the 25th Anniversary Edition DVD of WarGames. To promote the sequel, the film returned to selected theaters as a one-night-only 25th anniversary event on July 24, 2008.[31]
Interactive series Edit
Main article: WarGames (interactive media) An interactive media reboot of WarGames was announced by MGM in 2015, with Interlude serving as its co-production company. The project was described as an "audience-driven story experience", with anticipated launch in 2016.[32] In March 2016, Sam Barlow announced he has joined Interlude and would be serving as a creative lead in the series, based on his work from his video game, Her Story, which required the player to piece together a mystery based on a series of video clips.[33] After Interlude rebranded itself as Eko in December 2016, and by December 2017, slated the release of their WarGames series for early 2018.[34][35]
See also EditIf you’ve followed this blog over the past four months, you know how sweet this win was for me, given my vigorous insistence that NC State never beats us, always falls short, and would surely do so again. Further, I’ve argued that they’re a mediocre program and we should all stop fretting over how tough it is to play them... given we’ve won 13/14 now.
Following the win, I was disappointed to see NC State fans throw trash at the refs and hear their Head Coach complain about officiating and question the legality of a laptop on the sidelines. For what it’s worth, I thought the officiating was solid enough. There were some huge game-changing penalties to be sure, but all the pass interference calls were egregious and undeniable. The big procedural penalty at the end was also a correct call. Even Doeren said as much in his post game presser.
For the second time in three games, Clemson’s defense was a bit of a disappointment. They did reasonably well stopping the run, but the depleted secondary struggled as Ryan Finley completed 31 passes for 338 yards. Coach Doeren called the coverage “soft” and his team certainly took advantage.
Mark Fields and Marcus Edmond were out while Tanner Muse played with a cast on his broken hand. A.J. Terrell also got banged up and left the Tigers down three cornerbacks.
Ray-Ray McCloud wore #21 and played CB, including on what ended up being the game’s final drive. Amir Trapp also saw the field. Although Coach Swinney spoke highly of Trapp, he was victimized on a long TD pass. On the game’s final drive, he allowed an 18-yard reception right over his head. Ryan Carter played great (huge INT), but he and Trayvon Mullen were the lone healthy “usuals” at cornerback.
Strangely, the defensive line struggled to get much pressure on the only somewhat mobile Ryan Finley. Clelin Ferrell played an exceptional game, but Dexter Lawrence got hurt and others were quiet. NC State’s offensive line is very good, but no better than Georgia or Notre Dame who Clemson could potentially play later.
In the end, the defense came through though. K’Von Wallace was the defensive hero as he broke up what would have been the game-tying catch and then intercepted a 4th down pass to seal the victory.
The offense put up 38 points in the win. Tavien Feaster’s 89-yard TD run was the Tigers’ longest play of the season. He and Etienne were the only RBs to get carries. They’ve emerged and look like a great duo moving forward.
Deon Cain, Hunter Renfrow, and Ray-Ray McCloud all managed to stand out for different (positive) reasons. Some have questioned Cain’s effort on borderline catch-able balls this season. If there was any doubt around how hard he plays, it should be gone now. He turned in one of his best games of the year, reeling in 9 receptions for 84 tough yards and a TD. He reeled in several big-time catches to move the chains. Renfrow was quiet for most of the day, but on a key fourth down caught the ball short of the chains and broke a tackle to save the drive. McCloud didn’t register a catch (he drew a PI though), but contributed on defense at CB and finally found the end zone as a punt returner. It was one of the most shifty punt returns I’ve ever seen. Enjoy:
Kelly Bryant continues to provide the Clemson offense with a tremendous threat as a runner. He collected 88 rushing yards and 2 rushing TDs in this game. His passing remains inconsistent though. There were several instances of balls being well over or under-thown when the receiver was open for a big gain. A pass near the boundary to Hunter Renfrow stands out as one. A deep ball to Cain was another. This can’t happen if this team is to beat Alabama or even Miami.
Although it was closer than we’d like, Clemson went on the road and beat a ranked team despite missing three cornerbacks to injury. Amazing! NC State will have to settle for the Belk Bowl or something of that tier.
Will someone please tell Bradley Chubb that Belk has a lovely selection of designer hand towels?
There's no need to take the QB's property. — Belk Bowl (@belkbowl) November 4, 2017
Stay tuned for our Clemson basketball season preview series on Monday and Tuesday of this week and our Blue Chip Depth Chart Analysis on Wednesday!NOWRUZ
The Zarathushtrian New Year
Ali A. Jafarey
CALENDAR
Almost all of us know that the year is approximately 365.25 days long. All of us in the Northern Hemisphere know that the seasons are regular and March means the coming of spring, June the beginning of summer, September the beginning of fall, and December means the coming of winter. The reverse is the case in the Southern Hemisphere.
Many know that spring begins with the vernal equinox on about 21 March, summer with the summer solstice on about 22 June, fall with the autumnal equinox on about 23 September, and winter with the winter solstice on about 23 December.
Some know that the "tropical," solar, or seasonal year is of 365 days, 5 hours, 48 and 45.5 seconds. In other words, it is 365.242+ days. They also know that one day is added every four years to compensate for the loss of four 5 hours 48+ minutes, that each of the equinoxes and solstices have their precise time of beginning pre-calculated and published by many world observatories and other astronomical establishments, and that the astronomical and astrological worlds follow the tropical year. A few know that the minutes and seconds in the length of the year vary, from year to year, mainly because of the movements of the moon and the planets and that the present shift from 21 to 20 March is due to the fact that instead of calculating exactly 5 hours and 48+ minutes, the Common Era (Gregorian Calendar) has full 6 hours, which advances it by 12+ minutes every year. This is corrected to an extant by having a leap year every four years. But it still has its flaw. Therefore, a year is a leap year if either (i) it is divisible by 4 but not by 100 or (ii) it is divisible by 400. In other words, a year which is divisible by 4 is a leap year unless it is divisible by 100 but not by 400 (in which case it is not a leap year). Thus the years 1600 and 2000 are leap years, but 1700, 1800, 1900 and 2100 are not. Even this does not make it precise like the Iranian calendar and further measures are anticipated to precisely correct it.
Very few know that the official Iranian and Afghani calendars, both of Zarathushtrian origin, are tropical. Only a very small number know that if the beginning of the year is considered from the precise start of vernal equinox, there shall never be any need to have a leap year at all -- the reason why the ancient Zarathushtrians did not have it!
The Iranians of old had a tropical calendar for many centuries. The downfall of the Sassanian Empire in the 7th century disrupted the astronomical structure of the religion and the state. The 365-day year, followed by the majority of Zarathushtrians in India and Pakistan with little astronomical knowledge, for the last eleven hundred years, has advanced the calendar to where Nowruz now occurs in the late summer. However, almost all Zarathushtrians in Iran and a minority of Parsis of India and Pakistan follow the "Fasli" or seasonal calendar. It is an almost tropical calendar. It is corrected by observing the leap year.
Meanwhile, although the Iranians, who were converted to Islam, observed and are observing the Muslim lunar calendar for religious purposes, the Iranian calendar was soon restored within a century for administrative and economical reasons and that it continues to be their daily time reckoning.
LEGEND AND HISTORY
Nowruz [pronounced NO-ROOZ] in Persian means "New-[year]-day". It is the beginning of the year for the people of Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Iran, and Tajikistan. Other Asian republics of the former Soviet Union are joining the group, and the latest report says that Turkey too has decided to declare Nowruz a holiday. It is also celebrated as the new year by the people of the Iranian stock, particularly the Kurds, in the neighboring countries of Georgia, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey. It begins precisely with the beginning of spring on vernal equinox, on about March 21.
Tradition takes Nowruz as far back as 15,000 years and that goes beyond the last ice age. King Jamshid (Yima or Yama of the Indo-Iranian lore) symbolizes the transition of the Indo-Iranians from animal hunting to animal husbandry and a more settled life in human history. Seasons played a vital part then. Everything depended on the four seasons. After a sever winter, the beginning of spring was a great occasion with mother nature rising up in a green robe of colorful flowers and the cattle delivering their young. It was the dawn of abundance. Jamshid symbolizes the person/people who introduced Nowruz celebrations.
Avestan and later scriptures show that Zarathushtra improved, as early as 1725 BCE, the old Indo-Iranian calendar. The prevailing calendar was lunisolar. The lunar year is of 354 days. An intercalation of one month after every thirty months kept the calendar almost in line with the seasons. Zarathushtra, the Founder of the Good Religion, himself an astronomer, founded an observatory and he reformed the calendar by introducing an eleven-day intercalary period to make it into a lunisolar year of 365 days, 5 hours and a fraction.
Later in the post-Gathic period, the year was made solely a solar year with each month of thirty days. An intercalation of five days, and a further addition of one day every four years, was introduced to make the year 365 days, 5 hours, and a fraction. Still later, the calendar was further corrected to be a purely solar year of 365 days 5 hr 48+ min. The year began precisely with the vernal equinox every time and therefore, there was no particular need of adding one day every four years and there was no need of a leap year. This was [and still is] the best and most correct calendar produced that/this far in history.
Some 12 centuries later, in 487 BCE, Darius the Great of the Achaemenian dynasty (700 to 330 BCE) celebrated the Nowruz at his newly built Persepolis in Iran. A recent research shows that it was a very special occasion. On that day, the first rays of the rising sun fell on the observatory in the great hall of audience at 06-30 a.m., an event that repeats itself once every 1400-1 years. It also happened to coincide with the Babylonian and Jewish new years. It was, therefore, a highly auspicious occasion for the ancient peoples. The Persepolis was the place the Achaemenian king received, on Nowruz, his peoples from all over the vast empire. The walls of the great royal palace depict the scenes of the celebrations.
We know the Parthians (250 BCE to 224 CE) celebrated the occasion but we do not know the details. It should have, more or less, followed the Achaemenian pattern. During the Sassanian time (224 to 652 CE), preparations began at least 25 days before Nowruz. Twelve pillars of mud bricks, each dedicated to one month of the year, were erected in the royal court. Various vegetable seeds--wheat, barley, lentils, beans, and others--were sown on top of the pillars. They grew into luxurious greens by the New Year Day.
The great king held his public audience and the High Priest of the empire was the first to greet him. Other priests and government officials followed next. Each person offered a gift and received a present. The audience lasted for five days, each day for the people of a certain profession. Then on the sixth day, called the Greater Nowruz, the king held his special audience. He received members of the Royal family and courtiers. Also a general amnesty was declared for convicts of minor crimes. The pillars were removed on the 16th day and the festival came to a close. The occasion was celebrated, on a lower level, by all peoples throughout the empire.
Since then, the peoples of the Iranian culture, whether Zarathushtrians, Jews, Christians, Muslims, Baha'is, or others, have, under Arab, Turk, Mongol, and Iranian rulers, celebrated Nowruz precisely at the time of vernal equinox, the first day of the first month, on about March 21.
ERAS
Zarathushtrians have six seasonal thanksgiving festivals, called "Gâhânbârs," to celebrate in a year. Vernal Equinox, called Hamaspathmaidhaya in Avesta, meaning "Middle of Equal Paths," or in simpler rendering "vernal equinox" is the top celebration. It was called in later days as "Nava Saredha" and still later Now Sal, both meaning "New Year". Today it is known as Nowruz, New Day. It is the first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere.
The early Zarathushtrians counted their era, the Zarathushtrian Religious Era (ZRE), from Nowruz (vernal equinox) of 1737 BCE. It may be noted that the credit of precisely calculating ZRE goes to an Iranian scholar, the late Zabih Behruz. Right now, we are going through the last days of the last month of 3742 ZRE. It was practically revived by the Zarathushtrian Assembly 15 years ago and has been happily adopted by the Zarathushtrians in Iran and abroad, including in North America.
The Zarathushtrian era was abandoned when the Achaemenian monarchy was influenced by the prevailing custom in the Mesopotamia. The year started with the accession to the throne of every monarch. That is the reason why Zarathushtrians -- followers of the Fasli (solar), the Shahenshahi (majority of Parsis), the Qadimi (a minority of Parsis and Iranis of India and Pakistan) calendars -- have the Yazgerdi era, the year King Yazdgerd ascended the throne in 632 CE. Both Shahenshahi and Qadimi reckoning have a year of 365 days only. They have advanced almost seven months by gaining one day every four years. It means that they gave up the leap year (avardâd sâlgâh -- literally "perfection of year-time) about 852 years ago -- in about 1150 CE. All Iranian Zarathushtrians follow the Fasli, the seasonal or the solar calendar.
When Iranian Muslims returned to the solar year, they reckoned with the Hejra year in solar terms. It will be 1384 Khorshidi (solar) this Nowruz. The months are Zarathushtrian -- Farvardin, Ordibehesht, Khordad, Tir etc. -- in Iran and Zodiac – Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer -- in Afghanistan.
NOWRUZ TABLE
Every house gets a thorough cleaning almost a month before. Wheat, barley, lentils, and other vegetable seeds are soaked to grow on china plates and round earthenware vessels some ten days in advance, so that the sprouts are three to four inches in height by Nowruz.
Today, the ceremony has been simplified. A table is laid. It has a copy of the sacred book (the Gathas for Zarathushtrians), picture of Zarathushtra (or a Saint's picture by other creeds), a mirror, candles, incense burner, bowl of water with live gold fish, the plates and vessels with green sprouts, flowers, fruits, coins, bread, sugar cone, various grains, colorfully painted boiled eggs like "Easter eggs," and above all, seven articles with their names beginning in Persian with the letter "S" (seen) or "SH" (sheen). The usual things with "S" are vinegar (serkeh), sumac (somâgh), garlic (sîr), samanu (consistency of germinating wheat), apple (sîb), sorb (senjed), and sabzi (herbs). Those with an initial letter "SH" include wine (sharâb), sugar (shakar), syrup (shîreh), honey (shahd), candy (shîrîni), milk (shîr), and rice pudding (shîr-berenj). The seven articles are prominently exhibited in small bowls or plates on the table.
The table is laid with a white cloth. White represents spotless purity.
Let me repeat the brief play put up by young members of the Zarathushtrian Assembly to define the significance of the seven plates of "S" and seven plates of "SH." The youngsters, dressed in tune with what they represent, tell us by themselves their own significance. Those with "S" inform us:
First Plate: I am SERKEH, the vinegar. I am sour but I am a good preservative. I add taste to the things you want to preserve and relish. I symbolize tasty preservation. Second Plate: I am SUMAC, exotic in my own way, I make your favorite kabobs have a tangy taste, a taste you relish. I symbolize taste. Third Plate: I am SIR, garlic. Some may not like my aroma and others love it. I lower blood pressure. I pacify. I symbolize peace. Fourth Plate: I am SAMANU, a sweetish paste, a kind of halwa, made from germinating wheat. I symbolize the sprouting spring, the time for happy growth. Fifth Plate: I am SIB, apple. I symbolize the fruits of our world, both literally and allegorically. Sixth Plate: I am SENJED, the tasteless berry of the sorb tree. I am the fruit of a tree which provides shade in summer. I symbolize the shelter and security you need when you want a rest. Seventh Plate: I am SABZI, fresh green herbs. I come from green fields. I symbolize prosperity.
The seven plates with "SH" tell us:
First Plate: I am SHARAB, the wine. I am the nectar. I symbolize health and happiness, of course, if taken in moderation! To your health! Second Plate: I am SHAKAR, sugar. I give your favorite foods their sweetness. I symbolize sweetness. Third Plate: I am SHIR, milk, the first food one tastes in this world. |
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